When the King had suggested that they stay in the ‘lower’ palace, Teyva hadn’t exactly figured out what he had meant. It could have been a lot of different things but this was not it. Teyva and her caravan had moved from the front of the palace and taken a narrow road that traveled down and around the side of the mountain that the royal palace had been built into. It took over an hour to work their way around the sheer cliffs and stone until they came to a stop at an indentation in the mountainside similar to the one where the Royal Palace had been built into.

Instead of riding in the carriage, Teyva rode on horseback with Eloia since there wasn’t any room left in the carriage for the Elven Princess. Despite her initial nervousness at coming within proximity of Teyva, the young woman quickly relaxed as they descended and even managed to have a little conversation. Teyva didn’t know how to ride a horse so she left the task to the more experienced Eloia. She wrapped her arms around her waist and made sure to secure herself as they rode along and spoke over the roaring winds.

“So do all the elves live in the mountains?” Teyva asked.

“Only important buildings are built into the mountains themselves,” Eloia said, “You can’t see it through the snow storm but there is a city not far beneath us.”

Teyva peered to the right and tried not to get vertigo from looking over the side of the mountain. She swallowed and cleared her throat, unconsciously gripping a bit tighter. The elven princess glanced back at her, “Are you not good with heights?”

“I’ll be fine!” Teyva shot back, “Didn’t do very much mountain climbing when I was younger.”

“It’s coming up ahead,” Eloia said, deciding not to tease the foreign woman.

“Your brother was supposed to be living there, right?” Teyva asked, the princess stiffened a little bit under her grip, “I’m sorry if that was a sensitive question.”

Eloia shook her head, “It’s public knowledge, just a bit sore for me. My brother is kind, a good man, but father says that he fell into the influence of the Dark Priestess. He is under house arrest in the palace until father can talk some sense into him.”

“Dark Priestess?” Teyva asked, “I think I heard another caravan mention that on the way here,” She said. She wasn’t exactly lying but she wasn’t telling the whole truth either.

“The High Priestess, Myranda Wylafon, declared that an age-eater is coming to the northlands,” Eloia said, “She denounced her faith in the gods who watch over us and turned her worship to this new goddess. Her powers became twisted and monstrous, it was terrifying!”

Teyva frowned, the girl was trembling, “Did she hurt you?”

“No! Of course not! Father says she threatened people and killed her guards but I saw the men who were guarding her just the other day. There are many soldiers in the Palace, I think he may have just lost track,” Eloia rambled, “She was imprisoned for saying that Father was leading our people to ruin.”

Teyva glanced at the carriage where Myranda was hidden and frowned, “So your brother agreed with her?”

“Yes,” Eloia said quietly, “Everyone knows that he disagrees with Father but Father is blessed by the Gods to rule over our people, he doesn’t make mistakes.”

“Right,’ Teyva muttered, “I hope your brother sees reason soon, your father is a dear friend of my father. It would pain my father to hear that yours is at odds with any of his children.”

“Your words are kind, Highness,” Eloia murmured as they came to a stop, the wind buffeting around them. The snow cleared a little and Teyva could see the Lower Palace clearly now. Just like the palace above, enormous columns supported the rock above and framed the white marble entrance into the mountainside and the Lower Palace. There were a few figures standing in front of the doors. One wore pale-white robes lined with gold. Teyva dismounted and turned to hold out her hand for Eloia. The girl hesitated, looking at Teyva’s claw-like hands but took them anyway. When Eloia had dismounted, the rest of Teyva’s guard joined her. Soon the full contingent was present and had moved to begin unloading the marble carriage.

“How strange,” Eloia said, “Your carriage looks like it is made of stone. It also has no horse to pull it.”

“It is made of stone,” Teyva said, “Maybe sometime I’ll tell you the trick.”

Eloia’s eyes widened and she looked at Teyva, “That would be lovely!”

Teyva glanced over the girls shoulder at Azrael who met her gaze.

Make sure that Myranda is covered up before she disembarks. These people hate her.

Of course, Majesty.

Teyva walked with Eloia, glancing back once to see Paraklytus and Conrad leave the carriage followed by Elat and Sari who was now holding Stella. Teyva turned back to the people waiting at the doors of the Lower Palace and stopped when the man in robes faced them.

“I am High Priest Tovan,” The elderly elf said, his weathered and wrinkled face coming into view. “The Gods welcome you to our sacred home. Please, find comfort in these halls,” He turned and gestured to a pair of guards who moved to station themselves at either side of the door. “If you wish to travel to the city below, you need only tell these fine gentlemen here and they will escort you. They will ensure that you are treated with respect in our city.”

Teyva resisted the urge to frown, sounded more like they were being watched. So much for a trusted friendship. Instead, she smiled and inclined her head, “You honor us, High Priest. Thank you.”

The priest bowed his head and walked away, disappearing into the heavy snow that was beginning to pick back up around them. The two guards watching the doors stepped aside enough for Abba and Batel to move in and push the doors open, giving Teyva access to the interior of the building. She stepped inside, Eloia at her side, and found herself in a large, square antechamber. There were several open archways positioned around the room that lead into various halls and rooms. It was just as opulent as the Palace above, only smaller. Gold trim was everywhere. Teyva turned around as the rest of her party entered and she took a moment to introduce Eloia to them.

A masked Paraklytus and Conrad came in first, “Princess Eloia, allow me to introduce you to my court,” She said, “This is Paraklytus, my chief advisor. With him is Conrad Akos, one of my knights.”

The Lich inclined his head, “How do you do?”

Conrad offered a more majestic bow, his mace clattering against his hip, “Honored.”

After them came Azrael, Elat, Stella, and Sari, “You know Azrael, my sister. With her is her husband Elat Troud and his sister Sari Troud, a physician,” She paused, “Sari is carrying my daughter, Stella.”

Eloia’s eyes went wide, “Your daughter?”

Teyva gave her a gentle smile, “Yes, perhaps when she’s awake I’ll introduce you. She’s a bit fierce so we let her sleep when we can.”

After them came Batel and Abba who introduced themselves politely before fanning out with the guard to begin working out a patrol schedule for the Lower Palace. Then Nephral strode up accompanied by a hooded and veiled Myranda. Eloia marveled at Nephral. “Beautiful,” She breathed.

“Your words warm my heart,” Nephral said.

“It speaks!” She gasped, looking at Teyva who laughed.

“That’s Nephral, my familiar. Next to him is…” She paused for only a heartbeat before improvising, “Arya, my Spiritual Advisor.”

Eloia looked at Teyva, “I did not know the Azar worshiped gods, I thought they only venerated patron beings.”

“I prefer to gain as much wisdom as I can,” Teyva said, dismissing the pointed remark. “Arya, Paraklytus, see if you can’t find a study to rest in for the time being. I’d like to speak with you later.”

‘Arya’ and Paraklytus both bowed before stepping away. Following those last two were more of her guard who began carrying in supplies and depositing them in the antechamber for now before distributing them where they needed to go. Azrael and her extended family made their way toward one of the halls after a soldier informed her that they’d found the bedrooms. Conrad opted to join the guards in getting a feel for their new residence, leaving Teyva with Eloia and Nephral.

“Your comrades take themselves quite seriously,” Eloia said.

“Yes,” Teyva said, “I owe them my life many times over.”

The Princess turned to face her, “You are different from what I imagined. I found you frightening when I first saw you.”

Teyva laughed, “I get that. Right Nephral?”

The Sphinx chuckled, “My mo-” Teyva gave him a stern look, “Queen had quite the number of obstacles to overcome to earn the trust of the Azar people.”

Eloia nodded, “Committed, I wish my brother could meet you someday. You remind me of him.”

“I will be here for a while yet,” Teyva said, “There is time.”

With that, the Princess bowed and made her way out of the lower palace and into the snowy storm outside. Teyva waited for the doors to close before her expression went hard. She rounded on her heels and marched down the hall, asking one of the soldiers where Paraklytus and Myranda had gone. It didn’t take long for her and Nephral to find the study. Teyva threw the doors open and ignored the beautiful library around her. Fury on her face.

“Lock us up will they?” She snarled, pinning Paraklytus with a hard look. “The King is up to something.”

“Of course he is,” Myranda said, pulling her veil down and glaring up at the ceiling, “The man is twisted now.”

“He looked at me like a trophy to be won,” Teyva said, rubbing her arms.

“The King is fascinated with the exotic, he has a menagerie of creatures from across the world in the palace, though I’ve never seen it for myself,” Myranda sighed, “I wonder if there aren’t just creatures there.”

Paraklytus stood up straight, “More concerning are these,” He said, holding up a small crystal between his pointed, bony fingers. “Listening crystals. There were three in here alone.”

Teyva spat, “Spying on us too?” She turned and looked to Myranda, “This isn’t just about you, is it? Something else is going on.”

“We have time to figure that out,” Parakltus soothed, “Did the King accept your Father’s request?”

“Yes,” Teyva said, nodding, “Which makes this treatment all the stranger. Not that I know what father wanted from the Elves, only that it would have to wait till after spring. We are so out of the loop here.”

Myranda cleared her throat, “If I may, g-goddess,” She said, raising her hand.

Teyva leveled the woman with a look, “What?” She glanced over at Paraklytus whose eyes flashed but he was wise enough to hold back his amusement this time.

“We could ask my parents? My father, Viktor, is a well-regarded member of Elven society. I do not know what they think of me now, but even then they should be happy to receive a royal from Osan,” Myranda said, “We would need to sneak out, though, just be careful, our society is built on using mana manipulation as a way of asserting dominance as well as greeting. I imagine the King held back in deference to Azar culture but the other nobles may not be so kind.”

Teyva glanced at Paraklytus and smirked, “I'd heard the same, but it's good to have confirmation. I have an idea," She turned fully on Myranda, "Time to start working your way back up in my good graces, priestess. You are going to help us throw a party."