Hundreds of kilometers away, in the royal palace of Dorkanil there was a banquet. A royal banquet no less. Prince Juerd and Eldrick jointly held the banquet. Many nobles were present.
The sweet smell of perfume, the wonderful aroma of rich food, and the delightfully decorated ball- all to celebrate!
Today Juerd would officially get engaged with Sarin Enisa. The event called for a celebration. It was hard to imagine that the king of this country died only nine days ago, the fourth prince along with this army fell, and the kingdom of Dorkanil became a sub-nation of the Northern Empire.
It was hard to imagine, indeed-
But-
But today was special and celebration was a must.
It all began as the queen held her glass high; a peerless black beauty. Tall, slender, soft facial features… and a gentle smile. "Gentlemen, today we are gathered here to witness the unification of two souls and the birth of a new age." Applause! "I appreciate all of you coming. We have already disposed two of the nuisances." Some of the guests' faces went pale. They weren't expecting something like that, at least not from the queen. After all, what kind of criminal would openly admit to their crimes? "But worry not. You too, shall join them together: in hell." The queen's lips curled up to form a beautiful smile and several nobles fell on the ground, shaking like they were being electrified; and it happened much faster than anyone could even think to react. "Enjoy the party," she winked.
The contrast of laughter and slaughter was drastic. But no one dared to question. No one dared to oppose.
If they did, the same fate would befall them.
Death.
A fancy word.
A fancy word describing eternal sloth.
And no one wanted that sloth…
Enisa looked at the nearly dead nobles on the floor with utmost pity. But she didn't look sad. If anything, her outward appearance could be explained, like an owner looking at their pet. Her father was on the floor as well. But she didn't seem to care even for a second. Their eyes connected, father and daughter. 'Such is the fate of those who cannot forsake-' Instead, she smiled and kissed Prince Juerd on the lips. The very same man she left Prince Brendalor for…
Her father's eyes closed for all eternity.
The dead nobles were from the royal faction that favored the late king and Prince Bren. Their fate was sealed the moment the king lost.
It was only a matter of time.
But no one expected something like this- at least not today.
Cheers ran across the banquet hall. Though both princes were at each other's throats even just days ago; they'd set aside their differences and divided the kingdom into equal parts. Of course, neither was satisfied with just half. But they wore a smile and just rolled with it, hoping to find that one moment of weakness.
Besides, with the nation being a sub-nation of the Northern Empire, there was no reason to fight to become the king.
Because there was no king.
The lifeless bodies were disposed of. No one would be able to enjoy themselves if bodies were on the floor after all.
Beef, bacon, shrimp, lobsters, exotic fruits: delicious food were eaten, alcohol was drunk, and merry was made. But food was less important than the sacred act of-
The nobles got dirty on the floor. It didn't matter if they were someone else's wife, or daughter, as long as they were at this party, everything was allowed: everything was legal.
Fun!
The third prince, who was often touted as an incubus, wasn't in the party. But even he would have looked away in shame. At least he had the decency to indulge behind locked doors.
Enisa and Juerd were no exceptions but they preferred a bit more privacy; so they took the stairs up. Enisa went to Juerd's room, hand in hand. The prince took it slow, rubbing Enisa's chest. They kissed, stroked each other, became one, and ended the event in a duly and satisfied manner.
Perhaps a bit too fast.
"That was one of the best I've had," Juerd said, wiping off the sweat from his brows.
All the waiting was worth it!
Sweaty- panting- fun.
They were having fun.
And no one wanted to not have fun.
"Once more?" Enisa said pleadingly, with a bewitching tone, stroking the tip of Juerd's sleeping shortsword, as she spread her legs ever so slightly. She knew exactly what ticked the prince. The prince's sword evolved into the mighty Excalibur and they resumed their fun.
***
Earlier this day Enisa and her father had a conversation. A conversation Enisa would never forget for as long as she lived.
Assuming she lived.
"I'm afraid tonight will be my last night."
"What are you saying, father?" You can't possibly-"
Duke Ennesen put a hand on her daughter's lips. "My daughter. Be strong. If you grow weak seeing my dead body- no don't even shed a tear. Don't let them know. You must survive." Tears welled up in the eyes of the duke. He already knew what was coming.
The wilderness spread in front of them, the harshness of life.
Yet-
"Father… Why- why won't you run?"
They had a state. They still had power.
Surely, they could run away!?
"If I run then what? My loyalty would always be with the king. I too have grown old. I think it's about time I embraced my fate."
"Why not-" Enisa didn't like it. She didn't want her father to die. Her eyes leaked before she knew it.
Why not just abandon everything and run together?
She wanted to say that.
She wanted to express that.
She wanted to run away with her father.
"Enisa…" And the man knew that. He knew that and that's why- he dragged her to his chest, hugging her one last time. "I'm sorry…" But for her future- her safety-
•••
Enisa didn't forget her father's words. She pretended like nothing was wrong as she and the prince became one once more; as the prince ravaged through her body- the body she'd promised someone else. 'Bren…'
But she maintained that smile. And perhaps she was going to take that smile to her grave.
Or perhaps-
***
In a room far away Eldrick and the queen were busy in very serious and definitely not illegal practices.
Now that the king was gone, nothing stopped Eldrick from jumping to the queen's bed. After all, the queen wasn't Eldrick's biological mother. Not that something like that mattered to Eldrick anyway.
He certainly hadn't done this before, okay?
Maybe Prince Bluek wasn't the only one who'd inherited his grandfather's genes after all.
"You are your father's son." The queen whispered softly as she let out another moan. "Ah, ah." She breathed hard.
She was on top of him- gently holding the head of the prince.
Dim lights, perfect environment.
Wondrous scent.
"Please don't compare me to that old fool. I'm much better," said the prince as he plowed harder, forcing her to move faster.
Eldrick was different. He didn't just enjoy women, he enjoyed toying with them, making them work for it.
And as things got even more heated- his lips just curled up. 'How you like me now, geezer?'
Moans filled the hallways.
No one heard it.
No one knew the sorrows of those who fell on the battlefield and those who survived. No one knew the grief of the people who lost everything in this power struggle.
And no one cared.
It just didn't matter today.
Fun- fun was the only thing that mattered tonight.
Fun was the only relevant thing-
Everything else was irrelevant.
The next day, everyone pretended as if nothing ever happened.
And life moved on.