196: A Company of Fools: Royal Dinner II

"I'm STUFFED!" Bo exclaimed as he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his stomach.

"Bo! You don't lean back in a chair and rub your stomach like that in front of a Pharaoh!" Jane fussed.

"But I'm full!" Bo groaned. Turak'Kahn and Viola chuckled.

"Gods Leon was the same at that age." Viola replied. Leon blushed and crossed his arms.

"I was not! I would never act in such an uncouth and ungentlemanly manner!" He exclaimed.

"You used to run around the palace naked, refusing to take a bath." Aziza said with a smirk. Leon's blush turned a deeper red as he slammed go's hands on the table.

"I was three!" He snapped.

"You were eight." Aziza corrected. Bo and I both laughed, not bothering to do the polite thing and cover our mouths. Leon looked away from everyone with a huff and grumbled to himself.

"Enough picking on your brother Azi." Turak'Kahn said.

"But it's so easy." She said with a devious chuckle. Turak'Kahn sighed and shook his head, then looked to Jane.

"You didn't say much during dinner, Bug." Turak'Kahn observed.

"I'm not in a talkative mood." Jane said. Turak'Kahn's expression turned serious.

"I figured you'd at least want to know the fate of your evo, or has Iris already told you?" Turak'Kahn asked. Jane shook her head and then looked away.

"While I hope that he survived, I thought about it when I got back to my room. With those sort of injuries there, I'd no way that he can heal from them…considering his condition." Jane said.

"You mean his mana flux syndrome." I said through gritted teeth.

I was trying to keep my cool. I had expected Jane to rush me, wanting to know how Jingles was when she saw Bo and I in the hallway. To say I was surprised was a understatement, I thought sometime during the dinner she'd say something, but that wasn't the case either.

"Yes…a…regrettable decision in my youth." Jane replied.

"Splicing a live lion cub and eagle chick is a little more than a regrettable decision!" Bo snapped. "It's cruel!"

"I am not going to justify my behavior to you, Bo." Jane said, adopting that cold demeanor she put on when she wanted to appear more authoritative. It didn't work on me, though.

"There is no justifying that Jane or how you treated him during your duel!" I snapped. Leon and Aziza both arched a brow and looked at her Jane.

"Who did you duel?" Leon asked.

"Your mother." Turak'Kahn answered. Leon's eyes widened, and he turned to Jane.

"And you survived!" Leon exclaimed, then shook his head. "What would possess you to duel mother? Magically, she's a monster!"

"Oh thanks Le-le, every mother dreams of hearing their son call them a monster." Viola huffed.

"Mother, that magicide Oscillation spell is a massive cheat. Being able to cast a spell without a spell sigil is overpowered." Leon said. Jane jerked her head to look at her brother.

"YOU KNEW ABOUT THAT SPELL!" She bellowed. Leon looked at his sister, shocked.

"You mean you didn't?" He asked.

"How would I!?" Jane exclaimed.

"You would have known about it had you actually sparred with me any of the times I asked or offered." Viola said. Jane turned and looked at her mother, an indescribable look on her face. "But you always said you'd rather train with an instructor or someone you believed would give you a challenge….that one actually hurt."

Jane huffed and looked away from her mother. Aziz laughed loudly and shook her head.

"Your mother is a combat splicer whose talent and power surpasses that of Anasazi Paragon. It's a well-known fact!" Aziza cackled.

"Stronger than Anasazi!" I exclaimed.

[He almost killed us!] Alpa'nagia hissed angrily.

[You maybe, scale face.] Bone-lasher said with slight chuckle. I rolled my eyes and thought about stopping the potential argument that was forming between my evo but decided to focus on the argument that was happening in front of me and tuned them out.

"How! All she does is act like a scatterbrained fool, locked away in her library chasing fairytale!" Jane exclaimed.

Turak'Kahn slammed his fist on the table, gaining everyone's attention and pointed a finger at Jane.

"If I ever hear you talk to your mother with such disrespect Jane, I will challenge you to a duel. And I will not be as kind as your mother was and try to teach you a lesson." Turak'Kahn said.

The tone of his voice was ice cold, it felt like the room dropped fifty degrees just from it. Jane clenched her jaw and looked away. I could see the gears in her head starting to turn, for the longest time, I couldn't ever really figure out what was going on inside her head. I got glimpses occasionally, small peeks into the inner workings when she was stressed or defeated just like she was now.

"I challenged you to a duel Jane to teach you a lesson, never underestimate anyone. Learn, adapt, and evolve to each new situation. Lessons my father carved into my soul from the moment I was born." Viola said with a sigh. "I attacked you knowing Jingles would jump to save you. I expected you to at least try and save him, not scream his name the entire match and act like a pitiful damsel in distress waiting for a prince to come save her."

"Damsel in distress!" Jane snapped.

"Well, you were screaming a lot and not really doing much…" Bo muttered. Jane glared at him.

"He's right. There were multiple points where Viola even gave you advice, but all you were focused on was beating her and proving that you were, and my mother's way was right and better." Turak'Kahn said. He clenched his fists and then leveled Jane with a glare. "You lost the duel and, as such, have to surrender to the will of the Victor. Since no stakes were placed on the duel before it was accepted, your mother has a right to claim whatever she wants now."

"…fine…what do you want?" Jane asked through gritted teeth. Viola turned to Iris.

"Iris, I am relieving you of your duties as a Jane's guardian. Until I am certain she deserves such a privilege, you are to treat her as an ordinary girl. You will still attend Andromeda and eventually be restored to your guardian status, when that will be, however, is dependent on Jane." Viola said.

"WHAT?!" Jane bellowed.

"Your Majesty, I must object. Lady Jane is a member of the royal family she requires protection." Ultia protested.

"I was a princess of the Nordic Isles royal family for two decades before I married Turak'Kahn and I never needed a guardian. I survived twenty two assassination attempts, and a attempted overthrow of the government by corrupt minister's, if a scatterbrained fool can do all that them my daughter can last a few months without someone to hold her hand." Viola said sternly.

"You…you survived all that?" Jane muttered, the shock apparent on her face. Viola shook her head and then stood.

"I don't know what hurts more, Jane. The fact that you obviously think so little of me that you believe I am unworthy of the title I hold…or the fact that despite all the times I tried to get closer to you, you never thought I was worthy of the effort."

With that, she turned and walked out of the dining hall. Ultia followed quickly behind, stopping only to bow at Turak'Kahn, then rushed to catch up with her ward.

There was a loud and uncomfortable silence in the hall after Viola left. Jane sat in her seat staring down at the table, her mind obviously racing over what had just happened. After what felt like an eternity, Turak'Kahn spoke up.

"Iris…as the queen decreed, you are relieved of your duties as my daughter's guardian. You may retire for the night." He said. Iris nodded.

"Yes, your majesty." Iris said, then turned and quickly left. She looked at Jane with a sorrowful look as she left the hall, though it remained unnoticed as Jane's attention was elsewhere.

"You still aren't going to ask about Jingles?" I asked, snapping Jane out of her daze.

"He's dead, isn't he?" Jane asked. I sighed, then shook my head.

"He's alive. I managed to save him but…he doesn't look like Jingles anymore." I replied. Jane's eyes glowed with hope for a few moments.

"Alive?!" She exclaimed, then stood up. "Then let's head outside! You can't summon him in this small room. The garden is close by, you can give him back to me there!"

[NO! BETRAYER! FOUL CREATOR!] Jingles screamed inside my head. I winced tjen shook it off.

"No, he doesn't want to return to you." I said. Jane frowned and crossed her arms.

"What do you mean he doesn't want to return? He's my evo! He has no choice!" Jane exclaimed.

"He despises you, Jane. He feels like you abandoned him when he needed you despite him doing all he could to protect you, " I said.

"His feelings are justified. You did abandon him, " Turak'Kahn said. Jane scowled.

"He's an evo, Father! I know that you like you sympathize with them and treat them as your equals. It's one thing you and Chase have in common, but the reality is that evos ate not our equals. They are beings that we create to complete specific tasks. They have no right to refuse or deny any commands made to them by their creators." Jane said.

"I know that you believe that they are beneath you, and I know that you believe that there are many people beneath you. I hope, daughter, that one day you realize how wrong that belief is." Turak'Kahn said, then stood up from the table and started for the door, then stopped. "Chase, it might take a few days for things to die down enough for me to continue with our conversation about my enchanting request, but I will make time before my wife's and mine's anniversary."

With that, he continued out the door, Jurirai quickly following after him as he left the dining hall. Jane looked pissed, confused, and like she wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole. Aziza suddenly started laughing loudly before standing up from her seat and walking over to Jane's.

"My, my sister, sounds to me that little miss perfect can't stop making mistakes." Aziza teased, running her finger along the top of the chair. Jane curled her lip up into a snarl that was uncharacteristic of the young princess.

"Better to make mistakes than to be a mistake, sister." Jane said, narrowing her eyes at Aziza. Aziza froze, the playful, sassy demeanor that she's had all dinner melted away, and a look of pure fury replaced it. She looked like she was about to tear into Jane when, as suddenly as the anger appeared, it disappeared, and her temperament from earlier returned.

"I will let that comment slide, little sister. After all, I might be a mistake in your eyes, but at least I'm not a disappointment in my father's." Aziza said. With that, she turned on her heel and walked out of the room, Iris' brother Yorkid followed after her. Jane bolted out of her chair and turned to glare at Aziza.

"You…you….YOU!" Jane barked, but by the time she got 'you' out that last time, Aziza was already too far down the hallway to hear her. Jane stood there seething for several seconds before she growled and stomped out of the dining hall, leaving Bo and I alone with Leon and Iris sister.

"You didn't take Ayia'liah from her…" Bo said. I nodded and rubbed the back of my neck.

"I might not have to. Ayia'liah has more mana than Jane does, so if she wants, then she can resist Jane's commands and summons." I said.

"Wait, what? So Midnight can resist my commands and summons?" Bo exclaimed. I shook my head.

"You have more mana than Midnight. You're about half of my maximum mana capacity, while midnight I say is about a fifth. While Midnight can't outright reject your summons, he can make it harder for you to control him if he uses his mana." I explained. Bo's eyes widened.

"That's…terrifying." Bo muttered.

"It sounds maddening!" Leon exclaimed. "Evos rejecting a splicers control, possessing their own mana? What sort of monsters do you have?"

"Very loyal ones….and my evos aren't monsters!" I replied. Leon shook his head and stood from his seat.

"This has certainly been interesting. The first family dinner in months, and it ends in a fight and people storming out of the room…" Leon sighed and then looked at his guardian. "Iscara, I'm retiring to my room."

Leon turned on his heel and left, just like the rest of his family with Iscara on his heels. This left Bo and I still in our seats alone in the dining room.

"Come on, let's head back, Bo. There's no point in hanging around here since dinner is obviously over." I said and stood up. Bo sighed with me and stood as well.

"I'm probably not getting that ice cream with Iris later, aren't I?" Bo asked.

"Maybe tomorrow night." I said, then patted him on the back.