The Darkness Beyond the Stars

Chapter 21: Sjis-rok

No one threw any more vegetables after that.

By the time we made it to the front gate of the palace, my head was spinning. Not just from tiredness, but from the noises and smells, and the sheer life of the city. The gates opened slowly, and we rode through.

The courtyard was green.

Not that the stone it was built from was green, but trees shot up from the ground, covered in vines and bright red flowers. They formed a canopy above our heads, and I made my dizziness worse by trying to see the sky beyond the green cover. The path in front of us was paved with pure white stones, lined with silver clad guards.

I thought we'd never reach the end of the courtyard, but we finally did, and dismounted. A guard stepped forward, and bowed low, then went up a flight of steps ahead of us.

Raon held my hand tightly.

I counted fifteen steps before we reached the top. A pair of enormous golden doors stood in front of us. They opened outward, and we went through.

If the courtyard was ridiculously green, the palace was ridiculously golden. Everywhere I looked, I was dazzled. A long hall stretched out in front of us, lined by tall windows. The late afternoon sun streamed in on the right. Every few feet, a guard stood, but not dressed in silver. These guards were dressed in a deep blue, their heads bare. I gave up trying not to stare at everything.

Raon glanced at me, and I glanced at him. He smiled as if he knew something I didn't, and looked back ahead.

He was still holding my hand.

The guard led us through more hallways after the golden one, hallways that were blue and orange and every color at once. At last he stopped in front of a tall pair of black doors.

I was too tired to be nervous.

The doors opened.

Immediately my eyes were drawn to the throne. Or, rather, the thrones. There were at least nine, lined in an arch at the far side of the room.

The room was empty, but for three other people. The person on the right side was in shadow, but I could see his pale hair. As we got closer, it struck me how much he looked like Raon. But there was something distinctly different.

On the left throne, in a shaft of sunlight, sat the queen. Her eyes were fixed on my face, so I looked away quickly, and at the center throne.

I suddenly felt small.

The king of the Wild Elves looked more a king than my father ever would. He sat on his throne, staring down at us with brilliant blue eyes. The peacock feathers attached to his crown reached up towards the ceiling, and glittered in the sun. His robes flowed from his shoulders, flooded the throne, and draped down the steps, gold and blue. A necklace of curved, gleaming teeth was draped across his bare, broad shoulders.

He stood, and I resisted the urge to bow.

"Seventh Son." His voice echoed through the hall and surrounded us.

His gaze turned to me, and I stopped resisting, and bowed slightly.

"And this." His eyes raked over me.

I cringed at the thought that I hadn't washed in a week. Or even changed in days.

"This is my wife, Princess Lilya."

"I gathered that. Why is she here?"

I glanced at Raon, and saw his face grow stiff.

"I need to discuss something with you, alone."

My eyebrows shot up. As in, I wouldn't be there?

"Obviously." The king drew out the word. He stood, and came down the steps, stopping a few feet away from us.

His eyes were pale green, but with the same brilliant gaze that I had seen on Raon.

"I'm glad you're home." His eyes softened a moment, then he turned and strode out of the room. As the door closed behind him, the queen leapt out of her throne and ran towards us. Raon opened his arms, and wrapped them around her.

She pulled back an instant later, his face in her hands. Tears filled her eyes, but her mouth was stretched wide in a smile. "You're back." Her voice was low.

"With more scars, I see." The elf that looked disturbingly like Raon stood behind the queen.

"No really good ones."

The elf threw back his head and laughed, then grabbed Raon in a hug. "I missed you, little brother."

"Of course you did." Raon was grinning now. He turned to me, and took my hand. "Lilya, this is Mother, and my second brother, Radel."

Radel watched me quizzically. "I think she's collected some scars as well."

I tried to think of a way to respond, but my thoughts were thick and fuzzy. I blinked a few times, and tried to smile.

The queen took my hand. "Welcome."

I nodded, and wondered where all my manners had gone. I couldn't think of a thing to say.

.....

Radel nudged Raon. "She looks like she's going to fall asleep standing. We kept your old room clean here."

"Thank you." Raon took Lilya's hand and gently pulled her towards a side door. "I need to talk to both of you, tomorrow if possible. But I need to find Morok, and rest first."

Mother nodded. "I'll be on the beach tomorrow morning. And Morok was reporting to me tonight."

Raon nodded and led Lilya away. She stumbled, and he grabbed her elbow.

"Sorry." She mumbled.

He opened the side door, and they moved into the hallway. Down a few feet, through a door, around the corner, and up a flight of stairs they went, until Raon caught sight of his old door. He hadn't lived in the palace for years, but when they went in, it was exactly how he'd left it. The window open to the jungle and beach, the bed covered in green, the empty bookshelves above a long couch.

He looked down at Lilya. She was staring blankly at the room. Then she tipped slightly, and stumbled towards the couch.

"Are you hungry?" Raon went to the window and threw it open, grimacing as his shoulder protested. A sultry breeze crept in. He grinned and closed his eyes. The sea murmured below, a lullaby as the sun disappeared.

Lilya mumbled something.

"Since if you are..." he turned around, and stopped. Lilya had curled up and closed her eyes, her bandaged arms wound tightly around a pillow.

"Oh." He hesitated, then knelt next to her. Her face had relaxed, a lock of hair fallen on her cheek. At an impulse, he reached forward and pushed the hair off her face, then rested his hand on her cheek. "Lilya?"

She wriggled deeper into the couch and turned her face toward him, but her eyes stayed closed. He knelt there a moment longer, hardly daring to move. Exhaustion made his eyes heavy. Then he stood, and clambered over her, then curled up on the other side of the couch, and closed his eyes.