by Carys Jones
Orion shrugged and his eyes dimmed a little but still retained their lustre.
“I’m still in training, I’m not qualified to work in magic yet. I just recognised you and I thought I could help.”
There was so much about his comment that made no sense but Marie locked in on the most worrying piece of information;
“You recognised me?”
“But of course,” Orion’s warm smile instantly returned.
“How is that even possible?”
“Look, let’s just get to the palace; they will answer all your questions there.” Gently Orion began to guide her off the grass and on to the cobbled street. Marie wanted to resist, to state that she wouldn’t go anywhere with him but she found herself trusting Orion. Some innate part of her knew that he would keep her safe.
Carefully, he guided her towards the golden houses which broke off in to numerous thin streets. The whole area reminded Marie of a quaint country village except that the homes were much grander in both size and style.
As they ventured further in there were more people milling about. What struck Marie most about them was how they were dressed. Everyone dressed in a single, brilliant colour. Be it white, green, orange or fuchsia. All outfits were of block colour and most of the men wore suits and the women wore long flourishing dresses which wouldn’t look out of place at a ball.
Even people’s hair was arranged elaborately. Women nested their hair atop their heads adorned with sparkling diamonds complimenting the colour of their dresses. Everyone was tall and elegant and when they looked at Marie she noticed that whilst everyone’s eyes were not golden like Orion’s, they all sparkled.
“Why does everyone dress in one colour?” Marie turned to whisper to Orion as they passed through the streets.
“You dress for your mood each morning,” Orion explained helpfully. Marie noticed that all the colours were bright and vibrant, no one got up and felt sad and put on a black or grey outfit. It bemused her. If her outfit had to match her mood she’d almost always be in head to toe black.
“So what does white mean?” she asked, glancing at Orion’s immaculate suit.
“I was feeling hopeful,” he smiled. “I must have known I was going to find you.”
Marie didn’t dwell on the comment. Most of what Orion said made no sense to her.
The crowds of people began to thicken the closer they got to the hill which ascended up to the palace. Marie noticed some ladies look intently at her and then giggle and talk to one another behind their hands.
A man looked at her, kept walking then abruptly stopped and did a double take. Did they all recognise her like Orion had said he had? But that was impossible.
“The wealthiest inhabitants of Azriel live on the mile,” Orion paused at the base of the hill, just as the cobbled stones began to grow steeper. Marie titled her head to look up at the golden homes lining the street at the end of which stood the palace. The homes here were like mansions. In their front yards they had opulent fountains gushing out perfect clear water which caught the sun’s light and added more sparkle to the world.
“And who lives in the palace?” Marie wondered.
“The King and Queen did once,” Orion’s eyes dimmed once more. “But that was a long time ago.”
“What happened to them?”
Orion ran a hand over his face and avoided her gaze.
“We’re almost there,” he pointed up at the palace standing grandly ahead of them at the top of the hill.
“They’ll have all your answers there.”
“I think you have some answers you’re not sharing,” Marie deduced, titling her head as she regarded Orion.
“Don’t do that,” Orion looked at her, a hurt expression on his face.
“Do what?”
“Don’t tilt your head at me. You do that when someone displeases you. I don’t want to displease you.”
“What-” Marie opened her mouth but found no further words. How could Orion possibly be aware of a reflex she herself didn’t even know she was doing? It was all too bizarre.
“North, please, let’s just get to the palace.” Orion urged, placing his arm around her to guide her forwards. Marie shrugged him off and stepped away from him, her nostrils flaring.
“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on!” she cried. “And what did you just call me? My name is Marie!”
A few people in bright blue, pink and yellow outfits lingered close by, seemingly enthralled by their conversation. Marie turned and scowled at them but her agitation did nothing to diminish their interest.
“Come on,” Orion pleaded. “We can’t linger here too long. We need to get to the palace while we still have time.”
“Have time? Orion, please, tell me what’s going on. If you explain everything to me I’ll come with you and won’t say another word, I promise.”
“I can’t explain everything,” Orion sighed. “I’m still in training.”
“Oh right, yeah, you work in magic,” Marie rolled her eyes and sighed. “I’m dreaming aren’t I?” she decided.
“This is all just some bizarre dream and any moment I’ll wake up.”
Orion looked at her with strange intensity before suddenly crossing the space between them and bending to place a soft kiss upon her cheek. His lips felt warm upon her skin and when he pulled away he left a tingling sensation.
“What-” Marie raised a hand to the point he had just kissed, unsure what had just happened. As strange as Azriel was, she reckoned a kiss there had the same meaning as back home.
“You felt that?” Orion asked, seeming a bit breathless. He looked nervously around him, his friendly demeanour evaporating beneath the intense scrutiny of the growing crowd of onlookers.
“I felt it,” Marie admitted, feeling numb apart from the tingling upon her cheek. It had felt electric as though Orion were somehow super charged.
“Is that…?” someone in a purple gown pointed at Marie and let out a squeal of excitement as though she’d just seen a member of her favourite band casually walking down the street.
“We need to go,” Orion grabbed Marie’s arm and urged her forward and this time she didn’t resist.
“People are growing restless,” he explained as they hurriedly walked up the hill towards the glittering gates which guarded the entrance to the castle.
“They recognised you,” he added nervously. “I feared they would.”
“Recognised me? That’s impossible!” Marie was struggling to maintain pace with Orion who was effortlessly racing up the hill whilst she had to push herself up against the steep incline.
An eager crowd began to follow them up the hill. Glancing back at them they looked like a bizarre rainbow following in their wake.
“North!” someone shouted.
“North! Is that you?”
“Why do people keep calling me North?” Marie gasped, struggling for breath.
“Don’t worry about it now,” Orion insisted. “We’re almost there.”
As they kept heading up the hill the crowd behind them grew in numbers causing people in their mansions to cast open their doors and look out upon what was creating such a scene. By the time Orion and Marie reached the grand gates there must have been hundreds of people crammed in to the street behind them wearing a vast array of vibrant colours.
Orion didn’t look back; instead he pressed a gem in the centre of the gate which sparkled and then turned translucent, offering a view of what appeared to be a control panel. The sudden addition of technology in what appeared to be a predominately rural world surprised Marie.
“Requesting permission to enter,” Orion’s tone was formal when he spoke towards where the gem had been.
“Look in to there,” he whispered to Marie, pointing at a small camera lens in the control panel. A dark screen in the panel came to life, like a small television. A man in a dark blue suit looked wearily at Orion but his expression immediately changed when he spotted Marie.
&nbs
p; “Yes, of course,” he said quickly before calling in to the space behind him; “open the gates.”
Seconds later the glittering gates began to silently part and as they did so the crowd gathered behind them began to whoop and cheer. The avalanche of sound bewildered Marie and she clung tighter to Orion, needing his reassurance.
Taking her hand he led her through the open gates and in to a vast courtyard. The gates sealed closed once more, blocking them off from the crowd who continued to rejoice.
“Orion, what’s going?” Marie trembled slightly. The palace loomed before her, even grander than it had appeared from a distance. Everything suddenly seemed so terrifyingly real. She had no idea what awaited her within its grand walls.
Orion turned to look at her, his eyes sad yet sparkling. He tightened his grip on her hand. He was warm to the touch as though he radiated a heat all of his own like a miniature sun.
“You’ve been gone such a long time,” he said softly. “We thought you’d never return, that this day would never come.”
“Orion you’re scaring me.”
He drew closer to her so that their hearts were only inches apart. Marie felt like there was a magnet within her soul, pulling her ever closer to him.
“You’ve been gone too long, but you’re back now,” Orion released her hand and lowered himself in a bow.
“We’ve missed you, Princess of Azriel, Princess North.”
“W-what?” Marie staggered back from Orion who was still bowing before her. “You’re crazy! This is all crazy!”
“Your majesty,” Orion hastily got back up and took a step towards her.
“No!” Marie held up her hand, her voice stern.
“She’s here, she’s really here!” Jubilant voices carried over to them from the vast doors of the castle which were now open. Men and women, all dressed in glittering gold outfits came flooding towards her, each of them sparkling magically.
They surrounded Marie, releasing gasps of awe and wonderment.
“Stay away from me!” Marie begged, trying to recoil in to herself. If this was a dream, she was more than ready to wake up.
“Your majesty, please, don’t fear us!” a woman close by implored.
“We just want to see you!” another declared.
A tall slim man in a gold suit spotted Orion and sharply pulled him aside, away from the melee.
“What did you do to her?” he demanded. His voice was deep and ominous as though it had travelled from the pit of his stomach before breaking free upon his lips.
“Nothing,” Orion insisted, cowering slightly before his superior. “When I found her she had no idea who she was, or where we were.”
The taller man considered this for a moment, looking back briefly at Marie who was becoming increasingly agitated with the adoring crowd.
“There’s no doubt it is her,” he concluded. “But she is…different.”
“She’s just confused. All this,” Orion gestured to the crowd of golden clad admirers. “This is too much for her right now.”
“Fair enough. Does she trust you?”
“I-” Orion wasn’t sure how to respond. He doubted she trusted him at all.
“You made first contact, she may have imprinted on you. Let’s get her inside.”
When the tall man approached the crowd they immediately parted for him like a sparkling sea. He approached Marie and extended his hand. He stood so tall that his long fingers almost grazed her nose. For a moment she hesitated, regarding him with uncertainty.
“Come with me, Orion will follow. Things will be quieter within the palace.”
Orion was the only person Marie knew in the crazy rainbow world and so she took the man’s hand and let him guide her away from the crowd and in to the palace.
The palace interior was spectacular. The first room they entered had ceilings which towered at least twenty feet above the floor adorned with an intricate painting of a star system which seemed to twinkle. It was beautiful and Marie found herself craning her neck to take in as much of it as she could.
“We’ll take you to your quarters,” the tall man said, moving towards a staircase which seemed almost translucent, as if it were made of pearls.
Marie couldn’t respond. Her mouth currently hung open as she beheld the space around her. Everything was grand and beautiful from the chaise lounge along the wall to the chandelier hanging above the staircase. It was all amazingly grandiose like nothing Marie had ever seen before. She felt utterly overwhelmed.
“Follow me,” the tall man ordered stiffly. Marie managed to wander behind him though her head kept turning with the rapidity of a bird as she kept finding new wonders to behold. As they ascended the staircase which was cool against Marie’s bare feet, she spotted Orion shuffling in awkwardly behind them. Like Marie, his gaze kept darting around the vast hall in awe.
“Sorry,” he whispered when he noticed Marie look at him. “I’ve never been in the palace before. Its every bit as spectacular as I thought it would be.”
“These are your quarters,” the tall man opened a door in to a room which seemed bigger than Marie’s entire apartment in London. There was a four poster bed covered in silver sheets and furniture made of the same luminous pearl as the staircase. On the ceiling was another detailed painting of a constellation which sparkled brightly. It was magnificent.
“I’ll leave you to get changed,” the man said to Marie, then he turned his gaze upon Orion who stiffened beneath it.
“Will you be alright with her? Can you at least explain some things?”
Orion nodded dumbly and then he was left alone with Marie.
“How can you explain things?” Marie asked him, finally able to pry her eyes away from absorbing the spectacle of the room.
“I thought you were in training?”
“I am,” Orion nodded, shoving his hands deep in to his pockets. “But I was the first to meet you, so we’re kind of joined now.”
“We are?”
“Is that such a bad thing?” Orion asked anxiously, turning away from her to continually scan the room.
“No,” Marie admitted. She felt strangely safe with Orion. “I just don’t understand what’s going on. How can these be my quarters? How does everyone know who I am?”
“First let’s get you in to something more suitable,” Orion ignored her question and headed over to the grand pearl wardrobe. He threw it open and was greeted by a selection of dresses, each an array of bright, vibrant colours.
“Take your pick,” he pointed at the gowns. Marie came and stood by his side and gazed inside.
“I don’t get it,” she mused. “These dresses are multi-coloured. I thought you could only wear one colour, the colour to match your mood.”
“That’s the case for most people, but not for the Princess. You have to shine the brightest, so you wear all the colours of the rainbow.”
Dubiously, Marie reached forward and began to riffle through the gowns. They felt softer than silk upon her fingertips. A part of her desperately wanted to put one on. Then her more logical side kicked in and she turned abruptly away from the dresses and focused on Orion.
“But I’m not a princess.”
“Yes, you are.”
“No, I’m Marie Schneider. I live in London and work for an ad agency. I’m just a normal, average girl, I’m nothing special.”
“You wouldn’t be here if you truly believed that.”
“What?” Marie frowned in confusion.
“Put a dress on, you’ll feel better once you’re in it. I promise.” Orion urged.
Once Marie had settled upon a gown he politely turned away while she discarded her hospital gown and slid in to the full length dress which eerily fit her perfectly. She turned several times, savouring the sensation of having it gather around her. Even though she knew she wasn’t a princess, she certainly felt like one in such an elaborate gown.
“See, all better?” Orion smiled. He then shifted his gaze to the hospital gown which now lay
crumpled on the floor.
“We should dispose of this-” he picked it up and held it at arm’s length as though it were contaminated and headed for the door.
“Hey!” Marie was about to object but he’d thrown the flimsy piece of cotton out of the room before she could say anything.
“We don’t need relics here,” he said, bitterness creeping in to his voice. Marie wanted to ask him what he meant but the dress lured her mind away from the train of thought. Instead she ran her hands down the material, savouring how wonderfully soft it felt.