Gate of Containment

Chapter Two - Rite of Containment

     The walk from my room to the feast was dreadfully silent. It was not the relieving kind, like Marcia and I experienced just moments before. I forced my feet step after step, each one filling my mouth with a bitter taste as smells of roast chicken and hearty gravy clung to the walls. A discussion meal, my Mother called it. Meant to fuel the mind and body - but not even that could compare to the edge that adrenaline gave. 

     As we grew closer, the texture of the walls changed. From rocky cobblestone, to a smoother, more expensive marble. A design made only to impress the average person. My fingers traced the weathering marble as the last few steps made their way into view. Even I believed the castle was beautiful from this point on, though some of the shoddy treasures and knacks were due to be replaced. Careful eyes could see the rusted frames of filigree-framed paintings, where the shellac of thin gold had been worn away from years of inadequate care. In my own case, diligent eyes were not the reason I noticed these things. 

     The walk to the Feasting Table was one I'd made thousands of times. I could hear the voices of many chiming and laughing together, but the anticipation I once felt to join had flooded from my body years ago. 

     "You know how this is going to go, Duedine." My feet paused before I entered, eavesdropping what information I could before trodding into chaos.

     "Joaromi, how many times do I have to tell you, you can't assume what -" I stopped breathing. Voices calmed. In an instant, the door was flung open. "Hello, my darling daughter." 

     Duedine sat at the head of his round table, decorated with swaths of cranberry red and evergreen fabric. Golden sticks of candlelight complimented the spread of steaming platters. The sour taste I'd gained on my wander down failed to leave, and the typically inviting smell made my stomach turn with nausea. "Hi, Father." 

     "Come, sit. Sit." Father waved his hand, the chair next to him pulling out with invisible hands. Another flick of his fingers whisked a pointed breeze behind me, ushering my sluggish steps quicker. The Comrades - as I liked to call them - watched my every move as I was placed at the table as placed at the table. "Now that Eradia has arrived, let's discuss."

It was clear that my father was extending the spotlight to whomever grabbed it first. And without hesitation, Chancellor Urigywn grasped it. "Well, Brother." It took everything in me not to roll my eyes at the older man. Especially when he failed to wipe away the glistening spot of fatty gravy from his unkempt beard. "I can't help but mention." He pointed a finger directly at me. "She's got no help."

It was now that I rolled my eyes. So this is what I was brought here for. A lengthy argument, not a discussion at all. I opened my mouth to begin my protest.

"Now would be a good time to fix that, wouldn't it?" Duedine shot a look at his Constable, a sightly man by the name of Inalios. His brown eyes shot up from his plate. Inalios had always been frightful of my father, his darting eyes proving his feeling. "So, who is up for handling?"

The unsure man spoke. "I - well, I've got a few Knights who'd be willing to take the position." Was this really a man who commanded armies? "And a few Squires that would like to prove their size are up for judging." A small smirk tugged at the slender man's lips, denting a dimple into his sharp cheek. The others - besides my mother, who sipped her chalice to hide a creeping smile - seemed unamused. I couldn't help but chuckle. "Or not, I can't help but throw them in as contenders."

My chuckle turned into a laugh. "Eradia, please. This is important. We cannot send you alone to the other Continents." My father wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. "This is certainly more of a job for one of my Knights, experienced in Battle and Wartimes."