Satin Rose and the Witch Hunters

24. Royal Sweets

I shook hands with many and it didn't take long for the names to start blending into each other. When they came near to personally greet us all their words were sweet, filled with praises and wishes for a bright future. Their faces betrayed their real intention though, smiles that never quite left their lips, a slight tilt of the head that made them ever so slightly pointed their nose higher, a blink just as I responded to their greeting, the smallest of clips in the voice. I would have never accused anyone them of bad behavior, yet there was a disbelief in me that they were showing it so blatantly. The most disturbing subtly was something I didn't quite expect, Zestra looking past them and smiling on. In this state she almost looked regal. When her eyes looked at me though, my heart flutter, the queen disappeared and I saw a woman who knew how to run a court. She must have known it was happening and, for her sake and mine, I played along.

The gifts that accumulated ranged from expensive to outlandishly exquisite. Shoes, clothes, hats, spices, gems, jewels, tapestries, and more were handed to us and taken by servants that were already waiting in our wings. Even a caged and muzzled monkey was presented by a large gentleman with a turban and long flowing robes. The monkey was unenergetic as it stared blankly past the bars. This marked the exact moment that my throat started to tighten. Everything given would have filled the bedroom twice over, where was the castle even going to store all of them?

After the introductions a wizen Emerald priest slowly wandered onto the center stage. From there he unrolled a long scroll from his overflowing green sleeves and began to read each word with deliberation, taking about half as long as the procession to finish yet somehow making it feel double the length.

Finally a bawdy bright crown was carried over to the queen. Purple felt peeking over spires of gold, it was just about the size of her head yet sat perfectly as if it had always been there. For me a small circlet sat on a pillow that seemed to swallow the thing whole. I gulped down my react. When the priest lifted it though, the item was more than just a band of metal because it wasn't metal at all. Glass blown to be clearer than crystal. The tiniest gem stones adorned it that when it caught the light the glass would be flooded with a kaleidoscope of color.

I accepted it with reverence. The queen was given a scepter and as I knelt before her, pledging myself to be more than an escort a feeling stirred in me. It was the same feeling I got when starting a hike up a mountain, starting down a road to the next town, or just before giving a speech in a tavern. King or not, this was the new adventure life had given me.

"How is the food in the palace my love? How much better is it compared to your own cooking?"

"Bland," I replied to the queen. "I learned in the Alyak highlands that there's more to baking than a dollop of sugar. We'll need to change that."

"My god, how did choose him Zestra," Lord Travester said dumbfounded, more a statement than a question.

A feast had been set up in the dining hall and a tower of cakes and pastries filled the biggest table. At the queens behest probably. Many had come up to us to once again introduce or greet. Many more came with their stiff posture and practiced faces still intact. Those who were not wearing a mask were few. I did well to remember these though, of particular note was Lord Travester and Madam Casterwell. They had come to us together, seemingly speaking to the queen as if they had known each other their entire lives. For what I knew, they probably did.

"How could I not," She swirled a glass of juice in her hand a lot of pride showing through the tilt of her head. "Well traveled, well built, well spoken. I desire the best."

"But a commoner?" Lord Travester asked over his plate of cookies. "From blood untested."

"Unthinkable, some may say," Madam Casterwell added.