A Tale From Lanoria: The Princess of Barough

Chapter 6: Head of the Table

"I can see that." Tyir muttered as he took his own spot. He made a motion for the staff to serve him with a little wave of his hand.

Celsy would gather a small plate for Oriana to eat. It was much harder for the princess, being so small, to gather her own food at the larger banquet table. Still, she waited, mesmerized by Donovan.

They were soon joined by the other mages, who came in to see Donovan destroying a huge pile of food. Including Creon, who was still very sour about losing to Donovan. He figured he would have his revenge. Creon secretly used his magic to make the hot food on Donovan's plate icy cold. It was forcing Donovan to have to reheat the plate by holding his hand out above the food until steam rose from it again.

"I know what you're doing; knock it off," Donovan warned. He directed his gaze at the mage for only a moment before going back to his food. Donovan just wanted to eat.

Creon was playing an innocent game. He even gave an offended look when Donovan outright accused him of doing such a lowly thing. "I don't know what you're talking about," he replied.

Donovan, however, ignored him and continued to work on his plates. That was until he once again found it was ice cold. That was when Donovan slammed his fork through his food, splitting the plate in half. His fork was now buried in the wood of the table. The force caused everyone's silverware to tremble.

"No one messes with my food!!" Donovan roared. In a flash, he had gotten up from his seat, and with one good punch, sent Creon flying from his chair. The punch instantly broke Creon's face and nose. The mage landed with a horrifying crunch in a heap. Some of the blood went flying across the room, some of which landed on Oriana. The mage broke through the wall of the room, crashing into the one beside it. Creon now lay motionless. His blood covered the table, the walls, and even gushed out onto the floor beneath him.

Oriana's face quickly paled, thinking that someone had been murdered over a stupid prank. She quickly moved from the dining hall, as fast as her legs could carry her. She made a fast journey to her room alone. In a matter of moments, all the horrible things she had witnessed began to flash through her mind, all the blood and gore that took place within her courtyard. It made the young princess feel as if she was going to throw up, maybe even pass out. So, she just tried to settle her stomach by breathing. Every time she closed her eyes, however, she was reminded of all that blood. The more she thought about it, the paler her face became.

Oriana stopped by a plant, fell to the floor, and retched loudly. She then threw up what little dinner she had. Struggling, the princess finally made it to her room and settled down at her vanity, shaking violently. She could only glance at her trembling hands. Oriana was worried that she had made such a horrible mistake! If Donovan was so upset over someone messing with his food, then it didn't seem to bode well for her safety! She knew she couldn't keep an unruly mage in her court. Especially one that was so dangerous and had no regard for her personal safety!

Once Oriana was gone, Killian dismissed everyone except for Donovan. Tyir smiled and said, "I will let you handle this, Sir Killian. I will return to my quarters. I am sure this heathen will be gone by morning."

Killian swiftly walked up to the mage. He was over a foot shorter than Donovan, but he showed no hesitation when coming up to the towering titan. "Who in Asorath's name do you think you are?" Killian asked Donovan.

Donovan glared at Killian for a moment, a bit upset that he had invoked the king of the gods' name in such a way. The mage was ready to spout out at Killian, about how he shouldn't use the name of the being who created the entire multiverse so lightly. But right as the mage opened his mouth, Killian shut him right up. 

"It wasn't a question for you to answer, jackass. You came into our princess' home and assaulted someone at her dinner table!" he growled.

Killian was so furious he didn't let Donovan speak just yet. "I know how things are in Medeis. Backstabbing, murder, assassinations, all in a scramble for power. In Medeis, it might be acceptable for you to kill someone for disrespecting you. But here in Barough, it is unacceptable and barbaric. But more importantly, it is considered a crime. You will be lucky if you are not kicked out by tomorrow morning. I don't care if you did win the competition, we'll find another. So, eat what you can."