Dreamwalker

12- Rainbow Glass

"There it is," Emeric announced to the party, pointing at the horizon. "Harenae. We've finally returned home."

Nathan let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad we made it so quickly. I thought we would have to stop for water, but we endured."

Bell pinched Li's hand to wake her up so both of them could see the city. In the midst of hills of sand, a cluster of square white buildings dotted with bits of bright shining color stood out. One tall building with spiraling towers rose above the rest of the city. Perhaps it was the palace.

Bell couldn't concentrate that much because her dress was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. The long sleeves and thick material, designed for the biting cold of the west, was not the best choice for the desert. She felt Li fidgeting behind her and knew she must be feeling the same discomfort.

"It's warm," Bell said out loud to the others.

"Yes. Wonderful, isn't it? I finally stopped shivering," Emeric replied happily.

Aysal, on the other hand, wasn't so caught up in her own excitement that she couldn't notice Bell's problem. "Don't worry. I brought plenty of extra dresses when I moved here, I'm sure you could borrow one," she said.

"Dress?" Li burst out.

"Why not?"

"I just-- I've never worn a dress before. It's a little odd to think about. Lots of fabric, blowing around your bare legs, you know."

"You'll be fine, Lisette," Aysal chuckled.

"Will I? Will I, princess?" Li fumed, quietly in Bell's ear so Aysal couldn't hear her.

"Sure. Dresses are alright, don't worry," Bell answered.

Li didn't say anything more, but just sat in silence, probably pondering what wearing a dress felt like.

Buildings and civilians became increasingly more common. As their horses strolled through the city, people moved to the sides of the streets and pointed at them. Bell forgot that Emeric was practically a celebrity in Harenae. He smiled and waved at everyone as graciously as he could without looking too exhausted.

They approached the large building that Bell could see from a distance. Now she was sure this was the palace. Guards stood with huge spears in front of a giant set of doors set into the white stone. The tile around the entrance was decorated with painted glass mosaics that Bell couldn't quite understand. It was something about a tree and a woman picking something from it. When the horses were a few feet away from the door, the guards moved to the sides and the doors swung open to reveal a beautiful courtyard. Fountains and pools were set all around to water lines of exotic plants. Swirls of grass cut into the stone floor in intricate designs. One large fountain in the center, made of blue glass, flowed down into the lawn below, and played music with the trickling water falling around.

A tall woman stood next to this fountain, wearing flowing orange robes and a golden band around her head. Her face was stern and lined and she looked like a strict teacher who would slap your wrist for talking back to her. Yet she smiled when she saw Emeric, and held out her arms. "Welcome back, Emeric," she exclaimed.

Emeric hopped off his horse and ran to give her a hug. Nathan also dismounted his horse. "I'm glad you made it back safely. However--" The woman looked over Nathan's head at the three girls on horses. Li waved to her. "You brought back two more girls than I sent you for."

"Mother, this is a witch of Niege and-- and a cobbler," Emeric said, trying his best to sound impressive. "Both of them helped me bring Aysal home."

"A cobber?" His mother let him go and approached Bell and Li. Bell nodded to indicate that she was, indeed, the cobbler he spoke of.

"Cobbler's daughter," she corrected.