Book 2 Chapter 10

The group followed the palace’s servants back through the winding paths towards their quarters. Along the way, they could see the remains of the damage Garm had caused. Some of the workers trying to fix the damage looked at them in fear as they passed. Maria felt embarrassed but Claire and Tirr walked past with their heads held high.

Soon they arrived at the servant’s building they had been assigned to and were surprised to find it busy with activity. Their escort was out, loading up their luggage back onto their carriage and horses while priests in blue robes assisted them.

As they approached, Arnold, who seemed to be helping direct things noticed them and came up quickly. “Hey!” he called out looking back at the Blue robes suspiciously, “These priests came and said we were being moved to the temple?”

“Ah, yes…” Claire said slowly looking up as one of the people in blue robes approached.

“Your highness,” The priest greeted politely, “Our apologies, we had hoped to have things ready by the time you returned per the Holy Priestess’s instructions, but it took a little longer than we thought to convince your men. Thankfully, the palace staff was around to help confirm things. It looks like you will be ready to move soon. The Holy Priestess looks forward to welcoming you to the temple.”

“Of course, we’re grateful for the temple’s willingness to welcome us…” Claire answered pleasantly, thinking back to the odd woman she had just spent the last couple of hours with. The priestess had seemed to switch from an airheaded cuteness one moment to a shrewd astuteness the next. Thinking about how the woman had controlled the meeting she wondered if there was some reason behind this move.

Soon enough the packing was done and they climbed back into the carriage, setting for the short trip out of the palace and towards the water temple. The Palace’s servants couldn’t help but sigh in relief as they watched the princess and the strange wolf beast leave.

As they approached the Water Temple, they once again we're in awe of its beauty. Even Tirr could not help but appreciate its splendor as they were guided through the temple’s gates.

Nerida was there waiting for them at the temple door, surrounded by her attendants as she watched them approach. As they got out of the carriage the attendants moved quickly to assist with the unpacking while Nerida greeted them happily.

They were surprised to see in the short time since the meeting she had changed out of her evening dress she had worn into her temple robes, the deep blue color accentuating the color of her eyes as she smiled at them.

“You’re here!” She exclaimed excitedly, pulling Claire into a hug as she approached

Seeing the young woman so excited to see them Claire couldn’t refuse and blushed as she was pulled into a tight hug. “Yes, thank you for your hospitality. We deeply appreciate it.”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Nerida laughed, pulling Maria and Tirr into a hug as well. “In fact, I’m happy to have someone to show off a bit to. I love this temple so I’m always glad to show it to new eyes.”

“I’ll have the attendants help get your escort settled and your things moved but why don’t I show you to your rooms for now? I think I said before, but I personally led the preparations for each of your rooms.”

“Us as well?” Maria asked somewhat alarmed as she looked at Tirr.

“Of course! This is the first time we’ve had visitors with such prestige from another religion. We have to show off our pride in the Water Spirit by giving you the best treatment possible!”

The Priestess took the lead quickly and the three were pulled into her pace as she guided them through the shining misted halls. She spoke nonstop, talking about where some painting or sculpture came from or talking about how she used to get scolded for playing in the fountains.

Her enthusiasm was infectious and soon Claire and Maria chatted along with her happily as well, having forgotten any reservations. Tirr was the only quiet one as he held Garm in his arms.

Every time he looked away, he felt like he could see Nerida staring at him out of the corner of his eye. But when he looked back, she was always busy laughing as she spoke with the other girls. Seeing that Claire and Maria didn’t seem to notice anything as well, he stayed silent as they continued forward.

As they reached one of the temple’s wings, Nerida’s smile broadened even further, “This whole wing technically belongs to me but since I don’t have a use for so many rooms, they’ve been left empty. I was so excited to have some people staying here with me for a while that I went a bit overboard with the decorations. Hopefully, they’re to your liking.

As she led them into the first room, they let out a gasp in astonishment. The room was warmly lit with a raging fireplace and surrounded by candles and torches. The surrounding walls were painted in a deep burgundy that added to the warmth. Along the walls were stuffed hunting trophies placed around elegant furniture. An area had even been set aside with a small clearing where a few training dummies and racks filled with weapons of all kinds sat waiting to be used.

Claire stared, open mouthed, as she looked into the room. It was like someone had taken her idea of the perfect room straight from her mind. Things that the maids of Rasor would never let her get away with. She looked at the priestess in a mix of awe and suspicion.

“Do you like it? I had heard about some of your likes and dislikes, so I tried to have it set up to match what I knew. Everyone says you're quite the adventurous spirit, so I thought you might like something like this more than the normal cushy noble room.”

“It’s… Amazing…” Claire stuttered looking over the fine steel weapons that had been laid out before examining the figure of a large bear Beast nearby. She couldn’t help but feel like a kid in a playroom as she looked around. Even better, the candles and torches eased a hidden tension she’d had since entering this water-covered temple. She almost immediately felt at home and couldn’t help running around to look at everything.

“Take your time to look around and let me know if there are any problems! The attendants should be here soon with your things, in the meantime, I’ll show your companions their rooms as well.”

She led the way out of the room, leaving Claire behind to examine the well-made swords and stopped in front of the room next door.

“This will be your room…” Nerida said to Maria as she opened the door. They were greeted with another equally large room with a completely different atmosphere to the fiery adventure-filled scenery of Claire’s room. Maria’s room in comparison was somewhat plain with simple furniture and clean white linens and coverings. While plain, it gave a relaxing and welcoming feeling that reminded Maria of being at home in Road’s End.

“I had heard you grew up in one of the villages and thought you might prefer something cleaner and simpler. I promise though that while it may look simple everything is well crafted and comfortable.”

“No, it’s great…” Maria said, taken with the peaceful atmosphere and the soft lighting coming in through the window.

“Well then, lastly I’ll take you to your room…” Nerida said, smiling at Tirr while leaving Maria to look around the carefully decorated room.

“Ah, I’ll probably just stay with Maria…” Tirr said unconvincingly, not understanding why he felt so uncomfortable under the priestess’s bright smile.

“Nonsense,” Nerida said, waving goodbye to Maria while leading the way out. “Even if you do sleep there, you still might want your privacy at some point. Besides, I think I might have ended putting the most time into your room…”

“What?” Tirr asked confused as she opened the door and followed her in. It took him only a moment to stop dead in his tracks as he looked about the room. The room was elegantly furnished with rich dark woods and soft-colored linen. But what drew his eyes immediately was the large mural that wrapped around all four walls of the room.

It started with a large forest at the front wall with giant trees and peaceful animals going about their business. To the left was a grassy plain and to the right a beautiful coastline. Finally, on the last wall set just behind the bed, was a large city with spiraling white towers and elegant gardens. The sight of it rooted Tirr to the ground as he looked over the familiar sight, clutching Garm to himself.

He turned toward Nerida, anger in his voice as he spoke, “Who are you?”

Nerida only smiled, looking happy as she bowed before him. “My name is Nerida, and I have been waiting for you, God…”