At his order, the attendants exited and re-entered with two women.
The king was slightly surprised by the visitors’ appearance, and even more overwhelmed by the smell of burnt meat that accompanied his guests. The Inventor looked different, as the king recalled, her red flaming hair had become discoloured and now curled in all directions as if it was magnetized to the walls. She also had a pair of new spectacles that made her eyes appear enormous and disproportionate. The last time that he had met with the inventor was half a year ago, and this time she was accompanied by a young girl with light, sandy brown hair, whose dancer-like composure suggested an air of confidence. She was wearing a purple robe decorated with odd spots of colour that reflected rays of blue and green onto the marble floor.
What a peculiar team! thought the king, who was fighting the urge to cover up his nose from the awful burnt smell. But as the Inventor and her assistant approached closer, the king exclaimed amiably, ”Welcome! How have you been, Elish Echtin?”
“I have faired quite well thanks to your good graces, Your Majesty.” Elish said with a lavish bow, so uncharacteristic of most women.
“And you, young maiden, what is your name?” the king addressed to the girl standing on the side.
“Atrox,” the girl replied brightly, sweeping into a large, exaggerated curtsy.
“Wonderful! Hopefully you both know the purpose of our meeting today.” An inquiring look showed up on the king’s cheerful face. “I was informed that new advancements had been made on the machine, yes?”
Elish glanced at Atrox: Now is your time to talk.
“Well, we think that the machine will start to affect babies as soon as they’re born,” Atrox began slowly, glancing over at her mentor a few times, as though to make sure what she was saying was correct. “So we can have everyone be good from the very start! Then all babies will be happy and cheerful instead of upset all the time. When they want something maybe they’ll just make loud noises instead of crying and screaming.” Atrox appeared thoughtful for a brief while, then finished, “But I digress. The GoodMachine should be perfectly perfect now! We only need to do maintenance on it everyday instead of trying to patch and improve things.” She seemed to realize she was talking too much and promptly shut her mouth, rubbing her left foot against her right ankle in a gesture of nervousness, half-glancing at Elish again for guidance.
“I believe Atrox has given a very accurate, if not detailed,” Elish paused, “description of our progress. There is nothing more to inform you of, Your Majesty.”
A moment of silence settled in the room for what seemed like ages. The king, who was trying to break the awkwardness, said, “Very well then. Keep up the good work! I will be monitoring the machine’s progress through a mediator from now on. As for the maintenance of the machine, I will gladly pay for any and all costs.”
“You are too generous as always, Your Majesty.” Elish bowed again. “The machine is under the best care possible.”
“Yes, but be watchful of your every step; the course of our kingdom lies in your hands.” The king concluded.
Atrox waved in a cheery fashion, curtsying again before making her way to the door.
“Farewell,” the king said, almost to himself, as they disappeared behind the heavy doors.
Lapsing into deep thought, the king pondered all of what he had learned this morning. So far, everything seemed to be going according to the plan. The kingdom was well on its way to becoming one of the most peaceful, productive lands known to mankind. Word would spread of its greatness; people would come to learn, visit and live here; his kingdom would continue to prosper economically. His reign would be remembered as the beginning of a golden age.