became clear to see that she was a tad bit bitter on the subject, and rightly so as these types of stories would often end with,
“…if the pompous ass willies could only see me now!” I didn't really know what an ‘ass willie’ was, but coming from Pip in this tone, then I was sure it was a great insult. Though I could see now where she had got her assessment from, as one look at the sheer wealth and prosperity of the place and it was no wonder that its people came across as arrogant. It wasn't exactly a place that screamed Pip anyway, as it was all clean, curved lines, expertly carved to a high standard of beauty, where every inch of the palace was designed with thought and executed with the greatest craftmanship.
For example, the floor was polished to such a high sheen it looked as if when stepping on it you would go straight through it, as it could have fooled you into believing it was water! The white trees I had seen in the forest that had a strange ombre effect, also reflected in the designs used, just like the grass, as it was what added colour to what could have been a very stark palace. Muted pastel colours ranged from peaches, oranges, pinks and even reds the further and deeper into the castle we travelled. It was like a sunset getting closer and closer to the horizon burning the sky with its descent.
The furniture was all intricately carved pale wood and it had been done as if sympathetic to the shapes of the trees, never losing the memory of where they had come from. The designs often mirrored branches reaching up, into some archway. They curled and entwined in some creative way to produce the back of a chair or the legs of a table. It was craftsmanship at its highest standard, and it left me wide-eyed and mouth agape as I took in as much as I could when walking through a large open hallway, one adorned with handmade treasures.
However, it was only when we came to a set of double doors the size of a four-storey building that I realised we had reached our destination. The colossal doors had pure white panels that were decorated in silver metalwork representing the castle, as when the doors were opened by the guards on each side, it split the image down the centre of the castle’s main entrance.
As for the guards, they were dressed the same as the ones that had been under the command of Captain Balin and unsurprising, when the doors opened, there were more of them inside. However, what was inside made me gasp at the sight of the sheer magnificence and beauty of the Great Hall in front of me.
“Welcome to my home,” the King said, obviously pleased with my reaction as he was smiling down at me, before making a gesture for me to continue to follow him. I did this but with wide eyes and my mouth near fully agape, as it reminded me of some mighty cathedral. This was down to its long line of giant pillars that each seemed to hold up a network of decorative arches covered in vines, leaves and flowers all made out of carved stone. These interlocking beams also created a large open space above but had clearly been made from different trees this time, as they were much bigger and most definitely straighter. The same went for the pillars that ran the full length of the hall, as the beginning of each pillar looked like the original tree, making it seem as if they had just grown up out of the ground and were only decorated the further up they rose once stripped of their branches.
In between these pillars, joining them, was a lattice of vined arches that held great chandeliers hanging down from silver chains. These were made from antlers of some kind of beast that unsurprisingly, I hadn't seen before. Each end of the antlers held a disc of blue flames. These were reminiscent of the same flames that protected the walls of the castle by the dragon fire that shimmered on top of the moat.
At the very end of this colossal space was exactly what I expected to find, for it was definitely a common theme within these mighty castles. For what was a Kingdom without its grand statement, one for its King to sit upon. Lucius' was the