The Princess and The Captain

Part 11- Dinner

Aspen sat in the absurdly large dining room, not interested in the conversation at hand. The room was illuminated by large torches that lined its perimeter, and the heads of giant beasts hung above them. At the head of the rectangular oak table sat Aspen's father. Amari's posture told her that he was proud to be hosting Kanian royalty and his finely stitched suit told her that he was trying to impress them that night. To Amari's right was the queen. The deep blue of Rehema's flowing gown matched the king's suit both in color and price, though she didn't seem as pleased as Amari to be in the presence of foreign royals. She looked a bit on edge in Aspen's opinion, but the girl couldn't think of any reason the woman would be. She promptly brushed the thought away.

Aspen sat opposite her mother, occupying the left side of the table with her cousins. Teveil and Josette sat quietly in their seats, adding to the conversation whenever appropriate. Aspen would often find them shooting sly grins that she couldn't quite decipher, but it annoyed her nonetheless.

The cloths that lined the tables and ostentatious chandeliers hanging above garnered most of Aspen's attention, but she also took the time to study the foreign visitors. The king, the prince and the princess of Kane sat tall - proud of the fur coats and twinkling jewels they donned. Aspen recalled her many lessons on the other kingdoms of their realm. Kane was the northernmost land. A kingdom of snow, mountains, and beasts that were vicious enough to survive those conditions.

The people of Celeia were blessed by the gods with eternal summer, and as a result, most families that had settled there were kissed by the sun. Aspen silently compared the royal visitors to her own family. Where Aspen's people had warm, dark eyes and skin that glowed in the ever-present sun, the Kanians had ivory skin and eyes that seemed too light to be natural. They tended to shy away from the sunlight from what she had witnessed.

Prince Tristan Beaumont was all too eager to impress the parents in their midst. He told the story of slaughtering an unsuspecting deer with such detail and vigor it made Aspen lose all appetite for the night. His hair was a bright yellow, nearly white, and his eyes were as blue as the sky. His eyes, much like everything else about him, were unsettlingly bright. They looked right through her most of the night, and when they did settle on her, the gaze sent a chill down her spine. Thankfully, Aspen didn't think the guests would be staying long.

"Please, feel free to use any of our horses in the stable, Jude. We should all go riding together." Amari addressed the King of Kane as if they were lifelong friends, though Aspen had never seen the man or any of his children.

Jude nodded, "We would be honored to join you." He agreed as he cut another slice of roasted ham for himself.

The man matched Aspen's father in height and only surpassed him by a few years in age. The top half of his long gray hair was pulled back and made a tight knot behind his head while the bottom half fell freely down to his broad shoulders. His eyes were a brilliant green – like his daughter's – but all other features resembled his son.

"I suppose I'll have to best you in a race, Tristan." Teveil grinned before wiping his mouth with a nearby handkerchief.

His comment provoked light laughter from the man across from him, "You southerners think you're the best at everything! I can assure you when it comes to horse riding, the North has you beat."

The Kanian princess, Valarie Beaumont, smiled in amusement at the comment. Prior to then, she seemed as thrilled to be there as Aspen was. Her pin-straight black hair was the only dark thing about her appearance, and her green eyes were vibrant across the table. She contributed very little to the conversation, but Aspen sensed her silence wasn't out of shyness but rather complete apathy toward the subjects discussed. Aspen found that she, too, didn't care much for extended conversations about hunting boar and swordsmanship, but she had managed to insert herself into the conversation enough to please her father.