Chapter 7: The Hall of Statues
These past few hours have been a little odd. After I retreated to my room, maids came and helped me get ready for bed. I lay awake for what seemed like hours but must have been a half hour at most. I finally drifted off and fell into a fitful sleep.
I dreamed I was dinning with Sileena again. We feasted on ravens and coyotes, drinking wine made from the blood of deer. When I looked down at myself, I was dressed in midnight black robes and I felt the weight of a diadem on my head. "My dear, I am so glad you have become my heir, despite the fact that we have no relation. Together we can rule the world." Sileena purred. The dream changed. We stood on a cliff above a scorched and abandoned wasteland. I knew it had been the site of a battle, a battle in which our enemies have been crushed.
I jolted awake to the sound of a cuckoo clock somewhere in the castle. Maids dressed me in more reasonable clothes, fine, but not as fancy as the night before. They told me Sileena was busy, but I was free to explore the castle, so long as I did not intrude on private quarters.
I started in the dining room where we had eaten. The decorations were the same, the heavy oak table, the colors, everything. I meandered through the hallways, up to the second floor, and past my rooms. They were located in a hallway that contained the entrances to many other guest rooms, which I assumed looked the same as mine. I found the door to a tower, which was locked. I assumed that the tower held Sileena's rooms. I found a large library, three floors tall, with rolling ladders along the shelves, a balcony that held another level of books, and chairs for reading. I could have spent more time there, but I was curious as to what the rest of the fortress held. I made a mental note to come back later, and left.
The next thing I found was a large hall, filled with statues. The fact that there was a hall full of statues wasn't odd. Many wealthy people had galleries of statues and other art. The odd part was the statues themselves. They were incredibly lifelike, the facial expressions so exquisite, they looked like real creatures. There were horsings, humans, and many other creatures. There was one statue, a knight, that looked so real, it could have jumped off the pedestal and ran to protect the castle. I wondered who the artist was and how they made such realistic sculptures. Just as I was examining a camuffling kitten, Sileena entered.
"I see you've found my Hall Of Statues," she said. "You are welcome to spend as much time here as you would like." I thanked her. "These statues are so realistic. Who is the artist?" I asked. "I have several favorites, who make some of the statues, but others I buy whenever one catches my eye. Others are gifts from nobles or foreign dignitaries." I nodded. "They are wonderful." "Yes," She agreed. "I have been collecting them for as long as I have been Queen, many years." She picked up the camuffling kitten. "Would you like to keep this one? Take it as a gift." I was astounded. "I couldn't," I stuttered. "I insist," she said. "I have so many, and you love them so much. It would give me pleasure for you to have one." "Thank you," I said, taking it from her. It was surprisingly light, only weighing about 10 stones, much lighter than I would have expected from a solid stone statue. "I will see you at lunch soon," Sileena said. "Enjoy your explorations." I nodded and returned to my rooms, carefully cradling the kitten statue.
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