She was born Princess Gwenwyn Helena Anannet Egger, first-born child of the Great King Heralf, ruler of the Militant Kingdom of Rramnon. Shortly after her sixteenth birthday, Gwenwyn's father sent her to the Trade Kingdom, Terrafeuw, with a very spe...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Chapter 5 – First Impressions
Barely thirty minutes into dinner, and Gwen could feel her toes trying to claw their way out of her slippers.
She didn't want to be there.
The number of seconds that she had been ignored during the last twenty negotiation meetings was now equivalent to the number of questions that the noblemen in the room felt it necessary to ask her.
They wanted to know about her journey, her stay in Terrafeuw, or the grandeur of the Rramnon Palace. They asked about her likes and dislikes. They asked her if she enjoyed dancing. One person had even wanted her to describe her different tutors.
Of course Sir Aaldrick was no help.
He had apparently decided that such personal questions were perfectly acceptable to ask the first-born child of King Heralf. The man spent most of his time at dinner, ignoring her plight and adding to his already substantial girth by eating everything that was placed in front of him.
By the time the dessert was severed, Princess Gwenwyn's head was about to explode.
"How would you compare your meal to what you are accustomed to in Rramnon, Highness?" She heard King Griggory ask.
She placed her spoon delicately on the table, and turned her eyes towards the King. Her meal had been more flavorful than she had expected, and she rather enjoyed the variety of dishes. Gwen would have been happy to tell him so, but she was sure that King Griggory's question had meant something else.
He wanted to hear Terrafeuw praised for being able to offer her delicacies that couldn't be found in Rramnon. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction.
Although it would have made Aguth ill, she responded, "Your Majesty, to compare the comforts of a meal in one's own Kingdom with the enlightening sensation of a meal abroad; would be akin to comparing a water lily with a rose. Both flowers may be found in a garden, but it is their natural environment, not merely their petals, that gives them their beauty."
"And which do you prefer," he inquired apparently intrigued by her response, "the familiar rose, or the exotic water lily?"
"I actually prefer the peony." She lied easily.
Her statement pulled the attention of every nobleman in the room. She silently cursed the attention.
"Might I ask why the peony is your favorite flower, Highness?" King Griggory wondered as he sent her a smile that made her slightly nauseous.
Gwenwyn took a small sip of her wine, "The peony thrives in nearly any environment. Like many flowers, it represents prosperity," she replied hoping the wine would help her look like she was blushing, "but it is also the only flower that represents honor as well."
"Honor?" The Palaeo negotiator, that sat to her right asked.
She nodded. "There can be no greater joy, than knowing that one's prosperity was acquired honorably?"
