Issue 6: My Agony

Chapter 6: The Royal Yordle Dinner

We sat down for dinner in tall chairs with comfortable plushy cushions. I look left and right making sure I'm not being judged for what I eat. I look at Ashley telling her we should be okay. I still feel my heart starting to race even though I know we know they're serving vegetarian too.

A loud chime goes off and Princess Maddie's eyes flash and her smile grows. She leaps out of her chair excitedly yelling, "Omigosh Prince Jerome I got it I got it I got it I got it I got it!"

Tristana's resting her head on her hand and rolls her eyes sighing. She tells Ashley, "It's not Jerome. Besides he's a human anyway. I mean does she have to rub it in so much that she likes him?"

Zoe looks up, half smiling like she knows Tristana's secret. She then asks Tristana, "So anything new between you and Poppy?" She forks carrot out of her salad, the sunlight peeping through the window hitting Zoe's mint green silk glove and emerald green puffy shoulder sleeve.

Tristana sighs, staring down at her lap. "She's been kidnapped and I just can't find her!"

Violet moves her head forward, then swallows her salad remembering she's chewing. "Are you sure she's kidnapped?"

Tristana moves her head between her arms talking into her sleeves, "No."

I hear feet dragging on the carpet, Princess Maddie's dragging her feet slumping. "It's just them." Her tone a mix of dread and disappointment. Something feels off about them too.

Prime Minister Ava glares at her then swallows her piece of steak. "At least try acting happy. It wouldn't kill you to smile you know."

A yordle man wearing a gaudy baby blue cape and hat with a white feather tells her, "I also asked her to smile but she just wouldn't!"

Maddie falls onto her seat scowling crossing her arms. I feel so bad for her.

The man is with a yordle lady who doesn't look all that happy or comfortable either.

Ava adjusts her glasses, folding her fingers leaning forward. "So I got intel and the Piggy Empire is planning on taking even more of our land."

He wipes his mustache with a napkin, "Oh yes! I couldn't bear it if I lost all that money to those ruffians! "

His wife leans back crossing her arms. He looks over to her and goes on, "And the people doing worse, I suppose."

Maddie whispers to me, "I don't like him. He only married a poor girl because he can use his money to manipulate her and she's using him too. Like he seriously couldn't find another noble to marry? And he's so much older than her too." She makes a grossed out face.

Carlos devilishly smirks and then he uses his sandwich as a puppet. "I'm lost, do you know where I belong?"

Carlos tells him, "Yeah in my belly!"

He shakes his head left to right making weird nom nom nom nom noises. We all burst into laughter. He's so brave, eating like that, especially in front of other people. Especially at a royal dinner. Everyone except for Ava and the tacky pretentious noble are laughing while Shauna and Trang are trying so bad not to laugh.

I whisper to Ashley, "I can't believe we have to eat in front of all these people."

She whispers back, "Well they said they'll have salads."

The yordle guy wearing a gaudy blue cape and hat glare at us, making it way too obvious he's pretending we don't exist. The girl next to him looks bored. Their steaks smell peppery and their fries smell like sunflower oil.

Shauna gets up looking pretty fascinated with the bookcases. "If only we could read these."

Ashley takes a sip of punch and says, "I know right! Wonder what kind of cool spells or fashions they have?"