It was an honor to be invited to the celebratory banquet the king and queen hosted! I went back in time to this event without changing anything just to find out if they or the guest of honor would be accepting interviews, and they were! The Academy for Time Travel also gave me the clearance to host this.
Their staff is displeased this timeline was created and shaped by a rogue time traveler, but gave me the clearance to interview because this event is part of a major turning point, for better or for worse.
This event had great food, excitement, intrigue and a bit of danger!
"I'm here on official business." Paige said. She was dressed in uniform and presented an official Academy for Time Travel ID badge. It had a photo of her in a black short-sleeved uniform jacket with white cuffs and a large white lapel. Each of them were trimmed with three black horizontal stripes and with gold buttons. Her jacket was buttoned up in the photo, but when it was unbuttoned, a matching vest would be visible. A sleeveless white dress shirt with a striped collar held a teal tie that was adorned with a large circular gold pin with a butterfly insignia on it; one of the enduring pieces of the Academy for Time Travel uniform across all years and ranks! Her jacket had a purple badge with the Academy's logo on it. Another unchanging piece of the uniform.
The middle of her uniform jacket was teal with two sets of gold buttons; one on each side of the opening. The large epaulettes looked like butterfly wings, and short cape with rounded corners accentuated the look. These details in her photo and another insignia on the badge indicated that she was a graduate from training. The guards were dressed in light green suits with white dress shirts, and gold ties. They looked at the badge that Paige presented and nodded at her with approval. Paige put the badge away in her wallet, which she put back in her suitcase as the guards stepped to the side and opened the gate.
Several paces ahead of the opened gate stood a pathway to the palace. Vibrant green shrubbery flanked both sides of a brick path that led to the front door. From a distance, Paige saw several people standing by who were dressed in green outfits. A large front yard gave way to gardens and lush trees further away from the path. The palace was light mauve and gray in a hybrid baroque and rococo style. Its gold and white trims, white gates and bright red roof stood out starkly from the greens and purples of the scenery.
A few days earlier, this is where the fate of the royal family, and the country were decided. The same day on this new timeline and the last two... Today, the palace is a place of celebration, diplomacy and hope for the future!
As Paige approached the palace, she saw that the group that solemnly stood in front of the palace were officers of the Royal Military Police. "Pardon us, honored guest. Our commander will be with us shortly." An officer greeted her. He was Galvani, a man in his mid-thirties who stood about a foot taller than Paige, and had a large pair of scars across the left side of his face. He had purple hair and purple eyes, and he had a stern expression. The differences on his uniform suggested he was one of the highest ranks, perhaps only one or two behind Mildred "The Commander Princess".
Paige nervously stood by but engaged in some idle chatter with the guards who were willing while they waited for Mildred to return. The first guard to greet her seemed familiar. She knew who he was related to, but didn't dare bring that up.
Mildred rushed to the group and stood in formation, front and center. "My apologies for my late entry, our honored guest." She said with humility, and offered for Paige to shake her hand. They briefly shook hands, and The Commander Princess led the other guards and Paige into the palace.
Other guests were dressed in suits and gowns, and curiously glanced at Paige and her uniform before they continued talking with each other.
The interior of the room had deep red walls, tall glistening marble columns, and hardwood floors with elegant swirling patterns made from multiple types of wood. The walls were divided, and alternated between wider and narrower panels; the wider upper panels contrasted with the rest of the walls in a light green color, and deep blue curtains framed the windows. Each of the panels were framed by intricate gold swirling and floral design elements. Paige looked up and saw that the trim along the top of the walls also had elaborate patterns. Marble columns stood to the front and sides of the staircase.
"The banquet isn't ready yet, but we'll lead you to a show." Galvani said.
"Thank you. Thanks to the king and queen for planning so much over just a few days!" Paige cheerfully said, but she wasn't quite done taking in the view of the room.
"Planning these events to entertain guests is one of their greatest strengths." Another guard said. How did these guards feel about the royals other than Mildred? The guards didn't dare to insult any of the royals they acknowledge in front of an honored guest. If they doubt the king and queen are effective rulers, they may be saying it through what they left out.
Paige briefly glanced around the room. "Where did she go?" She asked.
"Our highness? She left for the banquet with the other royals." Galvani explained. The thought of Mildred leaving to be part of a performance was a bit funny to Paige.
I also pondered if Renegade Eminence was also attending. She was invited, but I didn't see her in the lobby. I didn't see any of the other Renegades although they were invited, but I shouldn't be worrying about this too much or I could seem rude, and I'd be wasting this opportunity that the royals and the staff at The Academy granted to me.
This isn't a good time to try to interview any of the guards although I have a lot of questions. The other guests looked like they were curious when they saw me, a time traveler in uniform, but they know I'm here on business. I need to keep up with the pace that they're leading this event, but I wished for a bit more time to take in the interior design. It was meant to impress guests, so let me be impressed!
The guests followed the guards through a few hallways. On every large wall panel between doors was a painting. Ornate rectangular frames with curving and delicate shapes around the edges housed the paintings. Each of them were unique, but there were only a few seconds to take in the sights of each of them.
"You're falling behind." One of the guards told Paige.
"My apologies. I liked that painting." Paige began, but she quickly followed the guard and caught up with the rest of the group.
A pair of wooden doors were open for her with a couple of guards standing in front of them.
"We kept this open for you." They said. Paige nodded and entered the large baroque theater room and sat in an open chair a few rows away from the stage. Soon, the two guards closed the door behind them. The lights to the room were dimmed, but spotlights shone on the stage.
The first performance was a short experimental opera that combined puppetry, machinery and live actors. Their movements gracefully synced with the music, but there was a knocking sound that sounded very out of place. No movements on the stage should've made that sound.
Paige glanced around to see if anyone in the audience was being disruptive but she saw them looking around too. A guard approached the door. The knocking wasn't from the performance!
Galvani was the guard who opened the door, and he looked in disbelief. Another guard escorted a lone visitor into the room. "She's on the guest list." The guard quietly said. Galvani looked at the guest list on the clipboard he held and confirmed there was one guest that wasn't accounted for. He looked reluctant, but nodded and let the last guest enter the room.
The last guest was a woman who looked to be in her twenties with light purple hair that was tied in a bun with a deep purple ribbon. She wore a long purplish-mauve gown that had layers of off-white skirts peeking from underneath it. The gown she wore over them had light blue frills and trim with white buttons. She looked familiar...
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