I smiled at the clothes laid out on the bed with new jewelry to go with it. They had a few more gems than the others I had. I ran my hand across the gold pendant that had a reddish tone to it. It was nice, but nothing compared to the mortals. Prince Lenis was right. My kingdom was poor compared to Gildorn. 

I let out a sigh. It wouldn’t be long until all the mortals left, and my life could return to normal. After changing, I went to the mirror to switch my earrings. I ran a brush through my hair before taking a moment to prepare myself for the night ahead. I could do it. After hiding all day, I was capable of enduring the mortals’ company for a few hours. 

I left my room and headed toward the banquet hall. I noticed my mother welcoming those not invited to the Grand Banquet into another dining hall. She smiled at me and mouthed good luck.

Nodding, I took a deep breath. I could do this—or at least survive this.

“Alric.”

Swallowing hard, I faced my father. “Your majesty.”

He grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me closer. “You are not to say a word. Take this as a learning experience; don’t draw attention to yourself. This is a serious event, and we can’t allow anything to go wrong. Got it?”

I nodded. “Yes, your grace.”

He let out a deep breath and pushed me toward the door. “Wait inside.”

I passed through the doors and moved toward the wall. The room had been set up differently. Rather than long banquet tables running evenly down the room, they had been placed to outline a long oval with all the chairs facing inward. Curved tables had been added to the ends, and there was an empty space in the middle so someone could enter the interior oval. A red and gold rug had been rolled out in the center.

On multiple place settings, long banners were draped so they fell over the front of the table. I noticed the one on the end had the Thaloria crest on it. The shorter banner next to it had Sullmane’s symbol. I inched toward the side of the room as people started to take their seats. Mortals gathered near the door and took up most of that side of the room. The fae sat toward the middle, and the few elves in attendance were seated at the far end. I didn’t dare sit until my father arrived, so I hoovered near the wall.

My grandfather was walking toward me with my father and uncle close behind him. My father sat behind his banner with the two other men on his right. He glanced at me and tapped the table on his other side. I stepped forward and cautiously pulled the chair out. My father didn’t object, so I quickly sat and stared at the table. My heart was racing, and I had no idea why. 

Once everyone was seated, my father motioned to the guards at the door. They closed them and returned to their stations. 

King Arkin stood, and the room slowly grew quiet. 

“Welcome, my fellow kings and their counsel, to the Grand Banquet. Every year, we gather to discuss and promote the prosperity of all of the known realms.” He scanned the ground. “Here’s to another productive year.” He lifted his glass.

We all did the same before taking a drink. My father motioned to the servant, who began bringing in plates of food. I took another sip of wine to, hopefully, settle my nerves. I didn’t understand why I was so anxious about being here. I had already been made into a spectacle multiple times this week. Was I that worried about Lord Langston calling me pretty again? It looked like the mortals left their weapons in their rooms, so I wasn’t going to be called out for a duel.

Soft music started to play, and I perked up slightly. A plate was set in front of me. I glanced at my father to find him tapping a finger on the table as he watched the room. I lifted my fork when a bang coming from the door startled me. The fork slipped from my hand, and I awkwardly caught it before it hit the floor. I turned to my father, hoping he hadn’t seen, and luckily, his eyes were fixed on the door as another bang echoed through the room. I put my fork back in line and sat still.

The guards turned to my father, unsure of what to do.

“Open it,” he ordered.

I noticed the Gildorn king wipe his face and turn in his seat. I couldn’t tell if he was annoyed or amused that someone was disturbing the meeting. As long as it wasn’t me causing a scene, I didn’t care who was on the other side. 

The guards opened the doors and froze. 

“What is it?” called my father. “Deal with it and close the doors.”

A man slipped through the small opening and faced the room. My father’s eyes grew wide, and he reached for his chair. I couldn’t help but be confused by the late arrival. His long blonde hair was braided away from his face. He was dressed in elaborate silk and leather clothes embroidered with what looked to be threads of gold. His attire rivaled the mortals, but his pointed ears made it no doubt he was an eternal. Or maybe he was too far away from me to see the ragged edge, and he was actually a fae. The man didn’t appear brother by the eyes that followed him as he walked toward the far end of the room. I waited for him to stop and sit with the fae, but he kept walking. 

I lowered my gaze as the man stood right beside me. He unbuttoned his cloak, which was lined with fur, and dropped it on the ground. The bottom was caked with mud. A servant slipped over to pick it up.

“Parden, my intrusion,” said the man. “It was a long ride.” He turned in a circle. “My chair seems to be missing.”

A servant flinched and hurried off into the kitchen. I wondered if I should get up and offer him mine. I slowly glanced at my father, but his eyes were fixed on the rug in the middle of the floor. He was gripping the neck of his cup so tightly that the veins in his hand were showing.

The servant returned and set the chair on the ground beside me. Another hurried to lay out another place setting. The man sat and let out a deep breath. He held up his cup, and a young man filled it for him. 

Drinking from it, he turned to me. “Sit up straight. Shoulders back, with confidence.”

I flinched and slowly did so. 

He smiled. “All I see is Arbela in you. Good.” The man nodded. “Very good. How it should be.”

Everyone returned to eating and talking amongst themselves. I was too on edge to eat. I was trapped between my father and this strange man, and my father's mood had declined significantly since the unknown elf had made his entrance. 

“You should eat,” said the man. “It’ll help settle your stomach.” Grabbing a pitcher, he refilled my glass. “Your mother did the stitching, right?” He touched my shirt. “It looks like one of her works.”

I tensed up. “Yes, she did… you’re… I’m sorry, but may I ask your name?”

“Alric,” stated my father. “We discussed this.”

I pressed my lips together and traced the designs on my fork.

“You’d rather he ignore me.” The man finished what he was chewing. “You’d rather he disrespected the King of Lumeria than make a sound?”

King of Lumeria—I felt my chest tighten. Another eternal king had come to the banquet?

My father didn’t respond.

“If I had been told sooner that you were failing at raising my nephew, I would have come sooner. Look at the boy—practically scared of his own shadow.”

My mouth fell open. “Nephew? I’m your—so my mother is your sister?”

“May the gods grant me patience,” he muttered. “Does he even know that his mother is a princess of Lumeria? Hell, as the grandson of a former king, Alric bears the title of Prince of Lumeria in my kingdom. Have you kept all of this from him? No wonder he doesn’t know how to sit up straight.”

“He knows where his mother is from,” stated my father, turning to the man. “We didn’t find it necessary to tell him about you or anything else concerning your kingdom. Your father forbade his own daughter from returning. It is a place Alric will never visit, and until now, I had hoped he would never meet anyone from Lumeria.” He relaxed into his seat. “If it makes it better, Alric knows very little about Sullmane. The queen hates my family, and I have a high disdain for hers.”

The man laughed. “You were given a little power, and it has gone to your head. Your authority comes from Lumeria, from the blood of my sister. Thaloria is allowed to call itself a kingdom because of Arbela, and only when Alric takes the throne will this kingdom have a true king born of royal blood.” He scoffed. “You’re actually sitting in my sister’s seat. You should be out there tending the children.” He pointed at the door.

My father stood. “Alric.”

I flinched. “Yes, your grace.”

The man cursed under his breath. “Don’t call him that. You have the blood of Lumeria. Arkin can call himself what he wants, but the gods know that my nephew stands above the second son of a lowly lord.”

“What did you say?!” said my grandfather. “You will not insult Sullmane. You are a guest in my son’s house, a descending of lordship you speak so poorly of.”

“I’m a guest in my sister’s house,” corrected the man. “We may have our differences, but she would choose my company over yours a hundred times over.”

My hands were starting to sweat. Everyone in the room was watching the altercation. I wanted to leave. They could fight about this without me being here.

“My son is the king,” said my grandfather.

“King consort.” The man smiled, playing with his knife. “I’m in a room filled with nobles, yet you’ve all been convinced that someone possessing a cock trumps a woman of royal blood. The man is the son of a fucking lord.” He met my father’s gaze. “The only lowland man of somewhere appropriate birth we could find to marry my sister.” He stood. “I have not forgotten. Lumeria and all the eternals of the highlands have not forgotten, and neither will the gods. This kingdom will be demoted to a lordship without my sister's presence. If you refuse to let Queen Arbela, Princess of Lumeria of the highland, sit among you”—he scanned the room before his eyes stopped on me—“then by the gods willing, her son should be sitting behind Thaloria’s banner.”