The building of the castle where the queen lived was magnificent.
Elyre's hood would almost fall off her head in surprise. ...She remained quiet because she had to keep a low profile. After all, she was there unofficially, i.e. without permission.
Five different types of marble, columns with roses spiraling around them.
Beautiful place, scary place.
Why did Elyre feel scared? She wasn't sure. It was supposed to be magnificent.
"Do we have the power to influence the decisions of a person who lives in such a building?" Phyllada wondered aloud. She received no answer from Elyre because at the same time a woman welcomed them.
"The Princess of the Wood-Nymphs, Phyllada? Welcome! My name is Jarrah and I hope I can be of some help. Please come and I will show you to one of the parlors. I hope your journey was pleasant? And pray tell me, who is your companion?" The woman sounded very friendly and inquisitive as she threw a glance at Elyre.
"This is... my bodyguard. He is mute," Phyllada answered.
"A mute mage? ...Oh, tell him to eat more. He looks skinnier than you. ...Of course, I know that physical power is not what makes a mage." As they were walking down the corridor, Jarrah continued, "The Queen is busy today, so please wait in the room until I call for you. If you have any other questions, you can ask me or any of the maids."
So Phyllada remained alone with Elyre in the parlor. The woman, Jarrah, was kind, but Phyllada and Elyre were still worried because they had heard many things about the Queen of Allyria...
Elyre finally took off her hood now. The room was spacious with white window-curtains which were often blown by the breeze as if they were silent ghosts.
***
In the throne room, two mages bowed before the queen. One of them was Aristhaeus, also known as the archmage of Allyria. Dark blue eyes and long tarry-black hair... Actually just a few people knew how he looked like.
Up hill and down dale no mage was more powerful or better known than him. However, few people had seen the cunning, sharp features of his face. Some had glimpsed upon his silhouette, hidden in the mist of his cloak, but that was all.
Because of his preference to remain far from the public eye, and his long black hair, some people called him "raven prince". The archmage did look like a raven indeed, for he had tarry-black hair to the waist, which contrasted with his pale cast and sharpened his features.
His dark blue eyes were the most remarkable. Their penetrating aspect evoked fear, tension, and nervousness in many. It seemed they could reveal one's secrets with just a single piercing gaze.
Next to him was another mage, pale, with white hair and red eyes. He was not Allyrian by birth; he came from the "outer lands." The two of them were the Queen's right and left hand, though due to his power, Aristhaeus had much more freedom.
"Aristhaeus," the Queen said, "I'm afraid certain governors of Allyria are being disobedient. You may have to pay them a visit to remind them where they stand."
He was a bit annoyed for he had tried to warn the Queen a long time ago that this would happen.
"Your Majesty," Mage Ademon said, "I've been overseeing the process of digeniche gathering in Wild Wood. Perhaps I could communicate with the Queen of the Wood-Nymphs..."
"That won't be necessary, Ademon," the Queen answered, "...Anyway, it's better if the archmage deals with this kind of problem."
"Yes," Mage Ademon replied. It had always been like this... despite all the sacrifices Ademon had made for the Queen, he was always inferior to Aristhaeus. And he bet it was because he was an outlander. If not for that, he would be the archmage.
"I have some personal business in Wild Wood so I will be going soon," the archmage added. The Queen did not ask for details as she didn't want to pry. If he didn't want to tell her more, he'd always find a way to avoid revealing information.
A woman came into the throne room,
"Your Majesty, the Princess of the Wood-Nymphs Phyllada has arrived. How shall I proceed?" It was Jarrah.
*I had almost forgotten about her. What on earth would she want?* the Queen thought.
"Invite her," the Queen said, "I may have something to tell her as well."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Jarrah left the room.
"If there's nothing else, I shall be going as well," Aristhaeus said. He glanced at Ademon and the Queen and went out in order to return to his study. He had to be careful with both of them... Years ago, Ademon had wanted badly to become the archmage, but he had lost to Aristhaeus. Ademon held a grudge against Aristhaeus ever since.
As for the Queen, Aristhaeus used to get along well with her. She was a mighty sorceress too. She owed her power to the Seventh Fire.
Archmage Aristhaeus was the only mage apart from the royal family who had control over the fire. Because of this, his status among nobility was unclear and many people addressed him as "Your Highness." In the past, he'd helped the queen a lot, but with the time she'd become more and more anxious that someone wanted to take her power away. She read predictions about a demon who would steal the throne; she tried to collect all kinds of mythical artifacts to enhance her power...
And Aristhaeus now knew... if she had an opportunity, getting rid of him would be her first job. She did not need any longer someone who could be a threat to her.
Now their powers were equal. They had a similar number of followers and enemies. But if this changed...
The archmage seemed stone-still for an instant, lost in deep reflection.
He went back to his study. He swiftly changed his archmage garments with a casual black cloak. He often did so, for the typical archmage robes with their unique and custom embroidered runes could be recognized from afar and caught the eye. And Aristhaeus did not like to attract attention, except on rare occasions.