The Prince's Meal

Chapter the Fourth

"And what are you going to do about it?!" – Prince Atticus screams over to his father sitting at the top corner of the table.

"I am arranging a marriage between you and Princess Iris Mellite from Tritha Kingdom." – King Hervey stated not taking his eyes from the food on his plate.

"That dry-ass kingdom?! You must be mad!" – Atticus gets up from his chair making it fall on the ground. – "No, no. I decide who I am going to marry with, and I'm certainly not marrying someone who believes that they are in the center of the world!"

Prince Atticus left the dinning room slamming the wooden door making one of the guards that had spaced out next to it jump startled.

A wave of silence engulfed the room, the king kept eating and the guards around the room stared at each other with confirming silent stares stating that what just happened must not leave the room.

But Princess Ella surprised everyone when she made herself present. Everyone, in between the fight before, forgot she was there.

"Father?" – Ella lowered the cutlery over the clay plate leaving half her food behind. The food was good as always but there was something missing and she didn't knew what.

"Oh! Yes sweetie?" – King Hervey raised his eyes to look at his daughter with a small sweet smile and a little warmer eyes, a face only shown to her, nobody else.

"Why do you want Atticus to get married with someone he doesn't like...?" – she asked while dangling her little legs on the too tall chair.

"Because our kingdom needs to know that if something happens, your brother will be there with a wife and, with the Lords will, some descendants." – the older man answered truthfully but soon regretted it as his daughter became angry with teary eyes.

"Why can't you let LiDan marry brother then?! Do you not like him?" – she raised her voice a little and looked deep in her father eyes pleading for an answer, a truthful one.

But the small smile and the slightly warmer eyes faded away from the kings face, returning the upset, locked one with dry, cold eyes.

"I don't know who you are talking about. Besides I am the king and I will do what is best for your brother and for the kingdom. And whatever happens it isn't any of your business." – his answer was cold serious, almost as if he wasn't saying it but actually reading from some text engraved on stone.

Ella-Rose has red with anger but her tears that started flowing made her cheeks take up a pink tone. At this sight King Hervey wanted to soothe her, hug her to let her cry everything out but he stayed put, with the same face, same eyes and that was braking his heart, more than it already was.

Suddenly, in between the sobs and sniffs from the little one came an loud, desperate voice.

"LIES!! ALL LIES!!" – the little princess got up but with not enough force, like her brother, to throw her chair to the ground. - "You are lying!"

Everyone is taken by surprise. No one has ever seen their princess like that. She was always sweet, kind and calm. However, different version of her now walks rapidly to the door.

"If you really go through with it, you will kill them both and none of us will forgive you, especially her..." – Ella looked as serious as her father who was still sited at the table leaving the room after trading some eyes with him.

As soon as the sound of the door closing echoed trough the emptier room King Hervey let out a deep sigh coming deep from his heart.

The king finished drinking his wine in a single gulp. He got up, picked up the chair that Atticus threw and got Ella's chair back in place.