Conflicted

Palace

    

    Helen gasped at the sight of such unsightly creatures emerging from the moat surrounding the Palace. She's never seen such things before. What creature had 10 eyes and with a mouth just like an alligator? Best part was that it could teleport. Helen got goosebumps watching those weird creatures teleport around the moat, swimming in the murky water. Strangely enough, Vick looked right at home.

"Aww, aren't you a lil' cute guy. Wow your eyes look prettier now. Gosh, your teleportation is so cool!"

Helen raised an eyebrow at Vick but held herself back from saying anything. She impatiently waited for the guards to let down the bridge. She just wanted to get in as quickly as possible. These weird creatures made her extremely uneasy. The guards finally fully let down the bridge. Vick strided across the bridge confidently, as if she owned the place. Helen cautiously followed after, watching her footing carefully so as to not trip over the long tails of those alligator-like creatures. The Palace was a mysterious and unexpected place. It was nothing like Helen had imagined. She imagined a vast castle or a huge building displaying the finest jewels and the whitest pillars, just like the types described in story books.

The Palace was a totally different story. If you were to not observe it carefully, you would think that it was a humble, defenseless building that was just huge in size. There were no fancy chandeliers hanging from the tall arches of the building and there was only a large, polished statue of Lord Sirius in the center of the first room.

The guards guided Helen and Vick through the mazes of rooms, finally stopping in front of a grand piano. The guard played a chord on the piano. The sounds of the notes fading away was soon followed by a loud creaking noise as the wall behind the piano moved to the side, similar to a sliding door.

"I think I should wait for you here, Hel. I'm probably not allowed inside here," Vick eyed the guard who seemed to be pushing her away from the entrance.

Helen nodded and followed the guard into the Throne Room. She turned head to bid her friend a farewell. Vick waved back at her as the wall shifted back into its original position. She turned back to face the man sitting on a chair beside the Throne. She has finally reached her destination. 'Here I go.'