When Sam commented, she was informed that it was, in fact, built on a hill. It was constructed over 200 years previous and the reigning King at the time had earth brought in from the surrounding countryside and an artificial hill created. It had taken over 10 years to build, despite nearly every slave in the city being used. Slavery was banned throughout Emvale almost as soon as it was completed.
The guards at the huge iron gate were at attention, reminding Sam of Beefeaters at Buckingham Palace. Their uniforms were bright red and they both had swords hanging from their belts. They did not react in any way as the party moved forward, but someone must have done so, as the gate swung open as they approached.
“Magic,” Seth whispered. “It is rumoured that soldiers carry something that the gate recognises and lets them through, though nobody has yet found out what. Thieves have tried stealing armour, weapons and purses from the guards, but the gate never opens for them. Until the soldiers inside open it, of course, at which point the thief is promptly arrested.”
When they were through, Sam saw that the two guards out the front were just for show. Behind the wall were quite a few single storey buildings. Based on the number of soldiers in front of her now, Sam assumed they were barracks and that the gate led directly to the training yard. A few of the soldiers, dressed in full armour, were fighting with swords while the rest watched. One elderly man stood on the side, shouting comments about the moves, both good and bad.
Tor’s party were taken to the left, away from the combatants, and circled the practice yard. When they arrived at the front of the house, they were ordered to dismount and grooms arrived to guide the horses to the stables, where they would be fed and watered as well as brushed thoroughly. Thresnine looked questioningly at Sam, who told her to go and relax, assuring her that they would be staying for a while. As the mare happily followed her assigned groom, Sam looked up at the tall building, hoping that their stay would not be permanently in the dungeon.
They were escorted to a small reception room, where chilled water and fruits were available. Even though the guards remained outside the door, the room was quite cramped. Sam knew nothing about palace etiquette, but she could not help feeling that this did not bode well.
Nearly an hour passed before a small skinny man in a black suit walked in without knocking. Closing the door behind him, he surveyed the group, frowning.
“I am Halvine, chief steward. I am here to assess whether you are to see the King or go straight to the dungeons.” His thin, pale lips hardly seemed to move as he spoke. His hair was turning grey with age, but his grey eyes still had an intensity about them that indicated that this was not a man to cross.
Tor stepped forward. Halvine’s mouth dropped open and his eyes went wide in surprise. “My apologies, Prince Tor,” he stammered, giving a slight bow. “I was not warned that you were among the party.” He then loudly clapped his hands and two serving girls ran in. “Milly, go and see Mrs Hubert. Rooms must be arranged for our guests. Kally, please escort them to the main reception room and have proper food and wine sent up. It is an insult to put a Prince in the smallest reception room.”
Tor grinned at the flustered man. “It is alright Halvine. No insult taken. We are, after all, prisoners.”
“What!” The little man was shocked. “No. There must be a misunderstanding. The King would never arrest a Prince.”
“In times of war, a King will take any step necessary to protect his people.”
Before Halvine could respond, there was a knock on the door and Sabastian walked in, carrying his helmet.
“Not giving Halvine a hard time I hope. After all, he does run the country.”
“I most certainly do not,” came the indignant reply.
Draping his arm across Tor’s shoulders, having to stand on tip toe to reach, Sabastian pulled their heads close and whispered, just loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. “He rules the palace with an iron rod. Rumour has it that even the Queen asks his permission before buying a new dress. Without him the palace would fall apart, quickly followed by the city then the country.”
Halvine just snorted. “Please follow Kally. Refreshments will be served shortly.” He then straightened his suit jacket and walked out of the room, giving Sabastian a glare as he passed him.
Sabastian doubled over with laughter. “Halvine really is an old stick in the mud sometimes,” he said, wiping a tear away from his eye. “But I meant every word about the palace falling apart without him,” he quickly added.
Kally led them through the palace; it really was immense. Approaching middle years, some would describe her as a handsome woman. She would never be called thin, but being slightly overweight did not stop most men watching her swaying hips as she walked. Seth only stopped staring when he received a smack round the head from Liselle. Nobody spoke as they walked, all too deep in their own thoughts, wondering what was to happen to them. Were they really guests or prisoners?
When they arrived at the main reception room, Sam realised why it was the place that important guests were shown to. It made the room they had just left look like a broom cupboard. The floor was marble and the walls decorated with many different tapestries and paintings, ranging from battle scenes to birds with blue breasts making a nest in a tree. The far wall contained two large windows which gave a magnificent view of the gardens and fountains below.
There were many comfortable looking chairs, each with a small coffee table beside it, and the largest fire place Sam had ever seen. Though it was not currently lit, it could probably heat the room nicely in the winter. ‘If they have winter here,’ Sam thought.
To one side of the room was a long wooden table, covered by a lace tablecloth. It was filled with plates of steaming food, all of which smelled incredibly good. There were various meats and fish as well as bowls filled with many different vegetables, though Sam did not recognise most of them, and loaves of bread, crisp on the outside, yet soft and fluffy on the inside. Fresh bread tasted luxurious after so many days of eating it hard and stale. And there was butter. Sam never thought she would miss butter so much. There were even plates of berries and nuts for the sprites. There were pitchers of wine and ale, which Torrick happily distributed, though Dal, much to his disgust, had his goblet removed from his hand before he even got a taste. He grumbled under his breath when he was given just water.
Kally suddenly noticed Samson and smiled down at him. “Dogs are not allowed in here I am afraid.”
Samson looked at Sam and whined. “Please tell her I am a wolf not a dog. Dogs are stupid creatures who play about to please their masters. Wolves are proud, fierce and honourable.”
Sam didn’t have time to repeat his message however, as Kally had already mentioned beef and chicken being available in the kitchen and Samson was immediately following her out of the door, yelping in anticipation.
As they ate, Sabastian explained that they would be given guest rooms for the night and would meet King Allias in the morning, when he would decide whether they would remain in their guest rooms or would be reassigned to the dungeons.
“Why?” Sam asked. “What are we supposed to have done wrong?”
It was Tor who replied. “Emvale is on the brink of war. Any foreign dignitary, especially a royal, will be questioned, just in case they are secretly aligned with the enemy.” Somehow, that did not make Sam feel any better.
Once they had eaten their fill, maids arrived to remove the plates and the ladies were escorted out. Sam was a little reluctant about leaving the protection she felt the men offered, until she overheard one of the maids talking to Ria.
“Did you just say bath? Please tell me we are talking about the same thing here as where I come from. A very large container, filled with hot water that you can relax in while washing?”
The maid looked horrified. “This is not some common inn Miss,” she said, obviously insulted.
Seeing the puzzled look on Sam’s face, Ria explained. “Most inns offer bathing facilities as you
have just described and the residences of some of the less well-off Lords, but a proper bath is more like a room with a huge heated pool, often with a separate steam room attached. Everyone bathes together, though usually the women go on their own first.”
That was all Sam needed to hear. Every muscle in her body was screaming at her to hurry to the warm water. Despite the urge to run, she had to keep to the sedate pace of the others, though this was beginning to increase noticeably.
After walking along a few corridors and down many steps, they arrived at the bathing room. The first part of it was a changing room. All of the women instantly undressed, even River. While they bathed, their dirty clothes were collected for cleaning and warm gowns and slippers left in their place. As soon as River saw the water she dived in, giggling with delight as she surfaced. The slight blue hint in her skin became a lot more pronounced as soon as it came into contact with the hot water, making her glow slightly.
The bath really did look like a giant swimming pool, the rising steam indicating how hot the water was kept. All it needed was a couple of slides and it would be perfect, Sam thought.
She edged forward and slowly lowered her foot in so that only the tips of her toes were touching the water. It was the perfect temperature. Later one of the maids, when asked, explained that a natural hot underground spring kept the water heated. Sam quickly lowered herself in, until the water was up to her chin. The incline from the left side of the pool was designed so you could lie comfortably in the water and the right side had a wide ledge, allowing you to sit as though you were in a spa.
All around the pool were baskets filled with some sort of bark. Sam noticed Ria, Liselle and Ellen each picked up a piece before entering the water, so she reached over to the nearest basket. She was surprised when they then started to scrape the bark over their skin, as though it were a type of scrubbing brush.
A little nervously, thinking it would badly scratch her, Sam gently rubbed it against her arm. The feeling was quite pleasant, especially when she increased the pressure a little. The bark was soft enough not to hurt, even the more delicate places like her face and breasts, yet strong enough to exfoliate thoroughly. She felt great when she had finished cleaning her entire body and laid back to relax in the warmth and listen to the occasional yell of enjoyment that came from River whenever she surfaced. It took Sam a while to notice how long River was remaining under water. Didn’t she need to breathe?
Just as she was beginning to drift off to sleep, a maid entered the pool room carrying a large jug. She went to each of them in turn, pouring some of the liquid onto their hair and thoroughly washing it. To rinse, she simply told them to take a deep breath before she pushed their heads under the water. Afterward she massaged their scalp before proceeding on to the next person.
Having lost all track of time, Sam could not say how long she had been in the bath when there was a polite knock on the door and four maids walked in, one of them Kally, who walked immediately up to Sam.
“Please accept my apology for the harshness of my reply to your question earlier. I did not know that you are not from here. Now that I know better, I will try to answer any further questions you may have.”
“No problem,” Sam started to say, but Kally had already turned to Liselle, instructing her that Torrick was outside, enquiring as to when the men would be allowed their turn. Laughing, Liselle got out of the pool. Towels had been placed nearby and she quickly wrapped one around her hair, before collecting a gown from the changing room. Reluctantly the others followed, with Ria having to physically drag River out.
Once they were dressed, they were escorted to an adjacent room, where their backs, arms, legs and necks were given massages. Next to the bathing room, was a steam room.
“I wish I had known about that,” Sam commented as they passed it on the way back to their rooms. “I would have got out of that pool a lot earlier.”
“There is always tomorrow,” Ellen replied.
The guest wing was directly above the bathing room, up a long flight of stairs. Liselle was escorted to one suite and the rest to another. The suite contained two bedrooms, each with twin beds, a dressing room with a water jug and bowl for washing and a sitting room with a coffee table and four chairs. The beds had nightgowns laid out on them, the appropriate size for each of the ladies. Sam opened one of the wardrobes and discovered silk dresses of varying colours and sizes. At least for now they were guests not prisoners.
Opening the glass doors in the sitting room, Sam walked out onto the balcony. They must have been at the side of the house as the view was remarkably different to that from the reception room. Instead of the beautiful gardens, Sam saw a maze, though it looked like it had not been maintained in a while. Everything was overgrown, making the paths difficult to distinguish. The size of the bushes suggested it was quite old. Perhaps mazes were no longer in fashion.
A cool breeze was blowing, bringing with it the faint scent of roses. There was a knock at the door and Sam turned around to see Liselle entering with Torrick by her side, holding her hand.
“That was quick,” Ria commented upon seeing Torrick. “I thought the men were using the bathing room after us.”
Torrick smiled. “The others are still in there. Soldiers learn to wash quickly. I find I cannot relax in a bathing room. Even after all of these years as a civilian, I still find myself looking for enemies where other people are most complacent.”
Standing on tip toe, Liselle gently kissed his cheek and, releasing his hand, followed Ria and Ellen into the dressing room. Excited sounds soon emerged as they began sorting through the dresses and trying them on. Torrick wandered over toward Sam and looked out of the window. River joined them; dresses held no fascination for sprites.
Torrick suddenly chuckled. “Dal did not join us,” he said. “I guess he will bathe later, when nobody else is around. He probably will not even let the servants in the room with him. I remember being that age, though it seems so long ago.”
Before he could continue, there was another knock on the door and Kally walked in, carrying a tray of glasses and pitchers of chilled water and white wine. Placing it on the table, she curtsied and called out of the door. “You can bring it in here Milly.”
The short blonde maid was carrying a second tray of beverages, though hers had a pitcher of ale as well as a smaller one of wine. After depositing it beside the first tray, she curtsied and whispered out of the side of her mouth to Kally. “I told you they would be in here.”
“Mrs Hubert requested I inform you that dinner will be served in the guest dining room in one hour,” Kally explained, ignoring the comment.
“Thank you,” Sam said. Kally curtsied again, a slight smile on her face, and both maids left the room, shutting the door behind them.
“I guess we really do have to wait until tomorrow before we meet the king,” Torrick mused, as Sam poured the drinks. Accepting his ale with a slight nod of the head, he moved toward the dressing room door. “I had better warn my wife. One hour may not be enough time for her to decide what to wear.”
“I heard that,” came a yell from inside. Placing his cup on the table, Torrick removed the water jug from one of the trays and, checking that there were three glasses, took it into the dressing room. After thanking him for the wine, the ladies rapidly threw him out, requesting him not to disturb them until dinner was being served.
Sam was pleasantly surprised to find the ale was good and she said as much. It was dark and smooth, more of a bitter than a lager when compared to the beer she was used to drinking.
“Sam,” Torrick said, raising his glass to her. “I think you and I are going to get on very well. Now, if you ladies will excuse me, I must find myself something suitable to wear.” Just before leaving the room, he looked back. “Actually, would you mind joining me for a moment? Liselle said the dressing room in our suite is also full of dresses. Would you mind taking them to her for me? I am sure she has not enough in just one room to keep her happy.”
They all met in the small dining room in the guest wing, where they were served roast beef with steamed vegetables. Sam made a comment about the Yorkshire puddings being missing, then had to spend the next twenty minutes explaining to Seth what they were and how to make them. He seemed to understand, but Sam found herself hoping she would not be around for his first attempt. Dal turned up late, his hair still dripping. He had sent the servants away while he bathed and had got lost while looking for his room.
It was a quiet, uneventful meal, with nobody much in the mood for talking. Hawk arrived just before they had finished. Tor had told a stable lad to make sure the wagon was put in a barn with a window, for easy access, and once the sun had gone down and he had found himself a meal, Hawk simply went to the front door, announced he was with Tor’s party and was immediately shown to the dining room. Not long after they had finished eating, they retired to their separate rooms, looking forward to spending a night in a bed.
Sam was just drifting off to sleep when she heard the door open slightly and paws pad across the bedroom floor. Samson jumped onto her bed, stretched out next to her and promptly went to sleep. Sam quickly followed his example.
The Guide Page 11
