A GODDESSES PARADISE (girlxgirlxgirl)

4; Into the palace

Once they reach the first platform of marble, the guards stop them immediately. They had been watching them for a while now, but since it's not illegal to look different, they have not gotten a chance to question Nadya or Penelope about Irene. Not until now of course.

"State your names and the purpose of your visit"

Penelope and Nadya look at each other, then at Irene, before answering. In the meanwhile, the shortest girl among them stands silently and in confusion, not understanding or knowing anything.

"I'm Nadya from Artemis, this is Penelope from Athena, we have found a lost girl wandering by the fields and wish to bring her in front of the queen"

The guards look at Irene in surprise. Her clothes and overall look, meaning a slight difference in height and bruises all over her body, make much more sense. She is someone from the outside, whatever that means. They evaluate how she looks with suspicious eyes, trying to determine if she is a danger or not. A bad evaluation of her risk could lead to them loosing their jobs, especially is she happens to harm the queen or any of the leaders. Of course Irene looks harmless, but they can never be too careful. Penelope notices their hesitance and quickly adds on top of Nadya's words, not sure if it will help.

"She can't understand us, but we believe that her name is Irene"

Miraculously the guards seem convinced at that. If she has a name like theirs, she can't be much different, like a secret monster sent by the Goddesses to test their intelligence or strength. They make way for the three to pass, and even Irene, who has no idea what is going on, seems relived.

"You three may pass, next please!"

As the guards move on to the next group of women, Nadya and Penelope lead Irene up the next set of stairs. These are longer than the last ones and Irene sighs out in frustration. She has no idea where they are taking her, and everything already hurts. Of course they seem kind, but maybe they are constantly mocking her and swearing at her in their language. How would she know?

Through sweat, inevitably some blood, and struggle, they finally reach the top of the stairs. As they start heading for the biggest temple, the guards by the opening clearly tense. These guards will be even harder to convince, and now they'll have to request an audience with the queen. If she doesn't agree, Nadya and Penelope are quite short on ideas. Nervously they reach the entrance and are approached by three guards, even though it usually would be one. It is clear that they are all seeing Irene as a threat, even though she could barely fight them for one second before passing out or dying. Irene thinks about this as she unconsciously hides behind Penelope and Nadya.

"What is going on here?"

Penelope is quick to explain this time, in her usual calm and reassuring, yet serious voice.

"We request an audience with the queen, we found this girl coming from the forest and she doesn't speak our language. We hope the queen has a solution"

To Irene, this all sounds like gibberish. She looks back and fourth between the two discussing women, head hurting from confusion. The guard said something short and strict, something that sent shivers down her spine, and then Penelope answered with a calm voice, something which Irene could never pull off in this situation. This Penelope girl is really cool, she thinks, and feels even more inferior to everything and everyone around her.

The guards hesitate for a second or two. The the tallest one among them snaps her fingers, the loud sound making Irene flinch. A younger girl comes running in from the palace. She wears the same thing as the adult women, a white dress that goes slightly above her ankles, leather sandals which Irene are already jealous of, some golden decorations around her waist and her brown hair loose. She stops in front of the guard and looks up.