Ambassador

A Meal for 8

Anitha counted down the hours until the meeting. Or, meal, as they called it. Liars. There was going to be little eating going on at this dinner. She'd made sure to eat beforehand.

She began to grow nervous, although she couldn't quite tell why. Being was fully grown, these meetings weren't new to her. Maybe it was the added presence of humans all throughout the castle, or maybe it was just her gut instinct.

She decided to don a more comfortable dress to the one she'd worn at the entrance ceremony, which she still cringed at the fresh memory of - she now wore a simple, dark grey, button-up top, with frills on the chest, and wide-legged trousers which glided and rippled through the air. It wasn't exactly the height of fashion, but it would do. In the end, she added an emerald brooch to her short cape that she'd donned for the cold, just in case her father still wore the bright green posies in his suit. Where she had a ring on her index finger, it rubbed and left a deep red band in the flesh - her usual ring was being repaired, still. The replica was silver plated and had a sapphire made of glass in the centre. Usually, it was only worn when she needed to coordinate her ring with silver jewelry, so wearing it so often had taxed her poor finger.

When the clock chimed quarter to, she stepped out into the corridor.

*******

The king waited impatiently at the head of the rounded oval table. Behind him, as always, the large fire roared and filled the room with heat - it was a tiny room, really, compared to the dining hall he normally occupied around this time. His back twinged a little at the heat, but after so many years, he was used to the flames always hiding behind him. Sometimes, he wondered what they would feel like on his face, if he would age quicker being able to watch the inferno, or if only ever hearing it, feeling it, was worse for him.

The first people entered; it was his royal advisor, the Arch-Duke Kendrawithial, and his military advisor marching behind, Arch-Duke Tytatofius. The king stood as the door closed behind them, and they both bowed for him, with only a slight incline of the head, as all that was necessary in these situations.

"Kendrawithial, Tytatofius. Thank you for joining me today. I trust you understand what this meeting is about?" They both nodded solemnly, and Kendrawithial was the first to speak.

"We do, your majesty. However, we were discussing it on the way here, but we cannot figure out why, exactly, this is such a crisis?" The king bit his lip for a second.

"I suppose I can't hide it any longer... but you understand that word can't get out about this matter, yes?" They once again nodded, and the king began his short speech.

After a few minutes, they all three sat in silence, rolling the information over in their heads, when the door opened again. Only one person stepped through the doors, and bowed lower for the king than the others, as demanded by her position as their inferior.

"Duchess Kendrawithial, thank you for joining us." Anitha smiled in reply, and sucked on her tongue for a second as she stood there on the floor. "Please, take a seat and we shall wait until everyone arrives." She nodded.

"Thank you, your majesty." Her father was sat to the right of the king, with the emerald posies still in his breast pocket. Her and her father remained coordinated as ever. Meanwhile, the man on King Asmodeus' left had changed from his ceremonious armour, in favour of a short tunic with velvet detailing - Arch-Duke Tytatophius. She took her seat two down from her Father.

"Oh - just for today, Duchess, please sit to the right of the Arch-Duke Kendrawithial." It would be so much simpler to use first names in situations like this, he thought. Arch-Duke Kendrawithial and Duchess Kendrawithial my ass! But quickly put himself in check - as the king, he relied on order and tradition.