Alliance

Chapter Twenty-Two

The military hospital, the military office building, and the Hilton Palace were all located near each other. I barely got to see Old York when I was forced into a car that drove down four streets before stopping in front of the large Hilton Palace that was once a grand hotel many years ago but was made into a Palace for the Royal family. 

The car stopped at the car valet. There wasn't a small group to meet us at the door, only one man in a suit. A part of me expected the King to be at the door waiting for us. 

The man in the suit opened the car door for me and held out his hand. "Take it," Ben muttered behind me when I was about to bypass the hand and stand on my own.

Half glancing at Ben, I took the man's gloved hand before stepping out of the car. Ben climbed out without any assistance and the man closed the door. "Welcome Chief Collins and Ensign Sparrow," he said politely. His face was blank of any warm welcome but his old eyes seemed to warm when they fell on Ben.

"Hello, Oliver." My head snapped up to Ben. He knew this man's name. How would he know that? He wore no name tag. 

My thoughts backtrack to all I knew about Ben.

He's a chief in Alliance. He had a mentor who mysteriously died. He went on missions. He liked coffee. That is all I could think of. I could not recall anything else.

Maybe.

Maybe, he grew up here in the capital. Maybe he worked or lived in the Palace due to his parent's careers.

I wanted to demand answers to my question but now was not the time.

Oliver waved us forward and we walked inside the Palace. The first step inside told me that this was not the grand entrance but more like a back door. The cream colored hall was bare of decoration. There was nothing else but doors and an elevator at the end.

When we entered the elevator and went fifty flights up. Exiting the elevator, we turned to the right and walked past five doors. Oliver stopped.

He knocked on the door twice before opening it.

My hands were sweating. The king was behind that door. I never thought I would meet the king. Or the royal family. It was best to keep them at arm's length. To see them only once and awhile when a new portrait was issued out. There hadn't been a new one in about seven years, they were due for a new one. The king, queen, and their three children had hazy features in my mind.

"Chief Benjamin Collins and Ensign Melissa Sparrow." I heard Oliver introduce us inside. The door opened wider to let Ben in and I was a step behind.

The room had an exquisite rich red carpet, a cream colored ceiling. The bookshelves reached from floor to ceiling and corner to corner. The wall opposite from the door had a large window that overlooked the city.

I looked at the middle of the room. A large table stood with uniformed men standing around it. Most of them wore military uniforms, a few wore black suits. One man had my entire attention.

He stood in a grey suit. With his greying brown hair, he seemed older than he was but the cool grey eyes made him look young. The king, King Roth, studied Ben for a second before saying, "Leave us."

All the men bowed slightly to the king before exiting. Only one man did not move from the king's side. The man was a younger version of the king only in physical looks while his hair was black and his eyes forest green. Unlike his father, his face was freshly shaved while the king sported a whiskered beard.

"Ben, come in." I struggled to breathe. The king was informal.

Ben walked to the king. Each step he took everything fell into place.