Stamp of Approval

Chapter Six

The group of friends, were headed towards Captain Primevelt's room.

They were pacing down the luxurious hallway, laden with an almost unending, extravagant red carpet, with golden threading.

It was a contrast, to the creamy walls and marble pillars.

Sarah had brought along Zen, for moral support.

"I really don't think, it would be wise of you kids to disturb the Captain, at this hour." Zen warned.

"Then consider us stupid, mister knight." Said Ilai.

"I would never!" Zen looked stricken, "I'd rather hang myself than call you stupid, Highness!" he replied, not understanding Ilai's sarcasm.

"Ilai is stupid, you needn't hang yourself for it." Remarked Carry.

Zen looked even more troubled.

"Ignore these two, mister knight, they're just being silly." Said Tim, kindly.

They reached the Captain's alcove.

"Beige?" Called out Sarah, knocking on the wooden door, with the Ivory seal, of birds in flight engraved.

"Come in." Answered Beige.

They all went in and saw that the Captain was sitting at his writing desk, behind huge piles of stacked documents.

He was busy scanning a parchment in his hand, when he noticed the royal children, with Zen at their side.

Beige looked at them with concern.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, visibly worried.

"Yes Beige, we just needed your help with something." Sarah said, shifting her weight on her feet anxiously.

"Surely Sarah, what is it?" He asked.

"You know that we all strive, to serve the people of Ivory." Sarah began.

"I certainly do," said Beige solemnly, "and your father does too." He continued, sincerely.

"We want to do it too." Sarah finally primed to say and all her friends nodded politely, even Zen.

The Captain raised his eyebrows, "You will do it in the near future too, all of you will." He said.

Expressing in front of Beige, was without a doubt ten times more difficult, compared to Victor.

"You do not understand, why wait for the future if we can do it now." Sarah pressed.

"Yes Captain, we want to help, we know we can." Said Tim.

"So, you want me to convince, His Majesty to allow you to help, isn't it?" The Captain remarked, with a smirk.

Beige was smart, he obviously knew what exactly they were implying.

"Please, Captain," said Ilai, "if it was someone's opinion, King Bernard would take into consideration, it would be you." Ilai went on very reasonably.

"And me." Said a voice from the doorway.

It was Victor.

"You people are fast." He said with a smile, shaking in head in disbelief.

Everyone looked, from Beige to Victor.

"Father sent me to fetch you, Beige." He declared.

"Oh, alright," Beige got up, hurriedly arranging his papers, "let's go." He said, as they all cleared from his path.

They both left without saying anything to them.

"Was he convinced?" Asked Carry, voicing the question, that everyone was thinking.

"I hope so." Said Sarah.

"I think, you all should head back to your room." Said Zen.

"It was no use bringing you along, was it?" Commented Ilai, his golden eyes shining in amusement.

Zen seemed to be his favourite target.

"I, Zen Carnell, shall do everything I can to make it up to you, Your Highness." Said Zen, earnestly.

"He doesn't mean it Zen, you needn't take Ilai seriously." Said Sarah.

Zen nodded even though he still looked very apologetic.

After two hours, they all were sitting in the extravagant, front palace garden.

It was all green and flowery.

They as usual sat inside the marble gazebo, which was loaded with fragrant vines and blooms.

Today though, they were sitting silently, waiting for the verdict.

"Enough!" Said Carroll suddenly getting up, "if I wait anymore, I will collapse of the suspense." She whined.

"You're just worried that you're dress will get wrinkled, if you remain seated any longer." Said Tim.

Ilai and Sarah laughed, as Carry scowled at her friends.

They all fell silent, the moment they saw Victor and Beige, approaching them. They both looked depressed.

"What happened, what did father say?" Asked Sarah, impatiently, her eyebrows knitted together in worry.

"Well," Victor took a long pause, then looked at Beige and they both smiled.

"He said, yes!" He exclaimed.

Tim and Ilai whooped and Sarah and Carry bounced around, holding each others hands.

They couldn't believe it.

"Father is very proud of how ambitious and perseverant you all are." Said Victor.

"Right now, you will be going with him, to visit the people of Ivory and take part in the judicial session." Announced Beige, cheerily.

Everyone was very happy and excited.

Sarah could feel this was the start of a new journey, a journey of four friends to make the world a better place.

The journey of Clover League.

Arfina was overjoyed, when she heard, that Sarah and her friends got the permission to conduce to the Royal court session.

She knew, how much Sarah longed to be doing this. Royal children, were not really responsible in general and it made her heart swell with pride to see Victor, Sarah as well as her friends be so dutiful.

The Quartet Empire, was really lucky to have such successors.

She was walking towards Sarah's room to congratulate her, before they leave for the session, when she saw a group of maids huddled together, discussing something in hushed tones, and matching distress on their faces.

She approached them, and asked one of them, about the particular discord.

"There's something really wrong with the gardens." A petite looking maid, answered.

"With the gardens?" Arfina asked perplexed.

"The Queens Lilies, they're destroyed." The maid informed, fearfully.

"How is that possible, I just checked them a few hours ago." Arfina argued, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"Come with me." The girl, gripped Arfina's hand and dragged her, towards the backyard of the palace.

When Arfina witnessed the garden with her own eyes, dread and worry seeped in through every part of her body.

Stretches of ugly black veins swamped that entire part of the garden.

The Lilies withered, and the soil, a sickly colour of grey.

The worst part was that, it felt that the dark veins were expanding, trying to engulf the land whole.

What could have possibly happened in the span of a few hours? Arfina put a hand on her chest.

She knew there was something very wrong, not with the land, but with thier lives.