The Dance of Kings [discontinued under this title]

Chapter 6

Mynoa, Rundil

On any normal day, the throne room would be abuzz with activity.  The king would be seated on the throne, listening to petitions set forth by the common peoples of the empire.  The king’s steward would serve as the king’s ears and mouth, relaying information to and from the king and his chosen advisors.  Upon the king’s orders, the advisors would discuss how to accomplish the king’s goals.  The manner of achieving those goals would then be told to the king, who would approve or disapprove.  It was often boring work, but necessary.  It was the king’s job to ensure his people remained happy and productive.  Some days, the king would seek respite and place the queen or his steward on the throne as his voice while he would go hunting.  The heads of many deer and boar killed by the king adorned the throne room.  The meat would be feasted on by the king’s family and guests.  But today was a different story.  There were no people running among the halls of the Great Hall.  Every room of the great palace was still.  The king did not sit upon the throne.  There was no one to sit upon the throne today.

The first rays of sun began to shine through the stained glass windows of the Great Hall, filling the hall was a radiant glow.  The remnants of the previous night’s festivities were still scattered among the room.  The servants would have been working diligently to clean the mess had Malaina not dismissed them.  Audriel was seated at her place at the king’s table.  Her mother was seated next to her daughter.  Both were silent.  Neither queen nor princess had changed their attire from the night before.  The only change to Audriel’s dress was a new bandage wrapped around the burn on her arm.

Only a handul of people lingered in the Great Hall.  No one had received rest since they had heard the news of the king’s murder.  It had been hours since anyone had heard from Lord Ronan and the Brotherhood of Dawn.  When the first wave of panic set, it was Audriel who stood up and demanded patience from her father’s people.  She welcomed her guests to venture to the third level and take a room to rest.  Many took her up on the offer, leaving only those closest to the king remaining.

Audriel looked upon those who chose to remain with her in the Great Hall.  Her uncle, the king’s brother, Sofur Hemming, stood at the most.  The new rays of sun illuminated his milky white skin and snowy hair.  The Albino, as he was called by those of the empire, was the youngest brother of the king.  He was still dressed in his fine, cream colored velvet doublet bearing the insignia of the Hemmings house crest, the golden eagle.  He was adorned with fewer jewels compared to those around him, wearing only a single ruby ring on his left index finger, a sign of his nobility.

Seated beside Sofur was his sister, Audriel’s aunt, Ambrosine Attwood and her husband, the ruling king of Lytus, Thrynn Attwood.  Lytus was the small country to the southwest of Rundil.  The Attwood family has ruled the Lytesian throne for many generations, going back to before the beginning of the Final War.  Thrynn was comforting his wife, who seemed to be in a catatonic state.  Her light brown eyes were focused on some object that appeared to not exist on this plane.  She had taken in the hardest when Audriel told her of the king’s death.  She fell to the ground in inconsolable weeping.  Then she stopped and has not moved since.  Audriel’s heart went out to her aunt.  Ambrosine had always been close to her brothers, especially to Odirius.

Across the room sat Lisette Hemmings, wife of the Lord Ronan, and her son Nikulas.  Audriel did not pretend to believe that her aunt and cousin where here on behalf of the king.  Their true concern was that of Ronan.  She held no good feelings for her aunt and cousin, as she knew they held none for her.  She could always feel the hateful stare of her aunt boring into the back of her head.  Had Audriel not been born, she son would be next in line for the throne.  Despite the strong love she felt for her uncle, Audriel could never experience that feeling for his wife.  Lisette and Nikulas were dressed in fresh clothes of mohair.  They appeared to be the only well-rested in the room.