The Black Palace

Led by Nathan and Fyra, Felix and Velvet trudged through the forests of the Empire, slowly gaining an understanding of the society.

Back in the day, this forest was something of a retreat. People had set up homes here to escape the city and relax in nature. Thankfully, it avoided the carnage of the war, so everything was still intact. Now the Empire had moved in and made this place their home, taking over the various houses and buildings.

The houses were all built seamlessly into the environment, like an extension rather than a replacement, and they were spread far apart, connected by simple footpaths.

However, each building Velvet passed gave her pause. Each one was…familiar… She had been here before, it was all buried in the deep recesses of her memory. After all these years… Had she finally returned…?

Nathan called out to the group, “This hill’s pretty steep, but bear with it, we’re almost there.”

The hill, in fact, was steep. Really steep. It was practically like climbing a wall. And it was long too. Felix wasn’t in bad shape, but after about halfway, he was really starting to get tired. His breathing quickened, sweat started pouring off him, and his legs burned. He looked over at Velvet and scowled when he saw that she was hovering. With a grunt, he steeled himself and kept going, and going. As he pushed forward, the end soon was in arm's reach. He pushed out the last few steps, sighing in relief as he finally made it to the crest.

But as Felix was still catching his breath, Nathan pointed out into the distance. “Right there, that’s our destination.”

As the party crossed the crest of the hill, something started to peek through the trees.

Felix looked up and focused his eyes. Peeking through the trees was a gothic mansion colored almost entirely black.

“That’s the Black Palace. It’s where our leader, Kaiser, lives and governs.”

As Felix got closer, he found himself in awe of the building. The architecture was immaculate, incredibly well-detailed and preserved almost perfectly.

The grounds were surrounded by a massive metal fence topped with barbs and decorated with elegant vines. With a slight push, Nathan opened the gate.

A massive, non-functional fountain sat in the middle of the grounds and on display in the gardens were two statues, one of an angel and one of a knight. A cobblestone path led to the front door, and while the garden was mostly overrun with wild plants, it was clear that it was truly beautiful in its prime.

As Nathan opened the front door, the foyer came into view. It was massive, elegant, and well-kept. There were two staircases that led to the top floor and three separate hallways on each side. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling.

“Master Nathan, Mistress Fyra, welcome back.” Appearing out of nowhere, a serious looking doll in a maid dress bowed and greeted them. “And it looks like you have brought guests.”

“Yes, but not just any guests.” He motioned towards Felix and Velvet.

“My name is Felix.”

“And I am Velvet.”

“Velvet?” The maid doll smiled. “Ah, yes, Mistress Akira will be very pleased.”

Velvet’s eyes widened at the mention of the name “Akira.” Felix thought back to their time in Republican custody. Ava had mentioned an Akira then.

Mia continued. “It is a pleasure to meet you two. My name is Mia. I am the head maid of the Black Palace.” She bowed deeply. “Please enjoy your time here. Now if you will, please follow me. Master Kaiser and Mistress Akira will not be back until this evening. I will show you to your room.”

Without waiting, Mia pivoted and immediately started walking. After taking a second to process it, Felix and Velvet rushed to catch up.

“Bye bye, Velvet!” Fyra waved goodbye. “I’ll see you later!”

Velvet blushed, keeping her back turned.

As Mia led them to their room, Felix took note of how even the hallways were impressive. The carpet was intricate, and while faded, had a complex pattern and regal swirls. From the ceiling hung elegant chandeliers that illuminated the area with candles.

“Here we are.” Mia stopped in front of an innocuous door. “If there is anything you need, do not hesitate to ask.”

“All right,” Felix said as he opened the door, but as he looked back to Mia and said, “Thank you,” he found himself only talking to empty air.

How did she disappear like that? He thought.

However, before Felix could ponder it further, Velvet had already entered. The room was fit for royalty. The room was spacious, the furniture was opulent, a large window offered a fantastic view of the grounds, but most impressive was the bed. The bed was king sized, the sheets were pure silk, and the headboard was covered with intricate carvings.

“Man, it’s like I’m a prince or something.” Felix tentatively walked in and sat down on the bed. It was like resting on a cloud, the bed was softer than anything he had ever felt in his life.

Velvet jumped up onto the bed and joined him. She closed her eyes and her poker face faltered. After sleeping outside for the last few nights, this was like heaven.

Felix hadn’t planned to take a nap, but as he leaned back onto the bed, he fell asleep before he even realized it.

***

A loud knock awoke Felix from his sleep. The room was dark. The sun was setting and the room was only illuminated by the twilight creeping in. He felt a little weight on his chest. Looking down, he saw Velvet sleeping and nuzzled up against him. With a smile, he lightly stroked her hair. But whoever was at the door knocked again, even louder, and this finally woke Velvet. Slowly rubbing her eyes, she looked up at Felix, and realizing the position she was in, blushed furiously and jumped away. “U-um…! S-sorry about that…”

“Yeah… It’s fine…” Felix blushed himself and looked away.

Thankfully, this awkward moment was interrupted with a knock so loud that it seemed like the door was about to be bust down.

“I’m coming!” Felix stomped towards the door and opened it, revealing a doll with long, messy blonde hair and a cream dress.

Ignoring Felix, she pushed into the room, stopping in her tracks as she came face to face with Velvet.