The blackness of the veil vanished and was replaced with a bright warm sun. Kelly drove out onto the brick platform and parked off to the side. Brandi pulled in a moment after followed by Heather who walked through. As Heather stepped through, the portal shook and vibrated for a moment, before it disappeared as though it had never been there at all.

Melanie stepped out from the car and looked around. The large circular portal, was fitted with nine gems that shimmered elegantly in the morning sunlight. The bricks that made up the stone platform were all intricately laid out and each one was perfectly aligned with the other.

"Holy shit!" Kelly exclaimed.

Melanie looked at her friend and then looked at the palace. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. The palace was a dark brown and tan color, made from natural materials that had been sealed together by expert craftsman. The palace stood easily three stories tall and was well over three hundred feet long along one wall.

She turned and looked at Lucian as he stepped out from the vehicle. As he did, she felt as though his presence had grown. It didn't change drastically but he seemed bigger and taller. His shoulders and stance were broader and more strengthened. He looked comfortable and at ease.

Guards dressed in black with short black capes flowing behind them hurried over and fell to a knee before Lucian.

"My liege." An older sounding man said as he bowed rather than knelt. "Advisor Lynx is currently in a meeting but will arrive soon."

"Wonderful." Lucian replied. "Please have my guest's belongings brought up to the available servant's quarters."

"Right away my lord." The older guard nodded and flicked a hand to the vehicles. The surrounding guards began pulling the boxes and bins out one by one. "Is this the new lady of the kingdom?" He asked, looking at Melanie with an inquisitive blue eye.

"You are correct commander. This is Lady Melanie." Lucian replied.

"A pleasure my lady. Should you need something, please do not hesitate to ask." He bowed before turning and walking off with his guards.

Melanie turned and looked at Lucian with a stunned expression on her face.

"Lady?" She asked. "I thought I was going to be your...slave? Your servant?"

"And you are. But you are going to be by my side. Which makes you a lady of the kingdom." Lucian explained.

Melanie felt herself stagger slightly as the understanding hit her. Kelly hurried over to her and kept her steady.

"You never told her about being royalty." Kelly said.

"Address the King with his title Ms." Marvin cut her off quickly. "You are no longer in your home town. You are now in the Kingdom of Vervania and as such, you shall abide by the rules."

Kelly glared at Marvin who sternly held her gaze.

"It is alright Marvin. There will be an adjustment period." Lucian added, "however he is right. In public you need to address me properly."

"How should that be?" Kelly asked.

"Sir, my lord or highness works too. Behind closed doors we can speak plainly."

"Lu-" Melanie paused and corrected herself. "-my lord. What will I be doing as Lady?"

"I'll explain all of that soon. First we should get you a good change of clothes."

"Change our clothes?" Brandi asked, getting out of the car as a guard began pulling out her boxes and bins.

"Please be careful with those. They are delicate."

The guards nodded and continued carrying the boxes across the platform and into the palace.

"Yes. While you are in the palace, there is a dress code, however-" he smirked, "-I would like you to take a little personal freedom with your choice." He looked at Melanie and then to Kelly. "I must attend a meeting with my advisor and then I will come for you at your quarters." He nodded to them both before walking off toward the palace.

"So what now?" Kelly asked.

"I will show you to your rooms and then we will get you some clothes." Heather replied. "I too would very much like to get out of these suits." She said.

*****

Lynx pushed open the hall doors leading out into the marble corridor. The white walls with speckles of black meshed with flecks of silver looked bright with the bay windows that looked out into the garden. The feline advisor sighed heavily and just about walked out into the garden when his sensitive ears twitched at a familiar set of foot steps.

The pace and stride was unmistakable to his ears. Lynx turned and looked down the hall towards the other end at the same time Lucian rounded it.

"My lord! You're back." He said enthusiastically. "Please tell me that you found someone who-"

"How did the meeting go?" Lucian cut him off, the serious tone in his deep voice made the feline advisor pause.

"Well sir, it...well you see..." Lynx drew in a deep breath and sighed. "The Vikara are not accepting our terms and nor are they giving any other than they want war. Though I am paraphrasing slightly, they still won't settle for peace. At least none that we have offered." Lynx explained.

"What did General Lin and Wyatt say?"

"That we should prepare for war and gather the troops." Lynx replied. "I urge you to reconsider that though. We could offer them some land or maybe Mari. The Vikara are less than friendly people but they still rely on similar things."

Lucian nodded and rubbed at his chin.

"When will they be here?"

"I could not say for sure my lord. Only that they are prepared to march from the south."

"I see." Lucian nodded again. "Have everyone from the south moved to the east and west. Whoever is nearest the border pull them into the center. I want troops stationed at the border."

Lucian looked down and met Lynx in the eyes. A firm and steady stare that was neither cold nor warm. "As soon as the Vikara are seen, I want to be notified immediately."

"Yes sir. I understand." Lynx nodded.

"Good-" he stood back up, letting his face readjust to a soft comfortable smile, "-and to answer your question. Yes, I found someone. She is perfect."

"Oh?" Lynx asked in surprise. "Where is she?"

"Currently changing into proper attire fitting her station and this world."

*****

The servant quarters were on the second floor which was the jade hallway floor. Every hallway seemed nearly a mile long. When they went into the rooms, none of them were prepared for how large they were.

"It really is like a two bedroom apartment." Melanie said. "I thought he would be exaggerating it but I think he down played it instead."

"You aren't joking." Brandi replied and looked to Heather. "Each servant room is this big?"

"Of course." Heather said.

Melanie looked at her bed which sat in the middle of the room pressed against the wall. On either side of her she had the equivalent of a one and a half bedroom apartment. The bed itself was twice the size of a queen sized bed.

"I can get some furniture to fill my room? Though I don't have a ton of money."

"Servants get paid well. Money should not be an issue for you. Especially you. My lady."

"Wait, I get paid?" Melanie asked.

"Of course. Did he not explain any of this to you?" Heather asked.

"Well...ummm...no, no he didn't."

Heather shook her head and sighed.

"You'll be paid Ten Mari a week. You're meals will be given as requested or twice a day if you don't request any."

"Mari? Is that your currency?" Brandi asked.

"Yes, Mari are coins. There is no paper currency here."

"So how much is one Mari in relation to our money?" Kelly asked.

"Well, I cannot be sure but Marvin explained it as..." Heather thought about it for a moment before she continued, "-I believe one Mari is equal to one hundred of your dollars."

"Holy shit!" Kelly shouted. "As a servant we get paid one thousand dollars a week?"

"Roughly. Please ask Marvin. He knows the system better than I."

The three women shared overjoyed expressions and smiled.

"Come now. Let us get you dressed."

"What exactly will we be dressing in?" Brandi asked.

"That is entirely up to you." Heather replied.

"I thought there was a uniform or code?"

"Not exactly. It fits within a guideline but you have a lot of freedom between that guideline. What you where or how you wear it is up to you. You'll see what I mean."

Melanie and Kelly shared smirks and Melanie knew what Kelly wanted to do.