Darien walked through the large doors with his uncle following close behind, into a gigantic feasting room. There was a long table that ran through the center of the room, blanketed by a large white cloth. There were dozens of seats on both sides of the table but the only occupied seats were on the far side of the table where Darien’s father and mother sat. The king sat at the head of the table with the queen on his right.

The king had curly brown hair, sapphire blue eyes, and a grizzly brown beard. A small golden crown sat upon his head. He wore rich robes of crimson that draped down to his ankles. Dangling from both his ears were large sapphire rings that jabbed through his tender lobes. Golden necklaces embedded with assorted colored gems shone around his neck, though most of them were hidden underneath his beard. His fingers all wielded rings that were made of gold and embedded with diamonds, making his hand gleam like starlight. He was middle-aged, and was a bit chunky from all the exotic foods that he stuffed himself with every day. But he could afford to. After all, the country was flourishing because of him. Why wouldn’t he treat himself to the greatest delicacies in the continent?

The queen had long, blonde hair that draped down past her neck. She had a small golden crown as well, and wore a lengthy blue dress that touched the carpeted ground. A necklace of shining pearls curled around her neck and drooped near the top of her breasts. She pursed her thick lips together as she addressed Darien with a slight nod.

“Remember, not a word of our conversation to anyone but us,” Cambyses whispered to Darien. The uncle walked over to his seat beside the queen, nodding to a servant who pulled out a chair for him.

Darien sat on his father’s left, spreading a napkin gracefully over his lap.

“The food is taking a lot longer than usual,” his father murmured. “I heard that there was some trouble in the kitchen. There’s been a lot of mischief going around lately, hm, Darien?”

“Y-Yes, father.”

“And would you happen to know anything about why Hassan is delaying the meal by several minutes today?” His father’s unwavering stare bore straight into Darien’s soul. The prince refused to meet the king’s eyes as he spoke.

“No.”

“I don’t like when you lie to me, son.” His father sighed. “When it is finally my time, Darien, you will need to gain the peoples’ trust. For this country to prosper, the people are going to need to be able to believe you. They’ll look to you to solve their problems, and will revolt and protest when you don’t. You need to be ready to make the right decisions when it’s finally your time to take the throne and….”

“I understand,” Darien murmured, looking to see Hassan and several other chefs come out of the kitchen with platters of steaming hot food in their hands. They set down several superb dishes that gave off delicious aromas that made Darien’s mouth water.

“I apologize for my son’s disturbance in your kitchen, Hassan.” The king gave his favorite chef a friendly nod.

“It’s alright, milord. It only took a moment longer to make another meal for you. I do hope you enjoy it,” Hassan said, bowing with his entire body.

The king smiled warmly. “You prepared delicious beef with your infamous sauce. Why, it’s my favorite. Of course, I’ll enjoy it.”

Hassan stood up and beamed proudly before promptly returning to the kitchen with his staff.