“A what?” Francis said, just as the tram began a slow and measured descent downwards.
“A tournament, your royal highness,” Gustav explained. “A set of games, if you will. To compete for the king’s favour.”
Francis fell into quiet shock, as his companions began talking excitedly.
It felt fitting that he was travelling downhill while receiving this news. No doubt everything else would be downhill from here on out.
* * * *
Whatever Francis had had in mind for what King Omar’s palace might look like paled against the reality of seeing it up close.
The royal tram carried them seamlessly onto the palace grounds by way through an exotic garden with peacocks and peahens congregating around ornamental fountains.
Maddie gasped and pointed. “Look at the peacocks!”
“We are looking,” Archie said. “Are you drawing them, Christian?” he asked in jest.
They were moving a little too fast for poor Christian to keep up with all the sights. He had already begun a hasty pencil sketch of the palace itself and its domed top loomed over the trees in the distance.
“Don’t speak to me,” Christian muttered in annoyance, his pencil flying over the page.
Archie chortled.
Francis glanced from Christian’s page to the palace itself as they approached. He had to tilt his head to see the top of the cream and blue coloured domes without the roof of the tram in his way.
“I’m quite sure there will be ample time to sketch once we stop, Christian,” Francis pointed out. “Nobody wishes for you to injure yourself in this process.”
Christian put his pencil down with a relieved sigh. “Very well, sir. I will finish this later.”
“Isn’t this carriage clever?” Maddie said. “We’ve had wonderful views the entire time, and I’ve barely had to walk anywhere!”
“Yes, why don’t we have this tram at home?” Archie piped up.
“Good question,” Francis murmured, mostly to himself.
Granny would be curious about how it all worked. This was what she’d wanted: solar power. Francis saw no clue as to how that power made the tram move, only that its carriages ran on a metallic rail somewhat like a train, but no engine and no driver. One of the guards in the second carriage operated some levers, probably the brakes.
They came smoothly to a stop outside the palace steps, where a long burgundy patterned carpet had been laid out in welcome, and several attendants bearing plates of food awaited their arrival.
The female attendants all wore flowing robes in a varietyof colours, some with headscarves, some without. On their feet were delicate silk slippers with curled up toes, some encrusted with jewels, some embroidered with gold.
The male attendants wore wide legged trousers nipped in at the waist and ankles, and embroidered waistcoats, some with sleeves underneath and some without to show off their biceps, which drew Francis’s eye immediately.
The men all wore some form of hat on their heads, from small round hats to more turban styles, some with scarves attached.
Francis and his party exited the tram, stepping onto the soft carpet. They were in the shade of several tall trees here. Francis had no idea what type of trees they were, but they provided shade from the sun, so he was able to take a moment and see what refreshments were on offer.
At least four plates of dates, from what he could see, each presented differently. Dates dipped in chocolate. Dates on skewers with little cubes of a powdery pink substance Francis had no clue of. Dates dipped in honey. The choices went on and on.
“Oh, don’t mind if I do,” Archie said, swiping up a handful of dates and smirking at the female attendant. “Hello. Archie Von Dassel. Charmed.”
The woman smiled back at him, even as Maddie scolded Archie.
“May I remind you, Archibald, that you are married,” she hissed.
Archie rolled his eye. “When did you get so boring, Maddie?”
Ignoring them, Francis made his way down the carpet and the lines of attendants, taking a tiny glass cup of what he hoped was tea.
