Aimee Marseille knows something is wrong when she is summoned quickly to return home. Upon her father's death, she finds startling news about the family's secret. Mechanical knights walk the countryside, an odd woman who seems to know more than she...
"If you look to your right, you'll see a tapestry depicting the formation of the Glass Star. This was your great-great-grandfather's doing to work on it." Stanton paused in the nearly packed hall, filled with Aimee and her companions, the other advisers, and countless people who flocked in to witness the arrival of this strange new person into their lands.
She continued. "He wanted a place where everyone could come together to create a haven against the threat of war mankind constantly wanted to wage. He brought in some of the most brilliant minds in the areas and designed countless ways to protect them from any danger which may present itself."
Aimee nodded as she looked around, taking in all the different drawings and designs which presented itself in brilliant colors. There were several other tapestries strung along the wall along with designs in the flooring depicting various flowers she saw when they were running from the bees. Every inch of this place appeared to be used as a living history book so no one forgot what happened when the Glass Star was created.
"All of this looks so beautiful." Her eyes flitted from one design to the next. There was an intense amount of history she needed to learn if she planned on understanding where she came from. This was all new to her.
Stanton smiled, brushing her hair back from her face and recapturing it behind her ear. "And also an important part of our history. Dear Aimee, I want you to know everything about this place and welcome you with open arms. Whatever you desire, is yours."
Aimee nodded. "I'm only curious about everything, to be honest. I don't know where to start. Do you have a library perhaps?"
With a laugh, Stanton snapped her fingers, calling Gaspard forward. ""We have something better than a library. This man can show you around the castle and its lands, explain to you everything you could possibly want to know."
Gaspard didn't quite look the part of being an excellent guide,seeming more like someone she would call on should the need arise to fight against the giant bees again. "Are you certain he'll want to do this?" Aimee looked at him and noted the emotionless visage he wore.
He was hard to pin down in a brief word or two. One thing which struck out about him was his devotion it seemed to this woman and the Glass Star as a whole. There was no question there. What remained was whether he chose to remain loyal to her father's image of the castle or if he embraced Stanton. Either way, it would give her some way to learn more about her heritage.
Narit tugged on Aimee's arm for a moment and cupped her hand against her ear, saying, "If you don't mind, I want to go see my mom." She pulled back with a broad smile on her face and pleading eyes.
"Absolutely. There's no need for you to ask." She knew it would be nice for her to meet with her mother once more. After all, things should be calm for a moment. All they had planned was a tour around the castle estates and Narit already knew where everything was.
With a little bounce in her step, Narit turned and exited from the castle, disappearing through one of the opened door and into the courtyard. She seemed excited to be back. It was a good sign.
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The walkway between the Glass Star and the remainder of the town was decorated with purple wisteria dripping from above pale tulips along the ground which seemed to sprout far larger than normal. The smell of the flowers permeated the air and seemed to soak into every passing gust which blew in from the nearby river. Being trapped beneath a large glass dome seemed to give some sort of benefit.
"How long has this been here?" Aimee asked as she looked upwards at the glass, seeming to taunt them as though they were unable to escape.
Gaspard cleared his throat and started, "The Glass Star has been around for over two hundred years or ever since the Great -"
"Sorry," she said as she raised her hand towards him, palm out, as if to indicate to stop. "I wasn't being specific. I was wondering how long you've lived beneath the glass dome."
He looked at her questionably, raising an eyebrow as he did. "We've lived under it since the king left. It was part of the conditions to ensure no one would get sick from the mysterious plague again."
"Oh, right. The plague. What more can you tell me about it?" She hoped it didn't sound too awkward for her to want to know details. After all, it was one of the few things Narit mentioned when speaking about Stanton when they originally met. She would be interested in knowing about it from another's point of view.
"That it was one of the deadliest things to come through here.Killed my parents and a third of everyone else who lived here." His attention remained drawn forward, staring off into the distance at something unseen.
"Sorry to hear that."
"Don't be. When Stanton brought the doctor to the castle, he helped cure people. It involved a heavy price but it was worth it to live."
She didn't like the way he worded that. "What kind of price?"
He turned his face towards her and gestured at the metallic portion which covered the left side of his face. "To rid ourselves of it, we need to constantly be alert and prepared for its return.The only way to keep ourselves free is to be vigil and remove the portion of our body which harbors it."
"You removed part of your face to keep yourself safe? That seems drastic."
"You don't understand how it feels to slowly die with your body twisting, attempting to free itself from being trapped in agony."
He had a point. She didn't know what they suffered through and she didn't want to know. A thought sprung into her mind, one which she wished hadn't yet needed to be asked. "Those metallic men. Are they... did they do that to free themselves?"
"No, they're the constructs. They were made by Stanton and her staff to deal with the rising problem of new people venturing closer and closer to our home."
Aimee nodded. "Explains why they weren't thrilled with me."
"They shouldn't attack you now unless you provoke them."
"That's warming to know." She looked upwards at the flowers above them. She couldn't imagine what she would've done under similar circumstances. Likely she would've had portions of herself removed, like Gaspard and Narit. Maybe she'd find a way to help restore them to normal.
