The Ellesmere siblings, Rosemary, Nicolas, Victoria and Thomas, descend the patio's white, stone steps two by two, arm in arm and stride into the palace gardens. The politicians and their families, who were invited to the garden party, have gathered in small circles, surrounding the royals like planets orbiting around a star. One by one, the Ellesmeres separate and join one of the politicians' circles.
Rosemary files in with a circle gathered around a large, fat, hazel-haired man. The man is so fat that his eyes are no more than tiny, black pins engorged by thick, pink skin. His face reminds Rosemary of the grooved surface of a walnut, only bloated.
"Princess, what an honour to be invited to the Grand Palace!" the fat man bellows. His booming voice startles Rosemary, but she composes herself and smiles.
"The honour is all mine, Minister Jones," she bows her head slightly.
"Yes, yes," he waves the chubby stubs of his fingers, "it is rather disappointing though that a man of my pristine hasn't been offered a drink yet." He purses his lips in a seemingly innocent expression, but the cold, black pins of his eyes reveal his disgust with the royal family.
Jones has never been a supporter of the monarchy, but since all other politicians had been invited, Rosemary couldn't deny him the invitation. However anti-monarchy he may be, he would never turn down the opportunity to eat and drink at the Ellesmeres' expense either. Rosemary was already beginning to regret inviting him.
"No worries, Minister Jones, you will get your drink. Our staff are still pouring them out," Rosemary gestures for the oak tables a few feet away from her. A small army of servants is busy pouring glasses with champagne and orange juice.
"I had expected that they would have been poured out long before our arrival. Especially since we are at the Grand Palace," Jones says quizzically.
"Well, we expected that a man of your pristine would attend, Minister Jones, so we had to stock up on enough food and drink to fulfil such a person. Evidently, it took our staff a while before said stock was stored properly. Consequently, they started pouring drinks later than expected," Rosemary smiles.
A few others in the circle around Minister Jones giggle, but Jones himself purses his lips. Rosemary's answer clearly implied his weight, but he can't demand an apology. Her insult was too concealed and she knows it well enough.
The tension is broken when they hear laughter coming from the circle where Nicolas joined. As if on cue, servants flutter through the crowd with trays of filled glasses. They distribute the drinks like a well-oiled machine, handing one to each guest.
When a servant hands Rosemary a glass of champagne, she whispers in the servant's ear: "Make sure the baron receives a glass of orange juice, even if he protests. Tell him I insist."
The servant nods and scurries off to the tables. Meanwhile, Rosemary nips of her champagne and watches Minister Jones closely. He drains his glass in a single gulp and alerts one of the servants. As soon as his glass is refilled, the remainder of his anger disappears from his pin-like eyes.
Next, the guests are led further into the palace gardens. They are taken to a meadow near a cherry orchard. The cherry trees are blossoming, impregnating the air with a sweet, mesmerizing sent. In the meadow, a massively long, purple wooden dining table with matching purple wooden chairs has been set. The purple wood originates from the Androsian willow, a 492 feet tall tree with purple leaves native to Andros-9.
Since it costs a small fortune to cut down one of these trees, the guests are dumbfounded by the Androsian willow dining table. Still flabbergasted, they seat themselves at the immense table. The Ellesmeres sit at the head, which is broad enough to fit at least four more people.
The chairs that Rosemary and her siblings are sitting on are the same as the guests', but if their parents were there, it would be different. For starters, there would be two crystal thrones: a large one for the King and a smaller one for the Queen. Secondly, Rosemary and Nicolas would have to sit next to their father and Victoria and Thomas next to their mother. The oldest of each pair, Rosemary and Victoria, would sit closest to their parents.
But since their parents aren't present, the royals sit as they please. Victoria sits next to Rosemary, who sits next to Nicolas. On his right, Nicolas is flanked by Thomas.
"Your Majesties, may I compliment you on this exquisite table," Minister Jones says. "If I may be so bold, is it from a real Androsian willow?"
"Of course. Which other tree has purple wood?" Nicolas laughs.
The other guests pick up his laugh and giggle, but Jones stares at the purple dining table. The Ellesmeres' wealth is simply astonishing. As the guests settle in their chairs, servants bring around trays of food and replenish any empty glasses.
The meal passes fluently. The appetizer, main course and dessert are eaten with a relish and the guests praise the Ellesmeres and their kitchen staff. When everyone is fulfilled, even Minister Jones, the mood of the party turns weary. To spice things up again, Rosemary rises from her chair. The guests straighten up and focus their attention on her.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have one final treat. An Androsian garden party wouldn't be complete without a film," she announces. Everyone nods approvingly and starts speculating which film will be shown.
"For those wondering, I chose The Lord of the Rings as our feature film today," Rosemary reveals.
A little while later, the party has moved to the solido-projector theatre. Surrounded by pine trees, this massive building was constructed at the heart of the palace gardens. It consists of an enormous room with seats, balconies and the solido-projector stage. The seats were placed in a semi-circle around the stage, a translucent cube reaching towards the ceiling. The stage's indigo blue tiles are the unique lenses of the solido-projectors.
While the politicians and their families sit on the seats encompassing the stage, the Ellesmere siblings sit in the Royal Box, a gilded balcony clearly visible from below. The royal seats are again made from the Androsian willow. This time, Rosemary sits down next to Thomas, who gets flanked by Victoria. Nicolas sits on Rosemary's other side.
"I'm going to get it now, aren't I?" Thomas asks anxiously.
"Tommy, I asked you to do one thing today: show up on time!" Rosemary whispers so the guests can't hear her.
"I'm sorry. I forgot," he apologises.
"You forgot? You forgot that your big sister ordered you to come on time?"
"I lost track of time, okay? I was just having some fun and I forgot about your garden party."
"Having fun? With who? Where?" she questions him.
"Could you cut out with the third degree? I said I was sorry."
"Sorry? You embarrassed us in front of our guests, in front of powerful politicians! If it turns out that you were partying again, they aren't going to take it lightly."
"Who said I was partying?"
"Tommy, you..."
"Take it easy, Rose," Victoria interrupts. "Leave him alone, okay? He lost track of time and he apologised. Let it go."
Rosemary looks at Thomas with tightly shut lips. She can see the remorse in his eyes, the pain of having upset his sister. She closes her eyes, sighs and opens them again.
"Vicky is right. You apologised and you are clearly very sorry. Let bygones be bygones," Rosemary smiles, "I'm sorry for being angry."
"Aw Rose, don't be! You were right too. I should have come on time, and I really am sorry!" Thomas expresses his remorse.
"It is okay, Tommy," she leans in and hugs him.
As the two break their hug, the lights in the theatre are dimmed and the solido-projectors are initiated. The indigo tiles of the cubical stage light up a bright silver colour and a luminescent, silver wave surges up. The wave flows upwards as if someone were filling the projector cube with mercury.
When the silver wave reaches the cube's ceiling, it disintegrates into small, cascading lights. The film credits appear out of that soft waterfall of light. The 3-D letters fade away as the film starts playing. The guests are greatly amused and enthralled by the solid 3-D figures.
The Ellesmere siblings, big film fans as it befits Androsians, are captivated by the 3-D magic as well. Rosemary in particular follows the film closely. Although she can recite it word for word, The Lord of the Rings retains that special something she can't put her finger on.
When the film reaches the scene where a Nazgul decapitates a hobbit, Rosemary notices something odd. She can hear the hoofs of the Nazgul's horse galloping across the stage tiles. That should be impossible since the solido-projectors also project the scenery and thus the underground. Rosemary should not be hearing hoofs clattering on the metal tiles.
"Something is wrong. Something is terribly wrong," she whispers.
As the Nazgul rider beheads the hobbit, a bone-chilling shriek slashes through the air, followed by the chattering of glass and the death cries of the guests below.