Dragons' Positions [Fickle Positions Chronicle # 1]

Chapter 8 : A Family Dinner

For a moment, Alala was walking ahead of her father and Adrian, but that seemed to change after the moment passed because her father had stepped ahead of her while her brother had begun to walk beside her.

"The royal family are having a private dinner tonight, so our family will be eating alone." At her father's words, she remembered reading in a letter from her Aunt Wenderra saying how she missed those days when her family ate daily with Alala's since when her father left Eloise, Alala's step-mother, had begun avoiding their meals together. Apparently, Eloise had done it because every time they had a meal together she'd remember Alala's father.

Deciding to change her line of thought, Alala noticed that she had been following her father to a room beside her's before she paused. "Where are we going?"

Her father answered, amusement in his voice. "We're going to have dinner."

"Father, stop messing with her." Adrian spoke up, turning to face her. " Alala, we're going to our family's," he seemed to think of a word for it for a moment," private room. We use it for things ranging from keeping a storage of food," Alala's mouth watered at the thought of meat,"to eating private dinners." She nodded her head, showing she understood, before her father entered the room, moving to take a seat on the table in the middle of the room where her step-mother had already sat down.

She took one look at the meat on the table and saw through the edges of her vision that the whole room looked like a replica of what hers had looked like, except for the reddish-brown table and seats that were situated in the middle. Focusing on the meat again, she realized her decision was made for her and stepped into the room, pausing to let Adrian take a seat and start eating, before she sat across on the seat across from him.

"Alala," Alala's step-mother faced her, flashing a smile her way, " it's good to see you again."

Surprised, she didn't know what to say, so she decided greeting her would suffice for now. "Ah, step-mother-"

"Please, call me Eloise." Eloise interrupted, seeming amused at her reaction. Honestly, she should've known her father's wife would be like him, finding amusement in whatever she did. She was glad, seeing her there had made her nervous about officially meeting her, but seeing as she had a similar temperament, so far, to her father,she wasn't so bothered anymore.

"Eloise, it's nice to finally meet you."

"Come now, no need to be so formal. I'm your step-mother, not your manners teacher!"

She cracked a smile at that, relaxing a bit more. "Sorry, I wasn't sure how you'd be, so I decided to take the safe route."

"It's fine, I don't blame you, my mother was a mean manners teacher while I grew up with her." Eloise changed her voice then, into an impression of her mother. "Eloise, the forks! The forks! Not that one, that one!" Her voice changed back to her own. "My mother taught me with a Spartan accuracy, but I'm grateful, because without her, I wouldn't have met your father in that one party."

Her father and Eloise shared a loving look then and he smiled, laughing a bit. "Yes, that party, the one where you-" Eloise's expression became a warning look before she turned to Alala again. "Yes," she cleared her throat," that clearly wasn't my best moment, but speaking of parties, the prince's celebration is tomorrow, yes?"

Her father spoke his next words warily, as if he was scared Elosie would do something. "It is"

Eloise's practically beamed at Alala. "Good, well then, would you like me to prepare you for the party then , Alala?"