Darkefyre (On Hold)

Five

When I reached the king's personal dining hall, the doors were guarded by two Chronicle soldiers, both had pikes in their hands. They stood to attention as I gained on them.

"My lady..." They nodded their heads and the doors swung open.

A solitary dark wood table stood in the centre. It was at least four feet long, had thick legs and stopped at hip height. Several spun chairs in a slightly lighter wood sat at each side of the table. One for the king, one for Odessa his wife, me and a spare for a guest of honour of the King's choosing that day. The huge arched windows were covered by panes of glass and a few wispy strips of royal purple gauze. The stone floor was pale and pock marked, worn in some places no doubt due to King Indris's relentless pacing whenever his temper was riled. Three servants lined the wall on each side, all carrying platters bursting with colourful and flavourful spices. I could already smell cinnamon, aniseed, mint and a new smell I couldn't quite put my finger on. The rest of the room was bare, except for a small dais where the kings personal musician sat and serenaded us.

Odessa was garbed in orange like me, but where my dress was simple; hers was heavily beaded with pearls and white lotus flowers. Her golden wreath sat atop her auburn curls, a few stray strands framed her feline face. Her blue cat like eyes were rimmed with kohl. It must have been a recent trend at court. Her full lips pursed into a perpetual pout and covered with berry red lipstick. They were almost an unnatural shade of red. I shuddered to think how long it took her servants to dress her everyday. Odessa was fussy, and rumours spread through the court like wild fire whenever one of her handmaidens disappeared, most likely after failing to please her.

I both feared and respected Odessa, but I would never appreciate her. She was the living embodiment of everything that was wrong at court. Her snobbery, cruelty and vanity knew no bounds. Either Indris was blind, or a fool, or both.

I walked to the table and took the seat to left of the king. Odessa always sat on the right, as custom dictated. A servant rushed forward and pulled out my seat for me.

"Thank you," I sat graciously.

The server went back to his position against the wall. I stared at the empty plates, array of spoons and the hunting knives layed before me. My stomach growled and the king clapped his hands. The server stepped forward and lifted the trays into view. We were all allowed to pick and chose as we wished, as long as the king had the lions share of the meat that was being served that night.

Wild boar from the Stynja mountains covered the largest tray of them all, honey drizzled all over the dark skinned, but pinkish meat. Thinly cut slices of apple sat at the side, with a hearty amount of plump potatoes followed on a tray behind. A server carried a separate tray for fresh breads. They were short, squat and round. I believe the commoners called them flatbread. Another tray was leaden with eggs glazed in cinnamon, carrots garnished in a mint sauce and a soup filled with the scent of aniseed. The last server was carrying my favourite tray of all; deserts. Tonight was the night they served candied beetles. They were in a huge array of colours, made from a thick sugar paste, and dusted with the finest sugar. They were tiny, and extravagant; and the only candy I would eat, they even had tiny little wings and jellied eyes.

The trays and platters started at the head of the table and were cut first. The king selected the best slices of boar, a ladle full of the aniseed soup, and a ladleful of potatoes. The queen was next. She noticeably took less, and refused the aniseed soup, to have the flatbread. I was next and picked a flatbread, the soup and three slices of boar. I cut the bread with a hunting knife and layed the slices of boar on it; popping it into my mouth. The boar was hot and melted instantly, some honey dribbled down my chin. I dabbed it away with a linen cloth one of the servers provided. It was heavenly. I ate the rest of my boar the same way, followed by the soup. It was a bit spicy and had a kick to it when I swallowed; but paired after the boar it was rather quaint. We ate in companionable silence and when all was done, we set our utensils down and waited for our plates to be cleared ready for the candies.