A Crown Of Blades(ARTK, Book 3)

Chapter 25-26

Anor 21st,3330 A.G

Jana did look good in dark blue. It made her hair and eyes stand out, and was a nice contrast against her skin- but she wanted to laugh at what they'd put Myles in. He weren't quite as muscular as his father, but he were very wide and tall. The closest thing they had on hand that could fit belonged to a servant man from Alenia of whom there was no one to give his possessions when he died, so they'd just sat in his empty room since.

  Myles had also never been particular about how he dressed, but this was pushing it even for him. A plain gray tunic and breeches with holes- to a dinner with another noble family that were wearing the finest their coin could buy?

  It were an insult at worst, a punishment at best. As they entered the Ourri's small hall that became more apparent, and Jana wracked her brain for distant childhood memories- but she realized she'd never actually been here.

In most ways it were no different than other small halls of the continent. There were a small, raised section of floor at the back(or front, depending on how one saw things) with a long table made of some wood Jana didn't know the name for- with stairs and four support pillars separating it from where they currently were. There were three more tables down here, and natural vines snaked over the walls and support pillars- some surrounding paintings of what used to be naked people, before Uculian ideas started to bleed over into Cralon. Jana made a mental note to have those paintings restored, and shook her head.

Uculia had been great once. As the only territory(kingdom at the time) where rare gemstones were mined, they'd reached their peak many hundreds of years ago- before they got the bright idea that it was okay to kidnap other people and use slaves to do the work for them. The triad's army had tried to defend their people, but it'd been as weak then as it were now- and all their efforts did were make more slaves. After the practice were outlawed Uculia turned to other methods of controlling their people; an extreme form of religion the gods would never approve of. And of course it were slightly less strict now, five hundred years later- but the Puritanism( is that a real fucking word???) had remained.

Jana smiled, walked over a fluffy fur rug that could only be from someone's cats- and spoke for both of them again.

"I suppose I should thank you for the hospitality." Jana forced a small curtsy as she approached the raised platform. "You could have shoved us both in the smallest guest chambers here but- apparently that wasn't the case."

"Yes well-" Miel wiped his mouth, took a large gulp of the grape wine and looked towards Jana. "The largest were occupied by a prarisian diplomat upon your arrival, but he were preparing to leave just an hour or so ago. I can have you moved- if you'd prefer ?"

Jana shook her head. "That won't be neccesary. Thank you.... My lord."

She could feel her tongue burn as she said those words, but she had little choice.

You must be so incredibly charming that he suspects nothing, even if he does.

Jana glanced over the faces at the table, unsure of where was appropriate to sit. Hele were to Miel's right at the head of the table, Jasce( his younger brother) and his wife Ysoude were to the left- and there were an empty spot beside Hele, between her and Christina( Miel's only sister).

The closer you were to the table's head, the more you were said to be respected- but this were a strange place. She could see him commenting on how she should have let her cousin sit there-