Ted had known that the Great East was ripe with botanical wonders, but he really could not have guessed what wonders the garden of the Diamond Palace had in store for him. There were lilies larger than his head, with strange, tongue-like petals bursting from the middle part of the blooming flower, roses that were more blue than purple, and finally, when he thought he had seen everything already, he almost stepped onto a black flower that was as large as a horse.
He was thoroughly entertained by the walk through the garden, although it was a short one. Then he saw the little pool right in front of the palace and his dark heart melted completely.
There were hounds playing in the pool while an old man watched and laughed.
Ted broke free from the grip of an unfortunately intruding guard. He kneeled in front of the dogs, not caring about the cleanliness of his pant legs, and gave both of the dogs an old-fashioned head scratch.
"They're both good boys!" the old man hollered and limped towards Ted. "They are, cor! Even though they do drool quite a bit more than necessary!"
"Good boys nevertheless, cor," Ted said, just to err on the side of caution.
The adoration passed and he was now able to examine his surroundings objectively.
The palace was opulent, but in a tasteful way. The roof had apparently been adorned by mirrors, and this was on the edge of Ted's understanding, for he started to feel a bit of a migraine coming on. Perhaps the solar relief he had felt had been a temporary thing.
He had a moment with the dogs and their master until the guards tore him away, into the maw of the Palace.
He had not expected the king to come all the way to the entrance hall to greet them.
"Tobias, Madorn, my lady," the athletic man said.
It was very hard to tell from the fair-haired king whether he was in his late thirties, forties or even early fifties. Or he could have been sixty, or whatever – Ted really did not know or care. The Diamond King looked like that kind of a sporty fellow that still liked to write and read. His veiny hands were stained with blue ink, and his strong, wiry form suggested a hunting hobby or something else, something physically demanding in any case.
Ted had not expected the eyes of the Diamond King to be so bright, and neither had he expected the king to carry his own wine, but here the man was, holding a whole tray of wine glasses – and they were full. It had to be tasty – the delicious scent hit Ted's nostrils and he could not help drawing in a deep breath. Southern variety, no doubt, but the good stuff, not anything cheap and sweet. This was a dry red, fit for royalty.
"I apologize for the idiots who try their best to keep me safe," the Diamond King said. "Let them be, guards. They pose no danger to me."
"Your Highness has both taste and manners," Ted said cordially. The king had managed to lift his mood by being what poets called a worthy opponent.
"Don't know about taste, but I do try to be decent. It's the least I can do, sitting on a throne that has been upheld by idiots and-"
A guard had a terrible coughing fit that surely had nothing to do with the words of his king.
"They look after me," the king said and gave Ted a crooked smirk. "Come, enjoy a glass or two with me. I just came back from riding my horses, I need to sit down for a moment. For hours. Come."
Madorn merely nodded. That scientist was missing some key parts of his self-preservation instinct.
"Oh, Madorn, we have missed you here," the Diamond King sighed as he opened a door to a cozy little room with a fireplace. "We truly have. It is what ìt is…I hope you'll forgive me some day."
There had to be some other rooms in the palace that were as small as this one. There was no sense in ruining the symmetry that seemed to replicate itself in everything, even the lavish paintings on the walls.
Suddenly Ted realized that someone had actually commissioned the mirror image of a painting that depicted the Diamond King on a muscular horse.
Ted blinked.
There were still two perfectly symmetrical paintings of the Diamond King and his flawless purebred horse on the wall.
"Nice art, Your Highness," Ted said, hoping that he would soon be allowed to ditch the honorifics and talk to the king as an equal.
Perhaps due to an absent state of mind, the king merely nodded. "It was not my idea."
"I can tell," Madorn said. "Had it been Your Highness, there would be less of…certain superfluous details."
"Professor, you know me too well." The king smirked again.
Ted was losing it, he was losing the social game. He actually liked the Diamond King on some level, and there had been no manipulation. Just the personality of the ruler was enough to make anyone like him instantly. Ted Tobias was not an exception.
"I have been…hm, I have been planning a brave endeavor, Your Highness," Ted said, tasting the wine as the others did the same.
The taste was good, but dry enough that Ted did not feel like downing a whole bottle. The drier the wine, the more his head would have been hurting afterwards.
"This is rather good, Your -"
"Please, call me Zed. And don't ask where that comes from."
Ted laughed, nearly snorting some wine out of his nostrils. "Zed…I go by Ted. Although that one has an obvious origin…"
"Ted, Zed says it's nice to meet you. And the lady…"
"Eknie, just Eknie, Zed," Eknie said, sporting her best mysterious smile.
"Ted, Eknie, Madorn – what is this mysterious endeavor? Must I pry the answer out of you? I must warn you that I have top notch torture masters working for my crown." Zed the Diamond King winked at Ted.
"The Fin."