"I am glad to hear you kept the name her mother gave her. A name is the first gift parents give their offspring. In keeping it, you have honoured her mother as well as gained her loyalty."
Ava simply enjoyed the entire trip from Imperius to Paz. William seemed to know exactly when it was time to take a break from riding and make camp for awhile. Ava is pleased to see that Corrie seems to be enjoying the ride as she happily giggles and squeals when they play with her. Ava even lets Hooper out of his bucket to find his dinner, and marvels that he is always right by his bucket again in the morning, waiting to be put back in. Somehow he seems to know that this isn't their final destination.
The trip took a few days, but to Ava the time seemed to fly by. Before she knew it they were riding through the gates of Paz. The village is very pretty, and she can't help but inhale deeply taking in the salty air of the sea. William took a fork in the road and soon she could see a castle in the distance. She still takes in the sights around them, but her eyes repeatedly drift back to that castle. She wondered if that was where they were headed, but did not ask. If she were wrong she would feel silly for assuming. She did find herself both relieved and disappointed when he told her that the spiders he had shown here were not here. Relieved that Corrie would not be a snack...and disappointed because she was really curious about creatures so big.
Opal Moon snorted and tossed her head at a buzzing bee distracting Ava for a moment. In that moment William pulls up to the gates of the very castle that had caught her eye.
Ava's breath caught in her throat. Hearing his words, "your new home" made her heart race. "Ohhh.. William." Her words came out no more than a whisper. "This is your home? Your castle? It's simply.... beautiful."Welcome ladies, to Marshal Chateau, you're new home.
As she takes in the details of the castle...the grand height alone was breath taking. The grounds are beautifully cared for. And all those windows....
She looks to William and flat out says. "I don't do windows." Then giggles. "This is simply amazing. Does this place come with a road map? It is so big, I'm afraid I'll get lost." She giggles again as he leads them through the gates and up the road to the front. The more she sees the more amazed she is at the wonder of it all. She will be living and an honest to goodness real castle. That thought sends a tingle down her spine as she thinks on exploring the interior. William pulls to a stop by what can only be the front doors and dismounts. She follows suit and nearly breaks her neck as she takes in the details of the exterior.