Made To Be Broken

Four

At least I can be thankful that breakfast is served at a different table than the one which saw the deaths of two kings.

Unfortunately, though, it appears that the people I met yesterday are not, in fact, the entire royal family. It seems that only the crown family was allowed to be at the treaty signing- that is, King Soren, Queen Naomi, and their five children.

The boy I sit next to now was not, in fact, there to watch the kings die. It's probably for the best, though. I've lost count of the number of absolutely absurd things that have come out of his mouth, and I can't for the life of me imagine him at any sort of royal meeting. He's only a year or two younger than me, and yet, seems not to have developed the complex filter of emotions that all royals are forced into. It's refreshing, in a way, but also horrifically annoying.

His name is Kai Aldridge. My attention snaps to him as he ropes me into conversation, gesturing between me and his cousin, Casimir, with a fork. "Better watch out, Cas. Look what our little fun-sized princess got for breakfast."

I ignore the fact that Casimir even decided to show up for breakfast at all, or wonder what is so special about the pancakes that had been prepared concerning to my liking, choosing instead to focus on the peculiar nickname. The term "fun-sized" was only ever used to refer to the smaller-sized artisan candies at the market. Using it to describe a person was... strange, to say the least.

I decide to run with the peculiar idea, the distraction from the despair and chaos I'd fallen victim to. "Fun-size? I'm 5'3, Smalls."

"And I'm 5'6." He flashes me a dimpled smile. "Which makes you, princess, fun-sized."

I roll my eyes, not bothering to continue the conversation. Of course, Kai doesn't seem to share this sentiment. He sweeps his dusty blonde hair from his face, before continuing, "A few years back, Cas had an assignment in Settlement Five. Jace and I had gone with him, and anyway, the next morning, we got pancakes, and he refused to eat them. He had no way of knowing I put Salroot powder in them! Such a waste, too-"

"Kai," Casimir snaps, looking up from his plate. "Are we seriously talking about this?"

I try to file away each bit of information, in the way all royals do. The Aldridge family treads a fine line between ally and enemy, and in either situation, information was key. Though, it was beyond me why Kai would ever try to poison Casimir with Salroot powder. At best, it would send him into a medically induced coma of sorts. Peculiar, the entire thing was.

"Yes, we are talking about this!" Kai's adamancy kicks me from my thoughts. "You haven't eaten anything with syrup since!"

I look down at my plate of pancakes, though I'd decided long before this conversation that I wouldn't be eating. It wasn't anything with the royal cooking- which, though the cook was Eldorian, I'm sure still tasted expensive and fresh- rather, with the thoughts crowding my mind, the nagging at my brain insisting that I'm not really hungry.

I can tell everyone that my appetite died the night my father did.

It's out of grief that I push around small pieces of syrupy pancake on my plate, just to make them look barely eaten.

Of course, no one would bat an eyelash either way.

The Aldridge kids continue bickering without me, and I look down to the end of the table, at the other new people seated there. Next to my mother and Queen Naomi are three other adults- Atlas Aldridge was Soren's youngest brother, and he is married to a blonde haired woman they call Amber. Next to Atlas is Victor, Kai's dad. The similarities are clear as day- from the blonde hair to the olive green eyes. All five adults make what I can only assume is attempts at small talk, despite the tragedy befallen them the night before. It's the way of all royals, all those in power. We must be strong, resilient, perfect images for all our people. It's a recipe, in a way: a dash of kindness- no, benevolence, so not to seem weak- a spoonful of intelligence, a cup full of unfeeling cruelty, a heap or two of poise and elegance.