The Mage's Familiar

09. The Palace

Evening soon fell and stars began to appear in the sky as the night markets were set up in the capital city. Olwen and Nas were woken suddenly by a sharp knock on their door. Nas transformed instantly into his cat form as Olwen quickly dressed, packed her belongings, and met the guards outside the inn with Nas at her side. This was the night they would finally reach the capital city and the palace of the Emperor. Her nerves felt like static running through her body as she and Nas boarded the cart for the final time and were soon ushered through the massive metal archway of the emperor's city. The buildings within were all constructed from white marble, gleaming even beneath a darkening sky. Banners emblazoned with the Emperor's crest hung from the tall lamps lining the streets. Every road, alley, and park was perfectly kept and fastidiously clean, as were the nobles and aristocrats who were out to enjoy the cool air after sunset. It was a strange and surreal place and Olwen could hardly believe that it was real. It felt very artificial, almost like every living thing was an actor playing a role on an elaborate stage. Music drifted from open windows and small stages in the parks, filling the air with delicate and complex melodies that Olwen found pleasant but restrained. She felt the sudden urge to shout out loud, just to break the stifling formality and sterility of the atmosphere. The architecture and people were beautiful, but there was no life here, only rules and regulations and expectations. There was almost a sense of relief as the cart pulled through large metal gates and through an ornate garden to the palace itself. At least here she could expect to be suffocated. It was the home of the Emperor. As the cart stopped at a secluded side entrance and Olwen disembarked, she was stunned by the sheer magnitude of the palace.

It was the largest building she had ever seen, capable of housing an entire village within its marble walls. Intricate sculptures and filigree covered every available surface, undoubtedly the life work of a team of skilled artisans. The surrounding landscaping was perfectly symmetrical and only white flowers were grown within the palace grounds, making it appear even more dreamlike. As the guards dismounted, young pages came to collect their horses and take their weapons. A few hurriedly retrieved all of the items from the cart, aside from the belongings that Olwen now held in her hands. Nas wove through her legs, careful to avoid the frenzied activity of the pages. The captain turned to Olwen and addressed her directly.

"You will be escorted to temporary chambers," he informed her. "Tomorrow you will be assigned a page and meet with a recruiter."

"I will not meet the Emperor?" Olwen asked. The captain tried to disguise a scoff.

"You will not meet His Majesty until you are properly evaluated and educated. You are still a commoner." His expression was one of disdain but Olwen ignored it, nodding in response. She had no desire to meet the Emperor. In fact, she hoped never to meet him.

"I am relieved," she said, smiling. The captain was taken aback by this reaction but quickly dismissed her, assigning a page to take her to her living quarters.

Olwen was ushered into a small hall flanked by many rooms and up a grand set of carpeted stairs. The page led her through a door and across a bridge to a small connected building. She was not surprised that she would be housed outside the main palace and was grateful to be out in the night air for another short moment before entering the outbuilding. Her chamber was the first on the right within the structure and the page unlocked it with a slender golden key which he then pressed into her hand.

"Thank you," she whispered. The page bowed deeply and left as she pushed the door open and stepped inside with Nas at her feet.

This was the most luxurious room she had ever entered. The walls were decorated with blue tapestries and gossamer curtains hung on the windows and around the bed which was made up with deep blue linens and an exquisite silken quilt. There was an armchair by the blazing fireplace, and many lit candles illuminated the rest of the room. A vanity and intricately carved bench were in the corner, and a small but very comfortable bathroom could be found through a small door to her left. The rug on the floor was thick and plush and Olwen's feet sunk into it as she removed her boots and stepped across the threshold. Nas had already recovered from his first impression of the space and had assumed his human form, lounging unaffected on the canopy bed. He looked very much at home, his own beauty suiting the opulence of the room. Olwen sat beside him after a moment, still admiring her new home. She knew this was only her temporary accommodations but she could not help but be in awe. Her eyes fell on a painting hanging above the fireplace. It was a portrait of a beautiful dark-haired young man with fierce green eyes, smiling confidently down from his vantage point. He wore a blue robe with a white fur collar and a crown of silver rested high on his head. It was the emperor. Olwen had never seen a depiction of him but she was pleasantly surprised. He was more handsome than she had expected. Even so she scowled up at his image, provoking a laugh from Nas.

"Does our Emperor not please you? I am told he is the most beautiful man in the Empire," Nas joked. Olwen shook her head emphatically.

"He is not," she insisted. "And he does not please me. I feel like his pawn and I have not even met him."

"Who have you seen that is more handsome, Master?" Nas asked, sliding up beside her on the bed and grinning.

Olwen glared down at him. But his cheeky smile softened her expression. She ignored the question and laid back on the bed, trying without success to distract herself from her predicament. She was now in the grasp of the Emperor and she was powerless to escape. The only choice she had was to endure what was coming. The Emperor's knights were infamous. The rumors that his personal guard doubled as a harem had even reached Olwen's rural village. Her stomach turned at the thought. She would be forced to submit to his whims whether she consented or not. She was already in the palace against her will and it wasn't clear what exactly would be expected of her. Healers employed by noble families rarely left their estates. They were too valuable to travel widely as they might not return. Most were inclined to enter into magical contracts with their employers in order to protect both parties. Healers would be safe from exploitation but also unable to leave. The personal knights of the Emperor were almost guaranteed to be contracted. The imperial family would never allow a knight freedom to leave without severe consequences. Olwen could not help but wonder what the terms would be.