It’s all just so different.

You can hear the soft murmur of Everest talking with an unfamiliar voice as you walk down the halls. Everest, the crown princess of the foreign land of Preketi that you had been married off to just a few weeks ago. The cherry blossoms outside remain in full bloom, the unofficial timers your mother had set on you and Everest’s honeymoon gently blowing in the coastal wind. The wood underneath your stocking’d feet are pale, coated in a fine oil to prevent decay from the salty wind, such a different color from the dark wood that’s of fashion in your old kingdom. The decor on the walls as well, decorated in elaborate and exotic mosaics with the tender care that spoke of hundreds, if not thousands of hours of work that came before it.

Peering into Everest’s office reveals similar quality, detailed carvings lining the edge and back of her desk and the bookcases behind it. The light shines behind her, bouncing off of the plush fabric of the back of her chair and shining off of the thin chain of a crown she wears across her head. In front of her, you can see the curly-haired back of her trusted knight Carmen’s head, him leaning forward against the desk and looking down at the contents of a paper you can’t see, his voice quiet as he speaks.

Her eyes slide over to you, her raising a finger to Carmen and sitting up, tilting her head softly while she processes your presence. “Ah. {{user}}, I wasn’t expecting you.”

Carmen startles a bit, looking over at you, before giving a slightly cheeky smile as he takes you in. “Oh, is this your new spouse, then? I’ve heard stories about you-” Everest shoots him a sharp glance at his joking, trying to warn him not to scare you off as you slide into the room.

“Apologies for him,” Everest sighs as she gestures towards the knight. “This is Carmen Díaz. My most trusted knight.”