by A. M. True
After several hours, I found myself watching a poker game in the Billiard and Lounge Hall. I was standing with Emalickel and Romenciel. Thorenel was in his favorite room, the Mead Hall next door, drinking with Seronimel and Dennoliel. Suddenly, I felt my eyes grow heavy. I tried to fight it as none of the celestials grew tired except for every few weeks. I felt petty and weak and wanted to resist the urge to crawl into a soft bed and close my eyes.
Emalickel: Let me take you up upstairs, beloved. You need to rest.
Emalickel was looking down at me. I blinked my eyes a few times, still trying to fight it.
Emalickel: This is not a question or an option.
Me: What about the party?
Emalickel: I will tend to the party after I know you are at rest.
He held out his arm for me to clutch. I could barely keep my eyes open. When we had made our way through the crowd, across the Throne Hall, and arrived to the stairs on the opposite side of the aisle, I felt Emalickel place his entire arm under my arm to aid me up the stairs. There were so many steps. When we finally reached the top, we walked past several more archways on our right which overlooked the giant Throne Hall. We walked back until we came to several archways on our left which were heavily guarded with warriors. Emalickel steered us in this direction. We continued down another hall filled with windows which looked out at the Western Courtyard.
Finally, we had arrived to some arched doorways. Emalickel opened one of them. I was too tired to pay attention to which one. We walked through a living room area, then a kitchen area, then across another hallway, into another arched doorway. I recognized the room we entered next. It was the room I had woken up in on my first visit to Lapoi.
Too tired to say anything or react in any way, I headed toward where I knew his bed was. Emalickel turned down the covers for me. He placed his hand on my chest and closed his eyes. A bright light engulfed me, and then faded. I was wearing a satin white nightgown which came to just above my knees.
Emalickel: I want you to be comfortable and rest for as long as you wish.
He helped me to crawl into the bed. It was most certainly the most comfortable place I had ever placed my body to rest in all my existence. I remember thinking about how soft his sheets were, how perfect the cool temperature of his bed felt against my skin, how happy I was that he brought me to lay in it.
Emalickel: This is not my bed, Hadriannel. This is our bed.
He lay down beside me and stroked my hair. Outside the large archways to his balcony, I could see the light of Auruclerum still emitted dim light rays like that of soft candle light. It was peeking in between the white chiffon drapery. The light of both moons, one larger than the other, beamed down on all the glory of the land below and on the mountain peaks in the distance. A white owl perched itself of the stone railing of the balcony, seeming to admire the scenery below. Emalickel slowly leaned into me for a kiss. His lips were so soft and supple, so warm and inviting. If only I could wake up. I wanted to enjoy the splendor him. Then he whispered to me.
Emalickel: I would refuse you. I insist you need your rest.
He once again had read my mind. Shooting him one last satisfied smile. I decided to give in and submit to the heaviness of sleep for that evening.
Artist: Mattia Cupelli
Song: Mooncatcher
The next day came, and the light of Auruclerum was peeking in through the veils of the archways from the balcony. I rolled over in the white sheets and noticed I was alone in the bed. Emalickel had either not slept that night, or I slept so long that he had already awoken. I slipped out of bed.
Still wearing my satin nightgown and bare feet, I made my way to the balcony to greet the beauty of Lapoi. The allure and vastness of the land still amazed me. Taking a deep breath in of the crisp wintergreen air, I smiled in gratitude and satisfaction. Everything was so still and quiet. I wondered where everyone was.
I made my way back into the bedroom from the balcony, through the hallway, passed through the kitchen and the living room, and opened the door to the palace hallway. The courtyard windows were in front of me as I stepped out into the hallway and looked through the windows overlooking the western courtyard area. Nobody was in the courtyard below. I did hear voices echoing around the walls. I turned left to follow the hallway, past a warrior who, along with five others, guarded the archways of Emalickel’s Private Quarters. As I passed under the archway, I excused myself through more celestials to peer over a rail overlooking the Throne Hall. It was filled with celestials, including on the upper floor where I was wandering.
Emalickel was sitting in his throne chair with a golden tablet in his hands. He was wearing a long sleeve dark-brown gown with a bronze belt around his waist and gold-colored designed fabric around the sleeves and chest area. He appeared to be reading something from the tablet while another celestial was speaking to him. Emalickel seemed intensely focused on what he was reading and hearing.
I saw Thorenel wearing his cloak, but it was pushed behind his shoulders like a cape. He had on a long sleeve dark-red velvety gown trimmed with gold fabric around the sleeves and neck area. The gown came down to his knees. He wore a bronze belt at his waist too. His pants were loose, black trousers trimmed in gold, and they could be seen coming out from the base of his gown at his knees. He wore black boots, but his pant legs covered them. He was standing in his spot at the western foot of the throne stairs.
Emalickel suddenly looked up, right at me. He lowered the tablet and stood up. Thorenel saw Emalickel and turned around to see what he was looking at. All the celestials were looking at me now. They were all staring. At once, Thorenel’s face lit up as he cleared his throat and spoke.
Thorenel: Please continue, my Prince, I will excuse myself to tend to the Princess.
Thorenel started to walk my way when Emalickel held out his tablet to Thorenel.
Emalickel: No, brother. Please, tend to the orders for me.
Seeming a bit dispirited, Thorenel proceeded up the stairs towards the throne. He took the tablet from Emalickel and sat down in the throne chair. Emalickel never took his eyes from me.
Then, his body faded from where he was standing and reappeared upstairs directly in front of me. He smiled and held out both hands as he walked a few more feet to me. All the celestials were still watching us. Emalickel placed his hands on my hips and gripped me closer. All was silent. We gazed at each other for a moment before Emalickel’s facial expression grew confused. He turned around and looked down over the upper balcony rail at Thorenel. He, too, was staring at us.
Emalickel: Celestials, are we at the expense of your entertainment?
Startled, everyone immediately came out of their trances, and turned back around. Thorenel cleared his throat quite vocally, almost as if irritated, before I heard him ask the celestial to continue where he had left off with Emalickel. Emalickel spoke to me in a playful voice.
Emalickel: I cannot say I blame them for staring.
He was looking at my body when he said this, not my face. I looked down and realized I was still wearing the night gown! My jaw dropped in surprise. I couldn’t believe I had walked out into the crowd of the palace wearing my night gown. I simply had forgotten. Emalickel guided me aside from the crowd until we were standing in the archway of his Private Quarters. He smiled and shook his head before placing his hands on my chest.
A bright orb of light engulfed me, and then faded. I was wearing a full, sleeveless, golden, glittering, gown that tied into a halter style around the neck. A royal cloak was draped across my shoulders to grazed the floor.
Emalickel: Have you seen the entire palace?
Although I had explored many rooms the day before, I had not seen all there was to see.
Me: Not all of it.
Emalickel: Well after today, you shall say you have seen all of it.
He took me by the arm and began walking back towards his private quarters which were on the northwest corner of the palace. We continued down the hallway. The wi
ndows overlooking the western courtyard were to our left. Emalickel opened the first door on the right and allowed for me to walk inside.
Emalickel: This is my personal Trophy Room.
The room was filled with beautiful glowing artifacts, statues, jewels, and trophy boxes with armor, garments, and weaponry. Tapestries hung from the northern and southern walls of the trophy room. Two open archways were in the northwest corner.
Emalickel: These are things I collected in my experiences over the eons. Each item holds its own story. Someday, I will share each of them with you.
Artist: Mattia Cupelli
Song: Waves
He motioned for me to continue through the open archways ahead. They exited to a perpendicular hallway. I looked right and saw a closed arched door.
Emalickel: That is a bathroom.
There was a brief silence. I was trying really hard not to laugh. This was not an answer I had expected. I was also confused because I didn’t think celestials had to eat, drink, sleep, or… use the bathroom. Emalickel’s tone became playful.
Emalickel: As you witnessed last night, we do eat and drink for pleasure. Where do you think the biproduct of all that goes? We are powerful beings, but we cannot defy the laws of biology.
To our left the hallway extended with several open archways on both sides. Straight ahead, to the north, was a room with bookshelves, couches and tables with chairs, and a fluffy white centrally located rug. Two giant windows were on the northern wall overlooking the Valley of Dillectus and mountains. On the western wall were three more archways leading into a dining room.
Emalickel: Yes, that room is the Dining Room. The other one, straight across here overlooking the mountains, is my Study Chambers.
Both rooms seemed to measure about 40-feet by 40-feet. They were huge and extravagant. They were colored shades of tan, white, and gold. Everything was so bright and also so clean.
Me: Everything is so perfect and put into place. It all matches and is decorated so beautifully!
Emalickel: All the thanks to our palace caretakers. They stay here and work in shifts. It is what they love to do. They reside in the Residential Halls upstairs.
We continued back down the hallway. On the right another archway opened to the Dining Room, but across from that, on the left was an archway that led to another 40-foot by 40-foot room.
Emalickel: That is the King Room.
This room was similar to what I would refer to as a “man-cave.” It had entertainment seating, a pool table, a card table, a kitchen and bar area, and a large screen hung down on the eastern wall. Music was even playing from speakers in the walls.
Me: What is the screen for?
Emalickel: Do you not think we enjoy gaming and entertainment? We can play or watch anything on this screen!
Me: Video games?
Emalickel: Everything.
Me: Skyrim?
Emalickel smiled proudly and chuckled lightly to himself.
Emalickel: I knew you were going to ask that. As I know you enjoy that game of Earth so deeply. Rest assured it is one of priority within my chambers.
There was a closed arched doorway on the southern wall.
Emalickel: That door simply leads out into the palace hallway where the courtyard windows are.
A set of open archways were on the western wall. We walked through them into another perpendicular hallway. Looking left, a door was at the end of the hall.
Emalickel: It, too, leads to the palace hallway.
To our right, at the end of the hallway was another archway leading into the Dining Room. Straight ahead of us were three archways which lead into another large room. This room contained white couches, a giant ottoman, a fireplace, end tables with orchid plants, and a large white-fur area rug.
Emalickel: This is the Living Room.
There were windows on the western wall looking out at the woodlands in the distance. On the northern wall were three more open archways leading to a 20-foot by 40-foot kitchen area. I had never seen such state of the art appliances and counters. Everything was sleek and shiny. Another archway was on the northern wall. Emalickel led us through. We came to a small perpendicular hallway. To our right was another archway leading to the Dining Room and to our left was a closed archway door. Emalickel went to open the door.
Emalickel: This room is quite familiar to you as you have slept in it a few times now.
We made our way back to the palace hallway and turned left towards the Throne Hall. Once we had come through, Emalickel walked us across an archway which bridged the western and eastern sides of the upper palace. It went right over the main central Throne Hall aisle below. The eastern half of the palace was a mirror image of the western. Emalickel pointed towards the northeast corner.
Emalickel: And that area is Thorenel’s Private Chambers. It is a mirror of mine.
Once across the walkway, we turned right towards a grand white staircase. Emalickel had an overly excited look on his face. I knew he was about to say something comical. He held out his arms and spoke in an exaggerated powerful tone.
Emalickel: And these, my dear Princess, prepare thyself! These are the Eastern Stairs! They lead up, and they lead down! And, well, that is their purpose. The end.
I shook my head and chuckled at him. He was always so serious, so it felt good to see this playful side of him.
We walked down the stairs, to a landing, and then back up some more stairs on the other side of the landing. Extending to the right of the landing were more stairs going down to the ground level of the Throne Hall. We stayed on the upper level and proceeded south down a huge hallway lined with about five 10-foot archways to our right which overlooked the Throne Hall. To our left were five windows overlooking the Eastern Courtyard. These windows were lined up with the archways and were just as large.
All the way back was a 15-foot archway leading out to a perpendicular hallway lined with windows. Turning left down this hallway led to the upper floor of the Great Library. It was the first door on the right. The second door on the right was the Education Quarters where celestials can read, train, and practice energy manipulation—or what I would call magic. Across the hall from the Great Library and the Education Quarters were several windows overlooking the Eastern Courtyard from a different angle.
We turned around to walk down to the opposite end of the hall, to the west. It mirrored the eastern side, except the rooms were for different purposes. Down on the opposite end of the hallway, the first door on the left was the balcony level of the Chapel. The second door on the left was the huge Spa Quarters. It was about 50-yards by 50-yards and was walled-off to form different rooms containing things such as hot tubs, sauna, a fountain, a hair dresser, yoga studio, meditation rooms with essential oils, crystals, massage rooms, and more pampering-like things.
There were extravagant stairs on both ends of this hallway. Emalickel and I went down the ones nearest to us on the southwest corner of the palace. There were two sides to choose from to go down the stairs, then a landing area, and another perpendicular staircase to enter the front hall on the main level of the palace.
The front rooms on the ground level mirrored the front rooms of the upper level. The first door on the right, directly under the Spa Quarters, was a Residence Hall for the residing palace celestials. The ground level of the Chapel was the next door on the right. The middle section of the palace had windows looking out from the front of the palace at the southern scene of the ocean. Afterwards, the next door on the right was the ground level of the Great Library. Finally, at the eastern end of the front hall was another Residence Hall. It was directly under the Education Quarters of the upper level. The Residence Halls had about ten condo-like rooms within them branching off from a central hallway.
Emalickel: There are more Residence Halls on both the third and fourth floors of the palace which collectively contain 120 condos to further house our guests and residents.
Artist: Audiomachine
Song: The Fire Withi
n
Emalickel did not want to interrupt the meeting in the Throne Hall, so he teleported us to the Billiard and Lounge, located on the main level at the northeast corner of the palace. I remembered it from the night before. There were two archways on the southern wall of this room which led directly to the Mead Hall which I had also remembered from the previous night. The Mead Hall had a door on its southern wall which led out to the Eastern Courtyard. There was another door on the western wall which led to the Great Hall which was about 50-feet by 100-feet.
