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Ayda didn't bother holding back her laughter that time as Hùisdean threw his hands up.
“Are you going to do this the whole time?” Hùisdean rolled his eyes.
“It's a twenty-minute walk to your castle, Your Highness. If you're going to entertain the girl with stories, make them accurate. I'm merely doing my job as your secretary. Sir.”
Hùisdean made a displeased noise and kept talking.
“Anyway, before I was so rudely interrupted, I was saying I was lucky enough to make the acquaintance of a certain Professor Tolkien. If Carenlume makes you think of Rivendell, I'd like to think that I'm to thank for it. If I remind you of a certain elf prince…”
“Oh, for the sake of the old gods!” Wyn started laughing. He ran forward and jumped on Hùisdean's back, causing Hùisdean to stumble before he righted himself. He kept walking on, Wyn clutching his back like a small child.
Ayda didn't want to even think about how Hùisdean was gracefully carrying a massive man on his back and didn’t seem to be remotely bothered by the weight.
The strength, my god. No, no, stop it.
“He got drunk with an author once and thinks he's practically the source of all modern Western elvish lore.” Wyn playfully smacked Hùisdean's head. “It's a good thing you're pretty, or your ego would be an even bigger detriment than it already is.”
Ayda followed behind as the brothers descended into a playful squabble, Luvon coming up alongside her to keep her company.
“If you have any questions about Carenlume and would like a real answer,” Luvon winked, “I would be happy to give you one.”
“It's incredible,” Ayda breathed as they approached. “How come we portal to the valley, not the city itself?”
“Ah,” Luvon nodded, “that's a precautionary measure. There are wards around the city so that no one can manifest inside the city walls.”
“Even the prince? Or someone in the royal family? Certainly, tailoring the wards would be simple.”
“It would be as easy as breathing,” Luvon agreed, “but you never know. It's difficult, but not impossible, to mimic someone's magical signature. Besides, it's not just human history dotted with errant princes and rogue royals. When Carenlume was built, it was decided that the safest measure was ensuring everyone manifested at the valley’s edge.”
Ayda could think of too many times throughout history when it would've been prudent to prevent a rebellious uncle or a wayward nephew from returning to the royal family.
They approached the bottom of the cliff, where an intricate staircase suddenly appeared in the rock face as Hùisdean approached it. Ayda's head fell back as she tried to comprehend the sight, the delicate mother-of-pearl railing spinning around in a spiral up into the clouds.
The largest castle, which she presumed belonged to the royal family, combined Scottish medieval architecture and Nordic stave church architecture. Its thick stone wall melted into the cliffside while delicate buttresses and arches carved in solid black wood soared into the heavens.
Ayda could feel herself gawking as Hùisdean started to take the stairs two at a time, still holding Wyn on his back. She picked up part of their conversation and realized they were chattering about dinner seatings.
She turned around to look at Luvon, who chuckled.
“The staircase is enchanted, Ms. Ayda, so you will not need to climb every step.”
Ayda's heart jumped, and she couldn't help the smile on her face. “Gods, I fucking love magic.”
Ayda started climbing up the stairs, and just as Luvon promised, it felt like she had only ascended two stories before they emerged in a walled courtyard.
Colorful banners hung from the battlements, and trees grew throughout the courtyard, their roots disturbing the otherwise perfectly paved stones. It looked as though the castle had been abandoned thousands of years ago and left to nature, except now, someone had moved in and was tending to the plants and trees.
Hùisdean finally kicked Wyn off his back and smiled at Ayda. He caught her staring at a massive oak tree, and the look of pride on his face was unmistakable.
“Not a single tree was moved or cut down when the castle was built,” Hùisdean said quietly, coming up behind Ayda and whispering the words just for her to hear. “Trees are growing throughout the castle on the inside too. I sent word for your rooms to be prepared and picked a suite I think you’ll like quite a bit.”
Ayda turned around, her eyebrows raised. “When did you have time to send word?”
The great doors of the castle started to open with a booming sound, and the voices of dozens of people flooded out.
“Ah, the welcome committee.” Hùisdean grinned before he turned back to Ayda. “Not to worry. They’ll love you.” He ambled towards the entryway when he turned around, a smirk on his face. “And I guess I didn't send word, per se. I told them I'd return with you as my guest when I left.”
Ayda scoffed. “You didn't even know if I would agree to come with you!”
