Wet Fire

The Procession (E3)

Blythe

The fruits came in first, on a platform very similar to Milka's. Exotic fruits of all shapes and colors were stacked on top of each other in an enormous pyramid shape. The first tier was made of blue melons in between leafy green cabbages and garnished with plump purple grapes. On top of that was a layer of citrus and then a layer of shiny black olives and shriveled dates. Various other fruits were stuck between the layers, stuck on a pudding of sweet cream. Gold leaves and edible flowers were perched on the very point of the pyramid, and they shone like the sun of Aura.

The slaves brought the fruits up the polished stairs and rested the top edge on the stairs near the thrones. Floriana stood up and walked over to the pyramid. She took an apple, still covered in the pink cream, and bit into it. Tart juice ran off her chin as she took the bite and the pick-colored cream stuck to her nose. Floriana giggled and dropped the apple, which landed on the floor with a plop! She wiped her face with her hand and sat back down on her chair next to the king's throne. "Exquisite--and juicy! Your gift is greatly appreciated." A servant of the castle ran into the scene to clean up the wasted apple, scrubbing furiously at the viscous cream.

There was something strange about Milka and her company-something that Blythe did not understand. The visitors felt so...distant, like they lived in an entirely different world. Aura was many, many leagues away, but it was on the Strange Continent. Maybe the Strange Continent was stranger to Blythe than he had previously imagined.

A man entered the room next, carrying something in a sack over his arm. He was followed by five others, each carrying large boxes, varied in size, with white cloth draped over the outside. The first man approached the throne. Milka spoke: "I now present to you, a gift from the paradise city of Timid: a Rain-Parakeet!" The man withdrew the white cloth to reveal a brightly-colored bird, with wings of soft feathers and a black beak. The bird stretched out its wings and screeched a beautiful sound. Its eyes were as black as Milka's hair.

The princess seemed delighted in the bird. She left her seat again to pet the creature. The man holding the parakeet would not allow her to hold it, but, Floriana did not mind, she merely stroked the bird's multi-colored feathers.

"It's made of all of the colors-for Cyclonus. A great symbol for you city!" Milka said. "And, its name is Adairius, for the prince!"

Blythe's throat felt dry. Why Adair? This was his ceremony, and Milka had thought of Adair. Adair was not the only prince who mattered. Stop fussing, there still may be gifts named after you. Blythe put his worries aside and watched Floriana. She definitely had an attraction to animals.

One by one, the other servants lifted their sheets and revealed a new creature, each even more grand than the last. Floriana examined all of them, her eyes would light up as she spoke each of the creatures' names out loud. She took a particular liking to a miniature bear named Ergo, who grunted each time Floriana touched his muzzle. Milka looked like she was enjoying the company; she smiled each time a new animal was unveiled. The crowed seemed to enjoy it just as well.

The next float was the largest and was piled high with an assortment of rare trinkets. Milka stood up once more, letting the gauze surrounding her body fall onto the soft pillows. The dress she wore underneath shone even more brilliantly. She wore an accented chain around her neck that glittered with a thousand tiny green gems. Milka lowered herself from the platform and strode over to the pile of gifts. From the bottom, she chose a great crystal orb that was almost too big for her to hold in the palm of her hand. Floriana received the gift and stared at herself in the sphere, watching how her face transformed into an assortment of strange shapes.

The great oaken doors of the throne room closed and Milka next held up another gift. There were three long sticks of burning wood that gave off a dark purple smoke. The beautiful smoke swirled around the room and collected in a violet mass underneath the dome.