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“That was a good idea,” Queen Evalyn spoke as she pulled out this satin-red material and placed it on the table. King Francisco started speaking but Aironell heard very few words. Her eyes locked onto the satin material. She needed to know its contents. It wasn’t flat. It bulged slightly and had an almost square-like shape.
She heard someone say her name and her gaze snapped back into focus. “Y-yes?”
“Are you alright?” King Francisco asked. Aironell could hear the concern in his voice. “I am fine. I didn’t mean to worry you.” She looked back at the queen and added, “Either of you. I was admiring that.” Aironell pointed to the material.
“Alright. Well, that is a surprise, for you.” King Francisco stood and ambled toward Aironell. He sat down in the chair next to her.
“A surprise? Oh, you both didn’t need to do that.” Aironell beamed as she glanced at the king. “Just being here is more than enough.” Aironell leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her father. She squeezed, tight, and left an endearing kiss on his cheek as she turned at a small sound off to her side. Queen Evalyn stood with the mysterious material.
“For you, darling.” Queen Evalyn placed it in Aironell’s hands. Then she sat beside Aironell, too. Aironell was flabbergasted.They didn’t need to do this. Still. What could it be?
“Aironell, you are too sweet, but we insist.” Queen Evalyn’s eyes darted down at the satin-wrapped gift. Aironell grinned as she started lightly pulling at the small opening on the satin wrapping. She felt so happy that her eyes sparkled from the unshed tear in her eye. She slid the last of the fabric off to reveal a book. Aironell grazed her hands over the covers, flipped them over and over. She beamed. Her fingernails caught on the elegant lettering of the titles, The Ancienne Magica de Bachusae volume I and The Ancienne Magica de Bachusae volume II. The books had this rather older yet elegant design that covered the book and the edges.
“We hope you…like it.” King Francisco broke the silence. Aironell kept glancing down at the book; thumbing through some of the pages that crinkled with each turn.
“It’s a family heirloom,” Queen Evalyn added. “It has been passed down for many generations.”
“Like it? I-I. I love it! Thank you.” Aironell gripped the books close to her chest. She beamed left, to the king, and then right, to the queen. “I can’t believe it. My very first family treasure!”
“I’m glad you’re excited,” King Francisco chuckled. “Your mother and I feared that you might not like them.”
The queen placed a hand on Aironell’s arm as she spoke. “We just weren’t sure if books would be great gifts, but they are more than any ordinary read.”
Aironell gently placed the books down and then hugged the queen. “I promise I love them. I will treat them with the utmost care and respect.”
“Excellent.” Queen Evalyn said. She reached for her glass and took a sip of her drink. “You may have noticed they are books of magic spells, first and foremost.”
“I noticed.” Aironell was scanning one of the pages. Her head tilted a bit and then she glanced back at the queen. “Mother, I am a bit confused about something.”
“What may that be?” she cleared her throat.
“Well, they say volume I and volume II. I assumed they would flow in an order, but they don’t.”
The queen nodded and the king chimed in. “When we married our family lines were connected. Meaning that our family’s magic books were, too. Your mother’s family book has much more about the really powerful magical spells and even some tips.” He paused and continued, “Does that help?”
“It does.” Aironell stood up. “I cannot wait to read them and see what I can learn. What are your favorites from the books?” There was silence. Aironell looked at the queen and then the king. They each avoided her gaze. “What’s wrong?”
“Sweetheart,” the king started, “Your mother and I both have magic, we do, but, well, we don’t use it often. We haven’t used heavy magic in a long time.”
The queen looked up at Aironell and added, “Your father and I gave you the books not just because it’s the proper thing to do. We were told that you love using and practicing your magical craft.”
Aironell nodded, “I do.”
“That makes us so proud,” the queen continued. “There is a wealth of knowledge in those books. Use them wisely and I hope that you make better use of them than we did.”
Aironell nodded. “I will. I promise.” She had this determined look about her. “I will practice. I know that it can help with matters here.
“That is very true.” King Francisco wiped his mouth and stood. “I wish that we can stay and chat longer, but your mother and I have some things to attend to. Will you be alright, alone?”
“I will.” Aironell grabbed the books and strolled out of the room and up the grand staircase. She heard the door shut and knew that her parents must have left the Royal Dining Room. She went to her room and placed both books on her mahogany desk. She took a few short breaths and then decided that it was high time for her to explore the palace. There were still a great many rooms that she hadn’t seen. She wanted to feel like it was truly home. She strolled toward the frame of her door and stood in front of it while looking left and right.
“Hmm,” she thought aloud, “going down the West Wing corridor will take me toward the grand staircase. However, I’m not certain about over here.” She craned her head the other direction.
She started in that direction. This seemed more interesting as she knew where the grand staircase led. As she took her stroll, she kept at a leisurely pace so as to observe as much as possible. She let her left-hand glide against the hazelnut-colored walls, and she felt the golden fleur-de-lis embellishments. She walked down the hall for what seemed like forever, soon realizing this was the living quarters for the servants. Finally, Aironell came to another bend in the corridor. She went right to take her toward the outermost portion of the palace.
This corridor was narrower, and the walls were covered with pictures of the kings and queens of the past. There was a light that shone down the corridor from a curved opening where there should have been a door, but instead there was an archway with these beautiful pockets of light. They danced on the walls like how she imagined dancing at a ball.
“So beautiful,” she mouthed in awe.
