Once we'd finished eating, we filled (or refilled, in my case) our waterskins, packed up and left for the next city, where we would be staying at the residing lord's castle. As we bumped along, jostled out of our skin, I asked Aeolus why they'd stayed at an inn in the last village, despite obviously being Royalty.
"But we weren't obviously royalty." he defended. Next to him, Sky turned away and coughed.
"Wouldn't Notus and Millie give you away?"
Aeolus blinked and tilted his head. He slammed his fist on his palm and exclaimed. "Oh!" Then, "Wait, is that why people wouldn't talk to us?" Next to him, Sky's shoulders shook.
I knew he was out of touch with reality, but this was a whole new level. "...part of the reason, yes."
"Huh." He answered, then shrugged and looked out the window.
My palm crept up by my face, and I restrained it through great force of will, threading my fingers through Ani's fur as he purred contentedly.
We were struck by the sight of the tall stone walls in the afternoon, followed by the awful aroma of the city a few hours before dark. The carriages jerked through the city's small streets, smoothing out as we passed through the inner gate and were dropped off at the manor door. With a nod from Sera, Millie followed the stable servants to her resting place for the night, being too large to reside in the castle itself.
We stormed in through the decorative manor doors and were led to our rooms and instructed to bathe and dress for dinner. I didn't get a glance at the other rooms, but mine was more lavish than any I had ever stayed in in my entire life. Elaborate tapestries depicting brilliant phoenixes adorned the walls, gold pillows decorated the quilted bed, patterns spanned the stone floor, and gold molding patterned the wall. The red and gold rugs squished beneath my boots, and I flopped onto the soft bed with an "oof," removing my shoes and pressing my feet against the soft carpet. Heat radiated from beneath it, and I took the time to test the stone floor. What should have been a cold stone was a gentle warmth. I brushed aside the quilted phoenix on the bed, trailing my hands over the red-dyed soft silk sheets, which made my ruined and tossed silk pajamas feel as rough as cotton in comparison. A small fire crackled from across the bedroom, and I basked in the luxury.
Attached to the room was a small bathroom with the first stone toilet seat I'd seen, and my own personal bathtub, the sight of which made my skin itch and my hair feel clumpy. The tub was pre-filled with the perfect temperature water, and I raced to strip and hop in. I bathed alone for the first time in days, using oil to scrub my skin, peaceful and content. The water cooled, and I reluctantly peeled myself out, scraped the oil off, and wrapped myself in a fluffy red towel. I strode out of the bathroom area and back across the soft carpets where Ani sunbathed. Curious, I pried the solid oak wardrobe open to find more expensive formal wear. Figuring the clothes were there for this exact purpose, I decided to match the color scheme of the room and dressed in a gold-colored fine silk tunic to match my red hair and a neutral pair of dark grey pants.
Finished, I eyed the bed. Before I could take a deserved nap like Ani was doing, there was a knock on my door. Dressed in fine clothes, Sera, Helia, Aeolus, Azure, Sky, and the butler waited on the other side to be led to dinner. I moved to shut the door before pausing to leave it cracked for Ani. The butler must have read my thoughts on my face, as in a clipped, professional voice, he said, "Don't worry. We will send someone to feed and bathe it."
I didn't bother correcting him and followed him through the twisting halls of the manor to the dining room, eying the tapestries, fine art, display pieces, and molding with the manner of an art critic. The red and gold theme of my room persisted through the manor, and I twisted my neck this way and that as we passed, nearly making myself sore. I doubted I'd ever experience such luxury again. I was glad we weren't here in the summer, as they didn't have air conditioning.
Dinner that evening was awkward as we all sat on gilded chairs around a golden-colored table. To save face, I took cues from the others as we ate. Luckily for me, like everything else, our dinner was mainly finger food. I thought it was a little unprofessional, but it meant I didn't have an opportunity to mess up with any utensils. The lord, whose name I couldn't remember, spent the entire meal talking with Sera and trying to convince her to give him funds for his endeavor in a way reminiscent of those spam calls or emails. We were bored to tears, and I desperately longed for the soft bed and hoped we would be dismissed sooner rather than later.
My thoughts turned to the chimeras and the strange, slithering chimera that had attacked us. What was it doing? I wondered. But even my wondering couldn't keep me from drifting. Long after my eyes started closing of their own volition, not that the lord was paying any attention, we were finally dismissed and allowed to sleep, servants leading the way to our rooms where Ani was curled up and purring contently by the fire. The soft bed and fine sheets enveloped me, and sleep swallowed me whole.