Midway pt. 3 Peace Be Hollow
We returned to the party in time to catch the final speeches. No one seemed to have noticed the three royals they were giving speeches for were not present , but my brother made it hard not to be noticed as we walked in and he was covered in the scents of a brothel. We took our seats next to our sister at the great table overlooking the party , and witnessed the madness that followed.
The final speeches given were by a foreign king named Teco Tibet, Queen Ola , and our King Father and Queen Mother.
King Teco ruled over a land populated by monkeys in the south mountains. He was known for being cold hearted to those not of his kind , but his kingdom and our King father's were, for the most part, at peace.
Queen Ola, the most beautiful yellow eared panther, ruled over possibly the most diverse kingdom across the red sea. In her kingdom there were more than lions, monkeys, and hyena. Even her royal adviser was a bat , a species rare no matter where in the world you go.
The first to stand was Teco.
Teco - the kingdom of Catalina is happy to celebrate the health and prosperity of your house. As a gift we offer to Par ,Son of the Throne, this
He waved an assistant to his side who carried a sheath sword. Teco presented the blade to the room holding it high for all to see as he unsheathed it with a swift motion letting the light reflect off of its blood gold grip and engraved blade.
Teco- a blade of the last Dragon Kingdom, forged in war and held in times of peace, this is a symbol of power and authority fit for the next in line to win war or keep peace
He lowered the blade and sheathed it once again before having one of his men hand it to me at the table. It was a very nice gift, the era of dragon kingdoms was thought to be a gold age. The kingdoms ended only after their kings died without leaving successors to take their place. Now anything from a dragon kingdom is priceless and rare. But what made king Teco's gift so strange is that it was given only to me. He spoke of next in line to the throne which was fine, but to give his gift to me alone meant he was endorsing me to be the next king. He was turning our party into a political move, and when he finally sat down the entire room knew where he stood and what he wanted.
There was a bit of a silence that took the room before Queen Ola stood.
Ola- the kingdom of Oboshi thanks the queen mother and King father for inviting us to celebrate with you on this joyous day of life
My siblings an I called our parents queen mother and king father because they were our mother and father but others would use the same names. As queen our mother is mother to the kingdom by her generosity and love for its children. Our father is father of the kingdom by protecting it's citizens and guiding it to prosperity.
Ola- we give to the next queen the gift of the goddess
Like Teco , Ola waved her assistant to bring forward the gift but rather than open it she handed the small jewelry box made of ocean stone to my sister and let her open it for herself. Again the room felt more political as it was clear Queen Ola was casting her vote for next in line for the thrown to be Sky. It was so shocking I don't think Sky actually opened her gift.
Before yet another long silence could haunt the gathering our King Father stood.
King- the kingdom of Fae thank you all for your generous gifts and kind words
Our mother stood and helped our father as it seemed he was unsure how to swim the waters presented to him.
Queen- we know that one day any of our sons and daughters will make a great king or queen with the support of our people and our allies from the north and South
Despite King Teco and Queen Ola making politics there was a bigger elephant in the room , or more accurately not in the room.
Though we were not at war no one had any doubt of troubles between The Kingdom of Fae and the Kingdom of Mar. Where Ola cast her vote for Sky, and Teco his vote for me , the king of Mar would undoubtedly vote for Louis. But the Kingdom of Mar was not invited to the party.
The ways in which the other kingdoms had power over the royal line of Fae was complicated. People voted for specific heirs to be next on the throne in many ways. One way people decide was by who they knew other kingdoms would like to deal with. If people knew that Teco wanted me to be the next king people would vote for me because of the chance trade might get better between our two kingdoms.
Queen- but we are far from that time so for now let us celebrate another year of peace, joy, and love for our family and all here tonight
King- yes let us raise a glass
We all raised our glasses.
King - to peace
Queen- to peace
Ola- to peace
Teco- to peace
Louis - to cake , can we cut the cake now
The room laughed at my brothers blunt impatience. The cake was cut and served to everyone. Following tradition Our king Father took the first bite. He should have used his royal taster. Before he could swallow down a single bite of cake it was clear something was wrong. The royal guards came to his help but by that time foam was forming around his mouth and he'd passed out. Mother couldn't stop screaming and our guest were up in panic.
Someone poisoned the cake.
Our father survived the night but could not leave his bed. Their were three questions everyone's mind. Would the king recover? Who poised the cake? And who would we soon be at war with?