And finally, inside the dining hall itself, this brilliant spread of food glittered under the warm light of the chandeliers, casting golden light onto marble floors so well polished.
At the far end of a table that appeared to go on forever, Drake sat with its surface filled to overflow by bowls of fruit and plates of delicacies he had only ever seen in the pages of lavish fantasy novels.
Across from him, the short-haired lady stood sentinel. Her posture was rigid, her eyes unfocused as though she were gazing past him to something far beyond the room's stone walls.
Drake looked at her curiously; the silence between them was heavy and thick.
He broke it with a casual tone, "Hey, young lady, mind answering a question that's been bugging me?" She gave no indication she'd heard him; her gaze was fixed on the distant entrance, her glance an iron wall.
Seconds trickled by like molasses, and Drake's impatience crackled in the air. Finally, following a slow, reluctant turn of her head, she indicated her acknowledgment of him, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"What's your question?" Drake steepled his fingers, his head tilting slightly as he spoke. "Why go to such lengths? I mean, pulling me from another world just to solve a problem? Couldn't you have found someone local?"
The woman's face was as unreadable as stone, but something did flicker in her eyes, a shadow of distrust or even remorse.
"I'm as confused as you," she said, her voice like ice settling over warm water. "Our summoning spells are almost always bound to this world alone. To bring someone like you here—it's not within our normal capabilities. You shouldn't have been summoned at all. But since the queen insisted, I'm bound to her command."
And with that, she turned away, dismissing his curiosity, swatting an insect.
Moments later, after he'd finished eating, Drake stood up, chair scraping against the polished floor. "Could you take me to my room?" he asked, his fatigue finally starting to settle in. Without a word, the short-haired guard led him through silent, dimly lit hallways—silent as shadow. "This will be your quarters," she announced curtly. "If you need anything, signal the guard outside."
The door shut finally, and he was cut off from the world; it was an isolation strangely isolating. Drake strolled into the attached bathing chamber, his eyes opened wide at the soft light of spells coming off of the runes etched in the walls. There waited him a large steaming pool with its water shimmering faintly of blue. Sighing happily, he slipped into the warmth, feeling it sink down into his bones.
"A life of luxury," he thought, repeating that saying, A frog in a well knows nothing of the ocean.
After wallowing in the luxury of the bath he got out, toweling himself with a Turkish towel as thick as plush. But when he stepped back into the room his eyes widened.
There stood Lena herself, exuding power and petulance. He laughed nervously. "I did not realize you were so anxious to see me." Her response was sharp and humorless.
"Cut the jokes and undress before I lose my patience." Her tone was edged with an unusual warmth, a tension simmering beneath her usual composure. Drake's hesitation was marked by his face being tinged with color. "This.is my first time.
Can't we take it slow?" With a frustrated sigh, Lena reached up and grabbed the fabric of his shirt, pulling it downward in one quick, precise motion that left him bare.
She pushed him down onto the bed and crawled over him, her gaze hard and searching. Whatever protest she might have uttered was lost as their bodies touched, and a jolt of weird energy ran through him, leaving him panting and off balance.
A shimmering played around them, and then, spreading out beneath them, a large, ornate magic circle burst into life, its brilliant glow casting thick shadows on the walls.
Mana swirled around them, strong and heavy with currents. A blue nine-petaled flower opened up within the circle, its light pulsing in accordance with the rhythm of Drake's heartbeat.
Hours ticked by in a haze of energy and ritual, forces binding and entwining until both collapsed into unconsciousness, shared mana fading into stillness.
When dawn broke, Lena was already up and watching Drake's sleeping form with an expression that told of more than a little confusion.
She reached out and touched his chest; there, beneath the steady beat of his heart, she could feel this new source of energy, a white crystal resting within his heart, encircled by a faint, sky-blue glow.
She felt an inexplicable sense of peace, almost as if this foreigner, against all logic, had brought something profoundly reassuring to her world.
But the feeling was still her being shaken. She got up, dressed herself in a hurry, and left. Calling one of the guards waiting at the entrance, she ordered, "Send Anna to meet me at the palace."
Lena strode up and down in the great halls of the Ice Palace, her mind working a whirlwind of thought. When Anna finally appeared, Lena's voice was stretched thin with urgency as the younger girl knelt respectfully before her. "I must have him brought here and by force if need be,"
Anna blinked, surprise fluttering across her face. "May I inquire as to why, Your Highness?" Lena's gaze softened, a rare moment of vulnerability crossing her face. "You'll understand once he's here." She reached out, grasping Anna's shoulders with a force that conveyed her desperation.
Anna nodded, understanding all too well the unspoken weight in her queen's words, and quickly left the palace. The echo of her footsteps died out in the silent halls.