Lily of the valley

40

The morning was thick with fog, from the castle all that could be seen was pale white cloud. The troupe from Maequil stood at the entrance to the seat of kings and stared into the blankness, waiting. Wind whistled past the turrets and through the old halls. The eyes of the Gods were fixated on them. Out of the mist came the elves, they were tall and robed, they held red banners of their kingdom. Their symbol was the owl. Agathe stared down the King who had banished her, she had chosen to live amongst humanity and thus could never return home. The elves beheld Katherine, the beacon of peace. They sunk to their knees, it was a graceful movement. They bowed their heads to the flower of the mountain.

"It is an honour to stand before you." Spoke the King, he took Katherine's hand in his and kissed it.

"Welcome." Queen Thea addressed the scholars who steadily rose from their knees. There were six elves, the King, his daughter who advised him, she was a prodigy in the art of politics. Then four scholars, a master of history, a master of ancient prophecy, an academic of humanity and a master psychiatrist. The Queen of sunlight led the elven nobles through the halls, the building plan had involved a small parlour for each of the visiting royals to wait in. The elven room was filled with books written by human scholars, they had leather arm chairs and a hearth of glowing coal. A number of sublime human landscape paintings hung from the sandstone walls. There was a cast iron kettle which could be hung over the fire, and floral tea from their own shores.

"I hope you find this parlour to your liking." Queen Thea spoke as they looked around the room. It was clear that Thea had put a great deal of thought into it, this touched King Raphael.

"It is splendid your grace, I believe we have not been formally introduced?" Raphael was gracious with the Queen, he could tell by the way she carried herself that she was nobility. Thea had learnt her elegance from Agathe.

"I am Queen Thea, of the City of Sunlight. King Castor is my husband." King Raphael pressed a hand to his heart, he moved only in slow, fluid motions.

"How lovely a City of Sunlight sounds. Tell me, are you the mastermind behind todays council?" The elves held no gender bias, they would not assume that her husband was the one in charge. Raphael had heard of her and her rebellion in partaking in politics, he had long admired her tenacity.

"A mere organiser, Katherine is the catalyst."

"How modest." Raphael's voice had a hint of sarcasm. Thea's modesty was an act, and he could easily see through it. Humans were never as stoic as they thought.

"Please excuse me, I must go pay hostess." The Queen of sunlight curtsied and then Raphael kissed her emerald wedding ring.

"I believe you and me could have an interesting conversation your majesty. Later perhaps." Queen Thea agreed with his proposition and left the elves behind to stand out in the fog once more.

Through the mist the sun glowed pale yellow, they waited for the next arrival. A lonesome Queen stepped from the cloud, she was freckled and dressed all in green velvet. Queen Freya bore the red hair of the meadow lands. Her kingdom was gentle, as she was. She saw no need for a troupe of advisors and knights, she would simply agree to peace and return to the soft sunlight of her floral valleys. The war raged too close to her borders and she was afraid for the gentlefolk she protected. Thea took her into a comfortable room filled with soft music and flowers of pink and white.

Then came a group of ocean dwellers, hardy and drunken. They were led by Lord Jameson whose voice boomed like thunder. They spent their lives in pursuit of freedom, pleasure and gold. They feared no storm, and no war of the land, they feared only the God of the sea. They came simply because they had been invited. Queen Thea took them to a room stocked with rum and paintings of the glorious sea, their only master. They were boorish and she skilfully fought off their insults masked as compliments with a forced smile.