Chapter 4
The tram turned out to be a marvellous invention. Francis had never seen anything like it, and neither had his friends.
A two carriage, open door train, ornately styled in gold and white painted wrought iron, by his guess. The inside compartment was furnished with wooden bench seats across which plump cushions were secured. A luxury train indeed.
Gustav informed them that this was the royal tram.
“Oh, how interesting!” Maddie said, collapsing her parasol. “And there’s a roof, Francis. You’ll be in the shade.”
Francis stepped onto the small platform and inside the carriage.
Archie offered Maddie his hand, and she got on next. Christian followed, swatting Archie’s hand away when he offered it jokingly.
“Does it matter which carriage we’re in?” Archie asked.
“Either is fine,” Gustav replied. “The guards will ride in the second one and operate it.”
Archie elected to get on the first carriage, leaving Gustav to clamber inside the second. The carriages were joined together, and Gustav sat close to the front so he could still speak to them.
“Hold on!” he advised.
Once two of the guards had boarded and called out in Turkish, the tram slowly set off.
It was a gentle ride.
Francis thought Gustav had been exaggerating, but then the tram began to climb uphill, and holding on became more necessary.
Once they broke through the tree canopy, the view of the strait below glittering in the sunshine and the western port laid out before them was truly spectacular.
“Outstanding!” Archie declared. “You can see everything!”
“Everything on one side,” Christian said, sketching furiously.
A gentle breeze blew through the tram, offering a pleasant relief from the heat.
“This is so nice,” Maddie said. “Is it steam powered? I see no engine, nor steam.”
“Solar powered, ma’am!” Gustav called back. “There’s a bank of it on top of this hill.”
“Solar?” Maddie said in disbelief.
“From the sun, dear,” Archie teased.
“Yes, thank you, Archie,” Maddie said. “I know solar means sun. But I wonder how it works?”
“That’s what we’re all wondering,” Christian said.
“Gustav, is this the only tram?” Francis asked.
“This is one of the royal trams, sir,” Gustav replied. “And there are public trams down in the city for both passengers and the transport of goods. All free for anyone to use.”
“How extraordinary,” Francis said. He would’ve liked to discuss this more, but Gustav clearly had other matters on his mind.
“Sir?” he said, looking pained. “There’s something I must tell you…”
“What?” Francis asked, sensing something was amiss. “Don’t tell me we’re late for the party. I knew we should’ve set off a day earlier.”
“Er, it’s not that, sir. It’s…Well…” Gustav trailed off.
“Well, spit it out, man,” Archie commanded.
“Yes, what’s wrong?” Maddie asked.
“Well,” Gustav said, “that is, your royal highness, that’s the thing. I may have…made an error in reporting that it was a party.”
“Error?” Francis repeated.
“What the devil do you mean?” Archie said.
Everyone waited for Gustav to speak, as the tram crested the highest hill.
“It was an unfortunate misunderstanding in translation,” Gustav explained. “It’s not a party, exactly…more of a…”
“Ball?” Maddie guessed.
Gustav shook his head.
“Dinner?” Archie said.
“No, but I think those elements are all incorporated,” Gustav said. “And the main function of this event is…a tournament.”
“A what?” Francis said, just as the tram began a slow and measured descent downwards.
“A tournament, your royal highness,” Gustav explained. “A set of games, if you will. To compete for the king’s favour.”
Francis fell into quiet shock, as his companions began talking excitedly.
It felt fitting that he was travelling downhill while receiving this news. No doubt everything else would be downhill from here on out.
* * * *
Whatever Francis had had in mind for what King Omar’s palace might look like paled against the reality of seeing it up close.
The royal tram carried them seamlessly onto the palace grounds by way through an exotic garden with peacocks and peahens congregating around ornamental fountains.
Maddie gasped and pointed. “Look at the peacocks!”
“We are looking,” Archie said. “Are you drawing them, Christian?” he asked in jest.
They were moving a little too fast for poor Christian to keep up with all the sights. He had already begun a hasty pencil sketch of the palace itself and its domed top loomed over the trees in the distance.
“Don’t speak to me,” Christian muttered in annoyance, his pencil flying over the page.
Archie chortled.
Francis glanced from Christian’s page to the palace itself as they approached. He had to tilt his head to see the top of the cream and blue coloured domes without the roof of the tram in his way.
“I’m quite sure there will be ample time to sketch once we stop, Christian,” Francis pointed out. “Nobody wishes for you to injure yourself in this process.”
Christian put his pencil down with a relieved sigh. “Very well, sir. I will finish this later.”
“Isn’t this carriage clever?” Maddie said. “We’ve had wonderful views the entire time, and I’ve barely had to walk anywhere!”
“Yes, why don’t we have this tram at home?” Archie piped up.
“Good question,” Francis murmured, mostly to himself.
Granny would be curious about how it all worked.
This was what she’d wanted: solar power.
Francis saw no clue as to how that power made the tram move, only that its carriages ran on a metallic rail somewhat like a train, but no engine and no driver.
One of the guards in the second carriage operated some levers, probably the brakes.
They came smoothly to a stop outside the palace steps, where a long burgundy patterned carpet had been laid out in welcome, and several attendants bearing plates of food awaited their arrival.
The female attendants all wore flowing robes in a variety of colours, some with headscarves, some without. On their feet were delicate silk slippers with curled up toes, some encrusted with jewels, some embroidered with gold.
The male attendants wore wide legged trousers nipped in at the waist and ankles, and embroidered waistcoats, some with sleeves underneath and some without to show off their biceps, which drew Francis’s eye immediately.
The men all wore some form of hat on their heads, from small round hats to more turban styles, some with scarves attached.
Francis and his party exited the tram, stepping onto the soft carpet. They were in the shade of several tall trees here. Francis had no idea what type of trees they were, but they provided shade from the sun, so he was able to take a moment and see what refreshments were on offer.
At least four plates of dates, from what he could see, each presented differently. Dates dipped in chocolate. Dates on skewers with little cubes of a powdery pink substance Francis had no clue of. Dates dipped in honey. The choices went on and on.
“Oh, don’t mind if I do,” Archie said, swiping up a handful of dates and smirking at the female attendant. “Hello. Archie Von Dassel. Charmed.”
The woman smiled back at him, even as Maddie scolded Archie.
“May I remind you, Archibald, that you are married,” she hissed.
Archie rolled his eye. “When did you get so boring, Maddie?”
Ignoring them, Francis made his way down the carpet and the lines of attendants, taking a tiny glass cup of what he hoped was tea.
Gustav appeared at his side, also holding a cup of the amber liquid, and a small skewer of dates and pink cubes.
“This is tea,” Gustav said, raising his cup. “They call it chai here. It’s made sweet. I heartily recommend it.”
Francis nodded. “And what are those pink things you’ve got?”
“Oh, these? Turkish Delight, most likely.” Gustav carefully nibbled at the top of his skewer, removing a pink cube with his teeth and chewing it. “Mm. Yes. Turkish Delight,” he said, mouth full. “Rose flavour. Do you want some, sir?”
“Not at present,” Francis replied. He was more concerned about what was expected of him when they got inside the palace. “What were you saying earlier about a tournament?”
Gustav nearly choked on his food, spluttering.
Francis gestured for Archie to come and assist. Archie strode forward, raised his hand and gave Gustav a solid slap on the back so he could cough up his Turkish Delight.
“Did that work?” Archie asked, as Gustav finished coughing and glared at him.
“You almost knocked me flat on the ground,” Gustav complained.
Archie turned to Francis and grinned. “It worked. Now, where are we going?” he asked, marching up the steps.
Francis followed, with Gustav walking alongside him. Behind them, Christian offered Maddie his hand as they ascended the steps.
“You said a tournament?” Francis asked quietly.
“Yes, sir,” Gustav replied. “A friendly tournament, but a tournament nonetheless.”
“Do we know what sort?” Francis asked. He could ride, fence, and play chess, but where Francis really excelled was in reading, and sitting quietly.
Probably a tournament wouldn’t have a reading race, sadly.
“Er, a little of everything, if I understand, sir,” Gustav said.
Francis suppressed a sigh.
That sounded tedious. Still, he was picturing some of the popular Stormburg sports and races. Maybe they did things differently over here.
He could hope.
Inside the palace, out of the sun, the air felt instantly cooler.
The floor of the wide entryway was a pale stone, worn from many years of footfall.
The walls were adorned with blue, white, and green mosaic tiles; a riot of pattern and colour.
Above them, the ceiling was a tall dome, also adorned in colourful tiles leading all the way up to the topmost point.
From the ceiling hung small, decorative lanterns in different shapes, and giving off a surprising amount of light.