At the foot of the entry staircase, Gonzalo held the door open as he waited by the carriage.
Gonzalo has returned to his calm and refined self. But, underneath that silent exterior, I could tell that he was still opposed to my cause. Gonzalo was everything but a good liar, especially when it came to traditions and law.
“I sense that Gonzalo is starting to dislike us,” I whispered into Elizabeth’s ear as we made our way down the stairs.
For a moment, Elizabeth looked at Gonzalo. With a smile, she replied, “I prefer to be hated than to be loved for agreeing to everything that this world led us to believe is right.”
“You don’t do the same when it comes to James, though?” I smirked.”
“That is a different matter, Robert,” said Elizabeth as she playfully pinched my arm.
“That hurts, Elizabeth,” I winced as I rubbed the pinched area. I moved a few spaces away from her and added, “With all honesty, I prefer to be punched rather than to be pinched.”
“My apologies, little brother,” Elizabeth giggled as she held onto my arm. “I promise I will not do it again… unless it is absolutely necessary,” she winked.
I turned to Elizabeth with wide eyes, which made her laugh.
As we approached the carriage, everybody took their bow.
“Guards,” Elizabeth called for their attention, “I need five of you to accompany us to the Crystal Palace. Two of you shall stand behind the carriage and three will ride alongside it,” she instructed.
“Summon three of your best riders immediately,” I added.
Two of them nodded and to the guards’ keep.
“Your Grace–” Gonzalo approached Elizabeth, only to be interrupted by her.
“As for you, Gonzalo, you will accompany us as well,” Elizabeth continued as she moved closer to him. She stood in front of him, face to face. And not once did she remove her gaze from the startled Gonzalo. “You will be in the carriage with us. Do I make myself clear?”
“But–” Gonzalo was about to reply. But, the longer he stared at Elizabeth, he quickly realised that she would not accept any more opposition to her orders. Cornered, he simply nodded and gave way for us to enter the carriage.
As soon as the carriage door was closed, three guards rode towards us. They stopped in front of Elizabeth’s window and gave their salute. “Your Grace, we are at your beck and call.”
“Very good,” Elizabeth nodded. “Now, we must be on our way.”
The chauffeur gave the horses the signal to run.
Elizabeth smiled at me in assurance. But, Gonzalo kept his head low. HIs eyes were glued to the floor of the carriage.
I looked out the window and watched as we passed the gates, as well as every tree. I was also trying to keep myself calm amidst all the chaos that was happening around me.
I took deep breaths in and kept Laura’s smile in my mind, enough to fuel my desire to get her back safely.
~*~*~*~
As we entered the gates of the Crystal Palace, we were welcomed with open arms.
Every prophet, every servant gave us their salute and even pointed us to the proper directions towards the Crystal Hall.
As we were led by one of the servants to the Sacred Hall, I couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty and the radiance of this palace. Their roofs were made of glass. It allowed the light of the sun to enter the elongated halls of this magnificent floating palace. The walls were painted white. Sacred statues of the ancient gods and ancestors paraded in between pillars. The corners of the room were covered with golden linings, the only splash of colour.
Unlike any other castle, the Crystal Palace was ruled by scholars and the Holy Prophets, who were the wisest men in our realm. They only followed the orders and visions of the Sacred Oracle.
They were never attacked in any war as they were known to be protected by the gods. The only place that was roamed by the guards would be the Oracle’s Holy Sanctum and the Sacred Crystal Hall, which was already in sight.
As we walked up the stairs to the holy hall, the guards already saw us from above. And they kept their eyes on our every movement. The servants seemed unfazed by their intimidating stares. I, however, found it uncomfortable and demeaning.
“I would like to remind the two of you to keep your tempers to yourselves in this place,” Gonzalo whispered behind Elizabeth and me. “This is not the proper place to throw your rage.”
“I am fully aware of that, Gonzalo,” Elizabeth smirked. “I have been here too many times, I am well-versed with their rules.”
“I only heard of their rules from Mother’s stories. But as a prince, I promise to be well-mannered with everyone,” I said.
“May I add that you keep your intentions pure and calm?” the servant entered our conversation. “This palace is built to be sensitive to every thought, which can easily awaken the beloved Oracle,” he explained.
The servant added, “And she is not to be disturbed.”
The servant turned to us for a brief moment and we nodded. A servant at the Crystal Palace might be called a servant. But outside this sacred fortress, they were regarded with high status. Even higher than the rulers of each kingdom as they were said to be chosen by the gods or the Oracle to reside here.
Without knowing it, we finally reached the top of the stairs. The grand white doors, decorated with shining crystals, were guarded by two warriors that looked like angels. The entire hall was guarded by the same kind of warriors, and they left no space guarded. Clouds freely moved over our feet as this hall was a bit closer to the kingdom of Northern Skies.
“Good greetings to you, mighty warriors,” the servant slowly knelt with his head low. The three of us quickly followed his actions.
“Holi greetings, fellow servant. To whom do we owe the pleasure?” the two warriors greeted, their hands balled into fists as they put it onto their left chest.
As the servant slowly rose up to his feet, so did we. He replied, “I bring visitors that wish to speak with King James, the ruler of the Kingdom of Western Wind.” He then pointed at Elizabeth and I, “May I present to you his children: Lady Elizabeth and Prince Robert.”
“Your Grace,” the warriors bowed as they turned to Elizabeth, “What a delight to see you again.”
“Thank you, mighty warriors. It is a pleasure to return here,” Elizabeth returned a bow.
The warrior guards turned to my direction. Their eyes widened as soon as they saw me. “Your Highness,” they immediately went down on one knee.
My brows furrowed as I turned to Elizabeth. I was immensely caught back by their actions.
“Mighty warriors, there is no need for that, please,” I said as I approached them. I continued, “As a matter of fact, I should be the one to kneel in respect of your magnificence.”
“We dare not to offend one of the heirs of our realm,” the warrior guard on the left answered. Their heads were still down.
“Each heir is to be regarded with the utmost respect, Your Highness,” the other added.
“Please, gentlemen, you do not have to do it with me,” I begged as they were kind enough to listen. “Whenever we meet, you shouldn’t have to put me on such a high pedestal. I may be a future ruler but I will always be of service to my people,” I added.
The warrior guards looked at each other, shocked. Their opened mouths slowly turned to smiles as they looked back at me. “Quite impressive, you are, Your Highness,” they said in unison.
“Pardon?” I asked, baffled.
“Many good things have been said about you. You are praised by almost everyone in other kingdoms. Not to mention, your father speaks very highly of you,” one of them explained. “At first, we thought that everyone was exaggerating your qualities. But to our surprise and delight, you are as what they said about you.”
James spoke highly of me? That seemed to be impossible.
Back in the castle, all that James ever noticed were every wrong step that I took. He rarely praised anything that I did. And even before he did so, the question was always the same: was it for the benefit of the kingdom?
And why would other kingdoms speak highly of me? I never did anything that deserved so much praise.
“Is there anything that we can do to help you, Your Highness?” they asked.
“I must speak with my father,” I replied without hesitation. I continued, “At the moment, I have to do something of utmost importance. And it is vital that I speak to him immediately.”
“If only we can allow you inside, Your Highness.”
I asked, “What do you mean?”
“Right now, the elders and His Majesty are in for a rather sacred meeting. And once these doors are closed, no one is allowed to enter or disturb them,” the warrior guards explained.
“Please, great warriors,” Elizabeth stepped forward as she stood behind my right shoulder, “This matter cannot wait any longer.”
“Our deepest apologies, Your Grace, but we cannot disobey our orders,” the warrior guards replied as they stood up properly again. They continued, “We are here to protect the sanctity and fortitude of this palace. To disobey the given orders of our elders will be punishable by either exile or death.”
Without warning, Gonzalo stood behind Elizabeth and me. “These warriors are appointed to keep the doors closed whilst a meeting is being held. No matter how hard you plead with them, they will not be persuaded,” he whispered.
I let out a sigh, furious that with every action that I took, every step that I made, someone or something would always block my path.
I understood that the warrior guards were only doing their duty. But, couldn’t they understand the fact that we needed to speak to our king urgently? That should be enough for them to consider our request.
“We can try and speak with Mother first,” Elizabeth suggested. She continued, “She may be able to approve your plan first. Then, we can suggest it to James.”
“Lady Elizabeth is right, Your Highness,” Gonzalo nodded without any sign of opposition. He continued, “When Her Majesty suggests an idea or opinion to His Majesty, it does not take him more than three days to consider everything.”
“I don’t have three days,” I lowered my voice as I growled towards both of them. “Must I remind you that the person in question is kidnapped and time is running out for us?”
“Your Highness, if I may?” the servant called for our attention. We turned to look at him and he continued, “You can wait for King James down at the hall. Or you can join Queen Amelia in the Cloud Hall.”
“Robert, you must think about this very thoroughly,” Elizabeth whispered as she clung onto my arm. She continued, “I understand that steps must be taken. But, as we can see, we have no other choice at the moment.”
I felt Elizabeth’s magic of persuasion as she held onto me. It was supposed to be effective by the moment she touched something. However, it has no effect on me right now.
To frolic around the Crystal Palace was not ideal. I needed to talk to James and I couldn’t wait any longer.
“Robert, please,” Elizabeth pleaded with me even more.
I turned to her and gently held her hands. “Elizabeth, I would love to do what is right; to simply wait for the elders to finish their gathering. However, at this moment, waiting is not an option for me,” I said.
“Barging in and disrupting an important meeting will only get you into more trouble,” Elizabeth gritted her teeth as she argued. She continued, “If you get yourself into that sort of debacle, I won’t be of much help to you.”
“Your Highness, I am aware that this rescue mission is urgent. But, we must respect the rules of this palace,” Gonzalo entered our conversation once again. “The Crystal Palace is not a place that anyone can simply disrespect.”
I turned to Elizabeth one more time. Her eyes were now pleading with me. She pulled her hands out of mine and cupped my hands in hers.
“Robert?”