From Liverpool To Athena

chapter 19

I was woken up by Timothy banging on my bedroom door telling me to wake up.

"What!" I barked when I opened my door.

"Sorry, but there are palace guards at the front door, and they say that they want you to leave when you are ready" Tim walked away and then looked back and walked off again.

"Fuck this guest" I muttered, I already regret accepting this quest. I quickly got dressed in my adventure gear, and double-checked I had everything. I did. Downstairs at the door was the most awkward scene I have witnessed in a while. Tim had a long white nightgown on, and the palace guards looked how I imagined. Two men with perfect postures stand in a fine uniform, all red, with gold buttons travelling up the coats, polished black shoes matching their black armbands, but the armbands have a golden dragon on them.

"Hello, my name is Howard and I work for the palace, I have been sent here to collect you, please come with us"

"See ya Tim" I tapped Tim's shoulder before I left. And followed the guards, we walked towards a horse-drawn carriage, an orange glow from the rising sun illuminated the sky. It will be the first time I will have been in one of these carriages, they don't have cars here. the closest thing is a train but they don't run in the city. I stepped inside the carriage it was lovely and posh, purple velvet lined the walls and seat with golden threads woven in on the sides. I hadn't seen most of the city so this was nice, the houses became more grand as we went making mine look poor in comparison. But then the palace came into view. Oh my god, it's spectacular. Unbelievably massive I can't see where it ends, golden gates lay before me, guarded by 10 palace guards. All standing with perfect posture looking super serious. We got passed the golden gates and onto the Palace property. Freshly mowed grass, palace maids tending to flowers and gently cutting branches of trees that hung a little too low. The palace was still 300 yards away at least.

We stopped and the carriage door was opened By a new guard.

"Hello Ronald" a pompous voice called from the grand stairs of the palace, I was barely paying attention, but I couldn't help but take in the palace, it was marvellous. Gravel land the ground, and greener grew along the palace wall, it would take it years to get to the top the palace is that big and it would take decades to do the width of the castle, beautiful flowers of every colour lined the bottom of the castle. Suddenly a hand appeared in front of me, it was the pompous man, I took his hand and then his appearance. He looks like a rat, his features give him a pointy look about him, he doesn't need his hands to give direction, all he needs is to give his head a wave. His nose and lips point out further than the rest of his body and even his has followed suit, that is an awful hairline.

"My name is Theodore Becket, I work closely with the palace before I take you to meet the princess, what is your family name, the guild didn't inform us"

"It's heart," I said politely.

"Thank you," Theo said politely. And then turned around, "awfully common name" he muttered under his breath.

"Excuse me?" I said, eying Theo up, he turned around slowly with a snide smile,

"Follow me, Mr heart" his smile faded away and he turned around and I followed him up the stairs, I wanted to trip him up as he walked up the stairs. We entered the palace and walked into a large room, with a fountain in the middle of it, and two identical stairways at the back that met at the top. Wooden double space out behind large white pillars and marble flooring, if I had soaks on I could do the greatest run and slide ever.

"Is he here!?" I heard a female voice yell. A set of doors at the top of the stairs opens up and a female figure appears at the top. "He is here! I am going down" Theo got down on one knee with his hand on his hand and so did the guards around me. The girl flew down the stairs, her blonde flickering like a wave. As she got to the bottom I noticed that she had armour on, it suited her, smooth silver armour that washed over her body. She had a black under-armour underneath, and that hugged her figure, she bounded over. Her blue eyes locked onto me and my body shivered, she was stunning. Back in my old world, she would be a supermodel. High checks bones flush with colour, a cute button nose.

"Hello! She waved, you must be Ronald!"

"Yeah, but people call me Ronnie," I said and just as the words left my mouth I heard.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?, SHE IS ROYALTY, YOU DON'T ADDRESS HER SO CASUALLY AND YOU SHOULD BE KNEELING" Theo screamed.

"It's fine," the princess said, smiling widely.

"Filthy commoner" Theo muttered.

Remember don't get angry, remember don't get angry. I took in a deep breath.

"Lady Charlotte," Theo said loudly, " this is Mr HEART, from Hillcrest guild. Mister HEART" he said my name with such disgust it was hard to hide. "This is Lady Charlotte the 3rd princess of Anthea, daughter of his majesty king Jonah"

"I don't know what to say, never met a royal before," I said honestly. Charlotte laughed and Theo sneered.

"That's perfectly fine," Charlotte said "It's an honour to meet you, I heard about the story of your first dungeon adventure, you took on a strange troll to save your team, very brave"

"Thank you" I can feel my face blushing.

"Let's leave, I can tell you all about the guest and what I am looking for in the dungeon on the way there" Charlotte jumped past me and then pulled me by the arm. Theo was livid!

"We will take the first carriage," Charlotte said cheerfully. When we got to the bottom of the steps, "You and your team can take the second one Theodore"

"Lady Charlotte I must insist" Theo tried to finish his sentence, but Charlotte stuck her finger up.

"I would like to get to know Ronnie better since my life will be in his hands" Theo's rat face was going lava red with rage. The first carriage turned it, it was larger than the way that got me, Charlotte stepped inside first and I couldn't help myself I turned around and looked at Theo before I stepped in. Red velvet with gold lining, I think I prefer the purple one.

"So tell me Ronnie" Charlotte leant forward. "Why have you never heard of it until recently? You just appeared out of now where"

"You won't believe me, even if I told, it's a strange story of how I ended up here"

"Try me" Charlotte leant back crossed her legs and got comfy.

"Okay then" I began at the beginning with my ex and I breaking up and the train trip, then I spoke about the guild and meeting Tim. Then we spoke about the troll and getting a house from my brother,  after that, it was about the kids and training in the dungeon"

"So yeah that's how I ended here talking to you" Charlotte didn't say anything. She was quiet for 5 minutes.

"Okay I believe you"

" You do?"

"Of course, I don't believe you are lying to me everything you said was honest, I respect it, thank you for trusting me"

"Of course, you seem trustworthy, now you tell me" I leant forwards, "what are we looking for in this dungeon?"

"Oh yes" Charlotte leant forwards, we were inches from each other. "I'm looking for the onyx pendant, rumour is this dungeon spawns this special pendant once 50 years and a member of the royal bloodline must be the one to pick it up, I plan on giving it to my brother the day he takes over the kingdom from my father"

"Sounds interesting, and I'm sure it will be a nice gift"

"Thank you, and oh we are here"