I smiled for I was home again, back in the castle that had once belonged to my ancestors and to many clans of witches and wizards. As we materialized within the confines of the hand hewn slate room, the butterflies in my stomach began to flutter as I took my first steps as a permanent resident within Gaelen Castle. It all seemed so unfamiliar to me when I walked the familiar paths that lead me to the meeting hall and my bedroom. I began to step towards the more familiar path that lead directly to my chambers but Eric grasped my arm and held me back.
"Milady, I bid you welcome to your new home. Let us walk the corridors that you know not exist and travel the castle round," he murmured into my ear and began leading me down the carpeted pathway that I never had used before.
My eyes grew in awe as I gazed upon the hall of my ancestors. Immense portraits lined the walls, each one smiling approvingly down upon me as I crossed their line of vision.
"Do you know where we are?" Eric asked me.
"We're in the portrait room, right?"
Eric nodded. "You'll find this room quite helpful. Each of the past kings and queens in your lineage has their portrait on these walls. If you ever need advice about anything, come here. They'll instruct you. They know the stories of their past and how the court was run when they were ruling. You need not heed all of their advice, for your portrait will be up there as well. You can learn from their stories as well as learning from your own experience."
The hall came to an abrupt close as we reached the far end. To my left, I looked and gasped in wonder. There, standing and smiling before me was the portrait of my parents. My mother was seated in the jeweled throne in a burgundy gown that appeared to be her gown of state. My father was standing just to the right of the throne and waving to me as well. His crimson doublet was trimmed with silver and his black hose matched the slashing in his sleeves.
"Welcome home, Elizabeth," they said to me as I continued to watch their delicate movements on the canvas. "If you ever need us, we'll be right here."
Eric turned to me and signaled for me to follow him out of the portrait room. "Do you like what you see?"
"I-i-it's wonderful," I stammered, my hand gracefully drifting over the stone walls. "Eric, why did you not tell me before about the portrait room?" I asked.
"The lords asked me not to show it to you until you officially took the throne. They think that as a woman, you can't rule the wizarding population. They were sure that if you never got the advice of your ancestors that you would cede the throne to one of them."
"And they actually believed that one of them would get the throne? They're a bunch of selfish ninnies more concerned about their land than the good of the population. I would never give them the throne. This throne was passed to me by blood. And that's how it will continue."
I completed my sentence and stepped into one of the largest rooms that I had seen. The walls were of limestone and the floor was lightly covered in scented rushes. The width was over twice the size of a traditional Jousting course and it appeared as though a battle could be fought within these walls. The ceiling overhead was intricately charmed with a mural of flowing clouds that distinctly reminded me of Hogwarts. Eric caught me observing the sky with memory and interjected, "Your great-great-grandfather charmed the ceiling himself. It looks familiar, doesn't it? I believe that his schooling at Hogwarts had a great deal of influence on the design."
"My great-great-grandfather went to Hogwarts?" I asked, surprising myself at how little I knew of my family's history.
"Your entire family has gone to Hogwarts. Each and every one of them in Salazar Slytherin's house, even from the first year it was founded. Your family was close friends with Slytherin. Twas a great honor for them to study under his watchful eye.
"This room here is the Main Hall. Any feasts, balls, or celebrations you hold will be in this room. There is a book in the library of how to charm it into the outdoor gardens that I know you enjoy so. The main outdoor area is the surrounding border between the castle and the blockade walls that line the moat. This room is typically used as the gardens during spring and summer, but the gardens will be in bloom whenever you say so."
We turned and exited the room we entered, just to come around the corner and find the grand staircase that welcomed us onto the upper floor. The golden gilded handrails and cream marble steps were regal in every sense of the word. At the middle landing of the grandiose staircase, Eric turned us towards the left wing, or housing wing of the castle. I knew that somewhere along these dark hallways, a gilded door opened into the Queens chambers and another opposite lead to the Kings. The many doors were propped open, revealing blank slates of chambers, ready to be decorated when the Courtiers and Ladies in Waiting came to join the court once more. Tapestries woven with tales of knights and trolls, giants and dragons insulated the cold stone walls and the castle was newly cleaned by the house-elves that had served the castle for generation after generation, never being freed by a master, for I was the only one left binding them to the house, and today was my first actual time coming back for an extended period.
Everything felt right.
I spotted the gleaming golden door a few meters away and found myself running toward the singular familiar location in the large castle. Flinging the doors open, I skipped into the central chamber and opened the doors to my privy chamber. All was as I had left my room the last time I had left a few months ago. All was perfect.
I flopped down on the goose-feather bed that had previously only been used for when I would nap during the long meetings that the council would hold. Deeply sighing, I rolled onto my back and whispered, "I'm home."