Kingdom of Jannah
Abadia City
The City of Abadia was situated along the mountains. It gave off an ancient and arcane feeling. The great history of the city could be seen in its fascinating buildings. It is the largest city in the Kingdom of Abadia. It was currently snowing in the city of Abadia. People could be seen gathered near bonfires or inside their homes, protecting themselves from the cold and sitting near the fireplace. But even in this weather, the city still managed to look alive and lively. With the never-ending hustle and bustle of the people, one could say that the city never stopped. Only during late night, if someone would roam around the city, he/she would realize that the people were like blood to the heart known as the city. Without blood, there is no purpose for the pumping of the heart. The street hawkers were traversing through the streets, selling their items. The vendors had started setting up their stalls on the pavements. The children were playing with snowflakes, creating snowmen, and playing snow fights.
The palace was made at the top of the mountain city, providing it natural protection against enemies attacking the kingdom. It was a well-fortified and heavily guarded palace. It was completely made out of dark marble, covering such a huge area that it looked as if a big city was covered under one roof. It had a distinct look that looked both realistic and highly stylized, with decorated surfaces and ornamental flattened spaces. The palace was decorated with intricate sculptures made up of bronze and silver. The staircase of the palace, made up of limestone, was decorated with detailed carvings of animals. It led to the royal quarters in which the King, his three Queens, and the 5 princes and 2 princesses used to stay.
The lower part of the palace was used as the royal court, where the King held discussions with his ministers. The royal court was decorated with golden lamps, with a large chandelier hanging above the Royal Court. The architecture of the palace displayed a great variety. There were no trivial buildings, even the garden, and pavilions exuded a sense of nobility and dignity. The exquisite use of Cypress Wood in the palace walls added to the natural beauty of the palace, its fragrance spreading across the whole palace.
The Emperor of Jannah, Sohrab was relaxing on his tiger skin divan. He was sipping on the expensive wine extracted from the finest red and black grapes from his embossed chalice goblet cup. Suddenly a figure came out of nowhere from the shadows, his whole figure covered by a cloak, with none of his features visible. But the Emperor did not look a bit surprised and continued sipping wine as if it was a daily occurrence. A smile started forming on the Emperor's face as he looked up from his wine towards the figure.
"Ah, would you like to drink some of this fine wine, Mustafa? Nothing gives a man more joy than the tantalizing flavors of the wine playing on his taste buds."
" No My Majesty, pleasure is for the rich and powerful, and I am none."
The Emperor smirked and said, "You are too humble, Mustafa. You are probably the only one in this world who deliberately declines riches and stays in poverty by choice."
" I need to keep my composure even in the most difficult situations, Your Majesty. Hence I make such choices."
"So does that mean that those who live in riches and pleasure cannot keep their composure? That those people are weak-minded?" The Emperor asked with mirth in his eyes.
" It all depends on the mindset which people adopt in their lives. Your Majesty was brought up in an environment in which our previous Emperor embedded a strong character in you. Hence you keep your calm even in the most stressful situations, from what I have observed under Your Majesty's service."
"Just drop the salutations, Mustafa. We know each other long enough to drop all the formalities."
"It is not a formality, Your Majesty, I do it out of respect for you."
"Is there anyone in this world who can win an argument against you, Mustafa? Ah, forget about it. I have some work for you...".