The Four Swords

Chapter 21: Just Desserts

I ate another bite of my chicken glazed in something sweet. Scrumptious. Maybe being a future royal could afford me access to the royal dining hall more often.

"Princess Alina, I must say I immensely enjoyed the ball to celebrate your birthday. The fireworks were absolutely stunning." My mother started, clearly less distracted by food than I was.

"They were huge! And colorful. Like stained glass but brighter!" Abrin was much encouraged having been included in the conversation. His more reserved temperament leant itself to being more on the shy side. I smiled at the bold little man growing up before me.

"Definitely one of my favorite things from the evening as well. Fireworks are always so lively." Queen Valerie beamed toward Abrin. Alina most certainly followed her mother's example when interacting with children. They had a knack for it.

"They were marvelous! Like paints splattered in the sky!" Liliana added, not to be outdone by my brother. She, in contrast, bloomed wherever she planted herself. Bold and gregarious, I envied my little sister's natural ability to fit in almost anywhere.

My mother smiled and gave an airy laugh. Her youngest two children certainly were keeping her on her toes. "I would have thought Miss Galena would have put you both to bed hours before those fireworks." It was not the reprimand it could have been, simply a fact.

Abrin and Liliana shared a look of mild terror. They had revealed themselves.

"Liliana snuck out of bed and we watched them from my window. I'm sorry, Mama" Abrin threw Liliana to the fire.

"They woke me up, Mama. I wanted to see." Liliana looked down at her plate, avoiding eye contact with my mother.

"Thank you for telling me." My mom cut her eyes to Abrin and then Liliana. They would all be having a talk about that behavior later, but the sparkle in my mother's eye told me she understood. "Those fireworks were pretty spectacular. A fitting celebration, Your Highness."

Abrin smiled and nodded. Liliana was less enthusiastic. She always tried to please my mother and had disappointed her multiple times tonight.

"Thank you. I cannot take all the credit for them, but I did enjoy them as well" Alina gushed. Modesty and humility grounded her words.

The king was apparently done with his chicken now too. The next course was something leafy. The salad that was placed in front of me dropped with some type of dressing that was delectable.

Honestly, I am not sure I could go back to regular food. My mother's cooking always satisfied me in the past, but it did not compare to the palace cook's creations.

My brother was less adventurous with his culinary experiences. He pushed the salad from side to side of his plate unimpressed.

"Father, have you heard of anything like that petition this morning?" Alina inquired.

King Caderyn chuckled, "Yes, Dear. I had to recite it once myself". The tone of his voice implied that he stated something obvious.

"Not that petition, Father." Her tone sounded slightly wounded. "The one about the fire in the field? Seems very strange to me." Alina further explained herself.

"I have never heard of such a thing. I do hope that gentleman was somehow mistaken." Queen Valerie interjected, handling her daughter with more gentility than her husband.

" I had not heard of anything like that before, but no need to worry. I'm sure the investigation will sort things out. Think no more of it and we shall speak of it no more." Was that worry in the kings voice?

The king dismissed the topic with a flick of the wrist, and likewise the course. Cutting that course so short made it the shortest course so far by a wide margin, much to Abrin's delight.

My plate was replaced with a chocolate cake dessert. It had to have been at least 7 layers. At least that meant I was somewhat closer to my pillow. The day weighed on me. One bite of the cake and my pillow momentarily did not matter. Heavenly, light, fluffy bites filled my mouth. My tastebuds rejoiced. If I could have access to the royal dining hall more frequently, maybe I would just eat desserts for a while.

The queen turned to Liliana, "Did my daughter get to tell you about all her planning today? I'm sure you would love to hear about the flowers she picked." Queen Valerie coaxed conversation from my now timid sister.

"I do like flowers," Liliana offered meekly.

"I would enjoy hearing about them too, Your Highness," my mother added.

"Well I picked white lilies for the arrangements in the foyer. I think they will look lovely there.." Alina started sharing her work she did earlier . I was no help at all with flower picking.

"Lord Jacob, have you told Jack of our meetings?" The king asked my father in a low tone while the ladies continued their discussion.

"Our meetings, Your Majesty?" My father countered.

"Yes." The king added as though the three of us knew what he was meaning. My father and I exchanged blank looks.

"I'm sorry. I have not. What would you like him to know?" My father was as lost as I was.

King Caderyn explained, "Jacobson will attend all Swordsman council meetings until further notice"

My stomach sank. I had expected to join those meetings, but not for some time. I had no idea what they discussed and expected to be briefed closer to when I would be a swordsman. I am not sure what I've gotten myself into.

At least I better knew what would be expected of me. Somehow better knowing the expectations of my future job did not settle my nerves. My father never spoke of what happened in these meetings.

Sometimes they convened at early hours or ran late into the evenings. Father usually came home looking weary and rundown. Not always, but the ratio leaned in favor of exhaustion. Guess I would soon find out what weighed on my father so heavily. I only hope that I have enough fortitude to withstand what lay ahead.

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