Heir to the throne

Chapter 12

Zyaan

His eyes darted in every direction as the fascination grew within him. Towering square turrets with domed roofs like flowers floating above the palace overlooked a massive complex of white walls and water gardens. Not even in his dreams had this place been so remarkable.

The complex was a maze of buildings, gardens, and courtyards with perplexing networks of corridors and pathways. This place was a city in itself. People buzzed about in every direction, their voices barking commands and comments. They looked like the busy ants that Zyaan used to observe as a child. Palanquins and hand-drawn carts transported the nobles in and out of the gates. He had never seen anything like this. Not even the palace at Mandanaka had fascinated him this way. Avadata was an entirely different type of place, and now he understood why so many wanted it. Gods lived here for sure.

As he followed Reiji down the stone walkway cut into the well-manicured garden, he admired the beauty of this celestial place. The grass looked like a green rug. The groundskeepers kept the flowers and the hedges well-groomed. Butterflies fluttered around the bright blossoms, and bees buzzed around the garden. Peacocks screamed, the males displaying their tails with the hope that they would lure in a mate. Down the sloping hill, the stablehands were preparing horses to be ridden by noblemen, and servant girls were doing laundry far away from the royals who lived in this mythical abode, isolated from any squalor and poverty.

They stopped near an entrance. Enormous stone columns as thick as the trunk of a bodhi tree held up the open corridor. Their reliefs were fascinating to gaze at. Zyaan imagined it would take an entire week to examine all the intricate carved details that went into decorating this palace compound. This place was his home, only he did not live here.

"I am here to visit the empress," Reiji said to the guards. "This is my servant and my bodyguard."

One guard stepped forward, his weaved leather armor bearing its battle scars with pride. Beneath it, he wore a red and black tunic, the colors of the Akai empire. Zyaan realized with anger that this was the reason Adhi had wished to dress him in red. It was the color of his empire.

The guard bowed respectfully and said, "Of course, my Lord. Please enter. The empress is in her quarters."

They stepped aside for the trio to enter, Zyaan clutching the gift Reiji had brought for the empress. He slowed to gaze everywhere at the radiant sights of pure amenity. Varnished wooden beams and stone columns held up the high ceiling made out of polished cedar panels engraved with decorative motifs. Had his father entered here when he was alive? Was he greeted by the same pair of marble women holding pots as they eternally gazed out shyly at the room from their perch on marble bases?

Another set of guards standing near the entranceway to the inner sanctums of the palace greeted the Aisu prince. They bowed and stepped aside.

An older woman was hurrying to meet them with a delighted expression. She wasn't dressed in the stiff cotton tunic of a servant but wore a plain wrapped robe made of silk and styled as elegant trousers. A simple gold necklace with a leaf pendant hung down to her bosom, and brass bangles decorated her wrists. She was not a noblewoman, but she wasn't a servant either. Her hair was elegantly combed and styled, and Kohl stained the outline of her eyes, making them appear more prominent than they were.

"My Lord, welcome. You could have told us you were coming. I would have prepared better for your arrival," the woman said, and then she turned and shouted, "MAIYA!"

Zyaan turned his gaze in the direction that the woman was looking. A smile emerged on his face before he could contain it as Maiya appeared from the shadowy recesses of the long hallway. She wasn't a dainty beauty with fair skin and pretty eyes. She was not someone you would remember seeing in a crowded marketplace, but she was a pleasant and humble girl with a kind heart. He could not deny that he had grown to admire her.