Elaclea Electronic

Chapter One: The Palace

(Hi again everybody! Thanks for the awesome reviews so far! The uber awesome three that there are! Whoo! So, um…yeah. This chapter is from Luciola's point of view, as will be most of the fic. That's about it for now! Enjoy the first chapter!)

As a Guilder of only twenty-two years, I had very little experience in the real world. This was why I was so incredibly nervous the day I went to the palace with my older brother, Cicada. Not many people had the opportunity to go there, so you can imagine how I felt, I suppose.

I glanced up at Cicada, who was much more severe than most of the other people I knew. He was not only severe in his personality, but in his appearance as well. He had long, cream colored hair that was always tied back in a black wrap. His eyelids were black, which was typical of most Guilders back then. Unlike most of us, he constantly dressed in black, which signified that he had an important position in the court, although he was actually a member of the Royal Guard.

"What are we coming here for, Cicada?" I asked him. He had not bothered to explain the reason and we were already walking up the huge staircase that led to the main entrance. I felt like my insides were squirming more and more with every step I took.

Cicada sighed, obviously irritated. "I am going on watch. You are going to your new job," he replied frankly.

In those days, we did not question our elders' actions, or their choices that they made for us. So whatever I was to be doing, there was no way I could argue it. Unfortunately, this just made me even more nervous, but I dared not show it in front of Cicada. Although we were brothers, he lived in a much harsher environment than I did. Instead of watching my brother as I had been, I took to staring down at my shoes instead.

Once we made it to the top of the stairs, my mind began creating scenarios of what might happen. I swallowed, trying to make the lump that had formed in my throat go away. Cicada was a few steps ahead of me, so I hastened my pace. He hated it when I lagged behind.

The double doors that had seemed huge from far away were actually so enormous it seemed that they could never be opened by our hands. I stared up at them, trying to take in everything. They were as dark as the midnight sky and the large handles were pure gold. I felt as though if I touched the handles, my soul would be taken away from me. Even now, I can not explain why I felt this way. Still, I knew that once I passed through those doors, my life would change forever. To be honest, I was not sure if I was ready for a change. I did not fancy the idea of having some dull occupation in the palace; I wanted to see the rest of the world.

Cicada shot me a strange look and pushed one of the doors open. Without a word, he entered, expecting me to follow. I hesitated for a second; I was still reluctant to enter. Before any more time went by, I gathered what courage I had and walked into the palace.

"Hurry up, Luciola." Cicada spat as he continued through the entry hall. I had no time to take in what there was to see of it. Something told me I would be seeing it enough later anyway. We hurried on through the entry hall and through two other rooms that were not as vast, but were still just as elegant. I had no idea why anyone would need such large rooms, especially when they were used for practically nothing. Royalty was as foreign to me then as is the Disith culture now.

Finally, Cicada stopped in front of a set of smaller, red doors. He waited for me to stop also before he said anything. "You are about to take up a very important role here, so do not do anything stupid," he told me, as if I was actually considering such a thing.

If I could of, I would have made some kind of sarcastic retort, but I knew better. "I won't," was all I said in reply.

Cicada frowned, which led me to believe that he did not trust what I said. Although he may have wanted to continue the "conversation," he remained silent and opened the doors, revealing the throne room. I followed him in and tried very hard to hide my amazement. Never had I been in a room so grand. The ceiling was incredibly high and all the walls and the floor were polished, white marble. The windows reached from the floor to the ceiling and were so clear it was as though the windows were not there at all. Compared to the other rooms I had already been in, this was like some kind of fantastic dream.

Then my eyes fell upon Delphine, the newly crowned queen of the Guild. I copied Cicada and bowed, lowering my eyes, so I really had not yet gotten a clear look at her. "You may rise," Delphine said. Her voice, to me then, sounded sweet and angelic. We did as she said and I took a good look at her. She stood up and left her red throne. To my surprise, she was tall; much taller than even Cicada. But then I noticed that she wore black shoes that added about six inches to her height. Her hair was pale grey and was swept up into a bun at the back of her neck. She wore a red headdress that was typical of Guilder royalty and a dark grey and black outfit that to this day I find hideous. Despite that, Delphine was a beautiful woman.

Cicada took a few steps forward. "Maestro, this is my brother, Luciola. He will fit your needs perfectly," he said. I felt embarrassed for some reason. It was more than likely because I did not know why I was there.

A charming smile formed on Delphine's purple lips. "How wonderful! Thank you, Cicada, you may leave," she said to him, not once even glancing in my direction.

My brother left without a word. Now I was even more confused than I had been earlier when Cicada told me that I was wanted at the palace for some unknown task. Somehow, I knew that my life was going to be even more different than I had ever imagined.

Delphine turned her attention to me after Cicada left, that smile still plastered on her face. "I suppose you are wondering why you are here, correct?" It was more of a statement than it was a question.

Now, before I go on, you must understand that I knew nothing of Dio's existence at that time. In fact, back then, only about a dozen people did. "Yes, I am." I said.

The queen's sweet smile turned devious. She came closer to me and took my hand, which I thought was strange. It was then that I noticed her fingernails were gold metal. It was my first time seeing anything like that. "I'll show you, then," she told me and led me to a door that was behind her throne.

Once again we hurried through various corridors, all of which I found to be quite useless. All the while, I could not stop guessing about what was happening. My first thought was that I would join the guard, like Cicada did years before. Really I would not have minded such a position, but then there was the fact that I enjoyed Cicada's company about as much as a door knob did.

Delphine slowed her pace as we came to a wide, glass window. Outside, I saw a lush garden full of roses. In fact, there were no other plants out there—just roses, and they covered absolutely everything. While it was beautiful, in a way, it was also strangely eerie.

"Roses are so lovely, aren't they?" she mused as we neared a set of clear glass doors. I began thinking that I had been hired as a gardener, which would have resulted in a total disaster.

I had no choice but to agree, as usual. "They are, Maestro." All the Guilders referred to Delphine in that name normally. Every ruler we had was called that. It had a saying that went along with it…

The Maestro conducts the country.

Later on in life, I came to realize its terrible meaning.

I opened the door and let Delphine enter the garden first, which was exactly what she wanted. Then, I followed her out. The scent of roses hung thick in the air. It was almost too much to handle at first. Delphine, on the other hand, was unaffected. I figured that she spent much of her time there.

A white haired figure was far off in the distance. It made me realize just how immense the garden really was. The stranger noticed us then, and began making his way toward us. I noticed that guards, although there were only two of them, followed him. As far as I knew, there were no other members of the Elaclea family left, so I guessed he was just another noble or something.

Delphine seemed quite pleased about something. Once the white haired boy was only a few feet away, she hurried to embrace him.

He looked as though he would rather be anywhere but there.

"Dio, you have been so good lately," Delphine said after she let go of him, "So I have brought you a new friend!" She turned and motioned at me.

I had never been in such an awkward situation in my entire life.

(end chapter one!!!)