The Grand Courtyard by ZippyGuitar on DeviantArt (original) (raw)
THE HIGHLAND DRYAD SERIES: PART XXIII
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Sören Stoutheart led Tianna and her companions through the winding passages of the island castle’s upper level. There was no room for spacious streets to accommodate horse-drawn carriages or large crowds. Instead, narrow corridors, cut deep into the rocky surface, led visitors between crowded buildings. Two of the towers rose high above the landscape. Their colossal sizes cast cool, refreshing shadows over the lower landscape. The shadows were a stark contrast to the bright mid-morning light daylight.
Kolin was tired of the endless passages and staircases. The ascent was exhausting. Hurruk, Kolin’s orc companion, nearly collapsed from exhaustion several times. Kolin jokingly offered to carry him, but Hurruk scowled at him. The Sídhe soldiers, due to their injuries, were taken to the infirmary where healers tended to their injuries.
Tianna remained tense from the goblin ambush but walked beside Kolin. He occasionally spoke to her, but Tianna never responded. She seemed fixated on the surrounding landscape. Kolin was continually astounded by her resilience. Most people could not endure what she had in such a short period. He reminded himself Tianna was not an adolescent girl. She was nearly a century old. It must have felt odd, he pondered, for Tianna to look so young even though she was decades old. Tianna only mentioned her age once, shortly after Kolin rescued her from the Battle of Bellyon.
Sören motioned the group further towards the palace grounds. They neared their destination. The narrow passage opened to a wide, rocky landscape with vibrant flowers and lush vegetation. Various sculptures stood along the path leading to the palace. Sören remarked they had entered the royal gardens. Ahead of the group was the larger area of the courtyard. Waiting on Sören and his guests was Lars Wolfheart, the prince of House Domhan.
Kolin commented on the beauty of the gardens even though he had little interest in such activities. Sören acknowledged, but he could accept no credit for its design. He was not of House Domhan, nor a resident of the region.
Tianna absorbed all the beauty of the vegetation. It was a welcome sight. “It’s a paradise,” she calmly said to herself. Yet, Tianna conveyed no emotion or hint of admiration. She remained expressionless. She stood for brief periods and stared across the landscape. When Kolin inquired about her thoughts on the gardens, Tianna remained silent. He was concerned with her lack of emotion and stillness. He pulled Tianna towards him while the rest of the group waited.
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Apologies to my watchers for the reupload of this previous scene. Deviantart's terrible new submission page removed my links and garbled the upper third of the text so I deleted the image from my gallery since no matter what I tried I couldn't get the text back in the description.