With that said, the dwarf hopped off the tall stool and followed the busty woman into a back room, leaving the two of them sitting there alone.
“Are they going to…?” Kya began.
“Yeah,” Karria replied. “Let’s try not to think about it too much.”
“Why don’t we just get something to eat like he suggested,” Kya said, her cheeks coloring. “I have a feeling that we may be waiting here for a while.”
Karria didn’t need any further urging. The last thing she needed to be thinking about right now was Akkard and the bar lady. Besides, Randall probably knew just as much about the competition as anyone if he lived here, and she had a feeling that she could charm him into telling two lovely young ladies all about it.
5
“This is too much,” Arbor said, looking around at his personal living space — or, at least what fraction of it he could see from where he was standing.
“Are you joking?” Grak asked as she strode into Arbor’s living area, slowly turning in a circle as she stared around with her jaw nearly touching the ground. “This place is amazing! I’m living here!”
“Me too!” Hord boomed, pushing past him and making a beeline for the hallway.
Arbor looked at Frunk, who was watching the two of them with clear disapproval.
“Not gonna stake your claim to a room?” Arbor asked, half-jokingly.
“That would be wildly inappropriate, sir,” Frunk said, pushing up the rim of his spectacles. “I am the commander of your military, not your blood relative. As such, I will be more than happy with accommodations in the barracks.”
“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen,” Arbor said. “If you don’t want to live in my personal wing, that’s understandable, but you and your brothers will each be getting a room on the third floor, and that’s an order,” Arbor put in before the gremlin could argue with him.
“Very well, sir,” Frunk said, giving him a smart salute. “I believe Sebastian will be up soon to begin directing the servants on where to place your belongings, as well as to help you choose your personal staff.”
“Won’t Sebastian be enough?” Arbor asked.
“I believe he will be in charge of the entire household, and while he will undoubtedly be at your beck and call, I would recommend you accept the chosen servants.”
“I understand,” Arbor said with a nod. “Thanks for explaining.”
“I am always happy to help,” Frunk replied. “Now, if I may be excused. Grab will need some help in coordinating temporary camps until the barracks can be raised.”
“You can go,” Arbor said, giving the gremlin a genuine smile. “And I hope you know that you can come up here any time you wish. No need for formalities unless we’re in front of the troops.”
Frunk returned the smile, though it was still professional and courteous as always. He bowed at the waist, then turned and headed out the door, closing it gently behind him, leaving Arbor alone to explore the massive living space. Grak and Hord were somewhere inside, and he was sure he’d find them eventually – probably – but for now, he was content to do a walkthrough on his own.
He looked down at the map Frunk had been kind enough to provide for him, noting his location, and began to walk. Right now, he was in the entryway, an ornate area lined with black and white tiles along the walls and floor, and a ceiling made of solid sheets of whitewashed wood. The wood was so smooth that it appeared as if it didn’t have a single seam, and not a single grain showed through, leaving a flat, white surface to stretch endlessly outward.
There was an area to place shoes, should one wish to remove them, and several chairs on which guests could sit while doing so. When they left the entryway, the ceiling suddenly soared to three times the height, leveling off some twenty-five feet up and making the already massive area feel even larger.
The black and white tile continued, stretching out into a greeting area, which was littered with several fireplaces built into the walls. The room was furnished with dark blue and gray sofas and armchairs, and there were a few plush rugs of the same color. From what Arbor could see on the map, the staircase that led here came up into the center of his living area. Walking down a short corridor, he was greeted with a literal wall of windows and two more corridors stretching to either side.
The map indicated that all of the bedrooms were to his right. To his left, was the kitchen, living area, lounge, dining room, swimming pools, and large baths. Arbor immediately headed right, wishing to explore his new bedroom first, as it was where he’d be laying his head each night. Well, he’d be sleeping there tonight. After that, he’d be back to sleeping in the coach for the next week and a half, not that he really minded.
Arbor strode down the hall, his boots clicking against the marble and echoing off the walls. Despite the massive scale of the place, Arbor couldn’t help but admit that it was nice, if not a bit empty feeling. He passed several closed doors, and then two opened ones. When he peeked into the first, he saw Hord, dashing about the massive room and unpacking various tools and implements.
“I hope you know that you’re not going to be doing any smithing up here,” Arbor said, making sure that his tone was unmistakably firm.
“Right you are, lad,” Hord called, not even bothering to look back.
“Right,” Arbor muttered, continuing down to the second open door.
He knocked before peering in and saw Grak, sprawled out on her back on the massive bed and wriggling back and forth. Unlike Hord, she’d removed her boots by the door so as not to ruin the plush navy carpeting within. She seemed busy, what with letting out small squeals of delight as she wriggled all over her new bed, messing up the sheets and probably making a mess that someone else was going to have to clean up later.
Letting out a long sigh, Arbor headed further down the hall until he came to a single door at the end. Unlike the others, this one was painted a deep navy blue and was trimmed with gold accents. It was clear from the rounded impression in the door that only someone with the correct key would be let in. Luckily for Arbor, he already had said key on his finger.
Pressing his newly minted signed ring to the impression, Arbor watched as a brief flash lit up the doorframe. Then, with a light click, the door swung inward. Arbor had thought he’d already seen everything when he’d walked through the massive manor. He’d seen the huge ballrooms, oversized trophy rooms, and the area dedicated entirely to lounging. Apparently, though, whoever had designed this room had spent far more money on this one area than any other in the entire manor.
Arbor slid his feet out of his boots, placing them into the large box right beside the door, before stepping onto the rich carpet. It was a navy blue that was interwoven with lighter sky-blue patterns that traced across the floor. Before him was a spacious study, complete with no less than five sofas and eight armchairs.
There were two fireplaces that were surrounded with white marble on each wall. Rows upon rows of expensive-looking tomes lined the walls. Though the room was very large, it still felt quite homey, making Arbor feel just a little better about having to live here. Five doors were built into the walls, each blending beautifully with the bookshelves and not looking at all out of place.