servants in their wake, Bastian and his knights moved through a well-lit reception hall, following the sounds of conversation and music.
Smells of all kinds began to assault their senses as, off to their right, an enormous room came into view. It was full of people, tables and food, and they headed into the room without hesitation. But this was no ordinary room. It was so brightly lit that it was as if the room was bathed in pure sunlight from the dozens of torches that were ensconced in iron brackets against the walls. As the knights squinted in the bright light, an entirely new world opened up before them.
There were three massively long feasting tables, set up in a “U” shape, upon which delicacy after delicacy was placed. Giant cooked swans seemed to be the centerpiece for each table, set upon great wooden pedestals, but the white swan feathers had been replaced on the birds to create a lifelike look. There were even jewels for eyes. Gannon tapped Lucas on the arm with the back of his hand, pointing to the table nearest them which had a large marzipan subtlety, or pudding, in the shape of the Bella Court on it. Someone had carved off the western wing of it, but little flags still flew high on the towers, proclaiming Gloucester’s masterpiece.
But that wasn’t where the display of wealth ended. Each table, they could see, had feathered peacock and flowered eel dishes, and great golden salt cellars shaped like crowns complete with semi-precious stones. All the while, diners and guests were laughing, singing, and generally enjoying themselves until suddenly, from the western end of the hall, men in sparkling armored costumes with wooden horses entered the room, filling up the center of the “U” shape in front of the tables. As Bastian, Lucas, and Gannon watched with great curiosity, the costumed men, with their great rouged cheeks, began fighting each other with fake wooden swords.
It was clear now that they were watching a play. It was a bit chaotic, and they truly had no idea what was going on, when a woman abruptly descended from the gallery above, clinging to a red silken rope. She was dressed in a white garment that seemed to be flowing and loose, and her dark hair was braided and secured with silver cords, but when she flipped over and hung upside-down over the mock combatants, her great billowing garment fell away and the scant tunic and hose she wore beneath was rather shocking. Moreover, she had silver angel’s wings secured to her shoulders and she extended her arms gracefully, singing in haunting dulcet tones.
The diners went mad, clapping and cheering as she sang sweetly beautiful notes to the combatants below. The actors paused in their fighting to properly show awe to the angel singing over their heads, all with great flourish. They were either terrified of her or worshiping her, it was difficult to tell with all of the silly dramatics going on. Whatever story they were trying to convey wasn’t making any sense. Bastian, completely confused by the entire circumstance, scowled at his knights.
“What in the Hell is all of this?” he hissed. “What is going on here?”
Lucas shrugged, confused and rather put-off by all of it, but Gannon was riveted to the woman hanging from the red silken cord.
“God’s Bones,” he breathed. “It… it’s Gigi!”
Bastian heard him but he wasn’t clear on what the man was referring to. “What do you mean?” he asked. “Who is Gigi?”
Gannon pointed at the woman hanging from the cord, her body elegantly arched as she sang that sad, haunting melody. “There,” he said. “ That is my sister. Gisella!”
Bastian’s head snapped around to the woman he was indicating. All he could see were shapely limbs and a rather provocatively arched body as the woman hung upside down, slowly spinning as the flowing tunic and elegantly coiffed hair draped around her. He was stunned. And appalled. Perhaps he was even the slightest bit intrigued. But, mostly, he was
Smells of all kinds began to assault their senses as, off to their right, an enormous room came into view. It was full of people, tables and food, and they headed into the room without hesitation. But this was no ordinary room. It was so brightly lit that it was as if the room was bathed in pure sunlight from the dozens of torches that were ensconced in iron brackets against the walls. As the knights squinted in the bright light, an entirely new world opened up before them.
There were three massively long feasting tables, set up in a “U” shape, upon which delicacy after delicacy was placed. Giant cooked swans seemed to be the centerpiece for each table, set upon great wooden pedestals, but the white swan feathers had been replaced on the birds to create a lifelike look. There were even jewels for eyes. Gannon tapped Lucas on the arm with the back of his hand, pointing to the table nearest them which had a large marzipan subtlety, or pudding, in the shape of the Bella Court on it. Someone had carved off the western wing of it, but little flags still flew high on the towers, proclaiming Gloucester’s masterpiece.
But that wasn’t where the display of wealth ended. Each table, they could see, had feathered peacock and flowered eel dishes, and great golden salt cellars shaped like crowns complete with semi-precious stones. All the while, diners and guests were laughing, singing, and generally enjoying themselves until suddenly, from the western end of the hall, men in sparkling armored costumes with wooden horses entered the room, filling up the center of the “U” shape in front of the tables. As Bastian, Lucas, and Gannon watched with great curiosity, the costumed men, with their great rouged cheeks, began fighting each other with fake wooden swords.
It was clear now that they were watching a play. It was a bit chaotic, and they truly had no idea what was going on, when a woman abruptly descended from the gallery above, clinging to a red silken rope. She was dressed in a white garment that seemed to be flowing and loose, and her dark hair was braided and secured with silver cords, but when she flipped over and hung upside-down over the mock combatants, her great billowing garment fell away and the scant tunic and hose she wore beneath was rather shocking. Moreover, she had silver angel’s wings secured to her shoulders and she extended her arms gracefully, singing in haunting dulcet tones.
The diners went mad, clapping and cheering as she sang sweetly beautiful notes to the combatants below. The actors paused in their fighting to properly show awe to the angel singing over their heads, all with great flourish. They were either terrified of her or worshiping her, it was difficult to tell with all of the silly dramatics going on. Whatever story they were trying to convey wasn’t making any sense. Bastian, completely confused by the entire circumstance, scowled at his knights.
“What in the Hell is all of this?” he hissed. “What is going on here?”
Lucas shrugged, confused and rather put-off by all of it, but Gannon was riveted to the woman hanging from the red silken cord.
“God’s Bones,” he breathed. “It… it’s Gigi!”
Bastian heard him but he wasn’t clear on what the man was referring to. “What do you mean?” he asked. “Who is Gigi?”
Gannon pointed at the woman hanging from the cord, her body elegantly arched as she sang that sad, haunting melody. “There,” he said. “ That is my sister. Gisella!”
Bastian’s head snapped around to the woman he was indicating. All he could see were shapely limbs and a rather provocatively arched body as the woman hung upside down, slowly spinning as the flowing tunic and elegantly coiffed hair draped around her. He was stunned. And appalled. Perhaps he was even the slightest bit intrigued. But, mostly, he was
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