The Dream Walker

Chapter 5: Ropert and Requests

White and gray obscured my vision. Every direction I looked found my eyes bombarded by tall buildings seeming to lean over the thin streets. Heid told us this was the poorer part of the capitol city, and yet one thin home alone must have cost more than Misery's entire worth. I tried to take in every detail I could (rainbows of flowers sat before every window, golden accents lining the walls, doors of rich mahogany, etcetera), but the horses managed to maintain their lightning speed despite the tight winding road we traveled on.

Soon the buildings spread further and further apart. Every so often, through cracks in the white, I saw turrets and conical roofs high above. They were as dark as the cobblestone roads beneath us that caused the bumpy ride.

Finally we finished the ascent through the capitol and rode through wrought-iron gates. In the circular courtyard we stopped just before a set of stairs reaching higher than my house. In the center of the roundabout a tree, every bit of its bark white, reached high into the pink sky. Instead of leaves, scattered purple buds dotted the branches. I would have interrogated Heid on it had my breath not been snatched by the palace.

We were cast in its shadow, and not even the westward sun could save us from it. It was just as white as the rest of the capitol. One gargantuan wall sat before us, wooden doors etched into it, and the rest seemed to be comprised of towers. Windows with real glass littered the building, each placed so randomly it actually made the chaos look planned. Orange glows illuminated through almost all of them.

My jaw must have been grazing the floor of the carriage, for Heid shamelessly laughed at me. Then, he hopped out, the impact silent, and held a hand for me. Lifting my pathetically tattered skirts, my feet fell into the cracks of the cobblestone. We hadn't had time to run home and get our shoes. Judging by mama's fiddling fingers, she was realizing that, as well. Meanwhile, Heid and Miri wore leather boots, perfectly polished, with straps.

"Come, come, we've kept his highness waiting long enough," Miri grumbled. Men in armor swarmed us, separating me from mama. Four formed a square around me and four for my mother. Heid just clung to Miri's side.

Soon, the cobblestone stopped abruptly and marble replaced it. The first step on the black-veined marble sent shivers through my body. The ceiling was so high, no matter where these castle-goers tried to stick candles and chandeliers, they'd never have enough light to flood the darkened corridor. Several smaller hallways extended like branches on either side of us and before us another set of stairs led even higher. That was the direction chosen.

On the second level, the ceiling still high and the floor still marble, two rows of pillars led to an elevated throne. Behind it, the setting sun's rays shined through stained glass. It shrouded the large man on the throne in an ethereal light. He looked like a god. Six people, three on the right and three on the left, stood on either side of him. Heid and Miri left us, joining the six, and the men in armor stepped back. I felt naked before the king's condemning gaze. One mistake on my part and one word on his could have my mother and I killed. Mama bowed and I followed, staying hunched until his booming voice commanded otherwise.

"Rise!" he demanded. His unkempt ginger hair matched the beard. Red was his tunic and purple were the sashes adorning it. The crown nestled in his hair matched the chair: golden, tall, and pointy. The seat had the same cushions as the carriage. He glanced to Heid on his left. "This is her?"

"And her mother, yes, sire."

The king nodded. "Good. I am the Boar King, Ropert Everaft. I've summoned you on account of the raids ended in your village."

He paused. What? That wasn't a question, what am I supposed to say? I hoped my panic didn't show. I lowered my head and said, "Yes."

"Were you behind such a phenomenal event?"