Ferendolia

The Palace of Ferandhiem

   Meredith looked up at the palace, the jewel of the village.

   It had been shaped out of the hillside many centuries ago by the most skilled of elvenkind. Her mother, the queen, had told her stories about how the elves had worked seven nights and seven days in order to make the palace suitable for royalty. Intricate stone columns had been grown from the ground and lichen curtained the entryway and windows, casting dappled green shadows on the ground. The compactness yet open-aired feel of it kept it a cool temperature year-round, at most needing a few fires lit in the hearths to melt the frost that settled on the columns in the winter.

   However, it wasn't the grandeur of the palace that made it famous.

   It was the people.

   Meredith brushed aside the lichen as she entered into an enormous open space -- the courtyard, where all the palace wings joined together.

   With high walls and an arched ceiling loosely woven from branches, it was made to enchant all those who entered. Hundreds of candles floated above, a gesture of gratitude from the citizens of Ferandheim towards their rulers. The courtyard was the main point of commerce for the palace's inhabitants, and open to the public for much of the year. Several dozen citizens milled about, admiring the craftsmanship and art displayed on the walls. 

   The centerpiece was the wide-brimmed crystal pool: a shallow indentation in the ground, filled with the rainwater that was filtered through the leaves far above. Meredith remembered when her mother first charmed it -- each ruler brought something new to the courtyard, as their first gift to the kingdom. She had leaned down to whisper in Meredith's ear: "You know, love, this pool isn't just a decoration," the young princess had caught herself about to sigh. Her mother was always trying to find symbolism in the littlest things. "It's a message. You see, every droplet that falls into this pool -- it's nothing special to begin with. They've all come from the same clouds, haven't they? It's only when they come together, do they form art." The queen relished in her cleverness while young Meredith wondered vaguely at the restrictions of the metaphor. Of all the rain that fell in Ferendolia, the small fraction that did fall into this pool were supposed to represent the elves of Ferandhiem? She had almost pointed it out, but then thought better of it.

   Meredith made her way around the courtyard, head bowed so as to not attract attention and flipping the hood of her uniform over her horns for good measure. Even with the added precaution, some elves she passed did a double-take before recognizing her and folding themselves in a bow, exclaiming variations of, "Princess!" and, "wonderful to see you," She offered them a quick smile and walked a little faster. 

    At last, she escaped under one of the courtyards' many archways and hurried past a pair of guards, who likewise bowed in respect. The sounds of liviness from the courtyard ebbed as their voices were absorbed by the palace halls. 

    She navigated another handful of corridors before being faced with a staircase. Taking the steps two at a time, she broke into a sprint, her movement the only disturbance in the dead hallways. Paintings of her ancestors glared down at her. The deep carpets swallowed any noise her steps made. She felt like if she stopped running, they would suck her in, too. 

    She reached the door to her chambers, marked by the palace crest. Without slowing her pace, she burst through the door and let it slam closed behind her. Meredith took a moment to catch her breath, laying a hand over the rough wood and feeling life thrum beneath her fingers. Treecharming had almost no limits -- even if the trees were charmed to recoil their roots, the plant would live on. 

    Taking a quick account of the room and finding it no different than when she had left it that morning, Meredith moved to the balcony. For all the deep carpets and glaring ancestors the palace had, the view from her window might have made it all worthwhile.