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chapter two

     The next few days were boring. As we were informed, we were now going to live in Morfran’s court and had to memorize the routines of court life. We were required to take a bath every day and to keep our shared room decent, other than those duties we had to be on time for all meals and always listen to our caregivers and above all Morfran. We learned quickly that any rule breaking led to stern punishment and several sleepless nights while good behaviour was rewarded and praised to the point of disdain. After our interesting episode with Prince Jaxon we were ushered from the room by the returned women who evidently thought that he was deemed worthy of accompanying us to breakfast, where breakfast  was however was a different story. We followed the women through a maze of hallways that twisted and turned like the roots of an aged tree worn with time, right then left then another right and another left, back and forth we went in total silence until suddenly the last hallway ended and we faced a set of huge wooden doors.
       Farren (the leader) strode to the massive doors and pounded her fist three times upon the smooth, menacing wood. A deep thrum emanated from the beaten wood and the sound hung, reverberating in our ears as we started at the doors which swung open almost immediately. We were standing on the threshold of court life and we could all tell it. We were standing in a room or maybe it was a town it was bigger than anything ever seen before past or present. The high, arched, ceiling seemed to penetrate the clouds themselves and rays of sunlight fell from glass roof to the torrent of life and colour bustling below. “This is the atrium, it is the largest room in the palace and the heart of  King Morfran’s dominion. Here are the shops and stalls frequented by couriers and other people of note, it is also the center of the palace. Every room is connected to the atrium and everyone knows where the atrium is. It is the place where the high court holds trial, where King Morfran says his speeches and where  his very court resides.”
        Anais and I were too stunned to speak. Rows upon rows of colorful booths lined the walls of the giant room, crowds of flamboyantly dressed women and men thronged the tables oohing and ahhing over the trinkets and treasures displayed across the vicinity. Even from the balcony we were situated on we could see the jewels flash and dance in the light as the women flounced around in their bangles and the peddlers shook bracelets of glistening bead. There were not only knickknacks however, tables upon tables were stacked with loaves of crusty bread and nutty cheeses, tart grapes, sweet apples, freshly washed carrots and tomatoes and all sorts of other vegetables and fruits. A stand enveloped in a red canopy was thronged with middle-aged women buying steaks, hams, smokey sides of bacon, crispy pigs tails and much more. Another emanated smells that would raise the dead, a tantalizing meaty aroma was coming from crispy mincemeat pies, crusty cheese biscuits, warm pretzels and gooey pies and pastries by the dozen sold by a pretty teenager wearing a spotless white apron over her flowery dress.
        “Hey Cara…..earth to Carol-Fyre..hello Fyre?! Are you still with us?” With a start I snapped out of my daze and stared with disgust at the waving hand before my nose
      “ I was just looking...leave me alone.” I growled as Jaxon burst out laughing at my scrunched face. “ So Prince Jaxon, where can we eat around here?” I questioned hungrily.
       “ Well...you and Anais can come with me and we'll find something!” Jaxon grinned turning to Farren and her crew, “ I will accompany Anais and Fyre to breakfast, you are dismissed from your duties for now.” He commanded. With a nod the three women exited the balcony and by the time we managed to push the doors open again, they had vanished leaving us with the prince.
        He said he knew where he was going but for a while we weren't really sure. It seemed to take just as long wherever you went in this maze of a palace, Anais and I exchanged mystified and curious looks as we followed Jaxon mutely down the winding hallways. He led us through the maze of hallways as if he knew them as well as the back of his hand which, I thought, he probably did having lived here with Morfran. The doors we saw at the end of the passage were so different from the ones we had exited previously that I, at first, though they were the wrong ones, this thought was shattered however when a slim dark haired man dressed in black exited the pale doors and addressed Jaxon. “Good morning Prince Jaxon, Miss Anais, and Miss Carol-”
        “Fyre.” Jaxon interrupted, “Her name is Fyre.”
Shrugging as though this was a normal thing the man continued unfazed “ Miss Fyre then, King Morfran has declined to eat with you this morning so you may proceed into the dining hall and then,if you please, to the master library where Anais and Fyre may receive information on their place here.” Finishing on that auspicious note the man ended, turned about sharply and pulled the gilded door wide for the three children. They entered a room of grandeur, of might, of luxury and power, a room such as no other, a room for for a king. The walls were a deep crimson red trimmed with shiny gold and black edging. Fine glittering, golden filigree edged the sturdy dark seats lining a magnificent empty table headed by an immense chair. Deep golden brown in colour and shined with time the chair stood powerfully above the other items in the room overshadowing everything and everyone, as a king's chair should. The walls were hung with tapestries of fantastical beasts rearing and fighting amongst forests, Gods, tirades of bloody humans had great fiery dragons; beasts of blood and fire, murder and death.
       Jaxon led the way through the gilt doors and into the majestic, powerful room. The man follows them into the room and quickly hurried to the right of the table as Jaxon led our profession to the head of the room. Hurriedly the man motioned Anais to a chair three down from the large chair evidently reserved for the king, pulling the dark seat from the table the man becomes Anais into the seat with a flourish and soon moved on to me. Helping me into a chair and then helping Jaxon seemed strange for a moment before I remembered where we were and who we are with. Straightening from his duty the man who introduced himself as Joel, disappeared through a pair of doors behind our seats leaving us alone in the dim, glittering room.
       “ So...Jaxon…what do you like to do for fun?” Anais asked trying desperately to set a conversation.
      “ Wh-oh um...well...I like to ride horses and training with the weapons master.”
     “ Cool! Do you have your own horse?! Does it have a name?”
      “ Yah I have my own horse, his name is Thunder. Would you like to go and see him after breakfast?”
       “ Sure! That would be fun!” Anais crowed as I slowly lost interest in the kitchen conversation, I did not particularly care for horses but Anais loved them. I was jolted out of my horse induced daze when I heard my name being said.
       “ Hey! Fyre! What do you like to do for fun?” Jaxon asked excitedly, evidently his conversation with Anais had been interesting.
      “ Well I…I don't know...I guess kinda like cooking...I used to help bake cakes with my mother.” I replied slowly.
      “ Oh..okay then.” Jaxon said somewhat confusedly and... disappointingly?
We were interrupted from our painful conversation by the reemergence of Joel and his quiet voice,  “Breakfast is served.” I had not realized how hungry I was until he mentioned food.
From the doors emerged a stream of jacketed waiters carrying domed silver trays, filing alongside the table they spaced themselves along its length and at a cue from Joel placed the dishes upon the table. In Front of us lay eleven covered trays and as the waiters disappeared back into the room from which they came  Joel stood at the other side of the table. Flourishing his hand Joel removed the first domed lid and a three warmed plates, three sets of forks and knives and three chilled glasses, placing them before the three children Joel continued to the second tray. “Fresh eggs done three ways.” He announced as a steaming pile of soft boiled, scrambled and fried eggs were displayed, “Cherry smoked bacon.” Joel announced as a steaming mound of fried pork was shown. The platter lids continued to be removed and soon the while breakfast was revealed there was:  eggs done three ways, Cherry smoked bacon, warm bread and buttered toast, steaming stacks of pancakes drizzled in sugary syrup, refreshing fruit salad, crispy french toast slathered in jam and other delicious foods covered the table. Joel also produced a pitcher of frothy milk and one of tart apple juice, Anais and I waited for a sign that we were allowed to eat. A tense minute passed in which we stared at Jaxon, before the room was filled with Jaxon's laughter as he grabbed his plate and started piling the delicious foods onto his plate.
      “ Come on! Serve yourself!” Jaxon cheered, “ Eat anything you want!” Grinning Anais and I grabbed our plates to and started our delicious meal constantly watched and fussed over by Joel.
     My plate soon matched Jaxon's​ as I sliced my way through a stack of fluffy pancakes dripping with sweet syrup and salty butter and drank deeply from my glass of creamy milk. Anais to had taken food, she had toast, fried eggs and salty bacon her mouth was also rimmed with white foam. We had a good time there, laughing and eating the tasty foods, conversing with Joel and Jaxon about whatever and generally enjoying ourselves. We finished eating in what I'm sure was record time and placing down our sticky forks and knives we slouched back in our seats, smiling and sipping our almost empty glasses of milk.
     After such a refreshing and scrumptious breakfast I was much more inclined to go talk about horses with my two friends but on our way out the gilded doors Joel pointedly reminded us that we were supposed to be heading to the library not the stables. Groaning in disappointment we scampered along after Jaxon towards where he evidently knew the library was. It was another considerable amount of time before we reached the next set of doors, these ones a deep mahogany edged with gold times and strange symbols, the wood was strange and seemed almost to be pulling us towards their majestic grandeur.
A loud , echoing rap on the door from Jaxon sent the doors crumbling inwards to reveal a sight that took my breath away. We were standing amongst a fortress of literature, shelves stretched to the ceiling held down by stacks and stacks of thin, papery manuscripts, large, leather bound tomes and countless books and sheafs of paper that ranged in colour from tan to deep, brooding purple. We had to have another gaze around the room before we noticed the man standing in front of us, he was spindly,pale and looked like a rather sickly insect, his hands were jittery and we're jumping about unconsciously at his sides as if they were itching to read one of the fantastic volumes.
     “ My name is Pellen.” He croaked in a raspy voice, “ I am the master librarian and keeper of the books. You must be Anais and Fyre and of course Prince Jaxon.” He concluded giving Jax a slight bow. “ I have been told to explain the workings of the court and your duties here at court and so if you'll follow me we can go into the private study to talk.” Pellen finished, and turning vanished behind a stately bookshelf. “ Prince Jaxon, you may accompany us!” He called from somewhere in the midst of the endless towers of books. Not wanting to miss a thing, we followed.