The Zariyan Castle

Prince Edward's POV

Phillip shot us a smile that looked more like a grimace before stepping out of the carriage, documents in hand. I followed and extended my arm to Scarlett. "Careful," I muttered as she descended the carriage. "I am pregnant Edward, not an invalid," huffed my sister. I sighed. Arguing with regular Scarlett is an impossible task in and of itself, but arguing with a pregnant Scarlett is a death wish. Once Scarlett was safely on the ground I turned around to offer my arm to Leanne, who gratefully accepted before placing a sweet kiss on my cheek. Once Leanne was also safely on the ground, I turned around to check on Phil, who still looked incredibly nervous. "Honestly Phil, you are as white as a sheet! I have half a mind to put you back in the carriage!" exclaimed Scarlett. Phil chuckled.

Our conversation was interrupted by 2 men walking over and bowing to us. "Your majesties, I am Solaris Ashford, Captain of the Royal Guard of Zariya," said the taller of the two, his warm brown eyes surveying us all. "And I am Naseem Ashford, Captain of Expeditions," said the second one, an angelic smile on his face. "It is an honour to meet you, I am King Phillip Albertine of Alynthi, and these are my siblings Queen Scarlett, Prince Edward and Princess Leanne," spoke Phillip in a tone of voice that I liked to call his King voice. I had to give him credit, for a man who was pale as a sheet a few minutes ago, he looked every inch the king he was now. His jaw was set and there was not an emotion clearly present in his bright blue eyes. "Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't Zariyan protocol call for cabinet ministers to greet us?" I asked. "It was Princess Cordelia's request that we accompany you to the castle. She seemed to think that  you might enjoy having guides who know more about Zariya," answered Naseem, wearing a smile which suddenly seemed less angelic and more mischievous. I raised an an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Your Majesties, we should probably begin our journey. Our royal family possesses many wonderful traits but patience is not one of them," said Solaris in a nonchalant tone. I blinked in surprise, surely it was treacherous to speak of the royal family in such a way. Solaris let out a laugh at our bewildered expressions before saying "You needn't worry about us losing our heads Your Majesty, we have known the Royal family since they were born." "How do you know them?" asked Leanne as we began to walk towards the carriage prepared for us. "Our father is one of the King's most trusted advisors so we practically grew up with the Crown Prince and princess," explained Naseem in a soft tone. I noticed how both Solaris and Naseem spoke of the Prince and Princess with a brotherly fondness and drew the conclusion that they were obviously very close. "What is His Majesty like?" asked Scarlett. "Crown Prince Louis has a strong moral compass and knows how to get what he wants," said Solaris. "And what of her Majesty?" asked Leanne. "That depends on who you ask," responded Naseem. "And if we asked you?" "I would say that she is the heart of Zariya." Something in his tone told us not to ask any more questions about her. The rest of the carriage ride was in silence.

"Your Majesties, we are here," announced Solaris. I stared in awe at the castle. It was brick, but you could barely see it under the large amounts of flowers that were entwined around its walls. There were multiple windows and if you peeped through them no two scenes would be the same. Noise surrounded us and young children were playing in front of the castle gates. A huge fountain was the courtyard centrepiece and there were many flower bushes on the way to the huge doors. As we walked towards the Castle doors I admired the bird feeding tables that were cleverly hidden among the greenery. Upon reaching the huge palace doors, Solaris raised his fist and pounded 3 times on the door, before it was opened by a contraption of some sort. Wide eyed and in awe of all we had seen so far, we entered the Zariyan Castle

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