Daisy had taken the lead with restoring the energy of the dinner to a pleasant reunion.
"My brave aunt, how was the surveying in Opryke. I believe you mentioned something about being exhausted from the ride down."
"Oh yes," She groaned. "The boy leading the carriage had the lamest horses that could barely get to a trot. I could hear them in the cart and it kept waking me up. It'll be a relief to rest on a proper cushion again."
"The hard life too much for you." Walter's smirk reaching up to his mischievous side eye.
"Uncle isn't that why you said your wife wouldn't be joining us. How can carriages make her sick? How do they get around in Opryke." She sounded so clueless, Nero almost believed her.
"Carriages of course. It is the distance she is uncomfortable with, my dear." His voice was a solid mellow tone. Only his sarcasm had character and punch. He cast his eyes across the table to Daisy giving her a blank stare. He had a no nonsense expression but was quick to point out others misfortunes but obviously wouldn't divulge anything personal when the moment presented itself.
"Yes I'm sure. Is it traveling or the company she finds uncomfortable." Chester chuckled.
"It is as, I said it." He was not in any mood to have the conversation turned onto him. Dalia lifted her glass and ignored his staring.
Daisy could feel the tensions rising again and decided to forcibly shift the conversation again.
"Uncle Chester, everyone here was so proud of you for relinquishing your land to aid the Peace Corps." Walter chuckled under his breath and Dalia nearly spit her wine out across the table in Daisy's face.
Chester puffed his chest up and cleared his throat. "Even we have to fulfill our duty to the Peace Corps. They are the order in the world. Without our faith they are an empty institution. Isn't that right Dalia."
Dalia perked up at the sound of her name but Walter kept snickering. "That is right. If there was no Peace Corps, then the blind chaos and savagery of war would engulf us."
"Yeah I can really feel the love." Nero blurted out unintentionally and all of the people at the table turned to him, even Dylan, whom he was sure was a statue two seconds ago. He was beginning to wonder had they ever really talked earlier, but every few moments he would catch a sinister look in his eyes. He turned back to the rest of the table. "It was nothing just an experience of mine."
"Paired with the divine wisdom of the Church of the Light, they are the judge and the jury and without them there would most definitely be war across the land year round. They keep the most selfish and power hungry villains in check. You must understand your circumstances were unique, an unrepeatable mistake." Dalia wasn't in the Peace Corps by force. She admired them for what they stood for and what the Commissioner had accomplished.
"And executioner. They hold all the power and decide who gets to live, and be in this world. Then they put in the paper how terrible this person was and how lucky you are that they caught them." Nero was trying to remain calm but couldn't contain himself and it was spinning out of control fast.
"Are you saying they are lying. Maybe you should open your eyes. This is the world we live in. Are you saying there is no villainy and that this world would know peace without them?" Walter's words were precise and rough like the old tailors. Filled with disgust for anyone who would disrupt the natural order. This was the way things were. Who was he? To think he could change it. 'He was young, and he didn't know how the world worked' he could hear it in their voices. Criselda had always pitied him for having such thoughts. In all of their eyes it was black or white. Follow these rules or die.
"Many of the kids who enter the Peace Corps come from a background just like yours. They enter jaded, fearful, and ignorant. Every single one grows and learns what the Peace Corps truly stands for." Nero could see it in her eyes she had no clue what the Peace Corps was and how they brainwashed everyone into believing this vague set of ideals they got from the Field of Light.
They preached peace but carried it out like a war machine. "I'm not sure how you can spend so much time in the Peace Corps and not see their lack of fair and equal justice."
"It is not so easy to keep people in line without a show of at least some force." Chester meekly added.
"And how did you like their force when they took your home from you." Nero refused to allow him to say that. It was plainly an unacceptable response. Without even a response Chester stood up and Dalia and Daisy followed and after seeing the two of them Dylan and Walter stood as well.
"Please Rise for the Head of House Addidel." Over and high above Nero's shoulder, stood the very tall and lanky man that had welcomed him into the castle. When sitting it made him seem even taller. Even after already seeing him earlier, he was astonished at the mans height. He noticed for the first time how tall the door was and how large the front door was as well. Daisy tapped him on the shoulder and he stood up. Despite his towering size he was very skinny and long. It was as if they took an absurdly large man then tied him up and sent horses running in opposite directions and this is what they got.
"Hey Taffy-Man."
A frail man with thinning dark brown hair and a sickly physique clicked into the room with a cane.
"Come here son." Nero looked around and saw all eyes on him again. So he slowly stepped closer trying to figure out a way to not have to act at being this man's son, but nothing came. Behind him he felt the large hand of the Taffy-Man pushing him into the older man's embrace.
The Head reached his free hand up onto Nero's shoulder and took a long look at his face. "You have your mothers eyes and her blemish-less sun kissed skin." Whoever the woman was that was supposed to be his mother, was truly loved by this man. Why would she have left him if she loved him even a little in return? He was powerful and had a kindness to him that was infectious. "I am so glad you received my letter. I have spent so many years in search of you. Please take a seat and tell me about your journey." He laggardly guided Nero to his seat and took his seat at the head of the table.
Dylan brushed past them and Nero caught a glimpse of a beautiful woman that was a spitting image of Daisy. She had aging lines on the outside of her eyes and mouth but she walked with the same grace as Daisy.
Dylan grabbed her hand. "Lady mother."
He led her to the table with more care than he had presumed the man to have. Things were becoming more confusing as the night went on. He had imagined anyone who could give birth to a child like Dylan must have been a real handful. Maybe his mother was blind to his true nature as mothers are the last to see it.
When she took her seat she reached up and caressed his cheek. "Thank you, my beautiful boy." His mother loved him very much but curtesy was all he could muster. His expression didn't change or soften to her touch like he thought it would. Should it?
Dylan crossed the room back to his place at the table.
"How was your journey?" The Head repeated.
"Oh excuse me. I took a boat it was smelly."
"A boat? I was told you were in the east in the Taxus Coastal towns." The old man seemed perplexed at this turn of events. His eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"I took a boat from the port in Taxus and landed at Shinoa port." He knew there was a port in Taxus but that was the full extent of his knowledge of the place and wanted to shy away from the topic before anymore questions could be asked. So he thought he'd get straight down to business. "Why am I here?"
He quickly regretted changing the subject as the mans eyes narrowed again. He could now think of a hundred different ways he could elaborate on his trip from Taxus. "Did you even read the letter I sent you?"
"Of course I did." Maybe he would refuse to answer all questions from here on. Yes that was a great plan, he agreed with himself.
"Would you mind enlightening everyone at the table with details of said letter?" The old man directed his attention back to the rest of everyone at the table. He was in big trouble now and was frantically thinking of where the front door was again and if he could grab Dylan in the process of escaping.
"Yes um... it it is...it said I was being requested to meet my long lost family. Right. That's what it said. I'm sure that's what it said." He stuttered unable to form even one sentence.
"Herbert can't you see what's going on." Dalia cut into his explanation with a sureness in her voice that almost made him jump out of his seat and leap for the nearest door. What would happen to Urs if he didn't find her and he still hadn't had a chance to ask what happened to Frides. He had to figure a way out of this he thought when the perfect explanation landed in his lap.
"What is it that I don't see Dalia?" Herbert challenged her shifting his glare to her and back to Nero. Not liking Dalia'a tone of irreverence.
"I don't mean to be rude but I've seen this kind of behavior around letters in the Peace Corps. It appears to me that he might not be able to read." She proposed casually insulting his intelligence but Nero would take the branch.
"Is this true? Are you Illiterate?" The mans eyes had widened and he was back to being kind and now sympathetic.
"I did not want to embarrass myself and I understand the seriousness of the letter, but I cant read myself so I had the courier read it to me. He had been very short with me. They are very strict with their time and I felt he had not read the letter in it's entirety but I could not ask for more due to my unique circumstances." He looked up sheepishly at Herbert and he could see he was eating up every word.
"Listen, that is nothing to be ashamed of. We have an exceptional teacher that has been teaching the Addidel House for 60 years. She would love a new student. I will explain to you your full purpose here." He lifted his attention to his family in the dining room again. "As you all have guessed this is a celebration as the Addidel House will become larger by one person today. We will eat tonight and over the next few days we will get to know each other better. The Peace Corps Scribe will be here in the morning to officially add him to our family tree. In a couple of days a representative from the Oceanic Bank will arrive with a Creek Seal for his account. "
"I'm not sure 5,000,000 Cardis will be enough to satiate a teenagers interests. I overheard earlier he was in the market for a Domaku and who knows what he will spend once he gets a hold of the latest Green Book." Chester said in a haute tone.
"It is not a lot but it was what we all received when we were much younger than him." Herbert agreed. "Until his tastes mature, this should be enough."
"Are you acknowledging him as your son?" Dalia was the only one at the table bold enough to voice the unanswered question on everyone's mind.
"I have been very vocal about what happened between Malia and the Spriggan that kidnapped her. What you aren't aware of is that she told her head maid she was pregnant before she was kidnapped. He is without a doubt Malia's son and seeing his strong Addidel Chin I am sure he is my son. Over the next few days we will discuss the details of the state. That should just about cover it. Now raise your glasses for... excuse me what is your name?"
"My name is Nero."
"We now welcome Nero into the Addidel House, forever in good health."
"To Nero, forever in good health." They all chorused the toast in unison. They all glared at him with green in their eyes, all except Daisy.
They settled into their meal as the main course came out. It was a very large bird of some kind possibly a turkey. They asked Nero more questions which he tried to keep short and asked two or three questions for each he half answered. Herbert was beginning to feel tired so they called the dinner to a close and headed to bed for the night. Nero started to gather his clothes in a bundle knowing these clothes would take a while to get out of and he planned to stop by Daisy's room still. Maybe she could give him a clue where Dylan put his bag and Urs.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Thanks for reading!