Sam, along with his aide, arrived at the banquet at the allotted time the King had requested him to be there. He thought about it and then waited a couple of minutes outside until he finally entered. His father was furious with him as usual.
"Announcing the arrival of Solomon's Third Prince, Samvel Hywel Hanoever Blois!" Entering the banquet, he could feel all the stares follow him as he joyfully went down the stairs to join the banquet which was in full swing.
He smiled the usual way as he cut through the enormous number of guests to make his way to where his father sat on his throne, overlooking the party with his siblings sitting on either side of him. There was one empty seat wherein he quickly sat down in.
"I told you to be here minutes ago!" His father hisses at him, all the while keeping a smile for appearances on his face. "We were supposed to enter the banquet together, but here you are, late yet again. You've made us look like fools!"
Sam apologizes to his father, trying to calm his father before he burst a blood vessel. Of course, he didn't mean a single word of it.
He sat up in his seat, trying to fix his features to that of a gullible and incompetent prince. Then the representatives from all over the three Kingdoms slowly went up and introduced themselves. Quite curiously, the Beast King was the only King in attendance for the first day of the banquet.
"I greet Solomon's King." The man towered over all of the partygoers. His big stature instantly intimidated the King as he sat on his throne. Sam watched the man with interest. So, this is King William, the Beast his people called the Lion Lord.
Sam had to admit the man gave off a magnificent picture of royalty. His golden-brown curls fanned his face, really appearing as if it were his mane. His piercing eyes watched them as if he was able to tell exactly what each and every one of them were thinking.
"Greetings King William!" His father tried to mask how intimidated he felt by plastering a giant smile on his face. His green eyes brightened but Sam knew him well enough to know he really wanted to make himself look bigger so the Beast King wouldn't be able to look down at him.
"We finally meet after all these years. How has your beautiful Wolfcyre Forest been lately?"
"It's still beautiful." The Beast King says as if knowing his father didn't really care for the details about his home. "The credit belongs to all my people and their loyalty to keeping our Forest safe. If you permit me, I'd like to introduce to you three of my Beast Generals."
"Of course, I'd also like to get to know your people." As soon as those words leave his father's lips, the Beast King motions behind him and three Beasts make their way over to them.
"First is Helios Crysalerek," a man with blue eyes and black hair steps up to the throne, bowing his head respectfully before the Solomon King. "He's my ninth Beast General."
"I extend my greetings to the Solomon King." His smooth voice seemed to match his face. Sam noticed the man stared at them with no interest in his eyes, and after he greeted the King, he stepped back and still held onto the same bored expression.
"Next is my tenth Beast General, Gaspar Longrunner." The next Beast to step forward is a tall and slender man with brown hair and dark eyes. Just by looking at him, Sam could already tell what sort of man he is. His smile easily spread across his face as he greeted the King and his family. He took note of the mischievous glint in his eyes as he bowed his head and stepped back.
"And finally, my newest twelfth Beast General, Kiera Blackwater."
Sam's eyes cut over to the next figure and as she stepped forward, it felt as if all air had left his lungs. He had read the reports about her many accomplishments, but there was no way he could have prepared to meet the face behind the name. It was only a piece of paper that he had read after all, how could it describe the most beautiful woman Sam has ever set eyes on?
Her long dark hair reached past her shoulders, the waves of her hair moved with her head as she respectfully bowed her head. When she gracefully lifted her head back up, Sam was met with the most incredible sight of two soul-gripping azure eyes. The very which Sam wouldn't mind getting lost in.
"I greet the venerable King Gerrod and his family." As she spoke, Sam was hit with many different emotions, most of which he had trouble describing or even putting a name to. Her voice carried weight, and she presented herself in a way that screamed she was completely confident within her own skin. Or was it she was confident in her abilities? It didn't matter, Sam had read the report. She could run laps around any one of his father's knights if she really wanted to and Sam would be more than willing to watch as she does.
"A female General?" His father broke through his mind and Sam was brought out of his daze. He didn't like the tone in his father's voice and it seemed like the Beast General didn't either.
"Forgive my ignorance King Gerrod, but are there no women in your armies?"
"Of course not, women are far weaker than men." His father replied as if his response was obvious.
The woman smiled then, an action that caused Sam to physically feel his heart squeezing.
"That's a shame then. Our Beast Army is open to all genders, as our King believes everyone has a right to strengthen themselves and to fight for their homeland so should they wish. As such, our armies are vast and there's no shortage of Beasts willing to enter our army's ranks." She shook her head, her hair shimmering under the lights. "We are strong because we don't limit our armies to half of our population." With that, Sam knew his father had wholly lost to her.
"Our women are quite different than the Beast women. They're much weaker." His father refused to be beaten, but the woman replied swiftly to his rebuttal.
"That may be so, but then again, they would become much stronger just by entering into the military. If given the opportunity, wouldn't there still be a population of Solomon women who would be willing to take up a sword and learn how to defend herself?" Murmurs of agreement filled the banquet room. The Solomon King stammered as it finally dawns on him that he never stood a chance against her sensible mind.
"I must also add your Highness," she wasn't done with him quite yet, "but I'm not the only woman among the twelve Beast Generals. I am not a rare occurrence. You see, each and every woman that has risen through the ranks to become a Beast General has done so entirely on their own strength. These are after all, women that have shown they're quite capable even despite the presence of men."
Sam laughed outright. His bright laughter filled the room as his father sent him a withering glare.