Her father has always had a strange way of knowing things. No matter what, he always knew. It only took one look for him to know. And one look for her to know that he knew.
"Cutting it close, were we?" He leaned in close to speak lowly to her. She was grateful that conversation was blooming across the different pairs sat at the table. She ignored the eyes on the side of her face as she leaned closer to her father to respond.
"I'm afraid I don't know to what you are referring, Father."
"You ride the largest dragon in existence, Amaris. Surely, you didn't think I wouldn't notice her absence from her field."
Amaris blushed a bright pink. She didn't think of that. Nisaria had all but claimed the field behind the castle as her resting ground. When she wasn't out flying, she was lounging in the field, soaking in the sun.
"Perhaps, she was merely out for a flight on her own," Amaris countered. Nisaria, more than once, took to the skies alone. It was a perfectly plausible explanation for Nisaria's absence.
"And where were you?" Her father cut a piece of meat and placed in into his mouth. How he managed to chew knowingly was beyond her, but she decided she needed to learn how.
"With Luce?" Amaris cringed as her statement came out as a question instead.
"How is that dragon of yours, dear?" Amaris' attention was, thankfully, grabbed by the King questioning her.
"Nisaria is good, Your Grace. Still spry as ever despite her older age," Amaris joked to the King.
She didn't know if the belly laugh he let out in response was formed from pity or not, but she wasn't too concerned. A laughing King was a happy King, in her eyes.
"Oh, if only we had that energy as well. Say, Arthur, don't you think we're getting too old?" King Richard asked her father. Amaris took that opportunity to finally start eating. While the King and her father were engrossed in a conversation, she could slink further and further into her seat. Perhaps she could get through this one meal with no more attention brought to her.
"How was it?" Anastasia gently nudged her side to bring her attention to her right side. Amaris peered at her friend before quickly swallowing her food.
Images of her flight flashed in her mind as she tried, to no avail, to temper her grin of excitement. Her excitement only slightly faltered as the image of the smog shrouded island flashed in her mind. Now that she was calm and sitting, she took a moment to think further about it. She flicked through all of her lessons of the land, but the island continued to stump her.
She lowered her voice and leaned closer to her friend, "Have you flown recently?"
Anastasia looked at her like she had just sprouted a new head. "What kind of question is that?"
"Okay, I'll admit it wasn't the brightest question, but have you?"
"Of course."
"Have you noticed an island recently?" Amaris cringed as the question left her mouth. It was slightly louder than she wanted it to be, but no one seemed to be paying her any attention. At least, she thought no one was. She held in a heavy sigh as her eyes flicked to the bane of her existence. He had a slight smirk on his face as he narrowed his eyes at her. She was in the midst of preparing to defend herself against whatever he had to say when Anastasia grabbed her attention once again.
"An island? Do you mean The Sun Isle?" Ana questioned before taking a sip of her wine.
Amaris shook her head, mentally crossing it off of her list of places the island could be. She knew The Sun Isle; it was the one place that the sun covered in its entirety. There wasn't a hint of shadow on Sun Isle. Amaris kind of hated the Sun Isle.
"No, I've seen the Sun Isle. It wasn't that," Amaris commented, her brain swirling with matching different islands to different names. "Forget it, I'm sure I'll place it eventually."
She waved a nonchalant hand in her friend's direction before turning back to her food. She thought as she pushed her food around with her fork. She didn't think she flew that far out, so she should know the island. It had to be close to the castle. Nisaria wouldn't lead her somewhere unknown. At least, not somewhere dangerous and unknown. Oddly enough, the island, while looking ominous as ever, didn't feel bad. She didn't get a sense of trepidation as she stared at the thick smog surrounding the island. She didn't feel anything, really. That could've been because her nerves were too busy with the meal she was currently at to think about the island too much. But, even now, she didn't think it was unsafe. She trusted Nisaria.
She tuned back into the conversation as Anastasia's sewing was brought up. Ana was a fantastic seamstress. Something Amaris could never quite pick up. It always felt like her brain wouldn't quiet down long enough for her to sew a complete garment. She was only halfway through her very first dress, and it had been months since she started it.
"It's not a big deal. I have a lot of time on my hands, and I quite enjoy sewing," Anastasia spoke to her kingly father. Amaris missed what he had said to her in order to gain that response, but she assumed it was praise of some kind. Her words may have been dismissive, but she saw the tiny smirk on her friend's face that said she was more than happy with her father's praise. A smile came to Amaris' face before she could stop it; seeing Ana be so proud of her accomplishments made her happy. If anyone deserved the praise, it was Anastasia.
"You've almost completed three dresses, Ana. Some can't even do one," came from across the table. Amaris' eyes fluttered shut as she took a deep breath. She was just glad her eyes shut before anyone could see her roll them. Her fingers sought out the rings on her right hand, and she played with them as she felt eyes land on her. When she opened her eyes again, only three people were looking at her. Her brothers and the one who had thrown the comment out in the first place. She threw a quick smile at her brothers, hoping they wouldn't speak up. Not that they ever did, but she wanted to keep it that way. Their friendships with the princes were too important to throw away over some comments made during a meal.
She felt a hand gently rest on her fidgeting ones. She recognized, without even looking down, that it was her father. His rough skin against her smoother skin calmed her slightly. She immediately took to twirling his ring instead of hers. The ring twirling was an old habit of hers, passed down by her father. As rare as it was, he would twirl his ring whenever he got anxious. She started out simply grabbing his hand whenever her nerves spiked, but she soon began twirling his ring as well. As she grew older, she adorned her hands with her own rings. Her father rarely reached for her anymore when her nerves spiked; she figured he thought she had it covered. She ached to shake him and scream in his face that she still needed her father, not just metal wrapped around her finger.
She was simply twisting the ring around his finger when Anastasia spoke to her brother, "Yes, Kaine, we all know you cannot complete a dress. You don't need to bring it up."
Some of the tension was cut through by her comment. Laughs were scattered around the table, and Amaris felt the smallest amount of satisfaction. She did not let it show in fear it would only irritate him further.
Kaine simply smiled at his sister. "And you, my lady? How fares your garment?"
"Slow but steady," Amaris told the arrogant prince. Her smile was painful as she plastered it on. She would not show that he got to her. It would only serve to fuel him more.
He pierced a piece of meat as he coolly replied, "I'm sure you'll finish it soon." He flashed her a quick smirk before popping the meat into his mouth.
"I could never sew a dress," Jasper lightly stated. Amaris' smile turned less fake as she looked at him. He smiled back, a glint in his eyes. She slightly lowered her head; her way of telling him it was okay. She hoped his comment would've ended the conversation about her lack of sewing skills, but Kaine seemed to have one more remark left.
"I'm sure if you spent less time patrolling the skies, you could finish your garment." His tone was light, as if he were commenting on the weather rather than telling a dragon rider not to ride her dragon.
She couldn't hold back her snap at him, though she did try. "And I'm sure that if you spent less time worrying about me, you'd be able to best Sir Viktor in a duel."
She didn't need to look around the table to see eyes widen as the words left her lips. The hand in her lap tightening around hers said enough. She fucked up.