5 The Throne Room

Gala had politely smiled at every fayes she had met since arriving at the palace. Others reacted to the gesture, while others were unconcerned by her presence. They probably assumed she was a new servant who would work for His Majesty inside the palace now that her hands were untied.

When Gala finished her meal, Alvaro's group dragged her away from the table and led her to a massive domed-hallway. She looked around, her mouth gaping in awe. Everything on the inside exudes grandeur and glamour. The floor is adorned with a pure white marble stone that Gala believes matches her platinum hair; however, the gold, stone walls stand in stark contrast.

Gala came to a halt in her tracks, awe-struck by the massive, intricately sculpted marble stone statues in each corner. If she recalls correctly, the winged statue resembles the one she saw on the flagpoles in the palace courtyard. Its color, which is somewhere between white and gold and perfectly tones down the vibrant colors of the floor and walls, astounded her. The statue furnishes the hallway from the floor to the high ceiling, the tip of its wings creating a line of a warmer hue that curves towards the center. Her attention was drawn to the lines, and she discovered that the line from the statues intersects at the center, where a candle chandelier hangs. An impressed 'wow' escaped Gala's throat.

The grandness of the castle greatly impressed Gala, but she couldn't shake the depressing image of their land that she had seen on her way here. She couldn't help but think that having this grandeur standing in the midst of a desolate land was arrogant.

"Come on, young miss. The King and Queen await you." Alvaro vehemently said, drawing Gala's attention back to them.

Despite the harshness of Alvaro's tone towards her, Gala chose to smile apologetically at him. "Of course," she says.

They resumed their pace down the hallway until they reached a large oak double door. Sensing the imposing presence behind the closed doors prompts Gala to gulp nervously.

"As soon as you stand before the King and Queen, pay your respects to them and answer their questions politely and honestly. If I detect dishonesty from you, I will not hesitate to end your life." Alvaro leaned in closer so she could only hear it.

Gala slowly turned towards him, his face already turned away from her. After spending a couple of hours with him, his rudeness no longer surprised her. Gala smiled, just as she always did. "Of course, Mister, I'm well-versed in such matters. You do not need to worry." Gala muttered under her breath, loud enough for him to hear her reply.

Alvaro pushed open the door, ushering Gala into a magnificent grand hall. Its grey marble floor was embellished with gold and silver diamond patterns. The light coming from outside reflects on its glass-stained colors of yellow, blue, and red, splashing vibrant colors on the entire room through four huge tracery windows on each side of the room.

The bottom trim of the wall is gilded with tangled patterns, and huge frames of oil paintings hang on the wall. A lavish velvet mauve curtain was rolled on the side, and flaming torch mounts were mounted on each pillar of the room, illuminating the entire room.

In the center is a soft, red carpet with a gold band on one side that extends to an elevated staircase and sits on a large platform. At the platform's heart, two massive, riveting gold thrones sit. Behind the thrones, four massive white imperial pillars stood in splendor, their walls laced with red velvet cushions. The high ceilings are ornately decorated with gold bandings and a painting depicting a fertile land.

Two prominent figures dressed in extravagance sit atop the throne. Gala bowed graciously in front of them as she reached the bottom of the staircase.

The King wore a white and maroon surcote, each chest encrusted with the land's emblem, and on its undergarment was a red velvet tunic with gold bandings on its sleeves. A magnificent gold crown sits on his head. Two huge green translucent wings flapped on his back.

Modesty aside, Gala thinks the King is ugly. His expression was grim. His untrimmed beard almost covered his large wrinkly face that fell to his belly. To be honest, there was nothing remarkable about his appearance.

The woman next to him is the polar opposite of the king's demeanor, and Gala is certain she is the queen. Her long, thick braided hair, as red as a fiery fire, fell to her ankles, adorning her pearly white skin. Her big doe eyes had black pupils, and her painted thin lips curved into a small smile. Though age is evident on her face, no one can deny the queen's exotic beauty.

An emerald-flowing dress hugged the queen's figure; its flaring sleeves hung low on each side. The Queen is an immaculate example of unparalleled grace and beauty.

"Say your name, young lady," the King said in his thick and raspy voice. His deep brown eyes stared at the girl inquiringly, whose blue eyes met his.

Gala gave the king a friendly smile. "My name is Gala, Your Majesty," she said quickly, not breaking eye contact with the king.

"And you're a human," sneered the king, clearly hostile to Gala's kind.

Gala was slightly offended at the king's indifference towards her, but she remained calm and gracious towards the king. She responds with a proud nod, "I am, Your Majesty."

The king frowned at the girl's demeanor. "How did you end up here, then? I bet you used dark magic to break through the barrier," the king said, his probing gaze fixed on the girl's eyes.

"I did not use any magic or whatsoever to end up here, Your Majesty." She countered, directly looking at the insolent king. "While collecting mushrooms in the forest near our home, I accidentally encountered two fairies, named Puffhill and Duffhill."

"Puffhill and Duffhill?" The king quivered at the mention of two familiar names.

Gala reacted quickly as she was afraid the two fayes would be punished for interacting with her. "Yes, your Majesty, but it was I who initiated talking to them; please don't take it against them," Gala gulped, hoping the king would listen. "They actually ran away right away, but my curiosity bested me, so I followed them and then..." Gala paused, trying to come up with the right words.

"And then what?" The king impatiently demanded the girl, who was looking at her feet.

Gala raised her head. "And then an invisible force sucked me in. I fell in here from a hole opening up in the sky. That's the reason why I'm here, Your Majesty," Gala continued.

The king sat on the throne, and his queen followed him with grace. He leaned back on his hand, contemplating Gala's words.

"Please, Your Majesty, allow me to return to my home; I assure you that I will not speak to anyone about Aelfrey and the fayes," Gala pleaded to his Majesty.

"If I may, my king, I believe that this child is not a threat, so let her return to her home, and let us just move on from this one mistake," the queen says abruptly, much to Gala's surprise.

"I think so, Your Majesty," Deviro said abruptly, earning a warning look from Alvaro.

Gala was nonetheless grateful.

The king clicked his tongue before turning to the queen. "Are you sure about this, my queen?" the king said sweetly to the queen. The queen nodded in response with a warm smile. "She's just a child." The queen added.

The king turned to Gala. "Very well, then. You will be escorted tomorrow at dawn by Alvaro, along with the fayes assigned to gather crops from your world. However, I forbid you from interacting with the fayes ever again. You can expect that I will not be merciful as now if this happens again," the king threatened.

Gala's face lit up right away, uneasiness ebbing away from her face. Gala bowed at the king and queen in glee. "Thank you, your Majesty, really." She's almost tearful that she can finally go home tomorrow.

"By the way, your pet, Your Highness, is really beautiful." Gala exclaimed to the queen.

Everyone in the room fell silent, all eyes on the girl. "I've realized it. Your pet resembles the land's emblem." Gala added, having no idea that she had just made a huge mistake.

"What do you mean? You can see Dylareia?" Alvaro's furrowed brows and stern look made Gala shudder.

The king abruptly rose up the throne and hissed. "Forget about what I said, lock her up on the dungeons. Right now!" Her raspy voice thundered which made the poor Gala cried in fear.

'Oh dear Lord, what have I done?'