The Feast

The braziers on the walls and streets cracked as the fires danced inside their black iron plates, especially inside the palace grounds. Were no space was left alone to be consumed by darkness.

Nett and Adler stood together on the stone circle right in front of the palace's gates. The poor young teen being constantly made fun of by Adler, who relentlessly poke and laughed at every single aspect of the boy, from his looks to his shyness and spineless attitude.

"Come on Adler, you are about to become an adult and you keep bothering my squire like if you were five years old" Freund scolded her lightheartedly, he stood near the two.

On top of his doublet now he had a sleeveless blue gown, the neck was long and decorated with a puffy line of fur, big as the man who wore it and secured by a large leather belt on his waist.

"I don't have to listen to a disgraced general!" Adler shouted folding her arms and looking bitterly at the large man.

"Adler!" Nett raised his voice, surprising the girl "Don't insult my knight!"

"But it's true! He lost his rank!"

"I'm warning you, enough of this jest" Freund says, his voice lower and stare fixated on the two youngsters.

"S-Shut up! My knight is at least of noble birth!" Nett angrily steps forward.

"Well! Mine is the strongest!" Adler grabs his collar.

"A knight is not measured by might! but by virtue!" Nett pushes her away, making her trip and fall on her butt.

"Enough!" Freund slaps Nett on the back of his head, his massive and heavy hand loud and strong makes the boy almost fall to the ground himself "One thing is playing, but another is harming each other. A knight neither raises his hand to a friend nor gives in to his emotions"

"Sorry" Nett holds the back of his head with both hands and bows to his knight before turning to Adler, who still sits on the floor and extends a helping hand to her.

"Hmph!" The prideful girl slaps his hand away and raises to her feet on her own, brushing the dirt from the backside of her dress.

The gates of the palace open and everyone stared at the princess with different emotions and an amount of amazement.

Her dress was light yet finely decorated with the pattern of flowers, scarlet red and snow white, the sleeves tight and red gloves, her hair had a braid going over her forehead but was set loose on her back. With just the right amount of jewelry, her light brown hair almost shinned with the light of the braziers.

She smiled fondly at the group in front of her.

"Truly breathtaking, Lioth" Freund said bowing once to her as she approached.

Both Nett and Adrel had their faces swallowed by a passionate red as they stared in awe at the enchanting princess coming closer to them. Flustered enough to silently step away giving her a space in the middle of the stone circle.

"Thank you, uncle" She replied doing a graceful curtsy before rushing to Adrel's side "How do I look?" She asked giving a little twist in her place to show off the whole dress.

"Dazzling! Exquisite! ALLURING!!" Adrel covered her mouth with both hands, eying the princess from head to toes and receiving a curtsy herself, that she immediately returned.

The metallic footsteps coming from the main gate made everyone look away from the young princess and lay their eyes on the man walking up to them.

Edel dressed no differently than he usually did, but his armor was radiant. Polished to perfection, his dreadlocks fell on both shoulders while simultaneously being tied on a low ponytail.

"Tch, looking like a peasant still" Adrel muttered under her breath.

"It's of bad taste going to a dance as if you were going to a battle" Freund said without erasing his thin smile.

Edel walked up next to Freund without saying a word, he was still a little upset that his old knight had managed to make him almost drunk, and he was feeling the repercussions of the sweet drink still in his somewhat foggy mind. His grey eyes looked down at the annoyed young squire of his that adverted her gaze from him.

Freund, looking at both of them, coughed on his closed fist and lightly hit him on the side with his elbow. Once they looked at each other, Edel rolled his eyes remembering one of the things they had talked about while drinking.

"You look lovely, Adrel" He said to his squire, looking forward and in a tone that didn't indicate any particular real interest.

The young squire recoiled in disgust, even if a few feet away from him anyway.

"The general complimented you~" Lioth said sticking to Adrel and shaking her in place "Come on, thank him!"

Lioth then pushed her friend closer to Edel. Adrel, annoyed, took a few seconds before deciding to go with it and did a somewhat clumsy curtsy towards him.

"Thank you, my knight"

The princess was having unparalleled amusement together with Freund, both containing their laugher while Nett stared at his tormentor with a satisfied look as she walked back to where she used to stand.

It was then that the last person they were waiting for appeared from inside the palace.

Das had clothes, not unlike those of Freund, but they were a better fit for his body, with a larger neck and a short cape on his shoulders that ended on a fuzzy line of fur. With fine-looking leather gauntlets made with the idea of appearance rather than warfare, his hair was tightly tied on a high ponytail with only a few strands barely visible on his face. The colors were dark purple and burgundy red, white silver details like roots at the edges of his clothes.

"Finally, let's leave at once" Edel said, his expression worsening slightly at the sight of Das.

"I apologize for the delay" Das bowed to the high general before stepping inside the stone circle, staff in hand.

Freund tightly squeezed his right shoulder, crossing eyes with Das and giving him a warming smile, to which the gloomy archmage returned, his mood bettering a little bit the simple comforting gesture.

The three teens, however, blushed and looked at each other in shared contemplation, with rosy cheeks, unaccustomed to the sight of a well-groomed Das.

"And I trust, you won't make any of our clothes disappear" Edel said right before Das began the spell, glancing threateningly at him and receiving a short nod in return.

Already more used to the spell, despite the large number of people Das managed to focus rather quickly, ignoring the discomfort of the clothes he wore and the fact of soon finding himself in the middle of a crowded room without a cloak of any kind.

The thought of it almost ruined his perfect concentration, but the fear of what would Edel do if he somehow messed it kept him in line, and with thundering lighting, they had vanished.

Where lighting fell next was inside of the castle walls of the Edlewise county, where the noble house of Lawcolt resided.

A large host of twenty knights stood firmly near the circle, immediately saluting the princess and her court once they appeared. Compared to the palace, the castle while pretty and definitively defensible was but an old rusted penny compared to the glamorous jewel that was the royal palace.

Its grey stone walls shaped like a large square, six floors with several towers in each corner, the free spaces on top of each roof meant to hold soldiers that would rain down arrows at any enemy besieging this structure on the hill of the nearby city. A sturdy wall surrounded it, the entire place was finely decorated with silks and banners sharing the symbol of the lion and the symbol of the ax and the scroll.

Trumpets blasted a glorious song of welcoming and the princess along with her court gracefully saluted the soldiers to the right, and then the nobles to the left that were also waiting for her arrival. The white vultures that were her guards fell from the nearby wall or popped up from within the crowd, standing in their usual encirclement of the princess to ensure her safety at all times.

"My princess and future queen!" A stoic man with a bushy beard and short hair walked up to the group, standing at a safe distance and bowing deeply to her "You honor us and bring joy to our rather grim gathering, after what happened in Eversmile, many of us are shaken and livid with righteous fury to punish the rebels responsible of it" He clenched his fist.

"Duke Hatto" Edel steps ahead of the princess, fully aware she is unprepared to respond to him in more than one way "Let us enjoy the feast and music as scheduled, and show the vermin that are the rebels how little affects our relationship"

"Of course, high general, come!" Hatto said waving at them and then speaking to the rest of the nobles and soldiers watching "Come inside and feast! for the future of Gerados!"

The crowd roars and claps in a disorderly manner, some embarrassed that they still haven't gotten used to the new ways imposed by the King.

Soon, they are lead through the castle into a large hall, probably the biggest room in the castle, its wooden decorative walls and pillars adorned with more silks and flowers, red and yellow.

Two large wooden tables filled with wines and fruit waited inside, along with a band of flute, drums, and string instruments varying in shape and size began playing as soon as the guests entered the room.

In time, everyone was seated and the servants brought the prepared meals that would make any commoner twist and green with envy, their aroma captivating, their sight, almost intimidating. One would wonder if they were feeding men or giants with the size of the hunt and the number of plates.

There were pig, horse, cow, and chicken...

"Meat" Das whispered disheartened as he poked the red, steamy horse steak in his iron plate. Instead choosing to down a glass of wine.

This was probably the most uncomfortable situation he could think of getting himself in, all the noise and people watching him, especially the young children that pointed at his staff and curiously or, frighteningly asked their parents about it.

He was never much of a drinker, but if he intended to get through the night, liquid courage would have to make honor to its nickname, he poured more wine.

"Hey, leave some for the grown-ups" Freund said leaning closer and snatching the jug of wine from his hand "We don't want you to pass out in such an important dinner now, do we?"

"I don't understand, why would we feast when hundreds have been massacred?"

"The crown has been trusted to lead all soldiers from all counties and duchies. If we allowed something like that to happen it puts our capability to defend them in question" Freund explains pouring wine into his cup and whispering to Das "This duchy is the largest of our kingdom, if they were to rebel it could lead the rest of the less civilized lands to raise the banner of rebellion. We are in the middle of a war, we can't afford division or the barbarians of the northeast will surely make their move" He down the wine with a jolly expression.

"Don't drink too much!" A woman slaps him on the hand, she has brown hair and red makeup, the wrinkles on her face notable "And put your earring! I have seen how those devilish servants and young naive girls are looking at you!" She also pulls his ear.

"Ow! Sorry dear, too much in my mind recently, I had forgotten" He sticks his hand in his pocket and pulls out a golden earring, circular with a symbol engraved on it, and places it on his left ear, the woman has the same on her right.

"By the way" She speaks past Freund and stretches a hand to catch Das's own" I'm sorry about your loss, Vater was a dear friend to us and we will miss him greatly"

"Thank you. Aunt, Elva "Das forces a smile and quickly frees his hand.

With Freund occupied stuffing his mouth and filling his belly with wine every time his wife looks away, Das has time to do that which he has been told to always avoid.

Think.

The music and loud chatter dim until everything is silent. The warm light from the torches and everyone slowly disappears, consumed by the encroaching darkness until it is only him. Only Das, the archmage, and nothing else.

"The last acolyte of the Endless Night"

The cold voice of the Phantom King was still fresh in his mind.

Despite nearly a month going by since the torching of Eversmile, he still remembered every single detail of his encounter with the mysterious stranger that called himself King and also, acolyte.

He had time to dissect and test the workings of the scorched knight, whom he now knew was not a puppet, but an individual committing atrocities willingly at the behest of the phantom. This thought made him remember the entire fight he had with both and, something seemed off.

The formality the knight used when challenging him, the way the phantom taunted him and seemed to restrain from utilizing all his strength. Both of them had fought while containing their true might.

That had to be it.

The phantom seemed to almost cheer him and guide him to utilizing the correct weapons and even when he had him pinned down, he aimed to cause a wound that while harmful, would hardly be deadly when he could have chosen to pierce his heart or his head.

Knowing that he had been watching his fight with the scorched knight all along, it was obvious the monster had been told to hold back. But why? Why would his enemy test him instead of ending him?

The theatrics, all made sense. It was an act.

But the realization didn't come with an answer, only more questions. With all he had learned from what the phantom and his teacher and mentor, Ann, was to be believed, he aimed to resurrect a God.

Das rubbed his chin and squinted his eyes.

Would a God die? if it even existed? wouldn't that disqualify it from being a God?

He had too little information and every step forward he took seemed to reveal only a dozen steps in the dark that he had to uncover, all while the threat of another Eversmile loomed ever closer. He was running out of time, he could feel it.

A couple of finger snaps in front of him returned him to the real world, the noise and light washed back to his senses like the waves of the sea. He looked at Freund who pointed in front of them, at the other table where the soldiers and their families sat.

Edel was looking directly at him, he then stood up and motioned with his head to follow him.

Das stood up as well and made his way out of the hall, many others had finished their food and now stood talking to each other, or dancing and merrily sharing drinks and laugher.

The pair walked past a door and found themselves on a long corridor from the castle, the windows letting in the light of the moon.

"Duke Hatto has left to speak with his advisors and when he returns us and Freund will join him in his office to talk about what happened in Eversmile. As you are aware, the true nature of the attack has been kept a secret, but along with his questions, I will ask some of my own and you, Das, will make sure he is being honest"

"H-how am I supposed to do that?"

"Use your spells, you are the archmage after all"

"But-" Mind spells, he couldn't bring himself to use them as his father had done, and even if he did "I don't know any of those spells"

"What?" The sharp, almost offended tone of Edel's voice was enough to tense the young archmage "Unbelievable, even in what's supposed to be your only worth, you are useless" Edel angrily walks back to the hall, shoving Das harshly aside with his shoulder "You will come anyways, make him believe you are doing it"

Das stands alone, the muffled noise of the cheery room not too far away traveling through the empty corridor. He looks out the window into the fairly large city surrounding the castle, patches of woodland visible at the distance.

"I am not my father" He thinks, clenching his fists hard enough that they shook lightly" It's my one purpose, being the archmage. I can't fail"

He stood there in silence, looking outside the tight and suffocating window, as he had done so all his life.

Inside the hall, someone else did the same, but not looking at a window, she stared at the pretty wooden walls and smelled the exquisite buffet of lavish meals, but none of it mattered to her.

She glances at Adrel and sees her showing off and snobbishly talking with other squires in the middle of the crowd. Then, she looks at Nett sitting together with Freund and his wife that treat him almost like a son of their own, lovingly and teasing him.

How nice must that feel.

"Excuse me, is there any garden in here I could go out and take some fresh air?" She courteously asks the wife of the duke sitting next to her.

"Of course, my princess " The much younger woman waves at one of the servants to come closer.

Soon, Lioth walks through the corridors and is lead to a small garden inside the castle. She is relieved that they have one, even if it's a sign of nobility, with the less civilized lands of the kingdom is still not too common.

The young girl who guided her bows and leaves so she can explore the, rather small and humble, but still green lovely garden with a tiny fountain of water in the middle and a few stone benches spread near the square bushes.

She walks into the garden, the cold light of the moon swallows it whole, and as she strolls forward her hands touch the decaying roses, looking at them with an almost mystical sense of understanding.

The benches are dirty and the dry leaves crunch beneath her feet, this garden is not here because they like it, it is there because they want to show their status. It is a necessity, a requirement. They don't love it.

How weirdly kindred to her she thinks.

As she reaches the fountain she sees herself on its reflection, the likeness of her mother is terrifying, to her at least. She loves her, dearly holds her to the highest regard. But it is what she became, a shadow, that terrifies her.

Will she become but a shade of her present self? Who is she to begin with?

Lioth turns around and sits at the edge of the fountain, holding in her hands one of the dry roses of the garden, how beautiful it looked from afar and how ugly it is up close.

She smiles somberly.

"You could you leave me alone? Only for tonight, just a few minutes" She whispers without looking up, she doesn't need to.

"We have to stay with you, Princess" One of her guards speaks up through his mask.

"I don't want you to disappear, but just let me breathe in peace for a little bit?" She looks up at them, her guards. The cloaked figures remind her of vultures watching over their dying prey.

"Princess-" One of them speaks but is stopped by another that raises her arm in front of him.

"ten minutes" She says, clearly woman even if the tight leather clothing does not attempt showing it.

"Are you insane? If something were to happen..." One of them says walking closer to her.

"If you see anything suspicious, scream. Only one second of your voice is enough for us to recognize you, and in five, we will be here" She then turns to the rest of the guards "Just this once, if anything goes wrong, I pay with my life as dictated by The Agreement"

Everyone looks at each other and then the princess, who looks at them with a burning hope so strong, that despite how crucial it is that they protect her. They can't help but feel empathy towards the caged cub that is in their charge.

"Ten minutes" One of them whispers and jumps away like a grasshopper, somehow reaching the roof of the castle in a few hops and disappearing from view.

"Ten minutes" The others say together and vanish just like the one had done so before, leaving only the woman and princess alone.

"Ten minutes" She whispers at Lioth and leaves in the same manner everyone else had.

"Thank you" Lioth whispers back, a grateful smile on her face as she takes a deep breath.

The princess feels the momentary joy creep in and take over as she excitedly plays with her feet, giggling like a little child. But this soon turns into a sour taste.

She is happy because she has ten minutes to be alone?

How pathetic.

The joyous noise of the hall is so distant, yet no matter how repulsed she feels about it, in the end, it is the only place where she belongs. It is all she has ever known.

Courts and feasts, ballrooms, and dances. She is the princess, heir to the throne of a kingdom that could soon become the first real empire of Gerados besides the stories and myths of old.

And how little it means to her.

If she could, she would like to take care of the gardens all her life. Those in her palace, in this castle, everywhere and anywhere. To see them bloom and grow with care and love. Something so foreign to her.

After all, the one who brought her candies every Sunday, the one who read her fables and tales of times past until she fell asleep, the one who build the gardens. Her tutor, Vater, is no longer here.

The soft sound of a body sitting near her makes her turn around, the surprise turning into fear in an instant.

How long had this hooded figure been there?

Sitting at the other end of the fountain, giving its back to her, was the figure of a person resting their arms on its legs, she could see nothing of it, its entire body hidden beneath a worn black cloak.