The Forest Heart

Meredith Part 1

Raven held her father's arm nervously as they dismounted out of the carriage. Hank smiled down at her as she bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet. She had always wanted to visit the castle. Perhaps he could give her a private tour after the festivities began.

Clair giggled as Raven tried to take even breaths. They weren't even at the castle yet, though the walk across the wooden bridge was a simple delight.

Lanterns were strung up along the edges reflecting the colors of the gorgeous gowns worn by other attendees making their way to the ballroom. Raven followed her family up the spiral staircase that would eventually empty out into the open sky ballroom.

Raven had tried to get Hank to elaborate on the kind of space it was, but Hank only smiled forcing Raven to wait until she could see it herself. She wasn't disappointed as she gasped, grabbing Hanks' arm, making him chuckle softly.

Small trees sprouted out of the massive branch they stood on, forming the walls of the space. White stone floors were polished to reflect the lantern lights, making Raven glance at them in wonder.

However, the stone couldn't keep her gaze away from the brightly colored silks that lined the doors to the massive balcony, overlooking the forest below. Everything was simply marvelous as Hank happily led his girls around the edge of the crowd. The Trayson royalty would be making their entrance shortly and then the festivities would begin.

Raven scanned the crowd, noticing foreign dignitaries with their blond hair and yellow eyes. They were dressed in the colors of Salvino, red and gold, making Raven wonder if they were all dwarfs. She knew from the books that their height could vary greatly, but they still weren't quite what she had been expecting.

The guests from Welpion were trickier to pick out, since they seemed to wear anything that suited them in a rainbow of colors. Though Trayson stuck mostly with the natural colors of the forest in greens and browns.

A horn bellowed over the crowd causing a ripple of silence. Clair reached across her husband to grab Raven's eager hand. On the far side of the massive space, sat a balcony just barely visible over the crowd.

Underneath the balcony, sat the stage of musicians. As they began to play, the double doors on the balcony opened causing Raven to hold her breath. They were beautiful.

Queen Meredith stood in a deep blue gown with her hair pulled back and crown fastened into place. Ivy stood beside her in a green, sleeveless corset top. Her red curls rolling like waves down her back. They both bowed their heads to the guests in welcome before each heading down a staircase on either side of the balcony. Raven bounced around trying to see Ivy's skirt clearly.

"Peacock feathers I would imagine. It looks ravishing on her." Clair decided, making Raven giggle. The peacock dress was lovely on their princess as she went to greet her guests. The music picked up and Clair glanced up at her husband with pleading eyes.

"Excuse me while I take your mother to dance. Look around a little. We'll find you." Hank told his daughter as his wife dragged him out onto the dance floor along with the other druids.

Raven chuckled as she made her way around the edge, trying to get a better view of the balcony. She had to pause when she stepped in front of a large mirror, reflecting the space. It was beautifully carved looking more like it was a part of the tree, instead of added to it.

"It's lovely, isn't it?" Raven jumped meeting the yellow eyes of the stranger standing beside her. His deep red tunic brought out the highlights in his dark tan skin and golden hair. He smiled seductively making Raven blush deeply as she glanced away from him. She wasn't used to such attention. "Is something wrong?" He asked as Raven shook her head.