𝚂𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 ✔

Chapter Six

Walking through those doors was like entering a completely different plain of existence. Yes, I had grown up wealthy and had been exposed to lavish living, well partly. But this place, this palace, was more than overwhelming and the likes of which I had never seen before.

The entrance hall was awe strikingly huge as well as absolutely beautiful. Its gilded marble floors glistened from the candlelit chandeliers and sunlight that crept in from the many open windows, which gave the building such a warm and welcoming feel. The walls were white with golden accents and the curtains, which had been tied to the sides of the massive windows, were made of dark blue velvet and embroidered in gold.

Dark blue, silver and golden needlework rugs ran the floors, covering the high traffic and large empty areas of the room as well as the very wide marble staircase that started in the middle of the space.

Near the first level it broke off, left and right, into two separate smaller stairs that proceeded to wind their way up to the very top, connecting to each of the four higher levels along the way. The marble railing posts at the very bottom of the stairs had been carved into tall, half-dressed women who held large golden candelabras. Their faces looked similar to the masks we wore and the podium they stood on had been embellished with golden accents.

There were three separate gilded chandeliers with, what seemed to have been, crystals hanging from them in a way that had mimicked the moss growing on the trees outside. The ceilings had been decorated with geometric shapes that imitated golden frames and inside them were soft pastel paintings of wavy-haired, bare-chested Goddesses from the olden times. In the center, surrounding where the middle chandelier connected, was a large painting depicting a battle of the olden Gods warring amongst themselves.

It was almost like the hall had been a temple at some point, because it held so many well-preserved dedications to Gods that were no longer our own. And I wondered why the Church had not demanded everything be removed and painted over with depictions of the new faith, since it had been something they were well known for doing.

At the top of the stairs, before it branched off, stood the queen and Prince Thomas as they waited for all of us to pour into the massive room. She wore a large, intricate gown that was mainly deep blue and white with goldwork embroidery that was beautifully sewn along the bodice, around the cuffs of her long sleeves, up the middle and along the bottom of the skirt. The collar of her dress rose in golden spikes around the back of her head with blue material in between the spines, making it look almost like webbing. Around her long, elegant neck hung a stunning golden necklace that was made up of many large, and several small, sapphires, matching the crown that sat upon her head. Her hauntingly dark blue eyes watched as I walked in, inspecting me once again.

Prince Thomas wore a deep blue vest to match his mother's dress and the rest of his suit was white and gold. His blonde hair, illuminated by the candlelight, looked as if it were glowing around his mask. He stood several inches taller than his mother, who looked to have already been quite tall herself, and had his hands clasped together behind his back.

He too was looking straight at me.

Not long after I walked in, the sound of footsteps started to flood in behind me and soon, I was swallowed by the ocean of purples and blues.

I felt someone come up to my right just behind me and lightly grab my hand, which took me by surprise, but I fought the urge to jump.

"Quite brave of you to take the lead, girl in pink." Her voice softly reached my ear, slightly muffled by her mask. "I do hope you are as beautiful underneath that mask as the dress you are wearing. I cannot wait to find out who could be so daring as to make the entire flock hate her in one fell swoop. You must be very interesting indeed."