As Gwen got out of the wagon, she saw Maximus sitting on the ground. He looked exhausted. Marigold was flying around him with a concerned look on her face. Gwen immediately ran over to the magician.
"Are you alright? You fell," Gwen asked.
Gwen was unsure if Maximus could hear her over the lecture that he was getting from a concerned Marigold.
"You cannot push yourself like that. What if you overexerted yourself and got irrevocably hurt? You could have died!" the lecture continued like this from the fairy as the rest of the group came over to see what was happening.
"Mari. I am fine. I just have not exerted myself that much in a while. I was not used to my limits, so I went slightly overboard at the end," Maximus tried to placate the upset fairy.
"Never scare me like this again," the fairy said, tears in her eyes.
"I will try my upmost not to scare you like this again, Mari," Maximus promised.
"Alright, let us show everyone to the sleeping quarters. Everyone follow me," Maximus said, standing up.
"The stable is in the adjacent building. Gabriel, Tristan, would the two of you mind getting the horses situated while I show everyone else to their lodgings?" Maximus asked. "You can meet us on the third floor. That is where the living quarters are."
"Of course," Tristan responded.
The magician led the group to the entrance of the Keep. Everyone entered. Gwen was again impressed with its large size and impressive design. Maximus led everyone past the statues and the mechanical dragonoids that guarded the Keep. He led them to the back of the large tower. There Gwen could see two sets of stairs leading upward. The first set of stairs seemed perfectly normal. The other set of stairs, however, was far different from any stairs Gwen had seen before. These stairs were larger with longer landings. Gwen assumed that those were the stairs that the dragons used. In between the stairs there was a metal gate. Behind the metal gate was something that Gwen could only describe as a large elevator shaft.
"Our living accommodations are on the third floor," Maximus told the group. "Do you wish to take the lift or the stairs?"
"I think we should take the stairs, Max, I don't think the children can handle any more excitement today," Marigold responded.
Maximus led everyone up the human sized stairs. They climbed until they reached the third floor. Arriving at the floor, Gwen saw that the floor was comprised of a circular corridor. Rows of doors lined the inner and outer wall of the circular hallway. The doors were evenly spaced apart. It appeared similar to the floor of a hotel, college dormitory, or apartment complex.
"There are plenty of rooms. Two to a room might be best for now while you are still adjusting. We can reexamine the arrangement later to determine how best to accommodate everyone," Maximus explained. "The kitchen and cafeteria are located on the opposite side from here."
The children were in silent shock. Some stood slack jawed while others pinched themselves to ensure they were not dreaming.
"How about we go into one of the rooms to see how they look. I can also demonstrate how to use the lights and bathroom accommodations," the magician continued. "Be careful about the knobs. The water can get extremely hot if you are not careful."
"Wait. Max, you have running hot water?" Gwen cut into the magician's explanation, her excitement overflowing.
"Yes, we do, this was a self-sufficient live-in research facility. We would need heated water for bathing and sanitization," Maximus affirmed.
Gwen now knew what her first priority after getting the orphans and matron settled was. She would take a long hot shower. She had not had a proper shower since arriving in this world.
Maximus led everyone into one of the rooms. Gwen saw that the room was quite spacious with two beds in the room. The beds looked nothing like the other beds that Gwen had used in this world. These beds had metal bedframes and what appeared to be mattresses on them. Next to each bed was a small nightstand. The room was illuminated with a ceiling light. The light bathed the room in a warm light. The light was controlled via one of two switches. One switch was by the door and the other was on the far wall, between the two beds. The room also contained a wardrobe against the wall of the door. Maximus then led everyone through a door on the side wall, this door led to the bathroom. The bathroom was made of white tiles. There was a moderate-sized shower against one wall and a toilet and sink against the opposite wall. Maximus explained how the shower, sink, and toilet worked.
The orphans were still in shock. The old matron was the first to break out of the collective stupor. "This is truly amazing. We will be living here? This place is better than the mansions of the nobles," the old matron started to tear up. "Thank you for giving us such a great kindness. I will do anything to repay the debt of gratitude we owe you."
"Think nothing of it. We have the space. The children can have any rooms they want. Other than mine of course. You and Alara can each have a room to yourself if you would like," Maximus responded. "Once everyone chooses a room, Mari and I will make dinner. You can come and observe how to use the kitchen appliances if you would like."
"I will do that. I wish to be able to prepare meals myself in the future, to take the burden off of you," the matron stated.
The children, excited for their new home, quickly formed pairs and chose rooms. Due to the odd number of children, there was one young girl who did not have a roommate. The little girl was worried about sleeping in a room alone, so Alara volunteered to share a room with her.
At this moment the brothers walked up the steps.
"This place is truly awesome," Tristan said.
"Right, now that you two have arrived you can each pick a room or share a room. There is plenty of space," Maximus told the brothers. "Also, Gwen, Tristan, and Gabriel, come to Mari's and my room after dinner. We need to discuss our plan for the near future."
"Gwen, would you mind demonstrating the workings of the washroom's amenities for the brothers?" Maximus asked. "I would like to start preparing dinner."
Gwen agreed.
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After dinner Gwen went to Maximus's room. Having showered she felt truly refreshed. Unlike the empty room that now belonged to Gwen, Maximus's room was filled with many different things. There were two bookshelves in the room. Both were filled with well-organized books. The second bed in the room was not as well organized as the bookshelves. This bed was covered in papers. There were also small devices that Gwen did not recognize lying on the bed.
Maximus was sitting on the empty bed, and the brothers were sitting on the floor. Marigold was absent from this meeting as she was spending time with the children.
"Now that we are all here, let us commence the meeting," Maximus stated. "So, since we took in the orphans, they will need to be taught how to navigate the Keep as well as how to make use of its amenities. I am aware that we still need to search for clues about ways for Gwen to get home, however, I feel that we will need to remain here for at least a two-week period for them to get adjusted."
Gwen had been prepared for this. She knew that taking in the orphans would require them to take time away from their quest. She had already grappled with her feelings on the matter. She could not abandon the orphans simply because it would inconvenience her search.
"During that time, Mari and I will be busy teaching the matron and orphans how to operate the necessary parts of the Keep as well as setting up a curriculum for the children," the magician explained. "During that time, you may do as you would like in the Keep. You could try scouring the library and archives for any possible leads. There is also a training room if you wish to practice combat."
"I think that we should spend this time training Gwen how to defend herself," Gabriel responded. "We can start tomorrow, if you are ready Gwen."
"I am prepared to learn how to fight. I know that it is a necessary skill," Gwen affirmed.
"Then it is settled. We will start training tomorrow," Tristan stated.
With the meeting concluded, Gwen and the brothers went to their rooms to rest for the night.