Thethia: Mt. Plytois, House in the Mountain

• Elianna •

"Ready to go?" Rowan asked.

Elianna wished she could tell him that she's ready but there was an unsettling feeling within her. She had never left Thethia and she wondered if it was okay for her to leave. Gripping onto her small luggage with several books packed and a set of clothes within, she hugged it tightly against her chest. Her eyes never left the house which sheltered her for the past ten years.  

"I had my knights to cast the portal with me earlier in the day. You can return to this place anytime," Rowan reminded, his voice softened when he looked at her. 

"R-Right, I'm sorry! Let's get going," she fumbled with her words, knowing that she was perhaps feeling too sentimental about leaving this place. Going to Iftia was a wise move since Thethia was still hunting her down and she needed to stay alive for everyone. Elianna promised them that she would live well, for them. 

She quickly followed behind Rowan and the knights already stood in their position. A magic circle expanded beneath their feet and she became nervous. Thunder stood close to her and Rowan reached to hold onto her hand and in a matter of seconds, they disappeared within the blinding glow. 

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When she opened her eyes again, they had arrived in Iftia. 

Cold winds howled fierce sending chills right down Elianna's back and when she looked forward, she saw the entire place was covered in a sea of white. Iftia looked different. Snow covered every surface and fluffs of white danced in the directions of the winds. Thethia would snow, but it was never this heavy. Before arriving here, Rowan explained that it always snowed in Iftia and snowstorms were common. At first sight, Iftia was pure white and hauntingly beautiful. 

"Came back to a snowstorm," Alec grumbled.

Another gush of frigid wind blew past them mercilessly and Elianna shivered, internally whining about her inappropriate attire for the current climate. Subconsciously, she reached out to grab on Rowan's arm. He turned to look at her, chuckling when she trembled violently in cold. 

Thick clothing had already appeared out of nowhere and he draped a mantle across her shoulders, making her feel better with another layer of warmth but she was still trembling because her body had yet accustomed to the cold. Then, Rowan whispered something in Iftiac while a small glow appeared and dusted through the cloak. In an instant, she felt as though she was wrapped in a cloak of warmth that thawed her freezing body. He smiled, "Magic warmth comes in handy in Iftia." 

She glanced towards the man beside her, only to see him smile at her while he smoothed a hand into her hair, removing flakes of snow that fell atop her head. Her heart thumped noisily and heat travelled above the length of her neck. She was starting to doubt that she felt cold a moment ago. 

Before they walked, Rowan cautioned her, "The snow can be slippery, so take extra care while walking. You can hold onto my arm if you need." 

"It's okay, I can walk by myself," Elianna blushed, avoiding Rowan's eye contact.

Following the knights' lead, they arrived at Rowan's palace, Lyx Palace. Elianna's feet halted to a complete stop. This palace was nothing compared to her torn and desolated palace nor was it even comparable to the lavish Royal Palace of Thethia. Everything that she witnessed ahead of her was huge and magnificent. At a complete loss for words, she could only gasp in awe, "What in the world...?"  

"It's simply unnecessarily huge. In Iftia, palaces were built by architects using magic so it's easy to build ridiculously big palaces." Rowan explained, unamused. "Let's go in, the snowstorm will only get fiercer through the night."

Alec had definitely lied to her when he mentioned that Rowan's palace was plain — the interior of the palace was as extravagant as the exterior. The first step into the large foyer, she already witnessed the largest crystal chandelier that she had ever seen in her life. Grand hallway was bathed in black and gold, even the marbled flooring that she was stepping upon shone proudly. Ceilings went high with panes of windows that stood tall to allow light to permeate into the castle and brighten up the entire space. There was nothing plain about this palace at all, if anything, it was bewildering to witness this sight. 

"What are you staring at so intently?" Rowan chuckled from behind. "I kept my palace minimally simple. You should've gone to the other palaces and witness the sight for yourself." 

It was true that Rowan's palace was empty with only a few statues placed at the corners and everything displayed was only for the purpose of necessity. Still, it was still a sight to behold. Her gaze remained on the wide and minimally furnished hallway. Elianna couldn't help but think back of the years she spent in Heather Palace. The hallway was as empty and always dusty with visible cracks on the pillars. Although Heather Palace was never as well-maintained, every piece of memory she had with Lylia and Jason made that place grander than any other palace she would ever set foot into. 

"Your Highness," Ilias' voice broke their pause and she noticed that the smile on Rowan's face faded a little. There was firmness and stern authority that she had never seen in him, but fitting of a prince. Rowan instructed Alec, "Please bring Elianna to the guest bedchamber to settle down with Thunder. Come to the study once you're done." 

"Yes, Your Highness." Alec bowed towards him before tapping on Elianna's shoulder, signalling for her to follow him. 

Elianna gestured for Thunder to follow up and turned towards Alec. Just then, Rowan reached for her arm and stopped her. Turning around to face him, his expression softened again when he reached for her luggage and took out her veil. He carefully tucked it on either side of her ears and covered her face beneath the thin silk, he said, "It would be quite troublesome if someone recognises you, please bear with this inconvenience." 

"Thank you. Please hurry report to work, you've skipped your duties for a long time, Your Highness," Elianna laughed lightly to tease him before following behind Alec and Thunder. 

After parting ways with Rowan, they moved through the hallways and maidservants scurried away while casting frightened looks towards Thunder and her. She frowned, not understanding their fear and Rowan hadn't said anything about Iftians' attitude to Thethians before.  

"No one in Iftia ever saw a big beast roaming around as casually as Thunder," Alec laughed.

"I see," Elianna gave a casual remark, finally understood the root of their fears. "It's uncommon in Thethia too."

"How did it start following you?" Alec asked out of curiosity.

"Thunder belonged to someone that I know." As she spoke, her voice grew softer, "He's gone, so Thunder follows me now..."  

An unexplainable ache grew in her chest. She dared not say Jason's name for the fear that she may break down in the middle of this hallway.

Alec said nothing in return, as though he knew that it was wise to not probe her into the topic. He focused on leading her towards the designated guestroom but in the midst of following him, Elianna had already lost the idea of how to navigate her way back to the large foyer anymore. She wondered how she would leave the palace if required and it would be a trouble to always need someone to lead her out. 

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Finally, they stopped at a large door. Alec pushed on the door to open it as light escaped from the inside. When she entered, she was surprised by how spacious the room was and how the room was filled with luxury that left her in awe once again. In a moment of excitement, she kicked her shoes off and stepped on the carpeted floor. The softness tickled against her feet, causing her to giggle. 

"Lady Elianna, I have to get back to His Highness. If there's anything you need, simply let the maidservants know. Meanwhile, I'll let His Highness know that I've settled you here." Alec smiled.

"Sure, thank you!" Elianna replied.

Alec smiled at her before he left the bedchamber. Elianna took her time to explore, her hand brushed against all the expensive corners of each furniture. The room was spacious and sufficiently furnished with everything that was essential. She walked towards the bed and unpacked her luggage. Holding on the several books as she shelved them in the reading corner of the room. Then, she walked into the dressing room and realised that the wardrobes were filled with clothes. 

When she stepped out of the dressing room, a maidservant had entered and apologised nervously, "Please pardon me as I don't mean to intrude, Lady. I would like to know if you required assistance in anything that could make your stay more comfortable." 

"There's no need to be so formal towards me," Elianna quickly added. "May I ask if I could borrow a few pieces of clothing from the wardrobe?" 

"Lady, those clothes were specially prepared for you," the maidservant replied. 

"For me? I-I, um, alright," Elianna was slightly taken aback. "I don't need anything at the moment, thank you for checking up on me." 

"I'm just a call away should you require anything," the maidservant smiled and left her room. 

Elianna turned towards the bath and turned on the faucet. Stripping off all of her clothes, she entered the bath and relaxed in it. It took her a while and when she was done, she wrapped a towel around her before leaving the bath to go towards the dressing room. 

Unfortunately, the knob to the room turned and Rowan entered.  

They both stood rooted to the ground. Unknowingly, Elianna lifted her hands to hold onto the towel that she wrapped herself in. 

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oops, an awkward moment?