Welcome to Gaia! ::

Elia laughed. "That sounds like him. And you're right, Kiara, you shouldn't blame yourself. You know he does that quite often."

Kiara just grinned. "I don't mind. It's true. I know when I'm not here, he's never late. His father told me so."

Elia laughed and lowered her parasol and closed it up. "Well, I can't argue with that." She smiled at the two. "So what are you two up to?"

"I see." Elia smiled softly. "Well, far be it from me to stop you from exploring. Valar know there's enough to explore here. Between the maze that is our home and the labyrinth of tunnels belowground ..." She laughed. "It could take you a while to see everything."

"Even I have yet to see quite a bit of it," Kiara grinned. "I have to admit, Egleriad and I tend to frequent the same places again and again."

Elia laughed again. "Just wait. Another month and you'll be doing all the exploring you want when Egleriad returns to his duties. After all, once you're married, this will be your home as well."

Elia took a moment to think about it. "Well ... I suppose so. Not quite in the same way, but similar. Those ones are meant to get lost in, and at the same time they have a historic value. Ours ... how shall I put it? They are not nearly so lovely. You really feel as if you're underground down there."

"That will be a new experience," Kiara noted.

"Where is the entranceway?" Kiara asked Elia, not realizing that she was thinking along the same lines as Miyuki. "I haven't come across anything that looked like tunnels ..."

"It's behind a tapestry on the first floor," Elia explained. "Near the armoury."

"Which one?"

"The flight of the griffin."

Kiara grinned mischievously. "Sounds fun. I always wondered what the castle had by way of hidden passages."

Elia couldn't help but laugh at that. "Well, here's your chance to find the largest of them."

"So do I," Kiara agreed, not even trying to hide her curiosity.

Elia giggled. "Would you like a guide, or shall I return to my book?" she asked them, her eyes sparkling brightly.

Kiara grinned down at Miyuki. "What do you think?"" she asked her.

Elia climbed to her feet and brushed off the back of her dress. She wasn't at all put out by the request.

"It's been a while since I've been down there," she murmured. "I used to spend so much time down there ..."

Kiara laughed. "There you go, then. There's a good excuse for you to take us."

"Yes, yes," Elia giggled. "Now come. We might as well get started."

She motioned for the other girls to follow her and started back into the maze of hedges that was the courtyard.

Elia led the girls into the castle and down a series of corridors until they reached an area that was warmer than the rest of the castle.

"Are we nearing the smithy?" asked Kiara, who had not been to this area of the castle before.

Elia nodded. "The armory is just past the smithy, and the tapestry is just past that. We'll be there shortly."