112 – Royal Banquet (1)

Alyssa and I were sitting on the bed facing each other.

A small frown could be seen on her face after what I said.

Lapia was reading a book next to us, minding her own business.

The Luzo squinted her eyes at me. “Can you repeat that?” She demanded with a hint of disbelief in her voice.

We had gone back to our room after dinner and seeing Hanna away, and were about to go to bed when the healer asked about the book she lent me.

I shrugged. “It's not for everyone,” I argued.

She shook her head. “Not what I asked,” she deadpanned, arching an eyebrow.

I sighed. “Kingdom Fall is mid,” I announced again.

Alyssa rubbed her temples and sighed. “Why?! How can you say that?”

“Well,” I began, running my hands through my hair. “The whole cast of characters feel a little off. Like... the dude died because he got the Queen pregnant 'one too many times'? That's just silly in my opinion. How can someone kill their loved one because of that?”

“They're Royalty, Natasha,” Alyssa pointed out. “It'd be problematic if the all the heirs descend from the same man.”

I rolled my eyes. “How would that be problematic? We don't even know their species! The only differentiation is their personality, names, and origin. Yinka Plavas didn't even describe their voices or appearances.”

“That's the style Yinka Plavas chose for Kingdom Fall,” Alyssa retorted. “The Queen would have favorites if all the heirs come from the same man, which is what led to the assassination.”

I gave her a look. “That's just stupid,” I chuckled. “It's a weak plot device to make people unnaturally jealous.”

Alyssa groaned. “Not in the book's setting, it isn't! Things were different during the Second Age of E'er. People were different, too. Familicide wasn't uncommon.”

I let out an exasperated sigh. “How was I supposed to know about the setting? It was never once mentioned in the five hundred pages I read!”

“The characters' origin and backstory let the reader know!” Alyssa protested, slapping her tail on the bed.

“And how am I supposed to know that?” I retorted with a chuckle. “I have no clue how the Second Age of E'er went down. I don't know the context of the world I'm presented with, so of course it's going to make little sense.”

The Luzo bit her lips and stared at me for a few seconds, then nodded. “You're right... I completely forgot about that...”

“Maybe children books would be better as the next reading material,” Lapia suggested.

Alyssa nodded. “True.”

“Pardon?” I blurted out. “I'm not a child...”

The Elf looked at me with a smile. “You'll get better context from those. Yinka Plavas' books are not exactly entry-level material.”

I scoffed. “What, then? You'll make me read fairy tales?”

Alyssa shook her head. “No, those are pretty gruesome. Fairies are brutal.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. “Right... what kind of books do children read?”

“Little Monarch,” Lapia supplied.

“The Great Awakening,” Alyssa added.

“What is Divinity?” the Elf offered.

“Of People and Monsters,” the Luzo included.

“The All-Mother,” Lapia continued.

Both kept going, mentioning more books than I cared to remember.

“Alright,” I interrupted after a while. “Got it. I should read more. Do you have those?”

Both shook their heads.

“You could go read them at a library,” Alyssa pointed out. “Or buy a few copies.”

“We could visit a book store before we leave Paarjo,” Lapia muttered, then yawned. “You can read them on the way.”

“Sure,” I agreed with a shrug.

The bedroom door opened and Yolin walked in. She closed the door, walked to the bed, and dropped her person on it. “Haaaaaaaa,” she sighed. “That was fun.”

I crawled to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “How did it go?”

“Good,” she replied with a smile. “We went around the city, then we had lunch, then we walked a bit while eating ice cream. We watched a short street-play and then went to a small arena where we fought a few people. After that we visited a few taverns on the way back,” she recounted. “I had a great time.”

I nodded in approval. Good going, Pokora.

“Any spicy moments?” Lapia inquired with a smirk.

Yolin laughed and sat up, then turned to us. “She asked me to keep the details between us,” she chuckled with a smug smile.

“Ohh...” Alyssa giggled. “So it went well.”

Yolin nodded.

“I see,” I muttered. “I'll annoy her tomorrow. Let's go to sleep.”

And so we got under the blankets and went to dreamland.

–

The next day we woke up early and had a quick breakfast.

Pokora avoided Lapia's indirect questions, giving vague replies.

I settled with watching the Archer blush and stutter.

It wasn't time to be focusing on that. We had a Royal Banquet to attend, after all.

At my insistence, we left at eight towards the Royal Palace and met with the Ork, who was riding a Bhin.

The streets were a bit busier than usual. People were going towards our destination as well, and I noticed a few boards advertising the event.

Watchers took control of traffic to avoid incidents and facilitate vehicle and mount flow on the streets.

I heard people express their gratitude in my involvement to heal the King, and I simply smiled and waved back.

After reaching the place itself, we went in through the main gate.

The rest of the populace went to the side of the palace, however, so we were the only ones there.

A surprising amount of Royal Guards were present, keeping watch on the many gates on that side of the street.

Looks like security is taken care of, I concluded and rode Sonya to the building proper.

The large double doors opened and Josalia walked out to greet us. She was wearing a beautiful spring green dress.

We dismounted and walked over.

My companions bowed to the Ruler.

“Good morning, Your Excellency,” the Queen cheerfully greeted me. “And good morning to you, Lady Alyssa, Gentleman Bromisnar, Gentleman Bonte, Lady Elena, Lady Lapia, Lady Pokh'Orra, Lady Thelea, Lady Yolin.” She looked at Hanna, then at me. “I see you have a new companion.”

I nodded. “Yeah, Hanna. She joined us yesterday after helping me with some... matters,” I informed her.

She smiled. “I hope those matters were settled,” she politely chuckled.

“They were,” I chuckled back. “Swiftly so.”

The Queen slowly nodded, looking me in the eye. “Good,” she muttered and turned around. “This way, Your Excellency. We prepared a room for you to wait along with your companions.”

“Sure. Thanks a bunch,” I replied and followed.

My companions straightened and kept pace.

After going inside the palace, Josalia spoke up again. “Queen Claudia from the Tidon Monarchy will be the first to arrive, Your Excellency. After that is Chief of State Paveli from the Human country of Chad. Then High General Odnik, from Koluum Kingdom. Fourth to arrive will be Plesani, Overseer of the Unified Nymph Collective. And finally Sahaz, Queen of Nemephan.”

I sighed in relief. “So it's going to be a seven people gathering? Nice.”

The Queen had the audacity to laugh. “Oh, Your Excellency, how you lift the spirits,” she chuckled after regaining her composure. “They will be joined by an entourage of twenty to thirty people each. Mostly government officials, Nobles, and their scions.”

Sayon? The fuck is that? I wondered.

We took a turn and went up a set of stairs.

“That's a lot of people,” I pointed out after taking another turn. “How long will they take to reach the city?”

“Not long, why?” Josalia inquired, a little confused.

“The levators didn't look like they could fit that many,” I recalled.

“I see,” the Queen muttered. “Well, I hope you enjoy the spectacle,” she ominously chuckled.

I looked around the corridors while we walked. “Where's Gordon?”

“Preparing for his grand appearance,” Josalia snorted. “He's the main actor of this event, after all. He wants to show up right before Your Excellency.”

I hummed. “Didn't I ask you to call me by name?”

“That you did,” the Queen agreed. “But this is an official event. We must follow protocol.”

I sighed. “Fair enough, Your Majesty.”

“That's the spirit,” she praised in a motherly tone.

We took yet another turn to a familiar corridor.

The Queen walked to an excessively decorated pair of doors and stopped. “We've arrived,” she announced.

It was the same room I stayed at with Lapia. The exact same where we did the nasty for hours. And we'd all go inside.

My face heated up in embarrassment. Fuck, I cursed in my mind and proceeded to open the door.

The interior was just the way I remembered, full of silver and gold ornaments and decorations. It was almost like any other color ceased to exist the moment I stepped inside. The large bed where I fucked Lapia to the point she couldn't walk was in the same spot as before.

“I will return shortly before the other Rulers arrive, Your Excellency,” Josalia informed me. “Is there anything you'd like to request in the meantime?”

I turned to her and shook my head. “Nothing comes to mind. And thanks, Josalia... I mean, Your Majesty.”

The Queen smiled, nodded, closed the door, and left.

My companions let out a collective sigh of relief.

“That was Queen Josalia in the flesh!” Bonte exclaimed in excitement. “She's so regal!”

Bromisnar walked to a golden table and sat down in one of the silver chairs. “She does have that Royal aura,” he agreed.

“She was pretty relaxed,” Yolin pointed out and walked to the bed, where she sat down. “Seems like a chill woman.”

“This room is a bit too much,” Pokora groaned, looking at a full-body mirror with a golden frame. “Look at all this wealth,” she muttered, a little disgusted.

“It's for Halves, after all,” Lapia chuckled, walking to me. She stood on the tip of her toes and whispered in my ear, “We had fun here. Makes me a bit excited with everyone present.”

I closed my eyes and sighed. “It's embarrassing,” I whispered back.

She smirked and pinched my cheeks. “I bet,” she chuckled.