Between The Realms

Four

                             Atticus

                        The Banquet

I had a lavish bedroom fit for a royal noble but given the circumstances. We had zero guest rooms because my father rarely invited people over.  The room was fitted with a full bathroom and a massive queen-sized bed with not but the finest clothes in the empire. "I'll send a maid to bring you down for the banquet. I trust you can wash yourself milady?" A slight twitch of her brow downward told me she didn't like being called that.

  "Yes, your highness," She said, a tinge of humor layering the sarcasm. I closed the door and left her to herself.  A quick whiff of my own BO told me that I should probably follow her lead. After a 20-minute soak in my private bathhouse, I felt refreshed and ready for a massive meal.

Two hours later I'd sent one of my best maids up to Sera's room as I told her before. When Sera arrived I almost lost my shit when I saw her. She cleans up damn nicely. She wore a light blue shirt accompanied by gray trousers. She also had two black opal earrings that matched the midnight blue lipstick. It was a refined kind of gorgeous.

Subtle hints of her taste in jewelry and dressing styles. "My, you look quite ravishing tonight," I said cursing myself under my breath. I have never talked to anyone this way.  It's like this woman is bringing something out in me that I didn't know was there. Sera blushed slightly "You don't look too bad yourself, prince." She replied a twinkle of mischief gleaming in those stormy eyes of hers.

"May I?" I asked holding out my hand to escort her toward the mess hall. She hesitated at first but she slowly extended her hand. I took it without much hesitation but the moment I did I felt a spark shoot through me. Sera must've felt it too but she didn't react, Strange.

The mess hall was as extravagant as ever. The countless times I've been here its beauty still ceases to amaze me. It turns out I'm not the only one who thinks this. Sera's eyes were wide overflowing with wonder.

  "This is undoubtedly the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!" She said, eyes searching the entire room. "Certainly it's not the most beautiful thing considering your beauty," I replied giving her a sly grin. Sera slapped my arm playfully "Oh stop you. A smile played on those tantalizing lips of hers.

The meal was always good but with a gorgeous woman at my side, the food seemed a lot tastier.
I looked across the hall at Arlon my kid broth who was making googly eyes at me I gave him a dirty look and turned to my left. "So, who are you and where did you come from, nobody enters the dark forest and survives," I asked Sera getting down to business. She looked over a fourth plate of fried fire quail imported from the kingdom in the north. I could tell this woman was no slouch when it came down to a feast.

Unlike the other woman I've eaten dinner with their plates were barely filled and when I'd ask them they'd say 'I'm a woman I have to keep my body in shape.' I honestly didn't understand it but this woman couldn't care less about that. "As I've told you before my name is Sera Noel. I'm from a place called California on a planet called Earth." She said, her mouth filled with food. To be honest the only thing I understood from that whole sentence was her name.

    "How did you get here exactly?" I inquired.  remembering our first encounter. How dirty and matted her hair was and the strange clothes she wore. "I was traveling to a library to buy a book for inspiration for my writing and I'd seen this ripple in the air. As a writer of fantasy, my curiosity got the better of me and I touched it. Next thing I know I ended up in that terrifying forest."

    She explained visible terror marring her beauty. A ripple in space huh? I've read about this somewhere. That long ago our ancestors had traveled to different worlds through ripple's in the air. "So, Atticus enough about me. Tell me about yourself what's your life about?" Sera asked a smirk on face. "Well it's not that exciting to be honest with you." I said trying to doge the question. Sera's usually cheerful demeanor had darkened a bit and she continued eat however it wasn't as quickly as it was before.

It honestly didn't sit well with me for some odd reason seeing her upset like that. So I decided to tell her some stuff about me just so that she returns to her cheery self. "I'm what most would call a prince of the people, I care for them as much as I would care for my children if I had any."

    For some reason Sera seemed to blush when I mentioned that. "I have a set routine." I continued taking note of Sera's odd but endearing behavior. " I wake up eat breakfast spar with my eldest brother, hunt, and walk around the capital with the unnecessary accompaniment of guards which I always escaped." I smiled at the memory. Sera had stopped eating and was looking at me with rapped attention. A little embarrassed I blushed under her striking gaze.

After dessert we had went to the common room to continue our discussion talking late into the night.