unraveled

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          The doors to the throne room opened as they walked into an imposing chamber past the carvings of foxes and flowers that seemed larger than life from here. The cavity spread before him, the Queen seated on the far end. A walkway carpeted in baby-blue ran across a stone floor, up a short flight of steps perfectly lapping up onto the dais. On either side of the dais stood pedestals that held massive statues carved of stone, almost touching the ceiling. It was of a man and a woman each holding swords, their lengths intersecting in the middle forming an X. Each carve and delve made into the stone sat perfectly, giving the illusion that these weren't stone made people, but people made stone. Right below the center of that X sat Queen Caraca. For all its appreciation of baby blue, the throne room was ironically covered in shades of warm, brown marble with gold carvings hugging its pillars and spilling onto the floor. Behind her throne, stood massive panes of glass that showed Esterham in all its glory, not looking out at the preposterous houses of nobles but the winding streets of true Esterham covered in screaming and jumping children and whistling men and smiling women coming in and out of bustling shops and buildings. The part of the city that was alive. The window panes ran upto the high ceiling above made of baby blue and clear glass, weaving in patterns of the clouds and the sun that shined right above in artistic curls that shook hands and hugged to form a larger symbol.  The symbol of Caraca. A circle with five lines intersecting it. Ascendancy carved in every swirl. Shrubs and small plants grew wildly at the pane's feet, swirling up to the back of the throne.

          They walked down the carpet, none of them breathing except perhaps the Master who was walking in his usual long strides. The boy turned around to see Nia whose face was hewn from the same stone as the statues. He turned around pulling his hands behind his back that from the front looked to be a show of nobility and respect but at the back he was rapidly moving his fingers in a secret language they had invented as kids. Asking her if she was okay was as good as screaming at a drowning man to swim. So instead he said, breathe. He hoped she saw his fingers and understood.

          They all stopped a respectable distance from the dais but it was close enough for them to see the Queen looking down her nose at them, quite literally. She was beautiful. Though old in age, her skin was barely wrinkled stretching perfectly over her bones. Her slender figure sat straight-backed on a simple marble throne. The top half of her hair was tied up serving as a mound to hold the simple crown on her head while the rest of her hair sat unmoving behind her in a block of rich grey strands. Her white dress clung to her muscled body in flowing silk. It looked simple but he knew better than to ignore the fact that it could afford the rest of his life. A heavy blue cape flowed from behind her and onto her sides like a curving river. She looked simple, easy, kind. Not at all like a person who would frame her own sister for the throne. A strong act. He almost believed her. Even with the knowledge that someone who ran and controlled one of the richest and most blooming countries in the world could be anything but those things. He found most comfort in her eyes. They were like his. Blue and green. Another victim of heretochmoria, a condition where there is a variation in a place there normally shouldn't be. They'd told him about it in Ayrith and asked if he'd wanted it fixed with tinted lenses. But he had rejected their offer. It didn't really bother him. Besides, the girls seemed to like them and it made for an interesting conversation starter.

         Everyone bowed in unison and the Queen nodded in response.

         "Gratis dya Esterham," said Queen Caraca. 

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Author's Note: Thank you for reading, my lovely lillies!! I really hope you liked it :) Come back soon for the next part!!

Love, 

Cora. ✮