Inside an enormous hall, which was the dining hall used by only the royals to eat, in the middle of the hall a long table was positioned that began from the end of the wall to where the exit door was.
And chairs were placed on each side of the table from the beginning to the end.
On top of the table were different kinds of food and dessert, and on each side of the walls stood guards with slaves that serve the dishes.
King Varog sat at the head of the table, with Queen Xavia by his right and the rest of the princes sitting by each side of the table.
They were all eating except for prince Kontas who was just swirling his food with the fork.
"Why aren't you eating?" King Varog inquired of Kontas immediately he glimpsed he hasn't taken even a whiff of his food.
" I already ate before I came here" he responded.
"Why? Or you still haven't forgotten you been poisoned?" Prince Khron implored, gawking at him.
Cracking up, Kontas dropped his fork and faced his elder brother. He wasn't going to let them speak to him like they please today.
" Who forgets that sort of thing? Or do I need to poison you and see if you would forget?"
"How dare you!?" Queen Xavia screeched, slamming her hand on the table and turning it to frost.
Everybody on the table jerked back except for King Varog and prince Kontas who remind rooted in their spot.
There was nobody in the land of Begtuok who doesn't know how much Queen Xavia idolize her sons, particularly Khron.
To her, he was her pride, so making him look terrible in front of people was the same thing as wanting to be antagonists with the queen.
Queen Xavia once froze a sorcerer to death when she notified her that prince khron wasn't meant for the throne.
And prince Kontas knows all of that. He knows very well what rares her up, and that was what he was wielding against her.
In the same way, Queen Xavia doesn't like him, he doesn't like her as well, after all she was the reason his mother was killed.
"Why do you look so hysterical? I was just asking a question" Kontas grinned.
He does enjoy seeing her queasy, she doesn't know her hostile she looks whenever she unleashes her dark side.
"That's enough, we are in the dining hall and not a war zone," King Varog said as he faced his wife and ordered,
"unfreeze the table, am not going to eat frozen foods".
Taking in a deep whiff, Queen Xavia repealed her power, unfreezing everything that was frozen by her.
She didn't like the fact that kontas got to her, and he was smirking.
When the tension in the room settled down, everybody got back to eating their food like nothing happened, and the guards and slaves were sent out of the hall.
"Is King Ptorik still repudiating our terms?" King Varog asked Kontas.
King Ptorik was the king of Daekrahm and also Begtuok's greatest enemy.
For years now, the two lands have been at constant war with each other, and they were never on good terms.
They decided to work with each other and live on good terms, but King Ptorik was demanding on being the one to rule, but King Varog doesn't like being last either.
He also wants to rule, and now they were on the frontier of another war.
"He is claiming to be stubborn, and I didn't have the time to whitewash my words. So, I just told him a piece of my mind. If he doesn't want to accept our term, then we are ready to go to war with them" prince Kontas said being all serious and businesslike
"That was superb of you. You did well, he should know that we are still the strongest and we never back down". He lowered his fork on the plate and stood up, making everyone stand with him.
"Prince Khron, when will you start to act like someone who will be taking over the throne one day? How many times have I warned you not to be bringing your wife into the royal meeting? Do I need to take away your position from you before you get back to your senses" King Varog shouted right at his face?
"I warned you not to marry this girl, but you being mummy's boy you still got your way. You better sit up if you don't want your title and position taken from you" he warned.
"Father, don't you think you are being too difficult on…." Hezra instantly shut up when his father whirled his scowl on him.
Hezra knew his father haven't yet forgiven him and his brother for taking Madison to the library, so why on Earth did he go and talk?
He should have just kept mute and remind invisible until his dad left, now he has gotten his father's attention, and he knew it was going to be hot on him.
He was thankful when his mother steps in,
"I don't think this is the right place for these, I know that you are peeved right now, but can we do these later?" Queen Xavia pleaded.
King Varog knew that she was right where they were wasn't the place nor the time to yell at them or anything, he should just let everything go.
"Kontas, I want you to go meet the great goddess, she will give you something for me"
"But, father, am the one that was meant to go," Nazim said for the first time.
He doesn't like the way his assignment was given to somebody else, especially to Kontas.
"But I want Kontas to go, do you have a problem with that?".
Yes, he does,
" no I don't" Nazim replied with his head bowed.
He truly doesn't like how his assignment is being given to someone else, especially to Kontas of all people. He loathes it.
" Then it's settled"he beamed as he left the hall with his wife and the three princes, leaving just Kontas and Nazim.
"You shouldn't feel so bad, am sure they want to use me as prey"Kontas grinned as he left the hall.
Kontas suspected that his father had something up his sleeve for him to have given him Nazim's assignment. He doesn't trust that man or anyone at all.
When kontas came out from the dining hall, he saw Lydian standing at the entrance with his horse.
Going to where he was standing, he patted his horse on the head before asking,
" have you called her?"
"Yes, I have. But my prince, I still think it is a bad idea to take Madison along with you. You know how perilous outside the land could be"Lydian said, sounding all distressed.
He didn't want a situation where they may encounter a problem, and he won't be there.
"You worry a lot, Lydian, what can they possibly do to me? They still need me alive"
"But still my…"
"Who is taking whom outside the land?" Nazim asked, cutting Lydian shut.
"You can't possibly be thinking of taking Madison with you to see the great goddess?"
"And how is that any of your concern? Madison is my slave, and I can take her anywhere I want without anyone's permission" Kontas said.
He doesn't appreciate how Nazim was acting all protective over Madison, she was his and no one else's.
And he was about to tell him just that before he felt someone hop on his back.
He was about to attack the person, but stopped when he breathed in her scent.
He wondered why he didn't notice her before she came. Even Nazim was taken aback as well.
"You know I could have killed you right now," Kontas said, holding her properly, so she won't fall.
" I know you won't". Coming down from his back, she went to stand at his front with a smile all over her face.
She was unaware of Nazim's presence.
"Why are you so happy?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.
"Lydian told me we are going outside Begtuok, and I could not just control my happiness. You know how much I have wanted to see other lands" she grinned, holding unto his hand and hopping around.
Kontas wished at that moment that he could stop time so that he could relish the moment.
It had been so long since he last saw her smile and jump like that, and he missed it.
If only she could remember.