The Princess

"What was that all about?" Irion asked, putting on some mischievous look.

"I'd say rivalry. " Kalina responded without taking her eyes off the officer walking before them. 

"Well, it seemed more like a courtship." Irion mocked, but Kalina elbowed him and pointed out: "In the animal kingdom perhaps…"

Irion laughed.

Well, now they were joking like that. ¡Gods!

Luckily their meeting with the dignified minister and the distinguished and unnerving ambassador had ended without mishap. Well, just barely.

Unable to help herself, Kalina remembered how the immense ambassador had cornered her after everyone had left the room. ¡To her! ¡Well, darn! He had cut her off and cornered her against the wall, getting dangerously close. Alarmingly close to her. Strangely, along with the fury, a rare excitement had taken over Kalina's senses.

"What do you think you're doing." Kalina had told him calmly, trying to adopt a relaxed stance.

"I am not your enemy, little wolf."

"Not an enemy, just a very amused audience." Kalina challenged. The captain had looked at her for a fraction of a second before letting out a soft snort. "I apologize for that. In my defense, I can only say that you looked too adorable."

¿Adorable? ¿Was she adorable now? For a moment, Kalina didn't know whether she should laugh or get angry.

"See you soon, little wolf." He was already walking through the door as he said this. Shit… He was fast. A strange feeling of emptiness suddenly assaulted her after he had left. And he had cut her off, cutting the words right in her mouth. ¡Good heavens!

Now Kalina and Irion continued walking as they followed the royal officer through the palace halls. They were heading towards the first princess's chambers.

Their guide continued his course through a series of intricate and colorful corridors. Kalina was starting to feel dizzy and for the record, she had never gotten dizzy in her whole life. Then she glanced sideways at Irion, who looked in total concentration. He surely knew the precise place where they should escape in case of an emergency. That's why he was the leader of the Eriá mercenaries. Then, the officer stopped right in front of a pair of lush gold-plated doors.

Their guide pushed the doors open to all appearances without much effort, and then Kalina viewed the most striking room she had ever seen. Even in the entire palace. Was it a living room or a garden? Whatever that place was, it was displayed under a massive dome of glass and yellow metal. The fascinating cupola allowed the sunlight to reach every little corner of the chambers. 

In front of such magnificence, Kalina had to suppress an appreciative sound. The place was definitely a garden. Lush flowers and exotic plants were spread everywhere.

The cobblestone ground was divided by several paths of green grass, and there was even a gentle stream of water. Was that a creek? In there? Or was it a peculiar kind of font?

On the other hand, they could hear the delightful sound of several songbirds. Were they still in the palace? 

Right in the center of the immense room stood a luxurious circular pavilion. It was all white, and when looked closely enough, it was possible to perceive it had a hexagonal shape. That's precisely where they were headed.

Irion and Kalina exchanged appreciative glances as the court officer slowly announced himself, standing about five feet from the tent's entrance.

"You may come in." A delicate voice sounded from inside the pavilion.

Once the trio advanced through the entrance, Kalina discovered the voice's owner was a young maiden with charming and delicate features. 

The maid cast an admired glance at Irion before announcing: "Her Highness will be with us shortly." The maid said with her pretty timbre and bowed in a gentle, lovely greeting.

For a few seconds, Kalina took in the beauty of the immense carp. Did the princess prefer that type of room? That place was certainly dreamy. And Kalina was concentrating on the pleasant song of the birds when something resonated deep in all her senses to her very bones. It had been like an explosion, and she felt Irion gasp next to her. He felt it. Of course, he had. Kalina was shaking herself. Yet the enormous energy did not stop but continued to intensify.

Kalina was not recovering from the shock when some curtains were drawn, and a truly striking figure burst into the room. Locks as red as blood itself. That and three other thoughts ran through Kalina's mind: the energy came from the princess, her majesty was gigantic, and she was extraordinarily beautiful.