Next Floors?
The next morning awoke to a dismal grey sky and a light drizzle of rain. After a light breakfast, Thadia lead the guests into a sparsely furnished room. After their eyes adjusted to the dim light, they saw the queen sitting at a desk at the far side of the room. She lifted her head and regarded the travellers without interest. . .possibly a touch of boredom. Pressing a hidden button on the desk’s underside, a wall slid aside revealing an old fashioned elevator.
“Oh! You’re still all here? Very well then, let us progress to the next floor.”
She stood and languidly lead the way to the elevator. After a quick, “In we go, quickly now.”, Thadia closed the grating and returned to the desk. With a nod of confirmation from the queen, she pressed the desk button again. The elevator fell into darkness until a soft light clicked on. A gentle whir, and they were on their way. They stopped a few seconds later, and the grating silently slid open. The guests leaned out and looked around at a room very similar to the first floor hall.
“Hmm. . .As you can see, the second floor is much like the first, so let us not tarry.”
The queen stepped from the elevator and walked across the room. Her shoes, well hidden by her skirt, gave a sharp clack-clack against the hard marble floor. Lifting the edge of her skirt a few inches, she trotted lightly up a broad staircase, her skirt rippling behind her like a river. Spinning around when she reached the top, she once again adapted her tour guide voice.
“The third floor. . .is a. . .bit. . .odd. Let me demonstrate. See? A lovely door, beautiful handle, but when opened. . .”
She extended a hand and flung the door open.
“You are faced with a brick wall. Or marble in some cases, or, if you are unlucky, a pitch black corridor.”
One of the gentleman stirred and raised a hand slightly.
“If I might be so bold, why. . .”
“Why if you are unlucky? Ah, because no one know where they lead. Thadia is the only one who dares enter them, but so far they haven’t revealed any secrets.”
Simon, how had been silent thus far, suddenly thrust his chest out and peered hard at the doors around him. The queen giggled and cocked her head to one side.
“You, sir! You seem curious. . .do you wish to risk it?”
He set his jaw and gave a sharp nod. After bringing his group to this strange world, Simon felt a need to reclaim some of his pride, to regain some self worth.
“Yes? I’ll keep that in mind in case we come across such a door. Psallie! Do open the curtains, it is a bit dim up here.”
The curtains were obediently drawn back, and the guests looked around at the dark decor.
“Rather dull, don’t you think?”
Before the queen could continue talking, a woman in the group gave a startled cry and drew the groups’ attention to a large rust colored stain on the carpeting. Psallie began to giggle and the queen’s cheeks flushed slightly.
“Oh! Never mind that, we has a small “accident” awhile back. A fool dared cross us and I’m afraid we had to dismiss him. . .permanently. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you the Court.”
She lead the group through a graceful archway, and down a flight of stairs. The stairs ended in an immense hall; the ceiling soared high above the visitors heads, and was covered in elegant frescos depicting strange hunting scenes and ethereal beings. Tall, stained glass windows lined either side of the hall, in-between each window were Egyptian cat statues, each carved from black marble with intense ruby eyes. Another window was in the very back of the room, round in shape; the staining on it was that of a black rose and a blood stained sword, intertwined with a silver chain. Below the window, there were three thrones. The center throne looked like a sleeping griffon, the seat being on the griffon’s back and in between the wings. A small butterfly graced the left wing tip, looking to be apart of the throne, until the group approached and the little fairybird took flight, floating slowly out of the room. The throne to the right was very straight and somber and continuing in the silver theme, it was upholstered with black velvet. Two sculls were used on the armrests, their eerie grins and hollow eyes gave sharp contrast to the solemn pride of the first. The last throne was made of wrought iron, formed to look like a plant. The seat was on a large leaf, the armrests resembled vines with the leaves mixed with silver. Black roses were strewn around the throne’s feet, faux mixed with real.
Smiling with obvious pride, the queen lead the group up the hall.
“As you can see, this is where we convene and make our rulings. As of right now, we have five divisions of Hellions (you’ll be meeting them later), one Head Minion (who also holds the title of “Brat of the Golden Tongue” for his immense flattery and love for dispensing titles to the royal personage), and a chef. Oh! and of course you all know about the gardener, too. Of course there are my two confidants and advisors. Psallie, who is Head Assassin and in charge of the Mental Ward. Thadia, who is Chief Artist and is in charge of the Soul Accounts.
I make all final rulings and laws, but I choose to share the responsibility of my ruling with those two. We will be holding Court in a few months to see if a new position shall be created. “Royal Concubine” sounds delightful but not really proper for the chap I have in mind.”
Silence descended on the hall, everyone lost in their own thoughts. The queen and her assistants were standing close to each other, each completely different and yet strangely the same. Life burst back into the room and the queen became a flurry of hands and skirts. Scuttling back to the front of the hall, she paused on the steps and turned back.
“Anyway! I shall leave you in the gentle hands of my ladies. A tour of their respective charges shall commence in a few hours. . .just. . .whatever you do, don’t upset Psallie. Especially when in the Ward. Besides that, have a good time and I’ll see you later.”
The group had joined her by the stairs while she had been talking. When she had finished talking, she tucked a hand behind Psallie’s elbow dragged her aside. Placing her lips against Psallie’s ear, the queen hissed softly, “I don’t need blood spilled. . .not now. Behave yourself. . .and see if you can find Vanchessa, she’s gone missing again.” With that, the queen turned and walked quickly down the hall, vanishing before she reached the door at the far end.
After the queen’s odd exit, the guests turned to faces their new guides. Psallie had an evil grin on her face and Thadia looked rather upset. Playing tour guide was not her idea of fun, and besides, she had alot of work to do. Psallie cracked her knuckles and giggled.
“Hehe, well, shall we tour my playground?”
Thadia rolled her eyes and came very close to belting this annoying creature upside the head...somethi
ng she had been longing to do since the travellers had arrived.
“Oh! Verily, Psallie, hold your tongue!”
Turning to the worried guests, she smiled thinly, choosing to ignore the fact that Psallie had stuck out her tongue and was now holding on to it.
“I suggest you, fair guests, rest until tomorrow. Psallie’s tours tend to be a bit trying, so you all need to be at peak health. And Psallie...Let go of your tongue...”
With that, she ushered the guests back down to their rooms and promised to speak more with them at dinner.
When the dinner hour approached, a solemn bell began to sadly toll the hour. All neatly dressed, the guests gathered in the main hall, a little confused on where to go. A sudden fluttering sound attracted their attention, and as they turned to face it, a small, greyish creature landed on the stair railing. It was a funny looking creature, with a round head, lanky arms and legs and two little horns protruded from the sides of it’s head. It’s large, black eyes regarded them without interest as it stood up to its full height (only about a foot in a half), and announced that, if they would be so kind as to follow him, dinner was served and awaiting their arrival.
Launching himself into the air, the little creature fluttered across the hall and down a corridor. One of the women in the group marveled that the fellow could fly at all, seeing as his body seemed to outsize his four little wings. A squeak was emitted from the creature and it landed with a thud in front of a set of double doors. Glaring at the women who had made the comment, he pushed the doors open and strutted in. Squaring his bony shoulders, he marched down the room and caught a hold of a bell cord. Giving it a sharp pull, he nodded to the guests and vanished out of the room.
“Oh, dear! I do hope I haven’t insulted him...he was rather cute.”
“Of course you insulted him, Margo, that’s what you do, remember?”
The curt answer came from Simon, who was getting fed up with all this oddity and wanted to just go home. Margo sniffed and flounced towards the table that was in the center of the room. The table itself was a work of art, made of black oak and handsomely carved, it had several designs inlaid into the top, the use of cherry and pine being most prominant. The glassware sparkled like diamonds, while the flatware and plates were strangely simple. Before the guests could take their seats, another little creature, looking almost exactly like the first, came fluttering in. Landing on the tabletop, it walked counter-clockwise around the table, placing silver name cards by each of the plates. When finished, it hopped onto the back of a chair, surveyed its work, and nodded. Each guest instinctively walked to the table and began reading the cards. When their respective seats were found, they sat, looking with puzzled eyes towards the heavy chair at the head of the table.
“M’lady, Thadia Lelay, the table is ready!”
The guests jumped at the sudden announcement from the little creature, who had moved to the head chair. A door in the back of the room opened, and Thadia emerged, followed by three little creatures. Smiling at the guests curiosity, she took her seat at the head of the table and motioned the creatures to begin serving dinner.
“I know what your first question of the evening will be, and the answer is: They are Hellions. . .don’t ask me where they’re from, M’lady, the queen, brought one into the manor one day, and the next thing we knew, they were everywhere! But I have to admit, they’re very cute and loyal to the Court.”
“I’m afraid I have insulted one of them”
Margo, figuring she had nothing to lose, spoke up before anyone else could stir.
“I made a comment without thinking, and got a very nasty look out for it.”
Thadia laughed, surprising the guests with her sudden show of humor.
“You must have made a comment about how they fly...it is curious how they manage it, but think about it, bumble bees aren’t supposed to be able to fly either.”
A quiet murmur went through the room as they mulled this new idea over. While the conversation had been going on, the hellions had been dutifully filling plates and pouring wine. Now that their job was finished, all but one bowed silently and left the room. The remaining hellion clambered onto the back of Thadia’s chair and perched, waiting for someone to require seconds or a refill on their glass.
“So, let’s not have a silent meal, do you have any questions for me?”
The guests looked at one another, not wanting to be the first to speak up. Then, her curiosity about to boil out of her ears, one of the women spoke up.
“Who is the queen? I mean, what’s her name?”
Thadia’s lips twitched, but she held back the smile.
“Her Majesty, the queen, is the most confusing members of the Court. She has no real country or family from which to hail, so she rules as she wishes. And while she has a name, we rarely speak it.”
“How come? Does she not like her name?”
“No, rather, she does not like herself...therefore, she doesn’t like to be reminded that she truly exists.”
One of the gentleman choked on his wine and required to be patted on the back for a few moments. When he recovered, he looked up, flushed in the face, and spoke softly.
“What has she done that has made her dislike herself so much?”
Thadia shrugged and looked as if she wasn’t going to offer a reply. Then she sighed and spoke.
“This is something I’m afraid I cannot answer. We, Psallie and I, have been trying to help her find the reason for many years, but in this I’m afraid we have failed. M’lady isn’t even sure why she hates herself the way she does...this is why I spend so much time in the Soul Accounts and searching the black corridors, all in hopes that I might find the key to opening Her Majesty’s mind.”
Shaking her head, Margo began sighing and fluttering her hands. The gentleman next to her tightened his lips and tersely asked her to stop.
“Oh, but I can’t help it! The poor girl! She must be so sad...”
“No, more confused then sad, she doesn’t believe wasting her time on being sad...especially when she’s not sure why she should be sad in the first place. Next question?”
Simon shifted in his chair and cleared his throat.
“Where did the queen come from?”
“From here. This entire land is her place. Her true self hails from the world you are used to, and there she is a nobody really. Just a quiet little girl, plodding through life the best way she knows how. But here! Ah! She rules with a fair, but slightly violent, hand. Here, she’s actually someone, a someone people have come to respect, someone that is recognized for the independent soul she is.”
“But surely, she is a famous person!”
This time Thadia made no attempt to hide her amusement.
“No, my friend, she is just a strange girl fighting to become someone noticable. We keep telling her that she is a beautiful, intelligent young woman, who has people in your world who care about her, but...of this we cannot convince her. But it’s not like she really cares anyway, her interest in what people think about her is mostly curiosity, rather then her truly caring what they think.”
“You keep speaking of “our world”...what do you mean?”
A high pitched giggle came from behind Thadia as the hellion began to laugh. Flicking a finger against the hellion’s scrawny leg, Thadia smirked and turned back to her guests.
“I mean, that you have (granted, by accident), entered the inner world of Tanya”
“Do you mean...we’re in her mind?”
“And the award goes to...”
Thadia tapped her glass, now empty, and rolled her head from side to side. She was silent as the hellion filled her glass again, then, after taking a sip, she pursed her lips and looked at the shocked faces around the table.
“Why are you all so surprised? Is the idea of alternate dimensions and plains of existence a little to hard for you to grasp?”
“But...if we’re in her mind...how come she cannot send us back to the real world?”
“Partly because she’s curious about you, and partly because you are in the real world. It’s all about perception. As long as your minds continue to convince you that this world exists, M’lady can keep you here as long as she wishes.”
A door opened and the three hellions fluttered back in. One was pushing a silver cart and it stopped beside the table. The other two landed on the table and began gathering dishes. Once the table had been cleared, Thadia’s hellion flew over to the bell cord and gave two sharp pulls. The sweet ringing of the bell brought in another group of creatures, this time a little larger then the hellions and very fluffy. They walked on all fours and upon their backs were silver trays, each holding a different kind of dessert. The hellions went to work again, placing the proper plate in front of the correct guest. Then, with a flurry of activity, they all left the room.
Drumming her fingertips against the table top, Thadia regarded her guests. After a few mouthfuls of their new course, one of the guests swallowed and spoke up again.
“Who is this Vanchessa the queen was speaking of?”
“Van? Oh, she’s another odd member of the Court. She’s a bit flaky, but is the only member of our Court that can help the queen make her mind up about things.”
“What happened to her? Where did she go?”
“As I said, she’s flaky. She likes to flit off into the mist of the moors sometimes and we don’t see her for a long time. Then, suddenly, she pops up out of nowhere. As of right now, she seems to have gotten herself lost in the Soul Accounts, so I have to fetch her out.”
One of the gentlemen was about to speak up and ask a question, when he was railroaded by Margo.
“What’s wrong with Psallie? I do declare, I’ve never met such a creepy girl in my life! And she always seems to be staring at me.”
Thadia’s eyes were brimming with laughter.
“Staring at you? Why, my dear lady, it is because she doesn’t like you! You are extremely annoying...I’m surprised your fellow travellers haven’t thrown you out of the group, or at least sewn your mouth shut.”
Nervous giggles rippled through the room, as the other guests looked at each other. There wasn’t one of them who hadn’t thought of smothering Margo, one time or other. But she was wealthy, so they had all squelched their pride and had tolerated her thus far.
“And to answer your question, nothing is wrong with Psallie. She was created that way, just as I am the way I am. Psallie is the defender of our world, and if anyone threatens the Court or Her Majesty, Psallie takes over and fights like a tiger.”
“You say created, what do you mean by that?”
“I mean that Psallie is a facet of Tanya’s personality. Each of us have been separated from her and polished into individual personalities. M’lady did so in order to help her discover who she is. And it helps her when she doesn’t want to deal with the world, she simply puts one of us in her place.”
Each of the guests shifted in their seats and dropped their gazes to their plates. Something about the place they were in...it was so real, and yet...so nonexistent all at the same time. The idea that they had invaded someone’s private thoughts and world made them very uncomfortable, but they could not tear themselves away. They had to satisfy their curiosity or be forever puzzled about the strange world they were in.
“What about the Soul Accounts you speak of? What are they?”
“Just what the title proclaims them to be. They are the Accounts of the souls we have encountered, as well as the souls of every creature that lives within our world. The queen is very into order, she like certain things to be very neat and tidy.”
“Certain things?”
Thadia rolled her eyes and groaned.
“Then there is Psallie’s beloved Ward. There seems to be no semblance of order there. Utter chaos rules, not to mention the fact that only the strongest survives, which is why Psallie is in charge of it. She’s the only one of us strong enough to keep the demons at bay, while having her own kind of morbid fun at the same time.”
Glancing at a clock that hung above the dining room doors, Thadia rose to her feet and smiled at the guests.
“Now, I must take my leave, I have work to do. Psallie will be showing you the Ward tomorrow, so I suggest you all get some sleep.”
Picking up the hellion that was still perched on the back of her chair, she bade them all a good night and retired from their presence.
Next Chapter: Psychosis and Dreams
Original work by Tanya Alley, do not duplicate, steal, or in anyway mess with.
Thank You.
Stumble!