Ch. 2: The Arrival

Hayward looked up at the mountains rising before them and realized that they had packed little in the way of warm clothes—in part because they hardly owned anything of the sort. One more thing for the men to complain about.

"I must say, I'm a little envious," he said, pulling alongside the princess, "to only have to worry about wild animals rather than bandits and thieves. The desert isn't kind to such beasts, anything big enough to be a danger will struggle to find enough food." Like the other men, he wore a pale white tunic and hat along with grey pants, all loosely fitting. Somewhere underneath was a muscular soldier, but it hid him well from the sun and anything else that wanted to see him. Hayward looked over at the princess again, smiling to himself.

At least she's pretty. That'll make this more pleasant.

"If you encountered some of these beasts, you might be less so," she told him, though she doubted he'd ever seen anything of the sort. The lush forests and mountains were an ideal habitat for many types of animals but especially large cats, five times the weight of a human or elf and ridiculously strong. Their muscular bodies covered in thick fur would send a chill into the heart of someone who had never encountered them, but he would get to see one soon enough.

"I genuinely hope we meet none in the forest, but you'll get some face-to-face time with one in the castle. Sasha is my pet and occasional hunting companion. I've raised her since she was a kit. She's a white Saber, striped like a Tiger but with much longer fangs and larger..." she knew Sabers were only native to their area, but she believed some Tigers lived in the deserts as well. They were at the very least less rare and would give him some point of reference.

Hayward raised a curious eyebrow as she described the creatures, but was otherwise content to listen and scan his eyes over their surroundings. He did not doubt the danger the forests could conceal, but he was already feeling a twinge claustrophobic as they moved up the mountains and into the trees. He'd grown far too accustomed to being able to see great distances. It was certainly possible to sneak up on someone in the desert, but it was much more difficult. Here, in these forests, it would be almost easy.

She could feel him still staring, and she thought perhaps he was waiting for some sort of fanfare that had yet to come. "And don't worry that you didn't get some grande greeting...that's being saved for the capital. I'm just your guide in, not your welcoming party..."

His composure broke at the end, and his simple smile turned into a gleeful laugh. "Aw, curses! And here I'd started to get my hopes up, that this was all the welcome I would have to endure." It was perhaps a bit bold of him to imply that he wasn't looking forward to the royal introductions and associated pomp, but so far Elissiana didn't seem like quite the sort of princess to be offended. "I'm sure it will be lovely. It's my first time, after all, and I'm rather excited to see the capitol."

"And I'll be thrilled to meet Sasha," he added, grinning. "She sounds like an... interesting companion." He shrugged. "If I wanted a pet growing up, I had to make do with various lizards. If I was lucky, a dog. None of them ever lasted long. The desert is a—a harsh master." His voice grew slightly shaky at the end, and he fell silent as his eyes darted around. The desert may have been his master, but he had long since mastered it in return. Here, in the mountains and trees, he felt entirely out of his element, unsure and vulnerable.

Why am I so afraid of these woods? He silently scolded himself. The greatest threat to my safety is following behind me.

She gave a smirk at his comment regarding his 'welcome,' knowing full well what he meant. "It's not too long of a ceremony, and you'll get the full tour. It's really quite beautiful if I do say so myself, but then again... I happen to be partial to my home..."

Hayward chuckled. Not too long a ceremony. That'll be nice. He remained silent as the forest closed in around them. They were now traveling through the densest part of overgrowth, weaving in and out of lines of trees, even having to duck under vines as they passed.

"Watch your head," she called, instinctively knowing when something low hanging was ahead. It looked almost like night in this portion of their lands, even though the sun was still high in the sky. The dense trees that created overhang and blanketed out the sun cast a deep shadow over everything. Curious bugs skittered along through the mossy growths covering ground and sounds echoed off in the distance like howls and hoots.

All the humans were apprehensive, and their horses even more so; it felt vulnerable. Hayward tried not to show any more fear than normal, but the truth was he wasn't happy. It wasn't a rational fear, he knew, but that didn't seem to matter. Every hair stood on end as he steered his horse through the dense trees and ducked under vines and branches.

There was only so much he could do. His body language might have been only a bit tighter than usual, but the way his eyes darted about betrayed him, and how his pupils dilated. Keep cool. Don't do anything... stupid. With deliberate effort, he kept his breathing under control, even as his heart raced.

Finally, they reached the end of the forest, and she lifted the veil of moss and ivy to reveal a quartz pathway that lead up to the castle. The road stretched on for miles, made of the pure clear stone. It made it look as though they were almost walking on air, but the heavy click of hooves definitely said otherwise. The castle was enormous, made of carved granite and marble, with tall quartz obelisks on top that formed a sort of crown. Lanterns peppered the pathway up to the palace and hung in many of the windows, creating a soft glow everywhere as the sun had begun to sink below the great hills.

"This is home..." she said with a smile as at last they reached the official gates of the palace, and the guards stood aside to permit them entry.

When they emerged onto the quartz path, the young prince visibly relaxed. He took a deep breath and sat up a little straighter, rolling his hunched shoulders to loosen them up again. Happy as his horse was to see the sun again, it wasn't too keen on the quartz, tapping its feet, stomping a bit nervously, as if expecting to drop through it. Hayward quickly steered off the edge, letting his horse walk on the softer dirt beside the road, and his party followed suit.

He looked at the princess and shrugged. "That is... incredible, and a little strange. I imagine it takes a little getting used to for the horses." And people too.

Then his jaw dropped as the castle came into view. It wasn't the first that he had seen, but it was unlike any other. Expensive stone—the sort that he had only seen used for decoration—was instead used to build the structure. The way the quartz reflected and refracted the sunlight made it seem like it glowed.

"I take it back. The road is neat. That is incredible," Hayward corrected himself. He glanced briefly over his shoulder to see similar expressions on the men who had come with him. None of them had seen anything like it; the desert would not have tolerated such a structure.

He shook himself out of his amazed daze as they finally reached the palace gates. No need to look like a bewildered child. He straightened up and rolled his shoulders again, having mostly recovered from the claustrophobic forest. "I can see why you like it," he replied as she lead them through.

Several servants flocked to meet them, and the princess dismounted her horse, her guards following suit. She motioned for Hayward and his men to do the same. "They'll take your horses to the stables. I'll show you where that is with the full tour..." she nodded for him to follow her forward.

Her boots clicked on the crystal floor (less so than the horses' hooves, but still made noise). As they approached the huge double doors to the castle, it became apparent they were also encrusted with precious jewels, creating a sparkling rainbow across the entranceway. She opened them rather thoughtlessly as if this was an everyday occurrence to her... because it was, despite Hayward's dropped jaw.

Hayward was hesitant, as always, to part with his steed, but he took a moment and nodded. It would be fine. They would care for the horse, even if the prince didn't know exactly how for the moment. He made a point of walking in front of his horse so it could see him hand the reins to the stable boy.

Hayward pursed his lips as they walked. The crystal floor felt hard, smooth, and unnatural. The gem-encrusted doors were incredible, though he imagined they would be more impressive in bright daylight. He felt like an interloper, an unworthy visitor to the city and palace. It was enough to make him start to feel self-conscious.

It didn't seem that there would be time to clean up before they met the king and queen, and he looked... about as one would expect after a long day on horseback. He at least made some effort to straighten his dark hair, getting it to stay behind his ears.

Just inside, the Elven Royal Family stood in silver garb, sparkling in the surrounding lanterns. The queen's dress was long with a train behind it, a circlet of jewels atop her white-blonde hair. Below the crown were a matching pair of ice-blue eyes, just like her daughter, the king, and her other children.

The other princesses had their hair plaited into a circlet on the top of their heads, and the king and prince had their hair pulled into a low ponytail at the nape of their necks. The king's hair was more of a sandy blonde, and the twins' hair leaned more toward golden. However, they were all undoubtedly blonde with the fairest skin that looked like it had never seen the sun.

Elissiana actually was a shade darker than the rest of her family, though compared to the visitors she seemed as pale as could be. She actually ventured outside occasionally, but she spent her time in the forests where the overgrowth kept out most of the sun.

Hayward kept from openly gawking when the doors opened to reveal the rest of the royal family. They were all so pale, all so blonde. Same eyes, similar faces. They felt almost alien—which made sense: while there were some similarities; the elves were decidedly not human. He heard the other men muttering softly behind him in their native tongue, but ignored them.

Trumpets blared, and she joined her family in front of him, standing out like a sore thumb in her traveling clothes. However, they couldn't avoid it. Her siblings all bowed to him before taking seats off to the side of their parents' thrones. Her mother came forward and took his hands in her own. "It is a great honor to have you as our guest, Lord Alekzander." She curtsied to him.

Her father then stepped forward and spoke. "May this meeting be the first of many to establish peace and friendship between our nations." Then he bowed.

Hayward's resolve faltered slightly as the queen approached him and, rather than stopping at a respectful distance, walked right up and took his hands. Her fingers were so soft and white compared to his. He was afraid he might smudge them.

Her voice pulled his attention back to what was actually happening. "It is my honor to be here, Queen Sylvari. I am grateful for your invitation and hospitality," he replied, hardly thinking as he bowed his head and the practiced words rolled off his tongue. He had to stop afterward and make sure what he had said made sense; after enough time in his father's home, it had become habit, and sometimes the jumble of placating, noble-pleasing words didn't actually make sense to anyone really listening. Of course, no one ever listened closely, so it had never been a problem before.

The pair walked arm in arm, back to their thrones, and Elissiana stepped forward. "It is my honor as the first daughter of Treiaul to welcome you and offer myself in any way to make your stay as pleasant as possible..." she nodded her head to him, trying not to roll her eyes before sitting with her siblings. She knew how ridiculous the line sounded, and she also knew what it meant. It meant her mother would desperately try to play matchmaker and 'make his stay as pleasant as possible' by pushing her to court him. Things had been rocky for years between the two nations, and an alliance through marriage would certainly do much to smooth things over. She was not in any hurry to be the bargaining chip, though.

In the moment of thought, though, he missed what the King said. He simply bowed in return and mumbled something agreeable. Before he had time to feel stupid or try to remember his words, Elissiana stepped up again and immediately commanded the prince's attention. Hayward might not have cared for courtly life, but he wasn't dumb, either. This wasn't a matter of something being lost in translation. The eldest princess was offering him... something, something just vague enough to keep it from being scandalous, and she didn't appear too pleased.

Oh, that's... that's not good, he thought. His eyes danced to the king and queen. The king was wearing a proper royal mask, difficult to read even without the cultural barriers. The queen, on the other hand, looked quite pleased with her daughter's proclamation.

Oh dear, the prince thought. This could be... bad.

As she sat, servants came to give the men cups filled with water to parch their dry throats from the long, hot ride, and several minstrels came out and played a few traditional songs on a flute, sitar, violin and harp.

With the introductions over, the men received their glasses and sat as musicians appeared. Hayward and Dantares did so carefully, appearing at least vaguely proper. The rest of their party dropped into their seats, visibly worn by the day of riding. Hayward glanced at them again as the music played.

My father said they were his best men, but they're hardly more professional or proper than Deker. It might have meant nothing, but to the prince, it just confirmed some of his fears.

When the music ended, the queen clapper and gestured toward Elissa, who stood. "Please allow Elissiana to show you to your rooms so that you might freshen up before the feast." Elissa plastered on her fake smile and gestured as she turned to show them the way.

Hayward and Dantares rose again, while the others were a bit slow to follow. He tried to offer the princess a sympathetic smile, but it wasn't terribly convincing. She was a princess, after all. Entertaining guests was part of the job. Being dangled in front of them like a piece of meat wasn't uncommon either, at least among the human kingdoms. In return, she got to live a life of luxury in an incredible palace. From what he'd seen, Hayward assumed most women would make that trade.

She could see from the look in his eyes that he recognized her distaste for her current position. She had no choice, though. Things simply were what they were. As she lead them down the corridor, she motioned to a set of rooms next to one another. "Your men will stay here..." she said plainly, the open doors showing identical rooms. They weren't lowly or extravagant. They were simply standard rooms with beds, chests, wash basins, chamber pots, and oil lamps.

"Your room is this way..." she motioned for him to continue following her. They climbed up a staircase, and after two turns down other hallways peppered with closed doors, they came to a much larger, more stately abode. It had a large four-poster bed with what appeared to be silk sheets on it, a full-length mirror, two dressers and a closet with a dressing robe inside, an adjoining bathroom with tub and toilet, and his pack from his horse was already Inside and laid out on the chest of drawers.

"I assume you'd like to freshen up before the tour and dinner, and I also need to change, so I'm not reprimanded by my mother..." she sighed. "If you need anything, there is a bell on the nightstand. Ring it and someone will come." With that she disappeared down the hallway and into her own room, changing into her matching silver gown laced with purple ribbons much tighter than she liked to highlight her full, pale breasts as if they were a part of the dinner menu.