When she let the handmaidens know she was finished, they smiled again.
"Excellent choice of circlet. That one's my second favorite." One of them chimed, in and the others nodded in agreement. "I know Master can come off as a bit cruel in the beginning, but like he always tells us; 'Trust must be earned'. We were all new once, too." A second one added.
"Come along, new girl." The third said, and they approached her. One of them took her hand, and they guided her to a room with a small chest. One of them opened it up, and took out a beautiful necklace, which was made up of a single, octagonal cut sapphire set into an identically shaped rose-gold base. The chain was also rose-gold.
One of the handmaidens slipped it onto her, and one of the others spoke up. "It would interest you not to take that off until we reach Master's office." She said, and they were off again, out through the doors they came through and back into the infinite hallway. Two of them stayed while one placed a hand on Oceana's shoulder, raising another to the necklace.
"The palace seems infinite, and it indeed is, but the necklaces make it quiet the opposite. She pressed a hand to the necklace, and the palace shrunk, like it was a rubber band that had been stretched and then suddenly let go of. After a few seconds of scenery whooshing past them, the hall stopped moving, shrinking to something barely 100 feet long. Right next to one another, there were doors covering it all over its length.
In front of them, there was another pair of massive golden doors, and the handmaiden walked Oceana up to them, and removed the hand from her necklace. Behind them, the palace stretched back to its normal size, and the many servants and guards reappeared. By the golden double doors that led to Chenaank's quarters, to more of those massive golems stood, this time, however, they were giant animated suits of armor.
They opened the doors, revealing a scene like no other.
Servants scurried about, dressed in simple yet attractive work clothes for the sake of the labor they were performing. They were moving small chests, long crates, and even stacks of paper and golden bars. Others purveyed financial records, scribbled down reports, or even appraised objects. This is where the true heart of the palace was. The room stretched on forever. This was the heart of Chenaank's business.
In the center of it all, like some grand conductor of vice, stood Chenaank, looking over a sheet of parchment with a curious look in his eye. He lifted his eyes, and they fell on Oceana. He smiled, and beckoned for her to come closer. If she looked over her shoulder, she'd find the Handmaiden decidedly absent.