Inside, the grandeur of the palace was rather awesome, especially
to someone like Terra, who wasn't quite sure what to expect. The monotony
of the stone walls was broken every so often by a golden lamp or a
beautiful picture tapestry. A red carpet ran right down the center of the
hall.
Locke saw the woman's awestruck expression and smiled. "Looks
pretty amazing, doesn't it?" he said. "I'll tell you now, though, things
might seems a bit...strange...later on."
"What do you mean?"
"You'll see."
They entered the throne room, where the Chancellor, dressed in
green velvet, awaited them. He nodded to Locke and disappeared into a
room, reappearing after a few minutes.
"King Edgar Roni Figaro," the Chancellor announced.
Terra wasn't sure whether to bow or kneel, but since Locke was
standing there so carelessly, she merely straightened her back and stood
at attention.
Not that anything she might have done would have prepared her for
the sight that greeted her eyes. King Edgar swept in, marched to the
throne, pushed back his blue cape, and sat down -- and Terra saw that the
cape was the only thing he wore.
Her eyes widened. "You *must* be joking!" she whispered fiercely
to Locke.
"Shh," he whispered back, trying to keep the laughter out of his
voice, knowing quite well what her reaction was.
Terra turned away slightly, a bit embarrassed, but also feeling it
would be bad manners to completely ignore the king -- the *king*, for
crying out loud! Besides, she also couldn't help from looking at him.
She had to admit, Edgar was a rather well-built man, more so than Locke.
His body had just enough definition to it to make him sleek, compared to
Locke's skinnier arms. But -- she glanced at his torso, then quickly
looked away -- he was admittedly lacking in other departments. She
wondered how it would be like to have Edgar, with his small....
instrument....in bed.
Then she shook her head and wondered *why* she was thinking
that.
Meanwhile, Locke had approached the throne, apparently oblivious
to the king's lack of clothing, and they exchanged a few whispers. Edgar
nodded and said out loud, "You mean, *this* young woman...?" He trailed
off and marched up to her.
The woman blinked, her eyes refocusing. She'd been so engrossed
in her thoughts that she was completely startled to suddenly find the king
standing right in front of her, staring down at her with a leering smile
on his face. She took a step back, alarmed. "Who...who do you think you
are??" she asked incredulously, forgetting her manners around
royalty.
Edgar laughed. "I am King Edgar, my dear lady," he announced.
"Master designer of machinery, at your service." He bowed with a
flourish.
Locke came to stand beside him. "Surprised someone like me knows
a king?" he said. The two men grinned at each other, then Locke turned
back to Terra. "I have to see to some stuff now. I'll be back soon." He
hurried off.
Things were moving just a bit too fast, and Terra's head was in a
whirl. But she didn't have time to orient herself. Edgar swept around
and sat back on his throne. "So!" the king said heartily. "Locke tells
me you're an Imperial soldier. No problem. The Empire and Figaro are
allies!"
She was by now completely confused. Not only that, she thought
Edgar was off his rocker. She wondered again what kind of king this was,
and how Locke could even think this wacko could help...or what his motives
were. "Look...why are you helping me?" she finally asked. She remembered
the rest of the men. "Is it because of my...abilities?"
He laughed. He stood up once more and walked slowly toward her as
he continued. "I'll give you three reasons. First of all, your beauty
has captivated me....Second, I'm dying to know if I'm your type..." Edgar
stood in front of her, and his eyes became a bit darker. He looked her
over slowly, carefully, and Terra felt her heart thump. She was getting
to recognize that certain look on men's faces, which told her their
thoughts weren't exactly the most pure. She forced herself to look at his
face and not drop her gaze. She knew quite well what she would find down
*there*.
"I guess your...abilities...would be a distant third," he said
huskily. His stress on the word "abilities" was subtle, coming out as
mere breaths of air. "Although I will say...I have heard of
your...marvelous abilities." Edgar's eyebrow twitched, and the corners of
his mouth turned up slightly. Terra stared up at him.
"Feel free to roam the castle or to...rest," he continued. He
smiled a bit more. "And don't worry. It's not in my blood to...harm a
lady."
Terra was somehow bemused by that, and suddenly the spell was
broken. She stepped back with a smile and shake of her head. "What's
with you, anyway?"
He winked. "Nothing at all. In fact..." with a gesture, he
cleared the guards and Chancellor out of the room, "...would you like a
tour of my castle?"
She blinked. "Umm...certainly," she replied. Then, catching
herself, she quickly added, "Your majesty."
But Edgar laughed. "No need to be so formal. 'Edgar' will do."
He proffered his arm. Terra, a bit taken aback, slipped her arm in his
timidly, and he led her around almost like a father.
It was a strange tour. The king whisked her from room to room so
that she barely had time to look around. She did see, however, that each
chamber was sparsely though richly furnished. Plush carpets, portraits
painted by masters, exquisitely carved decor.
What was strange, though, was the lack of guards. She could have
sworn she passed several before their audience with the king. Now, they
were nowhere to be found. Also, she could barely make out eerie moaning
noises that brushed by on the wind. The desolate ambiance this created
made her spine shiver.
"So, what do you do here?" Terra asked.
The king smiled. "Simple. We manufacture delicate machinery
here. Very delicate. Among other things, I'm the head designer...and one
of the main testers." He said this with such a silly grin that she
wondered what he was up to.
"What kind of machinery?"
"You'll see."
Terra was beginning to hate that phrase, especially uttered by
Edgar. Why couldn't anyone just *tell* her things? She had the feeling
she wasn't going to like what she was about to find out.
They went into the basement where the criminals' cells were. Two
guards patrolled the basement. Four cells were occupied, with each
prisoner shouting obscenities and threats at the king.
"You'll never get away with this, damn you! Uuuuggghh..."
"This can't continue! You'll wear everyone out before you know
it!"
"You got other people for your sick fantasies!"
"What's going on with them?" Terra asked.
"These criminals have been terrorizing Figaro. You'd best stay
away from them!" one guard warned.
Terra looked at each criminal, somewhat fascinated. While she was
staring, Edgar guided her to a corner of the room and pulled aside a
curtain to reveal a hidden door. As he was unlocking the door, the
prisoners suddenly burst out in a jeering cacophony that made no
sense.
"Frosh mate..."
"Fresh mite..."
"Flesh meet..."
Edgar opened the door and pulled her through. Just before the
door slammed shut, Terra realized what they had been saying:
"Fresh meat."