171 She Accompanies Ayva (1/2)

The click of Ayva's shoes and the tamp of Robin's boots echoed down the marbled hallway.

\”Impressive, isn't et?\” Ayva asked as Robin observed the wall-length murals they encountered in passing. \”We dwarves have our ways with stone, and have an inborn intuition fer how ta bring its beauties inta light.\”

\”Indeed. I am genuinely surprised. That you could build such a large structure as this...\” Robin agreed, gazing up at the gilded paintings that were plastered even on the ceilings that were 20 feet high.

\”It's actually a ploy our artesans built ta show off. No matter how tall humans can be, they'll still be dwarfed compared ta these halls. Makes et a bit harder fer others ta look down upon us.\” Ayva laughed.

\”Dwarves with spunk on top of pride, huh. Well, I admit, I am pretty impressed.\” Robin smiled. \”Even we humans ever rarely create wonders like these.\”

\”Rarely? So Ye've seen something similar then?\” Ayva asked, curious.

\”Hmmm...not anything half as impressive around here, but there are a rare few that come to mind back home.\” Robin replied. \”I've only ever visited two of them. But they were sort of on opposite ends of the world, so..\”

\”Ah see! Well, now ye can add this'n to yer memories.\” Ayva chuckled.

\”No need. I'm recording this all down as we go.\” Robin smiled, holding up her phone. She had been taking pictures for a while.

\”Well, I thought you didnae want ta waste tha power source?\” Ayva replied.

\”I didn't. But now I can do this...\” Robin touched the charge port of her phone with her index finger, and the phone brightened a bit as the phone indicated it was charging.

\”Now the only thing I need to worry about is if my phone has enough space to store all these photos...\” Robin chuckled, before moving on to a more serious topic.

\”More importantly, Queen Ayva, I do want to ask you: When was this mural put up?\” Robin asked, stopping before a large portrait of the king in traditional Japanese-style clothing. It was like seeing a very muscular shrunken bearded Hercules dressed up like a yakuza, painted in traditional Rennaissance style.

\”This? Quite recently....Ah think et was about five years ago. Why?\”Ayva asked.

\”No reason, really. I just find it quite lifelike...especially the eyes. They almost seem real.\” Robin smirked pointedly at the portrait's face. The eyes visibly blinked.

\”I've thought so as well upon occasion, but it's just the lighting. Come now, let me show you to the music room.\” Ayva smiled brilliantly as she rounded a corner with Robin. The hallway guards saw her hand motions from behind her fan, and two of them quickly moved to inspect the mural they had just passed.

Three halls away, A dwarf maiden slipped out from behind a tapestry. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead and the back of her neck. She had been trying to get a good look at Robin, but she had instantly been discovered. Even worse, now the hidden passageway would be discovered. And it would be traced back to....the dwarf maiden quickly hurried off to report what happened.

---

\”So, how many countries are you in a diplomatic relationship with?\” Robin asked.

\”Well, o'course there's the humans, an' then the elves. After that, there's the neighboring demon kingdom, and the beastman kingdom on th'other side.\”

\”Beastman?\” Robin asked, curious.

\”Aye.\” Ayva nodded. \”Ye've heard tell about how demonkin have a natural grasp on magic, right? Well the beastmen can be considered of the same line, if'n ye go back far enough. But beastmen only have one kind of magic. To transform between their human form and their animal form. Even now sometimes Ah kinnae tell one from th'other. But don't make the mistake of calling a demon a beastman. They consider it a grave insult.\”

\”Any reason why that is so?\” Robin asked.

\”Because they are unable to use other kinds of magic, the beastmen are looked down on by the demonkin. Just know this: If'n ye see a beastman and a demonkin in tha same room together, odds are they'll end up fighting before an hour is up.\” Ayva sighed.

\”Noted.\” Robin acknowledged. \”But, why didn't I hear anything about this in Ekkinshire?\”

\”That's cuz humans consider them to be demons too, which has caused quite the squabbling, as beastmen think being called a demon is saying you're a vain, disdainful sort of creature.\”