Whill put up a defensive hand. “No, no, it’s not that. I am sure you are excellent at what you do. It is just I am not used to such treatment.”
Johanah’s head was bowed in shame, his eyes on the floor. Whill knew he had upset the old man. He put a hand upon Johanah’s shoulder and said what he knew he must to give the man his dignity once again.
“I am sure you will serve me well, Johanah. I am glad to have one such as you in my service. Forgive my ignorance in such matters.”
Johanah lit up once again. “Thank you, good sir, but it is not my place to forgive you for anything, only to thank you.”
Whill nodded with a half-hearted smile. This would take some getting used to.
“Do you or the lad require anything at this time, good sir.”
Whill thought for a moment. What would someone of his apparent stature ask of a servant? “We could use fresh bath water, and our clothes need to be washed. Some fruit and eggs and bread would do also, please.”
Johanah visibly cringed at the word please, and Whill made the connection. One did not say please to a servant.
“It is now seven in the morning. The king asks that you and your friends join him for breakfast at nine. Shall I send confirmation?”
“You shall.”
Jonanah smiled and bowed again. “Very well, good sir, I shall send confirmation and return to start your bath water.” With that he turned on his heel and swiftly made his way down the hall.
Whill sighed and returned to his room and a sleeping Tarren. He had not taken the time the night before to look around his room, so now he did.
The room before him was immense, indeed the largest he had ever stayed in. It boasted white marble floors and walls, with a twenty-foot-high ceiling. The bed in which he had slept and Tarren now slept in was the largest he had ever seen as well. It looked as though it could sleep ten, with its numerous blue and purple silk pillows and thick blankets. The headboard was wooden, as were the posts, which held a thin blue fabric that hung down on all sides and matched the bed decor. The banners of both Eldalon and Kell-Torey hung upon the wall to the right. Next to the bed was a huge wardrobe that boasted numerous dressers and shelves. Whill found that his traveling pack and weapons lay within, untouched. To the right of the bed and closet, adjacent the wall from which the banners hung, was an opening to another room. Whill entered the room and looked around in awe. This room, like the other, was crafted with marble floors and walls. To the right was a large bathtub built up from the floor and made also of marble. Hand pumps were set to the right of the tub, their spouts perched upon the edge. To the left of the tub hung many white towels and a door to what Whill discovered to be a small steam room. At the center of the room sat a small wooden table, masterfully carved, with a basket of fruit, a quill and parchment, and one large candle laid atop.
Past the table was the balcony. Whill walked out onto it and gasped as he set his eyes on the courtyard below. The morning sun had risen and its bright light now fell upon a marvelous garden of early-blooming flowers of every color. He looked upon the flowers and beyond to the city of Kell-Torey, which he could see beyond the castle walls.
Beautiful, is it not? said a voice within his mind, the voice of Avriel. Whill turned right, then left, and saw her twenty feet away, standing on her own identical balcony. Gone were her traveling clothes, replaced by a thin white silken robe opened slightly in the front, revealing more than Avriel may have intended. Whill was left speechless, mind and mouth alike, at the sight of her. He felt his face flush and a strange heat overcame him as he looked upon the elf maiden. The sun’s light pierced the robe, making it all but translucent. Whill was paralyzed in the midst of Avriel’s well-proportioned beauty.
I spoke of the garden, came Avriel’s voice with a laugh. Embarrassed, he turned his head quickly to regard the garden. When he looked once again to Avriel’s balcony, she was gone.
After a bath and change of clothes, Whill was led by Johanah to the king’s dining room. The room was no less than Whill would expect from the dining hall of the king. Massive chandeliers hung from the cathedral ceiling, and the floor was highly polished black marble. The walls were of wood but highly detailed and masterfully carved; swirling patterns bordered intricate artwork. Works dating back more than nine hundred years adorned these walls. The table was no less beautiful, long and thin, with large, well-crafted chairs. It could seat more than twenty comfortably, though only two were seated there this morning: King Mathus and Abram.
Johanah bowed to the king. “I give you Whill of Agora, my good king.”
With that he turned and left, closing the large oak door behind him. King Mathus rose from his seat and walked towards Whill. Abram remained seated to the left of the king, pipe held between grinning lips. Whill met the king halfway and stopped short five feet from him. Custom dictated that he should stand straight, bow low at the back, then at the neck, only to rise when the king instructed. But Abram had told Whill that because of his stature, he was not required to do so. Rather he was to offer a good nod and extend a hand of greeting. Whill did just that, and when he extended his hand, the king took it with both of his.
“Whill. How eager I have been to meet you.”
“And I you, King Mathus.”
The king held Whill’s hand firmly for a moment and looked over his features. “You have your mother’s eyes,” he said. Then he released Whill’s hand and gestured to the seat at his right.
“Please, you must be famished. Have a seat and we shall dine and talk. A grand adventure you have had since your stay in Fendale, I hear.”
Whill took his seat, as did Mathus. With a snap of the king’s fingers, a door opposite the one Whill had entered through opened. Two female servants entered. One pushed a wheeled cart of many covered dishes, while the other one brought a variety of beverages. The servant with the food removed the lid of each serving plate before putting it on the table. Whill’s mouth watered as he realized how hungry he really was. Upon the table was laid fruit, boiled eggs, thick red steak, bacon, ham, bread, and white cheese. The servant with the beverages then added pitchers of milk, cider, water, and wine. The servants gave a low bow.
“That will be all,” said the king with a nod and a smile, and the servants exited. He poured himself a glass of milk. “Please help yourselves. I would have them serve us our plates, but I would rather be alone just now.”
Whill took a little of everything, and was relieved when Abram and King Mathus did the same. They dined for what Whill felt to be an awkward few minutes when finally the king broke the silence.
“Rhunis tells me that you had a run-in with a Dark elf, of all things. Can you imagine, in Eldalon?”
Whill swallowed his bacon. “That among other things.”
The king nodded. “Yes, among others. Rumor has it the two of you defeated Captain Cirrosa. I must hear that story.”
Whill raised an eyebrow at Abram, who was enjoying a bit of steak. “Abram is the storyteller, I’m afraid.”
“That he is indeed,” Mathus agreed.
Over the next hour Abram, with Whill’s help, recounted the many days since they had so hastily left Fendale; the fight with Captain Cirrosa, the journey to the mountains, the meeting of Roakore, and the battle with the Draggard. Then had come the battle of Sherna and the meeting of the elves, and finally the fight on the road to Kell-Torey. The king listened intently, asking few questions. He seemed angered by the battle of Sherna, and joyous to hear of the Draggard defeat. Finally the tale was over. Abram sat back and lit his pipe.