After a few soundless seconds of gleaming light, my vision bit by bit started to become clearer and clearer. "Oh, my..." Sofia gaped on the dot.

Slanting my eyes, I asked, "What are you so astonished by?"

Sofia signed in the way that she only did when she was annoyed, "Stop slanting your eyes and see for yourself."

Grumbling from the brightness, I opened my eyes to see what Sofia found so astonishing. At the spur of the moment when I did, I understood instantly what she was so astonished by. It was much finer than I had ever seen nor imagined, much more than just entrancing or spiritualistic. In fact, beyond words.

We stood on a pathway with a beautiful view of the entire town and a mountain, where bountiful blossoming trees were located alongside a running waterfall and view of the royal palace. The sun glistened over the prodigious, making it seem as if it was all basked in some eternal aureate light of its own.

I stood there with a transfixed gaze. Even the most skilled artisans wouldn't be able to capture the true beauty of this world.

"It's delightful isn't it?"Aira gushed from behind us. "My sisters and I had the same reaction as you both did when we first came here."

"And no worries, there is no need to walk too far at all. King Bervon and Queen Theia sent out a carriage do it should be arriving shortly." She went on to explain.

"Either of you have questions of any kind? Don't worry, I won't judge."

"What will we do once we get to the palace?" Sofia asked.

I hated to admit it but I agreed. What were they actually going to have us do once we got there?

"Well, you two will get to meet my sisters. Then, we will give you a tour around the palace of course." She responded.

It wasn't long before the sounds of clopping hooves and neighs started to resonate in our ears. Turning around, we saw a square shaped blue and gold carriage halt in front of us. A courtier then appeared and unrolled a scroll,"Our Majesties welcome Miss Sofia and Miss Liselotte to Fealettia. We will transport you to the royal palace so please, if you may, come in the carriage. Lady Aira of the Winds, Lady Odessa of the Waters, and Lady Hestia of Flames will help you settle."

The two coachmen were still rigid in place at the steps. The courtier, realizing this, gave a death glare at the two coachmen until they finally ran clumsily to hold open the door for us. One by one, we went into the carriage, very much so surprised by the comfiness of the seats despite all its fancy, impractical embellishments. I choose to distance myself from Sofia and Aira. I learned from experience that her and I sitting right next to one another, would result in disaster.

As the carriage started to go, Aira and Sofia started to chat like two giggling elderly ladies at the bakery. I ignored them, instead, observing everything that passed by, homes, stores, greenery, skyscrapers...things in which I never saw back in the small village I grew up in.

Steadily, minute by minute, I felt my eyelids get heavier and heavier due to the metrical clopping of the horse's hoofs and the comfort of the carriage's cushions.

"Liselotte, wake up, we're here," Aira whispered, shaking me gently. Grudgingly, I sat up grumbling.

"Oh really? How long have I been asleep?" I asked.

Aira smiled. "For about as long as the ride, 30 minutes."

I was about to speak again but before I had the chance to even mince a word, I was interrupted by the sound of horns. It was ear-splitting enough to the point where I had to cover my ears for the sake of my hearing. I got out briskly to find two men blowing trumpets loudly. But as soon as I came, the two men stopped, one of them declaring, "Lady Sofia and Liselotte have arrived! I repeat, Lady Sofia and Liselotte have arrived!"

Why are they calling us that? We're not even royalty,

I took that moment to get a good look at the palace. The exterior, from where I could see, had a theme of white, gold, blue, and beige and was 4 tiers high. Out front, there was a pond, where gushers of water drizzled. Each side of the palace had long aureate grand staircases where statues of past monarchs lined up, leading to the entrance. It must be a pain in the butt for the royal household and servants to bear, migrating around here 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"Aira, do you know the proximate number of rooms the palace has?" Sofia inquired, with a mixed look of dismay and eagerness.

Aira, who was a bit further up the stairs then us, answered, "If you count our headquarters and the guest rooms, then approximately 37."

Looking at precisely how huge the palace was, I'd would have expected at least 50 or so rooms. When we finally arrived at the doors of the palace, the guards opened them up for us.

As we walked through the large deep white double doors, the smells of rose, vanilla and the sounds of our footsteps echoing against the cold, hard marble floors greeted us. I look around to see vases of carefully arranged roses and regal paintings of different members of the royal family, both deceased and living, fastened on the walls. There is a set of double staircases, one on the left and the other on the right. In which the railings were exquisitely engraved with roses and vines, each possessing a unique pattern.

Unexpectedly, a fiery, passionate voice rang out to us. "Well, you finally came back Aira. I thought I'd have to wait another day."

I looked up to see where the vehement voice came from. When I did, I saw a girl with an equally inhumane appearance as Aira. Choppy red hair, a flawless, warm complexion, youthful features, pointy ears, long eyelashes, vibrant green eyes, and a petite frame.

I knew that had to be no other than Hestia, the youngest of the sisters. She venturesomely went down the stairs, every step she took being appropriate to her power, fiery and catastrophic. She took a good look at me and Sofia before addressing us.

"You two must be Sofia and Liselotte, the humans the judiciary sent Madame Featherbrain for."

Sofia nodded. "I believe so... pleased to meet you, I'm Sofia." She took Hestia's hand and shook it. Hestia shook it back with a surprising gentleness that I'd wouldn't expect from her.

"Well, you give off the impression of being an affable one. I can appreciate that quality." Hestia told Sofia.

She then turned to me, looking at me in such an assertive way that had even me feeling intimidated. Despite the fact that I was towering over her by more than five inches. "And you have to be Liselotte. I bet you and Odessa would get along very finely. Both of you are quiet and detached."

I raised an eyebrow, "Thank you?" I said in an unsure tone.

"Speaking of Odessa, why is she not with you?" Aira meddled.

Hestia casually shrugged, "She was supposedly called in by the shamans to aid them in some antidote work."

"But no worries," She added, "It was nothing urgent."

Aira placed a hand on her forehead, shaking her head. "Goodness gracious, Bervon became a tad more demanding, did he?" She muttered to herself.

Hestia chuckled at her sister bitterly. "At this point, I'll never understand why the hell you're always so surprised by his actions. Out of anybody, we should be the ones to understand him better. We have been with him for his entire life."

Aira's eyebrows furrowed, "You don't always have to remind me of that fact. What's bothering me is that he has been acting more... how, can I say this..."

As she trailed in in thought, Hestia's eyes briefly turned a slight hint of orange. "Sentimental?" She rounded off, scoffing at her sister.

Aira nodded, "I guess."

Sofia gently went between the two, separating them. "Forgive me but will we actually get a tour or not?" Aira and Hestia looked at us, both looking completely unaffected by what we just saw.

"What? Of course, we will! It would be of bad taste to let you two just stay here and not know at least where the basics are!" Hestia fervidly insisted.

"Now we should start by showing you the library. Whatever you do don't y-" Hestia stomped her foot on the ground to try and get Aira's attention. "Aira are you even paying attention??!" She huffed, her eyes once more turning that slight tint of orange. But Aira still paid her no mind and instead kept looking upon the stairs.

"But Odessa's coming..." She said. We all whirled around to face the staircase, only to see a tall girl descending down. If I had to choose which one was the most graceful and inhumane looking, I'd say Odessa. She had the same flawless, clear complexion as her sisters, long blue waves like flowy silk, shapely facial features, shimmering misty grayish-blue eyes, long eyelashes, pointy ears, and shimmery, scaly marks on her cheeks.

"I apologize for the delay, Miss Sofia, and Miss Liselotte. King Bervon insisted my great skill in liquids would be beneficial for making antidotes to ship around Eileithyia." Odessa explained. Her voice was the least energetic, very reposeful, and the wisest sounding of the sisters. It'd make you envision water because it was patient and flexible, yet still stable.

Aira smiled and embraced Odessa tenderly. "Oh, it's ok. The one with the blonde hair and freckles is Sofia. The tall, forlorn one is Liselotte." She gestured towards us as Odessa tacitly approached us. Her approach was composed, solidified, and intimidating yet not in the brash, abrupt, fierce approach of Hestia. More calculating and icy.

"Ah, welcome to Fealettia. I surmise your trip here wasn't too burdensome." She said, bowing to both of us.

Sofia did the same, bowing to her knees, "A great pleasure to meet you, Odessa."

I gave a curt nod of my head, "Pleasures Odessa."

She gave a tranquil nod towards me, winking briefly. All I did as a response was smile back.

"Shall we get going now? We don't have all day!" Hestia exclaimed, tapping her foot.

Odessa grinned at her sister softly, "Well, in that case, if I were you, I'd start with the library. King Bervon and Queen Theia are at a royal court meeting at the moment. I surmise you fathom how enraged he gets when we show guests the courtrooms whilst a meeting's in session."

Aira nodded, "I agree with Odessa." She turned towards us, "You don't mind that now do?"

I nodded whilst Sofia piped up with a smile, "Not at all."