The Convert Queen: Prophecy Fulfilled

Chapter 5: At The King's Table

'And why do think that is? If it's true, of course,' he hastily added.

'We all know why. He loves Aleyna more than anything, and he would hate for her to think it's her fault. Even though the choice was both of yours,' Leena said, sympathetically.

Aleyna sighed. This was not why she had come to the palace. She understood what they were saying, and she knew they understood the position she and Eyvan had taken, but it was clear, if they held on to it, there was nothing anyone could do. Although that didn't affect how she saw her vocation at the college, it would detrimentally affect and even limit what Eyvan could achieve.

The tea was poured and cakes, some dainty, some great slabs of sponge topped with all manner of things, and pastries of all kind, were offered around the table.

'Perhaps more interesting than my tale of woe,' Aleyna said around a mouthful of fruit cake, her favourite, 'I noticed a contingent of Mythynian horsemen have arrived in Lyknisia. I saw them on my way here...'

'That is good news. I received word yesterday that they would be arriving soon. It's been years since I saw my friend, Arner. We studied at the Academika together. My, how our lives have drifted from the paths we thought were beneath our feet. That is something the both of you have to look forward to. Unasked for change.'

'You're sounding old and miserable,' Leena teased her father, before turning her attention to Aleyna. 'What did you think to them?'

'They were all...very big. They could pass for giants.'

Petor laughed at this description. 'Well, I suppose you're not wrong.'

Leena looked dreamy. 'My father says King Arner has yet to find himself a queen,' the woman said quite pointedly.

At this Petor rolled his eyes. 'And my daughter is determined to marry no-one lower than a king. Still.' Then conspiratorially, he hid behind his hand as he said to Aleyna, 'Yet I think she is more likely to end up a royal spinster instead of queen.' This earned him a smack on his arm from Leena. 'Her standards are too high. No-one can meet them.'

Leena pouted, and they all laughed.

'Tell me, Aleyna. Were they handsome? I've never seen anyone from Mythynia before. They're more like something out of a fairy-tale. If father hadn't said he knew one, I would hardly believe they were real.'

Aleyna thought over her briefest of interactions with them. 'Handsome? Umm... Rugged, might be a better word for them. And, as I said, all the men in the company were very tall, and very broad. They seem to grow their hair long and have it tied at the back, and they all had beards.' What else, she wondered. 'They appeared to be a very noble people, and I saw honesty in their eyes.' She didn't think she should say she found them strange and unsettling.

Leena's chin fell into her hand and she sighed.

'And I heard one of them mention the word "prophecy", so I guess they are a superstitious bunch of people. And if you believe in prophecies, you probably also believe in ghosts, ghouls and monsters. Which is a little...archaic.'

'Ah, that's where you're wrong. As I said, King Arner studied here at the Academika with me. A very clever man, though it is true, it's rare for the Mythynians to send people here to study. In fact, Arner is the only one to have done so, but that doesn't mean they don't place the same value on learning that we do. They just go about it in a vastly different way.'

Again, Aleyna found herself intrigued by the newcomers to the island, and she hoped that maybe she might get the chance to speak with one of them before they left. Perhaps she could get enough information from them about the geography and landscape of their homeland, enough for her to put together a paper on it. Knowledge on that region was thin on the ground...

Yet there was no denying, there was something uncomfortable with the way they had crossed paths, and she was in no hurry to do so again. She recalled to mind how The Worried One had stared after her as she walked down the street, and she shivered. Again, her mind wondered as to whether she had offended them.

'Cold, my dear?'

Aleyna smiled. 'I'm fine,' she said, but offered no further explanation. She didn't wish to inform the king that, without even knowing how she had done it, she may have insulted one of his oldest friends.

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[Word count for chapter:1419, Word count for whole story: 5933 ]

Thank you so much for reading this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please consider voting for it and / or leaving me a comment to let me know what you think.

In this chapter we get to see a little more about Aleyna's personality and her life. Is she(or are she and Eyvan) going out of the way to make trouble for themselves? Should they just get married? Is she being selfish knowing how this lack of a marriage contract between her and Eyvan could ruin his career? What do you think of Leena and King Petor? I would love to hear your thoughts...

Have a great day!