The festivities in the Lionmane keep was something unlike Loldirr had ever seen before. Men and women of nobility, all in one large room, doing what they can to eat and drink themselves to an early death.
At least that was what it felt like to her.
She watched, as various groups of nobles, sitting together in their respective houses, shouted and laughed and perform acts that simply appeared anything but noble.
Greenhaven had their festivities, that was full of dancing and laughter and fun, but Lionmane seemed so fake in comparison. Everyone appeared to want to outdo each other in how repulsive they could be, all with the plan to gain the attention and affection of the man sitting next to her.
Turning her head slightly, she gave a small respectful smile to the most powerful man in the empire, Emperor Arnaud III. She found it exceedingly hard to maintain that smile as he scoffed down a chicken leg as if he hadn't eaten in months.
Watching, disgusted, as the grease dripped from his mouth and sank into his bushy, tangled beard, as he made noises that would put a pig to shame, she found it hard not to scrunch up her nose as he threw the leftover bones into a bowl in front of him.
Despite everything in her screaming to rebuke the repulsive man, she reminded herself that she was on a mission of diplomacy and after their first encounter with this Emperor, it was obvious that she would need to be careful how she presented herself in front of him.
She quickly glanced to her right as Erdudvyl sat next to her, clearly not enjoying the festivities either. Erdudvyl's only saving grace was that the Emperor had ordered Loldirr to be placed next to him instead of her, despite being the guest of honour.
Taking a chicken leg herself, Loldirr ate it with far more delicacy than the Emperor, doing all she could to avoid grease to slip down her fingers. The smell of the various spices used to enhance the chicken were like nothing she had ever smelt before. She may not have liked the festival, but the food was beyond delicious.
"It's nice food, isn't it?" a voice to the side of the Emperor asked as if reading her mind.
Glancing up, Loldirr was greeted with the smile, and frown, of the blue-haired woman Nimue. Loldirr couldn't quite work out how she was able to smile and frown simultaneously, but there was a considerable animosity towards Loldirr that was reinforced the moment she sat next to the Emperor.
Loldirr was also grateful that Nimue was unable to read her mind.
"It certainly has a welcome taste." Loldirr replied attempting to maintain the peace between them.
"Best not eat too much, you may fill out that lovely dress of yours." Nimue commented with a toxic bitterness as she had barely touched her food.
Before she had finished the chicken, the next dish was already being placed on the table in front of her.
As she looked at the dark red meat, she stopped eating and felt a small tear form in her eye.
Venison.
Memories of her short, stumpy, simple friend, Willis Billingslea, came flooding back. The moments he cluelessly scared off scores of deer's on their hunting trips, his nauseating look as Mr Butcher placed the first incisions into the kills she had hunted, the moment his head was flung at her before being swept away in the current by the Shadow.
"Are you ok?" Erdudvyl asked, noticing that Loldirr had frozen at the sight of the venison.
Loldirr quickly nodded and smiled, forcing back any tear that was trying to escape her eyes.
"It's venison, from deer's in my forests." the Emperor boomed out as he glanced over at Loldirr.
"Sorry, your majesty, I had not expected food of this calibre." Loldirr responded, smiling to hide the real pain she was feeling.
"I suppose it must be quite simple from where you're from?" Nimue commented flippantly.
Knowing that getting into a verbal sparring match with this woman would be fruitless, she refused to respond to the comment.
"Well I hope you intend to stay for longer, " the Emperor commented, "then you can have any food you desire." he smiled.
Loldirr tried to distract herself from the grease that glowed up in the Emperor's beard. "I thank you, your majesty. Hopefully I can return when Lord Ethelston makes the trip." she responded.
The Emperor seemed to turn away in annoyance at the sound of Ethelston's name.
"I'm sure with our continued cooperation, we will be able to visit often, your majesty." Erdudvyl tried to smooth over with a diplomatic touch.
"Let us not talk of cooperation and diplomacy, " the Emperor sighed, a frown started to appear on his forehead. "I want to be entertained this evening."
"I am sure there is plenty we can entertain you with, your majesty." Nimue responded as a flirtatious smile flit across her face.
The smile quickly turned to a snarl as the Emperor ignored her comment and returned his gaze on Loldirr.
"I'm sure your stay here will be far more exciting than the dullness of Ravenscourt." the Emperor commented towards Loldirr.
It was then a man dressed in bright garments and an oversized hat with bells on it came sprinting out into the middle of the room. He immediately started doing backflips and somersaults before deliberately falling over and sprawling on the floor.
Loldirr watched in fascination as the peculiar man then started juggling frantically, edging around the room until someone paid him some attention. It was when he stopped in front of her that he smiled and winked before stopping and pulling out a small red rose from inside his sleeve.
As he passed it to Loldirr, the rose instantly withered to the amusement of the other patrons.
She studied the various patrons in the room. They were cursing, shouting and even occasionally threw food. Their abuse towards the fool who was entertaining them was almost barbaric, but then this fool was using it to his benefit to gain more laughs.
These were her people, the circle of nobility that she had to enter and it made her sick to the stomach to think of it.
She thought back to when she danced the night away at Greenhaven or at Gryffinfall. How dancing around like a fool made her feel alive. Thinking back to how she hated being in those places as the boredom smothered her, and now how she longed to return to those same circles of life.
Damn Edric, he warned her that she would feel like this.
"Here's a short song for all you simpletons out there." the fool shouted, instantly bringing Loldirr's attention back to reality.
The fool pulled out a lute and started plucking some random notes deliberately out of tune. It got the laughter he was looking for.
Eventually he gave a quick bow and smiled towards the patrons, the Emperor and then lastly, Loldirr.
"There was a young Orc from Uthengard,
He thought himself to be pretty little bard,
When he started to shriek,
We were all up shit creek,
Especially when he came out in his leotard!"
There was a thunderous laughter throughout the hall, the patrons banged their goblets loudly on the table before calling out for another song. When he refused initially, hurling insults at some of the patrons, the laughter and the shouts for a new song grew louder.
Eventually he turned to Loldirr, smiled, and strumed a chord on his lute.
"Two little birdies, one red, one blue,
Sat side by side and flew two by two,
One day they sat by a fat bird, big and mean,
The blue bird went all shades of funny green,
When the fat bird shouted, hey red,
I'm in desperate need of you in my bed,
Blue showed off her impressive new gleam"
The laughter grew exponentially in the room, especially when the fool started to make sexual provocative movements and licking his lips.
The Emperor chuckled too, until he took a quick glance at Nimue whose face was one of thunder.
"I want him executed." she said so calmly it seemed like she was asking for the time of day.
"It was a joke my dear." the Emperor replied, a smile still plastered on his face.
She looked at him intently, he blue eyes full of rage. "Anyone who openly insults me should be punished severely, otherwise they will not respect me, and in turn not respect you."
The Emperor let out a loud sigh before slumping into his chair. He looked around at the patrons who continued with their laughter.
"Guards!" he called, waving towards the fool.
Instantly, two soldiers, who until this point had been standing like statues were on the fool, holding his arms so hard that his face expressed anguish.
Without a second thought, the Emperor waved his hand and bellowed "Execute him immediately."
The guards started to drag him away, his pleas of mercy falling on deaf ears.
Loldirr watched astonished as all the patrons just turned around and continued to eat their food, drinking once more but with a little less fervour; as if executions were the normality within the keep. Turning her head towards the pleading fool she felt she had to do something, but knew this was a potentially volatile situation.
"Your majesty, " she exclaimed, instantly grabbing the attention of everyone in the room. "I dare not tell you how to run your empire, but I fear that I have grown slightly fond of this bard's humour. Perhaps, instead of execution, you could relieve the man of his tongue, therefore maintaining your dignity and setting a warning to those who dare joke of Nimue's character."
The Emperor turned his head towards Loldirr, a scowl fixed on his face. Placing his hand in the air, the guards stopped. All eyes, including the sultry smile of Nimue's, were now fixed on Loldirr.
The silence was deafening, it seemed like everyone was holding their breath for the Emperor's response.
The scowl faded and he burst into laughter. As if on cue, the rest of the patron's laughed too. "A bard? Hah! No, he is just a mere fool." chortled the Emperor. "Your argument for his life is unwarranted, but also just. In future though my dear, leave these decisions to the men that are deemed worthy to make them."
Ignoring the condescending comment, Loldirr smiled and placed her hand briefly on the Emperor's lower arm. "Actually, your majesty, I feel that to remove this bard, sorry, fool's tongue would remove a little joy and happiness from these halls. Perhaps you could remove a finger so he could continue to sing to us more?"
The silence descended once more, but to everyone's surprise, the Emperor's scowl didn't return, instead he laughed once more. "This is why a woman should not take charge; to much emotion!"
Loldirr continued to smiled desperately trying not to rise to the condescension.
"Fair enough. He has entertained me also this night. Remove one of his fingers, one that he doesn't need to play that damned musical instrument." ordered the Emperor.
"Your majesty, I protest." Nimue reacted, "my honour?"
The scowl returned. "My word is final!" the Emperor responded with a harshness that left Nimue sitting back in her seat, seething anger visible all on her face.
The fool was instantly dragged away. Attempting not to look directly towards him, Loldirr could glimpse a relief on his face and a sense of gratitude despite knowing the physical pain he was about to endure.
Erdudvyl leant over, somewhat frustrated by the exchange "You're playing a dangerous game Loldirr."
Loldirr knew it, but for one brief moment she had managed to control the most powerful man in the Empire.
She longed to dance the night away with people she had never met before, to drink disgusting mead and wonder why she had spent the evening doing so, but instead she was here, exactly where she was trained to be.
Turning towards Erdudvyl, she smiled, before returning to her food. If she was the true heir to the empire, then she would learn how to defeat the man next to her. The man who dismissed life so easily, the man who had been manipulated by a dangerous, powerful woman, the man who had arranged the death of her parents.
For her parents, for Edric, for the people of the Isovine Empire and for those who would stand up against the Necromancer, she didn't know when, or how, but she would prepare, she would lead, she would do whatever it takes to claim her rightful place on the throne.