The Keepers of Eternity

XXVIII

Lenore hadn't seen so much food in her life. On the table, spread out before her, were huge ceramic bowls filled with side dishes, along with platters that held whole cooked geese and vegetables with gravy. A mountain of cheese and fruit was positioned in the middle of the table, with desserts to the left, and small, rice-based dishes to the right. The dinner server even offered Lenore seventeen different kinds of wine, which she got to choose from a menu. It was a feast fit for royalty, and in this case, for a governess and her guests.

Lady Amary sat at the head of the table, in a wooden chair with a tall back which was carved finely with slashes and swirls. She was short, and probably just a bit older than Lenore—with shoulder-length black hair and bangs which were cut perfectly across her forehead. Unlike the other leaders of Rvyn, Amary never wore clothes with her color on them. It was traditional for the governors to wear red or brown or blue clothes, but Amary was—apparently--never one for tradition. She liked the color black, and wore robes of that shade to blend in with the rest of her people.

Lenore could respect that. After Kaisa and Amary had reunited, Amary had requested for all of them to get dressed up for a dinner party. The Governess didn't seem to care that Lenore and her friends were humans. In fact, she'd thought it fascinating.

It was strange not having to hide from them. It was strange to feel accepted.

I didn't come here to have a fancy dinner party. Lenore repeated to herself. She begrudgingly took a bite out of a chicken leg. Kaisa had insisted they come to the palace. There was no other option.

And there was nothing else she could do.

"Evadrian," Lenore said quietly, careful not to disrupt Kaisa and Amary's talking. "Evadrian."

Evadrian looked up from across the table and quickly swallowed his food. At least he wasn't stuffing his face like Monfreid was. "Lenore?"

She should have just asked him to sit next to her, and she thought he would when they entered the dining room together. He'd sat across from her instead.

"What did they do to you back there?"

He looked taken aback. "Oh, you mean this?" He said, pointing to his hair. Despite its shortness, it was somehow fluffed up and pushed back like it had been caught in a strong wind. "One of the servants went a little crazy with the comb."

"No. I was wondering if they gave you one of these?" Lenore said. She held up her finger, showing him the ring they'd slipped on her finger. A large amethyst embedded in the center of the ring caught in the dim light of the candle flames, sparkling like a star. After the servants had whisked her away to bathe and dress for the dinner, they'd slipped it on her finger. She'd considered that it might be worth more than she'd ever made in her life; and that, in a way, made it feel uncomfortable to wear.

Evadrian's eyes widened, gazing at the ring. At first, he seemed at a loss for words, then his face relaxed. "They didn't. But it looks beautiful on you."

Carefully, she glanced back towards the Lieutenant and the Governess, who were still deep in conversation. Lenore then lowered her and placed it under the fine tablecloth. "Thank you." She was somewhat disappointed, hoping that these Rvyni hadn't just decided to dress her up in expensive clothing. Evadrian and the other Swordfellows were wearing doublets, but they didn't have any on on that were quite as flashy as what she was dressed in. When Lenore had requested divided skirts, they'd still pulled through and pulled an exquisite pleated black garment from the back. She'd grown to really prefer pants to dresses lately, since it provided more freedom of movement. Still, the skirts were far more fancy than she felt comfortable wearing.