Everything Starts

CH: 13, MOONMORE

We walked inside and there stood someone to greet us.

"Berri here can help you with your bags. Berri, this is Alora, and her friends, Zena, Willa, George, Fay, Ethan, and Wesley."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, madam," Berri replied.

His age was clearly shown in his pointed ears, wrinkled skin the color of sand, and the peach fuzz that sat atop his head. He was tall. Taller than Adrian, who was saying something. Are all elves tall?

"It's nice to meet you too Berri," I returned.

"Who's ready for the tour?"

"We are!" Ethan replied, jumping up and down.

The entry hall looked unbelievable with its incredibly high ceilings, tile floors, walls, and pillars that reminded me of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.

Adrian gestured us to the left.

When you first step into the glorious space to the left is one of the many bathrooms. It shined cleanly. I do not know what I was expecting. An oddly shaped toilet perhaps? A floating waterfall for a sink? No. The room was extremely large for a bathroom; however, bigger is better seems to be the theme here. There was a line of mirrors and vanities lining the two closest walls and behind that was a row of normal-looking toilets, each with its own door and, as I sarcastically guessed, a floating sink. Unfortunately, there were no waterfalls. The bowl sat upon a levitating stone similar to the ones we used to get here.

After the bathroom, we were shown the study. Two-and-a-half of its walls were panel windows that doubled as sliding doors. Across from us was a pocket window that extended to the ceiling. The view was immaculate and threw every other view out the window. A fireplace with a fire already lit was along one of the other walls. The peculiar thing about the fire was the flames were aqua in color. I assumed this must just be another elf thing I would get used to with time. In the center of the room were two large couches, three end tables, and one large marble-looking coffee table all placed where you could see anyone who sat there no matter where you sat. Behind the seating area was a large oak desk that could easily seat six people. The study seemed welcoming but also told you serious things were discussed within its walls. Directly next to the study was what only could be described as an elf elevator. There was no door, railing, or anything that blocked it off from the rest of the room, other than a faint glow from around four of the checkered tiles. Adrian explained that if you stood on said tiles they would raise and take you to the next floor.

Across the hall was the largest library any of us had ever seen. The room seemed so much taller from the inside. Every wall was covered in floor-to-ceiling bookcases. There must have been a copy of every book ever written in the room. Stairs were circling the room to help you retrieve a book that was higher up. The center of the room had an array of couches and chairs. Every one of them looked incredibly comfortable. On the other end of the room was the kitchen, butler's pantry, and an open greeting room. The kitchen was just as grand as the rest of the space and had earthly-looking appliances. The greeting room seemed to be the lightest area on the floor. There was only one wall separating it from the kitchen and pantry and two from the outside. The exterior walls were completely made from glass with what must have been thousands of little square windows covering the area. There seemed to be no ceiling above us, instead a viewing area where people on the floor above could look over and see us. Connected to the wall separating the kitchen and greeting room was a small room that only had a spiral staircase inside. Adrian explained it was for the other elves to get from floor to floor more easily and they had their wing which sat atop the tower. In the center of the room, there was the largest crystal I had ever seen in my life. It looked to be suspended in mid-air and was carved to have multiple water features going throughout it, but somehow never managed to lose its shape. Surrounding the base was a garden filled with plants I could finally recognize. A variety of roses, tulips, daisies, and snowdrops grew abundantly. Behind the feature were two bifurcated staircases leading to the next floor, and behind the staircases was a set of double doors that led to the back veranda.