Chapter 39
“There be roads up yonder that’ll take us till th’ palace,” Nimmie said, scaling the slope rapidly. Blinkem met Nimmie up top and waited until he could help Alice to the top of the hill.
At the crest, Alice stood at the beginning of a paved road of reddish-pink stone that looked like unpolished marble with a soap coating. She knelt and touched the stone.
“Raw rubies,” Nimmie said. “Th’ palace got this far, an’ then all production was halted. There was some dispute o’er disruptin’ th’ forest.” Alice couldn’t imagine a world where ruby was in such high abundance that it was used as paver stones!
Alice found the road less functional the steeper the incline, as it had become quite slippery. Neat stacks of cut ruby bricks were periodically left on pallets alongside the road, covered in leaves.
Eventually, the small mountain began to level, and at that point, the road was no longer dull.
Instead, it shone with polish, and the stones were hammered, creating divots that reduced the slipperiness of the shiny road.
The whole scene was spectacular—the angled, gleaming rubies reflecting the sun beneath her feet, the forest covered in crisp red and yellow leaves.
How it could be autumn in the north when it was summer in Munchkin Country befuddled Alice.
The shining road finally led to a gate of iron with spears of gold with ruby tips.
The gates had a hammered handle, like a mini barbell with ruby orbs as the weighted ends.
Blinkem was first and attempted to pull the gate open.
He abruptly stopped, as a horsedrawn carriage came clopping down a road that was lined with trees of red with white flowers in bloom.
The road bent from sight at the gate, but Alice knew that the palace that lay beyond would be as spectacular as the ruby road on which she stood.
The carriage was cream, with swirling jeweled branches that framed its sleek body.
Tinkerton and Alice seemed to be the only two from their party who were willing to show their astonishment.
The driver, who was seated on a plush bucket seat, stepped down onto an ornate footstep before his jeweled slipper clicked against the ruby road.
He was dressed for a Parisian ball, complete with deep purple tights below satin knickers and a high-collared, violet jacket.
His hair was tightly curled and clung to his head.
“Welcome to the Ruby Palace,” he said. “Queen Gayelette has anticipated your arrival from Queen Rosemarie and has instructed that you be brought to your quarters, bathed, and prepared for introduction.” Alice, who had been envious of Blinkem’s ability to bathe this morning, was delighted.
Though she did wonder how many queens the land of Oz had.
The Ruby Palace stood atop a mountain overlooking the North.
From the outside, the ruby that it was made of could have been mistaken for an almost purple marble.
Like the unpolished pavers, it was matte with pockets of deep red to light pink.
The architecture was somewhat Gothic, with ornate buttresses and spindled towers, but, on a closer look, the detailing was not symmetrical and may not have been structural.
Rather, it was carved into areas of the gemstone that would best show a column or arch.
The stone had decided where it was to be carved, Alice thought.
The interior was the opposite; it was orderly and symmetrical, with checkered ruby and white marble floors stretching in every direction.
Wings of the palace sprawled from the center atrium with enormous crystal chandeliers, each holding a hanging ruby the size of an apple, cut into different shapes such as roses, hearts, diamonds, and pears.
The value of one single hanging ruby would likely have been worth the king’s fortune in London.
Alice was escorted into a room on the first floor with doors that stood as tall as a London townhome.
The room could very well have been a ballroom, but instead, it was her “dressing quarters.” Six women in deep purple satin gowns, all embellished with lace and bows, stood waiting as she entered the room.
There were tables with jewelry, and strange devices that heated over candle warmers – hair curlers, perhaps, though these had springs and wire combs attached from the looks of it.
“If you would please follow me,” the first maid said as she approached.
Perfectly coiffed and beautiful, she was strikingly like the illustrations of the women with S-curved silhouettes on advertisements for London formalwear.
She led Alice around a wall of folding screens to a porcelain tub with iron-clawed feet perched on a pedestal of polished ruby.
Steam rose from the tub. Alice could feel the warmth all over her body before even stepping into it.
She briefly thought of the cold-water tub with its black water, but this water was clear, with a tint of purple; she shook off the thoughts of hydrotherapy as lavender filled her senses and the attendant helped her slip from her cold, damp clothes.
As she sank into the hot floral-scented water, the attendant placed a small bell beside her.
“One ring if you need anything, two rings when you are ready to be dressed,” the attendant said.
From a bowl on the bell table, she scooped a handful of blossoms in a silver scoop and scattered them gently across the water that met Alice’s neck.
“Thank you ever so much for all of this.”
“It is our pleasure,” the attendant said and glided from the platform, disappearing behind the screen.
“The Queen waits for you in her chamber,” the handmaiden said, standing before the enormous doors. Alice was relieved to be done with the tedious primping and prodding from the flock of women who had dressed her following her bath.
“But first,” the maiden finishing off adjusting Alice’s gown said, “let us see.” She led Alice from behind the dressing screen and presented her to an easel mirror.
The gown was extraordinary. The neckline was a unique regal combination of square-cut at the front, but gently curved upwards at the back, accentuating, not awkwardly, but elegantly, Alice’s long torso.
Ruby gemstones, thoughtfully placed amidst the embroidery, sparkled as she swayed her body.
The light then shimmered at her sleeves, which were gently puffed, rising above her shoulders and held there by delicate lilac bows, which were carefully hand-stitched and secured with lilac silk-covered buttons.
Tiny ruby-colored gems were sprinkled across the bows like dewdrops.
Alice should have felt rather silly in the yards of lilac tulle and silk organza, but she felt only awe.
“What do you think?” the maiden asked, with a warm, proud smile.
Alice smiled in return and took one last look at herself.
Somehow, she didn’t quite recognize herself, in the shimmering dust painted over her eyelids and cheeks.
Her hair, however! She would not complain, but it hung in tight manufactured tendrils that bounced as she moved her head, reminding her of the horrid porcelain dolls Emily had kept in rows atop her armoire.
“It is the most beautiful gown I have ever seen,” Alice said, for she did not want to be rude about the hair, and with a pang she thought again of Wendy, and wondered where she could be.
Through an elaborate maze of corridors lit by flickering candles above crystal prisms, Alice followed the handmaiden. She did not ask any questions, for what could she ask? She was a guest and would do as she was told, gladly.
“One moment,” the beautiful girl said, slipping behind the last door in the wing of the house. After a moment, the girl opened the doors and motioned Alice to stand in the middle of the room.
The room, like all the others, boasted a cathedral-style ceiling dripping with crystal and ruby tiered chandeliers.
Its walls were covered in lush tapestries and paintings, with sconces that flickered between every window of the circular room.
Ancient books on scrolling stands were left open beside tables of herbs, bundles of feathers, and decanters of unknown liquids, and open on a gold display was a deep burgundy book with the glowing oculus.
A witch’s libre. The room was a laboratory of some sort, and at the center, upon a window seat the size of a small carriage, sat the Ruby Queen, Queen Gayelette.
She perched with her satin gloved hands clasped atop her deep purple embroidered gown.
Over the gown, she wore a ruby-red satin jacket with a collar that began at her bust and rounded, framing her perfect hair and face.
Alice had never felt more intimidated by a woman’s beauty.
As Alice began to approach, the queen rose.
Alice wasn’t sure if she should curtsy, kiss her hand, or what the tradition in this kingdom was.
The pressure of the first impression mounted as the queen came closer.
Over the queen’s shoulder, a handmaiden in a similar lilac gown had her eyes locked on Alice.
Alice felt her nerves spike, but then, the handmaiden curtsied quietly.
Alice mirrored her and held the deep bow as the queen arrived.
“Most exquisite,” the queen said, standing before Alice.
Alice raised her eyes, and in the presence of the queen’s radiant beauty, she felt entirely unworthy of praise.
The queen’s skin was rich and lustrous. Her piercing green eyes and exceptionally long black lashes did not need enhancement.
Her brows arched dramatically, but not severely.
Her hair was raven black, and atop the tight, shiny, jewel-pinned curls, sat her crown—golden spikes fastened with gem-cut rubies.
The light that flickered from above danced in the jewels, making them burn like stars—a halo of ruby red stretching toward heaven.
“Please do stand; you may get stuck in that position, dear,” the queen said, smiling.
“Your Majesty,” Alice said, overwhelmed, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Allow us some privacy.” The queen raised a satin finger adorned with a ruby-eyed leopard or jaguar of some kind, its wide-open mouth forming the lower band of the ring with its bottom jaw.
The doors closed behind the dismissed maidens, and the queen took Alice’s arm.
She led Alice to two delicate chairs with woven seats and very dainty, somewhat pointless, arm rests that sprouted from the seat of the chair and arched up awkwardly as carved swan neck and heads.
Between the chairs, a carved wooden box with gold clasps sat atop a round marble table.
“In my palace, I do not waste time with those I cannot connect with on a deeper level,” the queen declared firmly, reminding Alice of her status as a guest. Her tone made Alice uneasy, and she feared that she might be asked to leave.
How could the queen possibly know if they could understand each other on a deeper level?
“I shall ask you a series of questions,” the queen continued, leaning forward to open the box upon the table.
“You must answer with complete honesty. It is not a test, but rather a game.” Alice’s throat felt dry.
Weren’t all games a test? The lid unclasped revealing a board full of carved marble and ruby chess figurines.
Alice swallowed to try to alleviate the sudden dryness in her throat and panic that the sight of a chess board brought on.