To my left, in a very different room, I saw several couches surrounding a grand piano. There, navy and gold dominated the decor. This entranceway held all of those colors, plus a crimson red in accents. Very rich taste indeed. Every arch, and every print, screamed money and good taste while trying to cultivate a home-like feel. I was impressed, and overwhelmed but trying not to miss a detail, when an entourage of ten people filed into the large area. Five women and five men came to stand in a semi-circle around us as if it were a rehearsed formation. It was all very formal, and as I surveyed the group I felt sadly underdressed.
The lady who first approached wore a sleeveless gown of sorts. Floor length, the silk and lace along with the cut was too much to just call it a dress. A cream bodice was accented with black lace just up to her breasts, and this also hung to the floor over waves of a black silk skirt. Belted with a black silk ribbon, tied in a bow with long flowing ties, again, I would have called it formal wear, a cocktail dress. She introduced herself as Catherine.
Following her was a man she introduced as Edward. His black, pinstriped suit also was a bit too shiny for mere office-wear. Although I knew it to be morning, I’d have guessed we’d caught them just before going out. The remaining eight were dressed much the same, just maybe a tad younger, hipper styles of what I guessed to be everyday formal wear, if there was such a thing. I told myself that at least they were not in Royal robes, crowns, and tiaras. Though, I’d bet money those things were here somewhere, for holidays maybe.
“Christina, and Lex, we are so happy to have you here. Finally. For a time, we had feared the worst, that we would never meet you, Christina, or see you again, Lex. We wish the circumstances were better. We are having a remembering for Vivian and Riker in a few days,” Catherine said with a cracked sigh, her voice breaking as it withheld a sob.
Her voice had been pleasant, welcoming, but while I believed her happy to see us, you could tell that she was doing her best to hold back her sadness at the loss of family. I wasn’t sure how the family tree went, but you could tell they were a close-knit family, and each and every one of them mourned the loss. Faces who’d tried to be cheery and welcoming were offset by the true sadness that darkened their eyes. I didn’t know what to say.
“I am honored to be here,” I began, taking a lesson from Nira and how she had greeted me, thinking me one of the Royals even though I’d not met them yet. “Vivian and Riker, they made that so. They gave everything for our lives. I’m so sorry for your loss. They were both so kind to me,” I offered.
“They died heroes,” Lex added, still shaking Edward’s hand. The man had held onto Lex like a father would to a son he hadn’t seen in some time, encasing his elbow in his free hand.
Since Catherine had embraced him like a mother, again, letting it linger as she rubbed his back, I figured they treated their pack like family, as well. Introductions went all around. And, while I felt each of them checking me out, as I was them, they were all so friendly, regardless of circumstances being what they were. Not a one of them made me feel awkward or uncomfortable in any way. It went a long way toward my continuing to remain calm in such a place. I did learn that they were each true family, all Royals, though they represented a couple of generations. Apparently, Catherine and Edward didn’t age like normal people.
To be more the grandparents of the crowd, they didn’t look a day over forty. While their skin was tight, wrinkle free, they held an air of knowledge, a wisdom that came of many years that told of age. Their clothes were also more refined, though that could have either been signs that they were the heads of the family or their personal taste. I sure didn’t know. It would be interesting to learn how all of it worked here, the family relations, and the magic and all. I assumed I would know soon enough.
“Not sure if this is the right time to say this or not...” Catherine stepped toward me again, after the round of introductions. “But, I felt your magic when I shook your hand, Christina. Never have we had someone not raised on these grounds have such magic; well, any at all to speak of, really, as I’m sure you’ve been told. Yet, yours, it feels so powerful, almost as strong as my children’s and grandchildren’s. I don’t know how it is possible, outside of that magic called love which holds a bit of mystery for all of us in the way it works. I look forward to seeing what you can do.”