~Palais de Lumiere~
There she lay, candescently opulent on a high knoll just beyond the grasp of the Capitolium, walled off by a magnificent screen of spruce, aspen, oak, maple, and pine. Her paramount features were air and light, magnifying the same so much in its construction that it was soon called Palais de Lumiere--the Palace of Light. In a time shadowed by the tumutuous Age of the Darkening, her steadfast presence guaranteed far-reaching illumination to the weary citizens of the Principality of Prime, if not the gradual integration of an Age of Enlightenment, itself.
Visitors would enter by the High Avenue, a straight road of beaten brick, secured first by a a surrounding high wall, and hence by a black, torchlit, wrought-iron gate emblazoned with the seal of the Principality of Prime, complemented by a gatehouse, a similarly imposing edifice meant to keep the unwary away and the pious, in. Handpicked soldiers, usually from the Prime garrison, kept watch with armor and sword, their menacing halberds similarly dangerous to both horse, hunter, hood and hound.
Once past the sentries, the principal carriageway invites all and sundry, framed as it is by tall shady trees on both ends, and ceilinged by clear skies. A few minutes of perusing the surrounding hedges brings one to the main forecourt, and the House itself.
Imposing would the be the initial description for it, designed as it was as an official residence, a location for gatherings of society and culture, and a monument for the grandeur of the Principality of Prime, first among equals, as many would have wished it. On first glance, one would have considered it nothing more than a Lysandrian plutocrat's flight of fancy, but her own authority would leave one a-gaping.
A temple, it seemed, to the majesty of the Empire. Built as it was of aged marble, brick, and sandstone, the forecourt of Palais de Lumiere would present the viewer of an imposing central entrance and two galleries, or wings, on either side. Evident would be a two-storied structure of rooms: the piano nobile, or State Floor, containing the principal rooms for reception and entertainment, and above, a mezzanine with private apartments.
What would distinguish the Palais de Lumiere were its windows, arched as they were in the classical manner, flanked by two lower rectangular openings,and framed by columns, they would seem as small loggias in their own right, surmounted as they were with statues of various figures.
Access to the State Floor, or piano nobile, was granted by passing through the grand portico, fit for a temple of the Pantheon than a residence, and climbing the steps associated with it. Sentries remained at station, and on presenting proper credentials, the proper doors would be opened, and introductions, given.
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On the slope behind the palace lay the Grand Cascade, an impressive water staircase of marble with copper statues, surrounded by similarly magnificent fountains. Intricate tunnels working on gravity alone routed water through a system of pressurized diverticula before bursting forth, soon to be collected in a reflecting pool that served a double purpose as a standby reservoir for the gardens, and as an aesthetic device to temper the weather, as well as they eyes.
The early morning light is flattering to the assembled gardens, its gentle rays giving prominence to the gathered flora and fauna, all feasting on the offerings of the suns. The chirping of birds remains uninterrupted, interspersing as it does with the trickle and splash of the numerous ponds and surprise fountains scattered therein.
The Summer House, or Solarium, as it was soon called, was a distinct outbuilding that had begun as an orangerie, but had soon developed for a concedingly different purpose. Built in the style of a triumphal arch, its composite materials, sandstone, brick, glass, and marble, she straddled the reflecting pool and suffered it to pass underneath.
Utilized for intimate rosyuns, morning levees, darkening pracendas, romantic encounters, or as a teatime terrace after garden parties, it held a commanding view of the cascade and the Palais de Lumiere, and of the skyline of Aelyria Prime, on the other.
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