Lost in Time

Volume 5 Part 2: Woeful Wanderer

Part 2: Woeful Wanderer

Behold her magnanimity. The fearsome flame of Qiquia. Her magnificence. The throbbing thorn on the side of the Quia. Her flawlessness. The eye of the storm. Her pepperiness. The tip of the spear. Her resplendence. Empress Tia of the floral tribes!

A melodic alto announced through the majestic chamber of the empress. It echoed around, ringing in reverberating pings that sprayed an ethereal feel in the scented air. Redolence of some exotic spray wafted through the air, giving it a sweet, refreshing smell.

High up the dome of the ceiling, two colossal chandeliers flickered in pink, crimson and purple winks. Flowers with shifting sheens of scarlet and crimson sprawled in spots tracing a nonagonal shape around the breath-taking throne. Behind the majestic rise of the throne bedecked with glistening glass of emerald and pearls, were huge blue tapestries sprawling in cute curls and sweeping swirls in a symmetrical split towards either side of the huge seat.

The throne room was humongous, like a gothic colosseum with massive steps leading down to the crimson carpet straddling towards the foot of the mini-dais to the throne. The walls were seamless continuous obsidian, like they had been molded rather than constructed. They seemed to hum in the waft of the breeze that swept through the paradisiac space, like they were coming alive.

Whoa!

The empress ascended the stairs, the heels of her glass shoes clinking softly against the obsidian floors. She was bedecked in a regal emerald dress, garnished sleeves ending just past the elbows in an embroidery of intricately winding runes. The hem split just below her knees and branched to the back where a long train swept the floor in gentle jingles. Golden and scarlet sequins adorned the satin fabric, giving it a grandeur befitting an empress.

Nia nudged Zulu, who either was blown away by the stately palace or didn't really give a flying fig, so they showed some decorum. Spreading her hands on her sides, she elegantly dipped her knees as she bowed her head slightly in a curtsey. Zulu did something similar, just not as spirited.

The empress walked over to them, her dress sweeping the plush carpet as jewelry jingled with every step she took. She stood before them, her majestic air enshrouding them. Nia lifted her head and looked into her eyes. My Godfrey! She was a cherub. Cheeks of silk and eyes of emerald gazed curiously back at her. Her hair, a sprawling wonder of auburn touched with gold, was done in curly coiffure that painted royalty on her head.

A silvery tiara softly dug into her hair, austere, crescent-shaped earrings dangling down her earlobes in the gentle sweeps of her head. Several layers of necklaces, each with its own magical sheen shimmering like shingles around her neck.

"Your highness." Nia spoke first, dipping her head in reverie. She didn't really know if that was the custom here. Zulu beside her, didn't seem to really care. Her eyes were darting around the place, as though looking for the closest exit.

A boy, a little older than marigold walked towards them, a platter balanced in his hands, covered in a caramel white cloth. He made his way to them with quick steps, his head lowered slightly. He went down on one knee and offered the slate to the empress. She removed the clothing and picked up something. It was the color of evening skies, shaped like a seashell.

She grabbed the shimmery shell and put it on her ear. Its open end lurched on to her ear like a parasite and hang down to her earlobe. She gazed into empty space for a few heartbeats as though her bearing was calibrating. She then looked up with a sudden jerk of her head and treated them a broad royal smile.

"Good morrow children of Earth, wanderers of doom," She started, her accent medieval, bordering Elizabethan. "Thou art wilcume to the grandest Qiquia Empire." She spoke fluently, the olde worlde dialect rolling off her tongue. Then she noticed the looks of perplexity on her guests.