A Tale That Dawned [Book 4 of Selvina's Tale series]

Chapter 29: Caer Gobiyth

Selvina was shown to her proper room, which was nearly as large as her entire home back in Canada. Standing in the doorway and looking left was a huge fireplace big enough to ride a horse through and one side of it was a mirror that took up half the wall and on the other side was a hall that led to a walk-in closet expansive enough to hold a banquet. Across the room from the mirror was a massive four-poster bed with thick, violet sheets, and gold-trimmed pillows of goose down. The bed rested against a partition and beyond that was a room that housed a huge, oaken table with four matching chairs, and walls bearing detailed and majestic paintings and tapestries as well as tall, fully stocked bookshelves. In one corner was an exquisitely ornate suit of armour that shone a dazzling silver and gold in the light. Supplying the light were two partly draped windows on the wall opposite the doorway, one beside the bed and the other across from the table.

Selvina stepped inside, wide-eyed, and glanced to the right, where she noticed a hall leading into some other room beyond the one with the table. Shaking her head in disbelief at the grandeur of it all, she walked to the window near the bed and parted the burgundy drapes.

Somehow, she wasn't surprised to find out that the window opened up to a wide stone balcony with its own set of expensive table and chairs. Beyond the balcony lay the vast city of Corbeau—a grand display all on its own—and in the distance were the green hills and valleys of Noyr. Gazing right she saw tall, jagged, grey mountains, their peaks shrouded in mist. Selvina noticed that a great expanse of water spanned out to the left. Struggling to remember the few times she had looked at a map of Faeryum, she guessed that she was staring south. If so, then beyond those hills and valleys, somewhere, was New Avalon.

There was a slight shuffle behind her as the empress quietly stepped in. As if reading her thoughts, she said, "Journey south beyond those hills and you will come to Red Lake, where long ago there was a battle so great that the spilled blood forever tainted the waters red, so the legends go. South of that are the farmlands and woods of my province of Nottunhim. Venture past that and you enter the very forest I met you in, and, eventually, the border to New Avalon."

"Sherwood Forest," Selvina muttered, recalling all that had transpired there and feeling an ache arise in her throat. "You swear to me that if I ask you, you'll take me back."

"I so do swear," replied the empress. There was moment of silence before she asked, "Does this room suit you? I could ready one of the larger ones if you'd like."

Selvina turned around, her worries scattering aside, and raised an eyebrow. "Larger? God, this room isn't big enough already? It will do just fine, actually."

Rhiannon nodded slightly. "I apologize once more for placing you into such a dismally small hole in the wall as your previous room."

Selvina shrugged as she ran a hand down one of the finely crafted bed posts. "I needed to get used to the elevation and all that."

"Well," Rhiannon said, walking closer, "I also worried you'd panic and choose to flee if I had immediately placed you in a room such as this. I wanted to ensure you that you are no prisoner and are free to go about this palace as you please."

Selvina furrowed her brow, still confused as to why the empress was being so nice to her. "So I can go anywhere?"

"I would avoid the dungeons as they are in need of a rather good cleaning but yes, Caer Gobiyth is fully open to you."

"Care Gobith?"

"Caer Gobiyth," Rhiannon repeated. "It means Castle of Hope, in old Dwarven."

"Dwarven? Like, dwarves dwarven? There are dwarves in Faeryum?"