Laughter and general chatter erupted out of the banquet hall as Olenya and Arella approached. The day had been so eventful that Arella forget she skipped her lunch. The slight sound of gurgling echoed in the silence of the foyer causing Olenya to look at Arella with a curious face. Shaking their heads the two ladies to laughed to themselves as they pushed the doors to the banquet hall open.
The banquet hall was truly grand, three tables twice the size of a full grown Werebear formed a U shape in the center of the hall. The tables were the same as the ones from the council room, only these ones were covered in ivory cloth instead of blue. Chairs lined the outer sides of the three tables, when more seating is required chairs will be added to the inner sides as well. Behind the massive tables was a large pathway that led into the kitchen where the staff makes the meals, desserts and prepare teas throughout the day. More candle holders lined the walls around the hall and an identical chandelier to the one in the council room also hung from the ceiling in the banquet hall. Adjacent to the hall was a space void of any furniture as it was used for holding balls and galas. A floor to ceiling window opened the room up even more and gave guests an uninterrupted view of the garden and lake located behind the castle.
"My Lady!" Sir Deismon bellowed across the hall as Arella and Olenya walked in. All conversation came to a halt as everyone rose from their seats and bowed their heads in respect. Arella waved her hand, smiling sheepishly as she and Olenya found their way to their seats at the table in the center of the room closest to the kitchen. Sir Kaylln and Sir Deismon both aided in helping the two ladies into their seats before retreating back to their original spots. Sir Deismon was a tall dashing man with strawberry blonde hair and dark blue eyes that Olenya loved to get lost in from time to time. He was the second in command of the ShadowFlame Knights as well as Kaylln's best and most trusted companion.
Soon after they had sat down, the kitchen staff began bringing out the evening meal and the assorted wines and ales along with it. The meal consisted of roasted turkey paired with garlic peeled potatoes and boiled peas seasoned with pepper, star anise and a dash of nutmeg for a deeper flavor. The meat was moist and bursting with flavor, the potatoes melted easily with each bite and had a light, buttery taste to them and the peas had a delicious fresh taste as they popped . Arella chose a light white wine to pair with her meal as she always had a preference for white wines over the drier red ones.
"Erik you truly have out done yourself this time, the food was spectacular. Please make sure nothing goes to waste." Arella praised the chef as he came into the banquet hall. Erik was a man of smaller stature with thick, coarse brown hair and pale green eyes. He was from one of the original dwarven families that migrated from Stravynhal. Arella first discovered his talent for cooking many years ago when she was a young girl and he has been working in the castle ever since.
"Please my Lady you are too kind. I will make sure the rest of the food is distributed out once everyone has been fed. Is there anything else you desire my Lady?" He asked, his voice gravelly and a tad coarse. Arella shook her head and thanked him once again for the food before he turned to go back into his kitchen. Arella may own the castle but she knows Erik owns the kitchen.
The knights carried on with their boisterous conversations as laughter and yelling filled the room once more. Olenya would occasionally steal glances over at Sir Deismon and blush anytime he looked over her way. Arella caught on to her behavior and stifled a chuckle that was bubbling in her chest.
"What are you straining for?" Olenya asked, raising an eyebrow in Arella's direction. Arella swallowed her mouthful of food and waved her hands at her friend. "Oh nothing, nothing at all. Not you eyeing a certain knight at the table to our right." She said playfully as she began snickering. Olenya's face flashed scarlet as she stammered against Arella's crude comment.
"I only tease calm down before the others start to take notice of your abnormally flushed face." Arella jested. She finished drinking the last of her wine before patting her lips dry with her napkin. "I am going to excuse myself to my quarters, but please enjoy the night." She rose to her feet, pushing out her chair as she stood. The whole room stopped their conversations once more to bid Arella good night as she went to leave the banquet hall. She thanked them and returned their farewell as she made her way back toward the door with her dress billowing elegantly in her wake. She silently made her way up the stairs from the foyer and to her chambers, trying her best to avoid making noise with her shoes.
Once she was in her room she began removing her shoes and undressing. She walked over to her closet, found her black sleep robe and slipped it on before heading over to her bathroom. She washed her face one more time before she began looking for her walking flats. After putting on her shoes she grabbed her thick black cloak and quietly made her way out of her room.
She pulled her hood up and as silently as she could muster began making her way to the staff entrance down the long hallway from her room. She tiptoed her way down the marble stairs but just as she was about to finish her descent one of the maids spotted her.
"My Lady where are you going at this hour? Where is your aide?" Her maid asked, concern laced in her voice. Arella winced and turned slowly to address Briella, the maid who caught her.
"Briella I am sorry to disturb you so late into the evening. I am just going out for a stroll around the garden, feeling a bit restless is all." She quickly explained, hoping she would accept her answer and move on.
"What about your aide My Lady? It isn't safe for you to be out by yourself so late." Briella pleaded. Arella sighed and shook her head sharply before responding to her very cautious maid. "Briella I appreciate your concern, truly but it is not needed. I am just going out for a walk and I do not wish to be disturbed. Please carry on about your night." Arella spoke firmly to drive her point further. The maid nodded dejectedly, mumbled a small apology, curtsied and took her leave to continue down the hall way toward the staff's chambers.
Letting go of a breath she didn't realize she was holding on to, Arella squared her shoulders and made her way to the mahogany door that led out to the back side of the castle.
The temperature outside was a bit more brisk than it was earlier on in the day, but the wind was minimal and calm so it wasn't as noticeable. The moon hung gracefully in the sky, illuminating everything it's dazzling glow touched. It's shape resembled that of the letter C as it was the waning crescent. After taking a deep breath Arella began walking, doing her best to avoid the garden so that she wasn't spotted by anyone still in the banquet hall.
After a while of walking the lake started coming into view just over the horizon. This was her favorite place to visit, it was beautiful and quiet. Light glistened off the water's surface, lighting up the whole area with the reflection of the moon. Arella looked around her to make sure no one was watching her, then she took off her walking flats and continued walking in the grass barefoot. The grass was soft and a little cold to the touch as the ground underneath started hardening with the colder weather approaching. She breathed in and the subtle scent of falling leaves and crisp air filled her lungs. A smile formed on her face as she continued her walk, she took in every detail she could of her peaceful environment.
Rustling from a brush off to the side startled Arella out of her daze. She scanned the area, trying to see if she could see anyone or even just the shadow of someone in the darkness but she didn't see anything. Arella quickly put back on her shoes to ready herself for a fight if necessary as she waited for whatever was in the brushes to make itself known. Not many animals were known to be out wandering the city especially at this time of night so it was more likely that it was someone and not something.
Just as Arella was about to call out to the being in the brush, the rustling grew louder and then suddenly a small frame jutted out towards her. As the small figure approached her it let out a tiny growl, almost one of a baby learning how to make such a noise for the first time.
"Did I scare you? Did I get you My Lady? I have been practicing for weeks so I'll be ready to fight with you one day!" The tiny voice asked proudly. When the small being stepped closer the light from the moon's glow revealed her would be assailant to be none other than Koda the young Werebear cub. Arella dropped her hands and giggled at the sight of one of her favorite young subjects. His unruly black hair spiked in every direction despite his poor mother's attempt to keep him well groomed. His sparkly silver eyes gleamed with pride and excitement and it warmed Arella's heart.
"Oh my, did you! I can tell you have been practicing your technique and I must say I am very impressed. My dear Koda you are going to be such a fierce warrior one day." She beamed at the young cub, she goes to reach for his hand so she can lead him in the direction of home. "Come on, it is very late and I am sure your mother and father are worried about where you ran off to." She said calmly. Koda ignored her hand and started bounding towards the southern side of the city where a majority of the people lived. She followed him for a ways just to make sure he got back safely before turning around, shaking her head lightly and heading back towards the castle.