Irah of the Seven Dominions

Chapter.12: Confrontation

"Don't you have anything to say to me?" Jasper asked, hoping that Irah would give up the information he needed without much argument.

However, Irah shrugged in response; partially because she wasn't in the mood to speak to anyone, and partially because she knew exactly what he was talking about and didn't want to get into a topic which would lead them to argue.

"Funny. Here I was thinking it was you who had requested an audience with me." She responded without looking at him.

Her feet were propped up on a foot stool, while she rested comfortably in an armchair next to the fireplace. Seeing her sitting there so relaxed, so un-interested, as she ate from a bowl of dry fruit; Jasper couldn't help but feel infuriated.

This was the morning after Irah's disastrous birthday ball. Jasper had discovered that his flight had been delayed and promptly requested a private audience with her. Try as she may, Irah was unable to avoid this request and found herself sitting in the Television lounge with a moody King Jasper for company.

The silence stretched and Irah realized she would have to venture into the conversation if she wanted to be done with the private audience as soon as possible.

"You wanted to speak to me about your brother." Irah stated matter-of-factly,"You want to know where he is and when he's coming back?"

Jasper wasn't looking at her. His eyes were trained towards the fire as he leaned against the marble mantlepiece. The light from the flames cast a dark shadow on his pale complexion making him look far more intimidating than he was.

Irah saw him register her words and the edges of his mouth twitched as he let out a scoff.

"That would be an ideal bit of information...Your Royal Smartness."  Jasper turned towards her and bowed his head in mock respect.

Irah chose to ignore the sarcasm, popping an almond into her mouth as she considered her reply, "As I've told you before, Your Royal Dumbness. He left for the western continents months ago."

"Wow! He's been gone for months! To the oh-so-specific location of the western continents too!" Jasper gasped dramatically, "I never would have guessed."

Irah looked up just in time to see him dead-pan, and pointedly rolled her eyes at him. "Ugh, you're such a drama queen, Jasper."

"Which one of us is the Queen?" He shot at her, now thoroughly irritated that she wasn't telling him what he wanted to know.

"Which one of us is the drama?" She fired back, aware that Jasper wouldn't dare antagonize her further because he needed the whereabouts of his brother.

Jasper stared at her for a moment, wondering if he could dare insult her any more than he already had. The fact that her eyes shone with mild irritation was evidence enough that this was unwise. So he tried a different tactic.

"Fine." Jasper raised his hands in defeat. Then, attempting to make his best sad face, he said the next few words in as depressed a manner as he could gather, "Look, you're the last person he saw before he left in January. You told me as much when you wrote to me in March, after I started investigating his disappearance."