The palace itself rose majestically in front of her. It seemed to be made out of some gorgeous, glittering white rock that reflected the sunlight in a multitude of sparkles. It was blindingly beautiful, and she could only imagine what it would look like at night. Behind it was the dramatic backdrop of a giant mountain that she recognized as the one on the back of the coins. Turning to Will, she asked with a pleading puppy look, “Can you bring me back at night sometime? Is it even better?”
He laughed, seeming to relax at her plea, and it was only then she realized she’d kept a cool, cordial barrier up with him this whole time instead of letting her usual exuberance out. He had seemingly responded in kind. “I’d love to. Come on, wait until you see the inside.” He had a cute boyish smile going now, and his bright blue eyes seemed to sparkle with mirth.
He led her through the palace, which was decorated lavishly, mostly with intricate drapes, glass figures and vases, and metal accents. The furniture was a light colored wood, and there was a lot of the decor that was done in hues of dark green that contrasted wonderfully with the whiteness, providing comfort for the eyes.
She was a little uncomfortable with the way the servants silently bowed and remained bent until they had passed out of sight. They were just people…but she supposed she would have to adapt to the customs of the world and figure out what they were before she went around trying to achieve equality.
She was also silently grateful that she’d started with a leg up and a title. As much as she respected those who worked menial jobs, she really wanted to be able to go and explore the world. She didn’t want to be stuck in some dead-end job. This was her chance to live, and she was extraordinarily thankful that she had the advantages she’d been given.
They stopped in front of some elaborate doors, and the guards there bobbed in brief bows. Will politely provided them with her name, and when they opened the doors, one of them announced loudly to the room, “Presenting Prince Will and Lady Jade.”
Steeling her nerves, she tightened her hold on his arm almost imperceptibly, held her head high, and with a serene indifference she was totally faking, she walked into the room with Will to meet his father, the king.
Chapter Eighteen – Royalty
It was a much smaller room than she had been expecting. She had speculated she was being led into some giant throne room from the whole getting announced thing, but no. She had entered what appeared to be a family sitting room with a brunch table set up along the wall. Granted, the decorations were far beyond fancy and had trod into the territory of downright extravagant.
No, what surprised her was the family sitting around chatting and who had all now turned to stare at them. She was confronted by seven heads of platinum blonde hair and intense blue eyes. Hitler would be proud. Two of them were noticeably older than the rest, around middle age. She figured they were the king and queen, and the other five were quite obviously Will’s siblings. With her dark brown hair and green eyes, she stuck out like the sorest of thumbs.
Will was oblivious to the fact that her legs felt wooden, pulling her forward to meet his family as the doors closed behind them. Of note was that they’d let her into the room without any guards or servants inside. It was literally just the royal family and her. She wondered if they were simply that unwary of her, but then she surveyed the room a little more closely.
The king and queen might be middle-aged, but they were very, very fit. Every single one of the family members was the same, even the two daughters. She could see the tiny telltale bulges under their clothes of concealed weapons, and several of the men were openly wearing their swords. So it wasn’t that they didn’t discount her as a potential threat, it was just that they were the cream of the crop and had probably been through some pretty strenuous training so that they could protect themselves and each other.
The queen was the first to act as she met them halfway across the room, gracefully pecking Will on the cheek in greeting. “Will dear, welcome back. I see you’ve brought a friend?” She was studying Jade with open curiosity, so Jade did the same. Straight shoulder length hair that was perfectly in place, her heart-shaped face was beautiful and made for smiling, if the tiny crow’s feet at her eyes were any indication. Her pink dress was lavish, but still managed to look comfortable and showcase her ample bust.
Will smiled warmly at his mother and nodded. “Mother, may I introduce Lady Jade to you? Jade, this is my mother, Queen Ashanna.” He smiled and continued at her confused look, “Mother, Jade is a traveler and arrived two days ago, so I thought I’d bring her to meet everyone.”
“Mmmm, is that so? It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jade.” She leaned forward, lightly brushing her lips against Jade’s cheek as she spoke with amazing poise, despite very obviously being caught off guard, “Welcome to Abala.”
Jade smiled and greeted her in return. “The pleasure is mine. I’m sorry for coming unannounced. I was told you’d been given warning and were expecting me.” Her voice and smile were sickly sweet, but she had turned to Will to glare daggers at him, not hesitating in the slightest to throw him under the bus. He was supposed to warn them, dangitall! This was precisely what she hadn’t wanted to happen!
Queen Ashanna snickered softly at her little barb, then took Jade’s hand, leading her towards the rest of the family. “You’ll have to forgive my son. I’m afraid he loves to shock people, and I haven’t been able to beat it out of him yet.” Her eyes were glittering a little dangerously, and Will looked distinctly uncomfortable, like his plan had backfired. His mother seemed like someone who dealt in retribution, and it was likely to be painful by the panicked flash on his face.
Jade nodded with a cheeky grin. “I can see that. I’ll have to be more careful in the future.”
Ashanna laughed. “It would be wonderful if you could keep him in line.”
“I am still behind you, you know. I can hear what you’re saying.” Will chimed in, having followed them with a little reluctance.
Ashanna just smiled evilly and chided him, “You were meant to. Now Jade, let me introduce you to the rest of my family.” The others had obviously been paying attention to their conversation since they entered the room. One of the girls was giving Will the evil eye, and Jade figured she would also be meting out retribution. “Everyone, meet Jade.” They’d all stood up to greet them when they walked over, and Ashanna led her to the older gentleman first.
His eyes were twinkling with amusement and she relaxed. These people had a sense of humor and were nothing like the stuck-up pigs she’d been anticipating through years of watching royals be portrayed as stuffy pricks in so many movies. He put his hand out, and, surprised that he wanted to shake her hand, which she hadn’t seen anyone else do, she reached her hand out reflexively.
She was not ready for him to bend slightly after he captured her fingers and kiss the back of her hand. Still smiling jovially, he rumbled, “Lady Jade, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Derrick. As my lovely wife said, we welcome you to Abala. May I ask how long you’ve been with us?” She met his cornflower blue eyes that were the same shade as Will’s. His tanned skin and calloused hands led her to believe that he spent quite a bit of time outside using the fancy sword at his waist. The only thing that showed he might be getting older was that his hair was a little thinner on top than his son’s. His well-trimmed beard seemed to be his protest against the thinning hair on top.