Palace Walls

Prologue

    Autumn 2432

Awd Dimpling Summer Palace, Splendora

The Queen was ancient. Nobody dared to ask her age, but she was old enough to remember the Alliance Feast between Cyclops and Giants. (In fact, she sang at it!) She was old enough to remember wearing stiff round skirts that made her wobble when she walked, and later, being a plump, dark-haired dame constricted by rib-crushing corsets. But she wasn't all deep wrinkles and jutting veins. She was young enough to remember a world that didn't shiver when they saw her. Over five hundred years old?! She was fortunate to feel the warm light of so many days and the cool air of so many nights.

"Names?" grunted a guard, shifting them back into reality. He was tanned, muscular, and wore several thin black tattoos that dove in and out of his dark-blue uniform. An Amathzuli native...had to be! Even their names mean "one of the ink!"

They stammered out their names, stated their purposes, and waited for the guard to move. He nodded and stepped aside, allowing them to walk down the long, marble hall into a luxurious blue-green parlor. They froze. It had a strange, marine theme. Long, slender seashells and pink coral encrusted the green carpet like a shimmering sea of fingers. An anchor dangled from one wall, while dead fish dangled from the next. Several paintings adorned the walls of fur-clad Cyclopes laying defeated in scarlet pools of blood before mounds of open-mouthed humans, as Giants grasped the glossy crystals from their caves. In the room, huge, golden Cyclops skulls suspended from thin wires in the ceiling. The Cyclopes shuddered; Neo-Jotun pride slept comfortably in these walls. Heavy blue-green curtains rose and fell with the cool breath of evening. One of them wished she brought her pen: Green— a symbol of wealth and luxury —still pulsed in the heart of the Queen.

"Her Majesty," grunted the guard, "The Queen, Clotilda Prasnigenita Hua!"

When the Cyclops women saw her, they nearly collapsed-- she was more magnificent than they imagined. The old Queen was sturdy, with a strong, square face dusted in pink rouge, white powder, and scarlet lipstick. She'd lost most of her weight, but they saw its pale remnants dangling under her jaw. She wore a long, loose light-green gown with a dark-green sash at her waist. The triangular neckline was a bit low, they thought, but decorated in intricate lace and soft pearls freshly picked from the depths of the sea. The veiled, velvety Jotun Faxi Crown must be too heavy by now. A white hood covered her head, with wisps of hair peaking out. Her face was deeply lined, and when she smiled, it crinkled her dark liquid eyes. The Cyclopes sighed in relief.

"Hello," she greeted, her voice high and raspy, "I see you are comfortable?"

Three black cats curled around her legs— each with golden rings pierced in their ears. She bent forward and stroked their squishy little foreheads, before nibbling their ear-tips— as giant mothers do with their babies. The Cyclopes nodded and chuckled.

"I love animals," purred Queen Clotilda, a playful smile spreading across her face, "Look at these babies...! Now you see why I saved so many species." She nodded toward a moving oil-painting on the wall-- one of large, white rhinos chewing crisp leaves as small brown monkey-mice swung on vines and squealed in high-pitched tones. The rhinos grunted and stamped their feet, clearly annoyed with frenzied monkey-mice. The Queen chuckled.

"That's a great achievement, Your Majesty," one guest noted, "Not a lot of leaders have the time to accomplish such things."

"What?" the Queen huffed, "I can't hear as well, I'm afraid."

"Oh, never mind!" one answered, clasping her hands together.

The Queen swayed toward the window and lifted it open. She took a deep breath, inhaling the cool fresh air. A bright full moon rippled like water beneath the wispy silver clouds as stars winked like gold-white eyes in the blue-black sky.