They walked until they could see the trees. In Glenn's deep and sharp eyes, there was an expression of eagerness, excitement and expectation, as well as a hint of sadness. Before he was born, his parents already lived here. He found his home without hesitation.
The low and sparse fences are covered with white, pink, and red flowers, exuding fragrance. There is a lush tree in the corner of the yard, spreading a shade of green.
This is the most ordinary small courtyard in the royal city, without too many neighbors. It was quiet all around.
Glenn helped the woman off the horse. Opening the fence gate, something sparkled in his eyes.
Trinville also jumped off his horse, but did not go into the courtyard with them, and tied the horse directly outside the door. He smiled and said: "I'm going to tell Aunt Lei Sirui quickly. I hope she won't be too excited and faint on the ground when she hears the good news. But I can't guarantee that such a thing won't happen. I Go quickly—well, just stand there and don't move! My friend, you will not deprive me of the opportunity to make myself happier by giving happiness to others. I will be back soon."
With that said, the burly man flew away like a bee that had just collected honey from the flower petals in the yard and couldn't wait to tell his companions. Before leaving, he took another look at the woman wrapped in a green cloak. She was as quiet as a holy tree standing in the courtyard. Glenn watched his figure disappear around the corner.
He turned back and said to the woman gently: "Miss Alsia, this is my home. I have been away from this home for many years, but my heart seems to have never left. Although it is simple, it is peaceful and clean. . Please treat this as your own home. I hope you will like it here, and my mother will also like you."
It turned out that even when there were only two of us, the young girl remained silent. But she pulled back the hood that had been covering her face. Her eyes, which were purer than the first dewdrop in the morning, were beautiful and serene. She opened her lips as delicate as roses and expressed her gratitude with the most considerate smile. and joy. He also smiled and said: "Alsia, I promise, you will also like Apodoli and King Barbukeli."
Althea smiled and nodded.
When I opened the door, the room was very quiet. In Glenn's memory, his home is still the same as before. The only thing that has changed is that his dear father has left him forever. He was silent, with tears in his eyes, looking at the pipe hanging on the wall and the clothes his father once wore. He knelt on one knee, put his hand on his forehead and mourned silently. Althea also lowered her head behind him.
After a long time, neither of them moved. Glenn grieved in memory of his father. Although many years had passed, for him, since he could not see his father for the last time, what difference did seventeen years make to just one day? This will be an eternal regret in his life. Miss Althea has been hesitating whether she should comfort him.
In the end, she chose to stay with him and stay silent. They just remembered their lost relatives in their hearts, with sadness lingering in their hearts, and they could not extricate themselves from the grief and memories for a long time.
There were hurried footsteps outside, but they were by no means the heavy footsteps of Trinville that could make the earth tremble.
Glenn jumped up and rushed out of the house. He saw his mother through the fence. He rushed forward quickly and just had time to hug his mother who was about to fall.
Mrs. Les Rui hugged her son tightly and cried with happiness. She seemed to have cried before, and now she was just crying again. Glenn felt happy and sad in his heart, and he couldn't help but shed tears.
"Mother."
She touched his face and looked at it carefully. She seemed to be crying, but also seemed to be laughing: "My son, it's really you who is back! I can't believe it. I heard them say, my little Gray En is back again, and I fainted with happiness. But I still can't believe it. Is it really you? My son? "
Glenn knelt on the ground and hugged his mother: "Yes, mother, your son is back. I'm sorry, I'm back, and I will never let my mother be sad for me again."
Mrs. Lei Sirui pulled up Glenn, held him tightly in her arms, and cried loudly. As if she was afraid that if she let him go, her son would leave her again. What a long seventeen years. There are many wrinkles on my mother's forehead. How much of her once black hair turned white because she missed her little Glenn. She could say nothing, but kissed her son with tears.
Mother and son hugged each other and cried. It took a long time for Mrs. Lei Sirui to finally stop crying. She wiped the tears from her face and caressed Gray's cheek. Only then did she see a young woman standing behind her son. No one ever told her about this. She quickly let go of Glenn and wiped her tears, looking at her son and the girl he brought back.
At this time, Althea also quickly came up to salute. Mrs. Lei Sirui quickly helped her up. Her eyes turned to Glenn again. He said to his mother: "Mother, please call her Miss Alsia. She followed me all the way to Babkole. Here, she has no relatives. I think our home may be able to support her." I’ll stay here for the time being, and I hope my mother can agree.”
Mrs. Lei Sirui looked at this young woman with a beautiful and elegant face and fell in love with her immediately. She held Alsia's hand and kept saying: "Okay, okay. If Miss Alsia is willing, of course she can live here, as long as she wants."
Althea wanted to salute again, but was stopped by Mrs. Lei Sirui, but Althea insisted on finishing the salute before standing up straight. She also looked at Glenn. He added: "Mother, please forgive me. Miss Alsia can't speak, but she was very happy when she heard that you just agreed to take her in, so she asked you to accept her most sincere gratitude."
What a smart and kind woman Althea is. She knew that mother and son would have a lot to say when they reunited after a long separation. Maybe at this time, leaving this small room temporarily is what she should do. She told him with her eyes that she wanted to take a walk in the little yard.
Glenn understood her kindness, and he said: "You don't have to be formal here, you can go wherever you want. If you just want to stay in the courtyard, just look at those beautiful flowers. That tree, too My father cultivated it the year I was born.”
Looking at Althea's beautiful figure, she is such a lovely lady, but she cannot speak. Just like the nightingale under the bright moonlight, it cannot sing loudly. It can only spread its wings and fly, lingering on the indescribable love in its heart for a long time.
Mrs. Lei Sirui didn't say anything, but she felt sorry for Althea in her heart. She didn't know what happened to this beautiful and dignified young woman, which also aroused her love for Althea. Over the past seventeen years, my longing and concern for my son burst out at this moment. Grain and all those around him will receive her selfless love. She didn't know who this silent noble lady was, and just wanted her to be in her own home, giving her peace and quiet.
Mother and son seem to have so much to say. How many days and nights will it take to finish saying all these years! However, Mrs. Lei Sirui kept crying happily and had no time to say many words. But something suddenly occurred to him: "Mother, didn't Trinville come back with you?"
Mrs. Lei Sirui clapped her hands: "Trinville? I just received a message from the guard. I didn't know it was the good news that Trinnville brought me. I just wanted to come back as soon as possible. I took a shortcut through the back door of the palace garden. The person who gave me the message didn't tell me that he was waiting for me. I haven't seen him yet today."
Glenn couldn't help but smile and said: "Maybe he is still waiting stupidly at the gate of the palace. He was so excited to bring you the news of my return first, but he didn't see you. When he comes back, I I think he will be very disappointed."
Speaking of Trinville, Mrs. Les Rui wiped away the tears on her face and smiled: "Trinville is a good boy. After you left, he often came to see you. We told him that you might not be able to see you for a long time. Go home. But, he still comes. Every time he says the same thing, saying that he believes you have come back. Later, not only other people, but also your father and I thought so in our hearts. Only Trinville, I still believe that you will come back as before. His confidence and kindness have become the hope that supports me. Now, you are really back. I am holding your hand now. I can kiss your forehead. Although your father cannot see this day, you know how much he loves you."
"I'm sorry, mother. I love you and my father so much. However, I couldn't stay by his bedside before he died. I won't forgive myself, because I can't find anyone who can make me feel relieved. A reason to feel guilty. I will regret this for the rest of my life.”
Mrs. Lei Sirui kissed his face: "Dear child, we are a family. No matter how far apart we are, our hearts are together. Now that you are back, he will no longer have worries and can rest in peace." . Believe me, Glenn, your father has never complained about you, never. He will be happy if our mother and son can be together again. Don’t be sad anymore, my son. Could it be that in the past seventeen years, our relatives have Don’t we suffer enough from the separation of flesh and blood? We should laugh.”
The mother and son spoke in low voices, expressing the pain of separation and longing, and the joy of meeting each other. Mrs. Lei Sirui was still reluctant to let go of her hands hugging her son, but suddenly she seemed to remember something. "Dear Grain, my son. We have spent our time shedding tears and have been delayed for too long. I think you should go to see our benefactors, the King and the Queen."
"Yes, mother, I will go. I am ready to see the king and queen, but not today. I just want to be with you now." Of course Glenn knew that his mother was right, but now he only I want to be with my mother.
Mrs. Lei Sirui wiped away her tears and smiled instead: "After you left, without the care and comfort of Queen Elenoa, I really don't know if I would be alive today. Besides, the queen has taken care of you and trained you. In addition to Your mother, what other woman would care about you so much? Now that you are back, if the queen has received the news but you have not gone to see her, she will be so disappointed. Aren't you no longer leaving? No? We will always be together in the future, and there will be many happy days. I don’t want Queen Elenoa to feel that her love for you has been forgotten in your heart like the seventeen years that have passed. "
Glenn promised his mother that he would never leave her again, at least not yet. But he was still hesitant to follow his mother's orders and go see the king and queen now?
He really couldn't bear to leave his mother. Although in the past years, he has always been so far away from his mother. However, he could no longer hesitate.
The king's herald had come to Grayn and conveyed to him the invitation of King Savior Orzin. It is indeed an invitation, not an order. for the king's herald was really very kind. Glenn was surprised that the king was so well-informed. He had just walked into his own house. In addition, his mother has been asking him to meet the king first. So he stopped insisting.
He asked his mother to take good care of Althea, and he went to the center of the kingdom under the leadership of the herald. The herald also informed the king of the etiquette on the way. Glenn nodded frequently.
He felt that even if he had received the same training at a young age, it was still necessary to listen to the herald's instructions. The king and queen, like Mr. Astral, are the people he respects and loves the most.
The king's palace is located at the highest point in the royal city of Babklei, second only to the temple. It is built against the mountain and is majestic. Apodoli's ancestors originally chose this place to establish the capital of the kingdom, and construction has not stopped for hundreds of years. Even now, because the country is strong and the people are wealthy, various facilities are still being built in the palace, and all of them use the blue stones chosen by the ancestors. From any corner of Babuklei City, no matter how far away, as long as people raise their heads, they can catch a glimpse of the grandeur of the palace.
In front of the palace is an upward steep slope, which is the only road leading to the main entrance of the palace. The original builders cleverly built the steep slope into a passage with hundreds of steps. The passage was named "Arni" steps, he was the first builder of the royal city of Babklei. On the left side of the steps is a straight cliff as sharp as an axe, and on the other end is a deep canyon.
During the earliest construction period of the palace, there were wars and wars everywhere on the mainland. The first thing to consider was to defend against the invasion of foreign enemies. It is precisely because of the majesty and grandeur of the palace as a symbol of the country, and also because of safety and security, that it chose a terrain that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Anyone who comes to the steps can only dismount and walk up the steps.
This is not because the steps are not straight and wide enough. In fact, this is not a problem. Apodoli's treasury has abundant gold coins, and there are inexhaustible bluestones and skilled masons for building steps.
All this stems from the kingdom's tradition and respect for the city's original founders.
There were only two guards standing guard in front of the palace gate. Anyone who sets foot on the steps of the Arni is always under the watchful eye of guards.
An oak tree that grew there before the palace was built has witnessed the distant past that has happened for hundreds of years, and quietly watched everything in the future with a cold eye.
Peace has lasted for hundreds of years, and things have changed. But those admirable long traditions have not been completely forgotten.
Although the kingdom's army is still recruiting troops, the sentry is still two people and a lonely tree.
The gate is usually open during the day, and the tall lintel is engraved with the coat of arms of the king's family: a shield surrounded by three acacias! It is also a sacred symbol in the hearts of Apodoli's subjects. A large flag fluttering in the wind on a tall flagpole is also embroidered with the same pattern. Green saw the badge—he had seen it often as a child, solemn and shining with pride.
The palace is very quiet, unlike the hustle and bustle of the city it protects. Perhaps this was not intentional. Everyone who walks into this building where nobility and power coexist will be shocked by its aura and look up to it with sincerity.
Entering the front hall of the palace, you will be dazzled by the splendor and splendor. As a child, Grayne could walk around freely in the huge palace. However, the large conference hall, study room and other places where the king conducts official business have never been allowed to enter. Moreover, no matter how bold he was, he never tried to break this taboo. He looked around the hall, trying his best to find fragments from the distant and fuzzy memories that matched what he saw before him. He stood there quietly, thinking for a while, and couldn't calm down.
There are several exquisite and tall statues of gods placed around the front hall. They are solemn and solemn, as solemn and respectable as they are in heaven. The spacious hall is enough to accommodate a thousand knights arranging their troops here! As Glenn walked in the hall, the guards standing on both sides of the passage leading to the stairs stared intently, as if they were more like statues than those statues.
All he could hear was his own footsteps. The footsteps seemed so loud and empty. No one seemed to have thought about whether they would disturb the statues. Anyway, this hall was built hundreds of years ago, and those stone statues must have almost as long a history. The footsteps that have been equally loud or even louder for hundreds of years have never stopped, and the statues have never tried to leave. Not now either.
People who see the statues will think that maybe they can feel the respect and love of the worshipers, and therefore they are quite satisfied with their situation.
The herald asked him to wait at the foot of the stairs, and he wanted to report to His Majesty the King first. Glenn stood there, his straight waist not even inferior to those statues. The herald did not come back for a long time, and he did not move at all, still maintaining an upright posture that made people feel proud from the bottom of their hearts. Since he stands in the center of the staircase, everyone who enters the hall will undoubtedly see him at first sight and be attracted to him.
There were unusually loud and powerful footsteps in the hall, because more people came in. Without turning his head to look, he immediately guessed who it was.
Let me ask, who can stride so brazenly through the solemn hall? The sound of footsteps showed that he was still very young, so who could have so many followers by his side?
He turned and got out of the way. When the visitor came to him, he nodded slightly to show respect. The young man who was surrounded stopped his hurried steps and stood in front of him and looked directly into his eyes. To his surprise, the person opposite did not lower his head, nor did he show any timidity.
He heard the man greeting him: "Your Majesty Mars, I thought I had made way for you."
Prince Mars has a slender figure, black hair and bright black eyes, showing the noblest bloodline in the kingdom. The sword on his waist also represents his identity. It was passed down from generation to generation in the kingdom, and only the heirs to the royal power had the right to wear it. In Glenn's memory, he still vaguely remembers this pale, handsome and slightly melancholy face. Although Prince Mars was just a child like him at that time.
Prince Mars is not curious about everyone who stands next to him. It was only in his opinion that this person who did not bend down to salute him was too rude, which made him stop. He might not care about it when he was in a good mood, but today he was not in a good mood at all.
But this man in oriental clothes called out his name and noble title without being introduced, which meant that he knew himself.
But he doesn't know him!
He put away his sharp gaze until he was convinced that he really didn't recognize the person in front of him. He asked rudely: "Is this how you show respect to your prince in your country?"
Glenn nodded slightly: "I originally thought that what a prince should value more is the responsibility he shoulders and the contribution he can make to his country and his subjects. If you just want everyone who sees you to I will bow down before you, and I will do as you wish.”
Prince Mars was almost angered by him. But he didn't plan to pursue the guy who offended him. If he wanted someone who was rude to him to be punished, no doubt he could easily do so. But in that case, how will others view him?
Besides, he had more important things to do. He sneered and turned away with his followers.
Glenn looked at his back and remembered the days when he and Prince Mars played and laughed in the halls and gardens of the palace when they were children. He remembered that Prince Mars was the same age as him, but he was a little older. Although Prince Mars was naughty as a child, he would occasionally show a condescending expression.
However, in such a huge palace, there are no more choices so that they can have more friends.
Later, he learned that Queen Elenoa was very fond of him who was about the same age as the prince, so she asked his mother to often take him to the palace to play with the prince. Sometimes they get along very well. Sometimes they fight and quarrel over trivial matters. Although his parents always reminded him to be patient and obedient to Prince Mars, he always responded tit-for-tat and refused to please the prince with a low eyebrow. Therefore, it is inevitable that a quarrel will turn into a battle between children.
His sincere love for Queen Eleanoa has taken root in his heart since he was a child, and nothing can shake his feelings for the queen. He could still remember that whenever he got into trouble, his parents were afraid to plead for him in front of the queen. The kind-hearted Queen Elenoa upholds the most just heart and punishes whoever is at fault without showing any favoritism.
He and Prince Mars would still have new conflicts from time to time, and they would still fight fiercely in the dirt or on the grass in the garden, making his parents worried all day long. However, although Prince Mars is naughty and makes a fuss around the queen, he also has the same beautiful character as his mother. He always realizes his mistakes in time and sincerely apologizes to Glenn. No matter how fierce their fight was, after a while, he would smile and forget about the unpleasantness that had just happened, never holding a grudge.
For some reason, he has always liked Prince Mars. Their friendship lasted until he left Apodoli. All these memories flowed warmly in his heart.
He suddenly wanted to laugh. Fortunately, he still thinks about Prince Mars' naughty childhood, so why not himself!
At this time the herald came to him, and His Majesty the King was in his private study looking forward to meeting him. He put away his thoughts and calmed himself down.
