*
They marched along the glistening white tile floor as the occasional odd green tile drifted by. The guards surrounded them in a tight diamond formation, almost touching them. Even though the soldiers were armed, at least their weapons were not drawn. On they marched through the palace, passing by several ornately decorated tapestries made of smooth silk.
They were led up a flight of bright red stairs wide enough for twenty men to walk side by side. Across the top of the steps was another long wide hallway, garnished with large, thick stained-glass windows of green, blue and yellow on each side. Each set of windows displayed elaborate red curtains, held wide open with gold-colored ropes made of silk.
The red carpeted hallway led to a set of thick golden doors ornately decorated with black and green-colored grapevines painted along the borders. When two soldiers stepped out from their tight formation to push open the heavy doors, it was like opening a doorway into a fairytale.
The Queen’s throne room’s floor was covered in lush, thick, red and green carpets. Wide golden pillars with white bases stretched high into the air to support the deep red ceiling. The same stained-glass windows from the hall lined each side of the room.
The diamond formation pressed them forward. The Queen, sitting high on her throne, could be seen up ahead. The walk to her was only fifty feet or so but felt like hundreds, as her noble presence seemed to fill the room. A massive banner in the likeness of the Taron flag hung directly behind her golden throne.
The Queen smoothly rose to her feet as the diamond-shaped formation approached. Her green eyes burned with an intensity that matched her flaming red hair. The potent aura of leadership that radiated from Her Majesty made it hard to tell if she was a fearsome warrior or a commanding queen. Maybe she was both. “Leave us!” she commanded as the soldiers immediately broke rank and scurried from the room.
Jade was the first to drop into a low, elegant bow, followed quickly by the boys, who managed awkward bows of their own. “Rise, all of you,” Ilirra said in a far softer tone now that the soldiers were gone. “I’m sorry for the harsh reception, but I couldn’t allow for any error.” She marched back and forth with her hands clasped behind her back while her head remained high and level. “The hour is late. I have rooms for you.”
She paused a moment to look each one in the eye as she scanned the three of them. She smiled as each met her gaze easily without shying away. “We will discuss no more business tonight.” She snapped her fingers as two serving maids came to lead them to their rooms. The three companions followed along unemotionally, having a hard time believing all this was real.
Eric and Jacob shared a room, while Jade was taken to her own private quarters. The boys’ eyes nearly fell out of their heads when they saw theirs. The enormous room held two lush beds with thick red blankets and matching sheets. The beds were surrounded by dark, lacquered wooden furniture that had clearly been handcrafted with supreme care. The night stand, table and chairs were all the same deep rich color, probably all fabricated by the same craftsmen. There was also a fireplace with little wooden trinkets on the platform above it. Jacob couldn’t stop touching the figurines, or anything else for that matter. Lifting a porcelain vase that was on the table, he looked underneath it for who knows what.
“Would you stop messing around with everything? Put that down,” Eric said, slightly entertained at how aggressive Jacob was being with all the stuff in the room. He wouldn’t earn enough in a lifetime to replace any one of these items.
“I can hardly believe we are here!” Jacob said excitedly as he finally put down the wooden figurines he had been juggling a moment earlier. “And remember, she sent for us! She knew we were here!” That was true enough. The Queen had indeed sent for them, which in turn made them wonder how much she knew.
“You know something?” Eric said in a slow, considering voice, “I think she knows more about this than we do. I thought we would be here trying to sell her some crazy fairytale story, one I’m not sure I believe myself.” He paced back and forth as he rubbed the back of his neck, fondling the necklace. “Now I’m starting to think we are going to be doing a lot more listening than talking.” Jacob said nothing, but certainly found logic in Eric’s statement.