Jacks And Jokers

8: The Sanctuary of The King

My eyes adjusted and my senses calmed down when they realizing how much cooler it was in here than outside. The King was around 5'4, easily shorter than almost everyone. He had whispy silver hair looking unkempt yet stylish. He also had a pretty short beard made of surprisingly white hair for a man with such few wrinkles. Standing in front of our group confidence radiated off of him like rays of sunshine. It was like he could take on the world, or at least he thought he could.

"I hope you have all had a pleasant time getting here!" He seemed to radiate the exact same amount of energy as Izy. I'll have to remember to never be in a room with them together. 

Our teacher walked up to The King and bowed saying, "King of Kings Renard, we have had a luxurious time in the journey to reach your presence."

"Now now, no need for such stupendous words around me. For now you are my guests, treat me as a friend and not some sovereign ruler. Let's go and get ready for the celebration!" His voice was energizing and articulate. No wonder he was The King. He acted smart, confident, and probably had more wisdom than all of us combined. 

We started on our way through the gigantic corridors called a palace. A few minutes into the maze of a home we got to a room large enough to several houses inside. There were tables sporting the same colors as the rest of the castle in rows leading up to three tables I assumed were meant for The King and his friends. Our entire school group could fit in the middle row of tables, but I guess we could all just fan out to the front three tables.

"This is where we will be having tonight's celebration before you leave close to sunset. I will now lead you to where you will be staying till the celebration. In your rooms there are showers, I expect you to use them, and come to the ball room at six. If you have any difficulty finding your way, please ask a servant for directions. Understood?" He then started walking away as we all replied with a resounding yes.

We reached our rooms at around 4 o'clock. I only knew the time because of The King's final speech. "Y'all have around and hour to rest until 5, by then you should have enough time to clean up, get into your suites and clothes, and get ready to head for the ball room." He added one final bit before leaving, "There should be a room number on your wristbands in a few seconds to tell you where to go. Have fun!" Moments later everyone's wristbands dinged, with mine having "Room 167" flaring on the screen.

I found my room three minutes after everyone dispersed. I saw a few water bottles with bubbles in them. I opened one soon after seeing it. A cold fizzy feeling was what hit my tongue. I read what the label said reading "Soda" This was the same stuff the cashier had given me in the fours. Shortly after finishing the drink I laid down.

I was tense but the bed felt cool on my back. Relaxing a little bit more I realized I probably wouldn't be able to sleep. I got up to go to the bathroom and wondered what else I could do. The clock on the counter near the bed only read 4:09. There was still a while before the celebration so I decided to wonder around the castle till I needed to be back. 

I left the room turning the way opposite of where I'd come from. There were rooms for a while so I decided to take a right going deeper into the maze of a castle and stumbled upon a giant sanctuary. 

The sanctuary had two trees at the entrance and exits of the sanctuary. It was about the size of a city block with a small creek running to the center of the sanctuary into a little pond. Other trees grew in seemingly random spots around the sanctuary without seeming crowded. A large glass dome let light in above the entire place meaning there was no need to put lights in unless it was night time.

I started to walk forward when I noticed a bench by the edge of the water. It looked comfortable so I sat down. Looking at the pond I now noticed the surplus of fish inhabiting the water.

"Coy fish," came a calm voice. I turned cautiously to see a a woman holding a folded towel in her hands. 

"Oh! You startled me! What's the towel for?" She slightly loosened her posture more relaxed around me after the question.

"We've had a few people fall in. I'm told I could scare someone to death because I'm so quiet. I guess that's why most people fall in..." She trailed off as in thought.

After a few uncomfortable moments I finally asked, "So... what... is this place?" She looked at me out of her trance. 

"Did you not see the sign?" She looked close to where I'd come from, "Oh, we don't usually get visitors. You're the first one in a year to come here... Asides from The King and his assistants that is..." She starts trailing off at the end though I ignore it. Looking at the closest tree I see it's covered in vines with flowers going all the way to the top. I can't really see the top because I'm to close to the base of the tree, though I know it's tall. 

A leaf falls and lands in the lake making a ripple in the otherwise calm area. I wonder why they would build this, couldn't the king just go outside into the garden? Well I didn't know where his room was and this may be just as easy to reach compared to the long winding corridors that made up the castle. 

I started to walk around barely acknowledging the shadow of a person now following me. This place felt wild and tame all at once. Maybe that's why the king liked this place? Everything was so calming, but something was off. On the wall in the corner there was a door out of place. I slowly made my way towards it, and looked around. The woman holding the towel was gone, the creek was silent, insects muted. I pushed the door opened and saw a long, cramped, dark, hallway.