The limo stops in front of a large silver gate. Elena is not a religious person but she'd like to think that these gates are the same ones that lead to heaven. When the Christians talk about the gates of heaven this is probably what it looks like. The design is so chic and grande, the colour choice is spot on and when one sees it they know they are about to get into the Illuminance palace.
When the guards see who is up at the gate the gates open up, and the road that leads to heaven has begun, the limo moves forward. Elena doesn't know why she's nervous, she has practised meeting her family members for years now. Firstly, she is going to take a bow because they are royalty and she's going to do that in a form of respect. She's going to act poised like how she has normally acted since she was a little girl and she's going to make a good expression.
She has it all in the bag so why is she overthinking this now? Why does it feel like she's going to throw up all over the place? Or say the wrong things. She should stop that, she should just stop. They're not going to kill her.
She stays admiring the atmosphere of the palace. The grass is green, the trees are shaped like animals, animals with wings and there are pixies dancing around them. Well, pixies do live in trees and flowersthat fact Elena knows.
The limo is closer to the palace now. A large building that has over a dozen rooms. One can get lost in here. There's a large fountain in front of it and it's pretty and huge.
Elena is now looking at the people standing in front of the palace. Her heart skips a beat but it's not her family members, at least she thinks. When the limo stops she places her hand on the door but it opens up, someone has opened the door for her and it's Pierre and Elena looks at him confused, she then turns her head to the side Pierre once was and he's not there. Alex isn't in the limo either.
It's either she was very distracted or they're that fast or both. She decides that she's stalling and she stops and steps out of the vehicle.
"Thank you," she says to Pierre. Pierre blushes but Elena doesn't notice because she's more focused on the woman with the green pixie haircut walking toward her. She's dressed in a black suit, she has moonstone blue eyes, a small nose and she's petite, like five foot five. She might be an earth fairy but she looks like a pixie.
"Princess Elena!" she says in a welcoming voice, her accent, German. "Welcome, I am so pleased and happy that you are finally here." she's loud too, she might be short but she is mighty. "I am Adele,I manage the affairs of the palace and these are the servants." she gestures to the others standing there. There are like up to twenty maids, three chefs and there are more than ten knights over there.
The maids wave at her and are blushing while doing so.
"She's so pretty." Elena hears one say and Elena waves at them all. "Hi," she says in a small voice.
"The boys brought you back in one piece," she says looking at both Pierre and Alex. "Good job boys."
Elena is happy for them, it must be nice to receive the grace of gratitude for delivering the long-lost princess back to her home.
"Okay, your family members are in the garden having breakfast. You'll be introduced to them before we show you around the castle. Come along now." she turns around like a soldier andshe walks fast like a soldier as well. Which makes Elena think she must have been a soldier.
Elena and the boys move forward trying hard to keep up with her. They get into the palace and Elena is already left in awe by the inside. There's so much to see, from the candle lights that stand on the gold candle stands, to the paintings of fairies and elves on the walls to the golden chandelier that hangs up above and also to beautiful lights and the armour standing by the wall.
She wants to explore the palace right then and there but she has to say hi to her family first. So she follows Adele to the garden, the beautiful garden. There are lots of flowers and of course, the trees have different colours thanks to the fall season, the whole garden smells like perfume, and that smell comes from the flowers. The smell of these flowers is stronger than the smell of the flowers on earth.
She sees her family members up ahead having breakfast on a long table, there's lots to eat on that table and there's a round table next to it with more food. She swallows nervously. And she stops when Adele stops but her eyes don't leave her family's. This is it, her biological family sitting right in front of her. She has dreamed of this moment for a long time, and she's finally here looking at them right now.
Adele clears her throat and they all stop talking and look at her.
"Your Highness." she bows and so do Alex and Pierre,Elena doesn't, instead she just stands there frozen even though she has always made a mental note to bow before anything else. She cannot believe what she's seeing right now. Her family.
"The princess is here," she says walking out of the way so that her family members can see her. And they all have the same reaction she has on her face. They're looking at her wondering if this day has finally come. And yes it has.
While they're frozen, her little cousins have ambushed her with a hug. Elena is taken aback by that. But she feels the love either way.
Her little cousins Billy and Benjamin. Billy's ten and Benjamin's eight. They're the sons of Duke Benedict Anthony Covington who got married to Princess Imogen Baron-Grant, the last born of the Baron-Grant three.
"Welcome, Elena!" they say in cute unison.
"Aww, thank you guysit's nice to meet you." they're so tiny and they have strawberry blond hair and blue eyes. They're cute too.
"Hey, Roofie, say hi to Elena," Billy says and a golden retriever barks and makes a run to Elena Elena starts petting the dog because she loves dogs, especially golden retrievers.
"They've been excited to see you since they knew you were coming." She stands on her feet to meet her uncle. A handsome man in his early forties, not too short not too tall, his eyes are an electric blue, and he has a neat beard on his face, he takes care of himself. Of course, he does he's the king.
His hair is golden blond like hers and his face is diamond shaped. Her uncle Conrad.
"Hello, Uncle Conrad," she says.
"Hello, my dear niece." he embraces her in a tight emotional hug. "I still can't believe this is you." he stops hugging her and places his hands on her cheeks. "You are so beautiful, you look so much like your mother."
"Yes, she does." a woman says and she turns to the beautiful woman, her hair is long and blond but a sandy blond not golden like hers. She has honey-brown eyes and the prettiest smile ever.
Queen Consort Stella Fiona Baron Grant, her uncle's wife. She hugs Elena.
"Oh you look like a complete replica of her." her Aunt Stella says. "And those eyes, so beautiful."
Elena blushes. "Thank you."
"She breaks the hearts of human men I'm sure she's going to break the hearts of fairy men as well." her Aunt Imogen, her father's youngest sibling the last born says blowing a cigarette out of her mouth. She steps away from the table. "they should better watch out."
Her Aunt Stella might be the classy poised Aunt but her Aunt Imogen is the fun Aunt she's the one who will drink alcohol with her nieces and nephews.
They hug, and there's a lot of hugging over here, Elena loves it. "You're so cute." Aunt Imogen says to her.
The next person she has to greet now is her uncle. She wonders how someone as fun as Aunt Imogen would get married to someone as strict as Duke Benedict. He's the only one not smiling. He just stands there frowning his face and looking so emotionless.
"Hello, Elena."
"Hello uncle.." they shake hands. Elena didn't expect anything less.
"I see your elf friend has told you a lot about me."
Yeah, told me about how scary you are.
"He has actually but he's told me about all of you," Elena says to her family smiling at her. She doesn't have to hear about her family members from Alex again because this time she's standing face-to-face with them all.
And she hasn't been happier.