Bride of Alvar (Redemption Saga, Book 1)

Chapter 12

Six days later I'm beginning to get into the swing of things at the palace:

Breakfast in my room with my fortunately question-less mother, lunches to either be had with Emily or my mother or to join Alvar with a visiting human lord I never quite caught the name of. Dinners are always with Alvar. Besides his asking my welfare we don't talk much. He is too busy with diplomatic meetings involving his marriage to a woman from Earth to make long conversation with me. Still, I catch his gaze on me from time to time and wonder what he is thinking. Does he think I'm beautiful? Is he comparing me to Triss? I don't know why, but I hope he's not.

After one of my lunches with Emily, she tells me she's decided that we need to have a sleep over to talk men and sex because I'm in apparent need of an education, but bails last minute because she meets a hot guy who says he wants to fool around with her in her room. With Emily this kind of thing is just part of who she is and a common occurrence in our friendship even in the past, I don't judge, and am not offended. Let her have her fun, it makes her happy.

Leeza woke me up this morning and told me Grey was going to take me on a tour and explain some things about Underlund history.

"This palace has stood for ages, through wars and famine, of course there have been improvements made over time here and there, and renovations done on some of the more ancient places, but most of it is original," Grey says as he begins on his tour. "It wasn't until the power of Arlite was discovered that this place was remodeled completely."

"What exactly is Arlite?" I ask. I've heard the word over and over again. I don't know if it's just what they call their magical rocks or if it in reality makes sense. Maybe they think the way we use electricity is magic. I half smile at the thought.

"It's a power source, a very clean and efficient power source, but extremely potent. You have phones in your world? Phones, television, internet?"

I blink. How would he know about that?

"Yes, we have all of that," I reply.

"Well, we had forms of that here as well, we however have shut down anything as vast as what your Internet is," Grey says. "It is too dangerous of a thing. There is no way of policing it. It also isn't healthy to live inside a digital world. Our histories tell of a cyber war which caused technology bans to form. Unfortunately our people fell a bit back in time after many of the technology bans, old backward customs were took up again. Then Arlite was discovered and changed the way we viewed the world. Instead of taking forever to get anywhere we use sky waves. Person to person contact is easy and clean. Yes, your digital world may be vast, but it lacks soul. You can forget about souls if you stare too long at lifeless content and persons masked by screens."

I enjoy his explanations, but I am a bit indignant as I feel he is kind of insulting Earth human ways in the process.

"This is the great hall, it is where we had your wedding reception, if you'll remember," Grey says.

We continue and Grey tells me so much about different columns and rooms I fear the information will make my head explode. There is no way I'll remember everything.

"Where is Alvar's room?" I ask Grey out of the blue.

"The King's living quarters are in the East Wing. You are in the West Wing."

"Oh," I say. "So we're on opposite sides of this palace, huh?"

"Yes, my queen," Gray says. "It isn't customary for the king and queen to live in the same area of the palace, only to copulate do they sleep in the same room with each other. Safety precautions."

Copulate? What a proper way of describing sex. And he'd said it with a completely straight face.

"Would you like me to take you to his quarters?" Grey surprises me by asking.

"I thought it wasn't allowed," I blink. Really? See his inner sanctum? I feel braver everyday, I'm sure I'd love to see where my recently silent husband lives.

"Alvar told me that if you wished to see him in his quarters to allow it, he changed his mind for some reason a few days ago and informed us," Grey explains.

Hmm... I wonder if it has anything to do with my learning about him being Cursed? Or maybe he's just hoping I'll make a move on him to get this whole "producing an heir" thing started.

"I would like to see his quarters then."

Grey takes me from the great hall and down a gallery hall. There are many paintings and pictures hung on the walls as we walk.

"I need to let the King know you're headed to his quarters," Grey says.

He holds up a glowing slate and slides his index finger in a half circle, the slate reacts to his fingers. Glowing marks trail behind his fingertips. It's as if he's writing something on a touch screen.

"He says that it will be alright and that's he's sending Leeza to prepare you for the night in his chambers," Grey says.

Wait, I'm staying the entire night there? I try to keep the fear from creeping onto my features, they're all supposed to think Alvar and I have already been intimate. But this hadn't been my intention! I'd only wanted to see where the man lived, not make him think I was somehow coming on to him.

*

Two guards open the double doors into the East Wing where Alvar's quarters are. The place is dark and rich. I'm struck by its appearance so different than my light marble and silks style quarters. "Dungeon Elegance" is what I'd label the furnishings and aura of this room. Why does he keep it so dark in here?

Grey bows to me. "Leeza will be here shortly." Then he leaves.

The double doors shut behind me.

Alvar's eating area is large enough to entertain guests. He likes the color red, the drapes are red, the furniture is red, and the accents in the room are red. A black and slate grey tile floor extends throughout the rooms and the walls and columns supporting the ceiling are the same grey. I open the door to his bedroom and gasp. There isn't sight of a bed in here, but why? There is however an ornate fur rug on the floor and a fireplace glowing with bright red flickering. The only thing worth resting on in this room is a luxurious red lounge chair that is about the size of a couch.

There is a knock on his bedroom door. "My Queen, you need to come out here for me to attend to you. I am not allowed in his chambers." It's Leeza.

I open the door and note Leeza shielding her eyes with her beautiful yellow wings. I close the door behind me. "It's alright, you can look," I say.

Her wings swing back from her face and extend out. I'd always assumed she could fly with them, but since I'd never really seen her use them to fly and it looked as if she walked everywhere she went I wonder if they are some kind of decoration for her people, like an ostrich's wings seem to be.

"Alvar said to give you this," Leeza says blushing. She's blushing? Oh dear, what is it?

I take it from her and am surprised at how little fabric the red piece is made of.

"He must have the wrong idea. I only came here to see what his quarters looked like," I blurt.

Leeza cocks an eyebrow and then a vague smile splashes across her face. "My dear, I was under the impression that--"

"It's alright," I say, straightening my shoulders and clearing my throat. "I'll handle it. Thank you, Leeza."

"As you wish, your majesty," Leeza says, then bows and exits.

I sigh and cross my arms over my chest, hanging the skimpy crimson cloth over my forearm, there are gold chains connected to it in a mingle I can't quite figure out. I place the garment on a vanity in the corner of the room.

Something catches my eye: a large red pendant lies on the vanity. I pick it up, the weight is heavy in my hands.

Wearing something like this around your neck would be cumbersome, I wonder, what's it for?

My fingers brush against the heavy dark red gem, but at the touch my body is shocked as if by electricity, and I fall back on the floor. My vision starts to blur, my head is spinning, and then a black mist surrounds me and when it clears I realize I'm somewhere and someone else completely.