30. Chapter 28 Arden

Chapter thirty

Chapter 28: Arden

A fter a whirlwind of hair and makeup, and a dash to the kitchen to plate things, Camus and I are on our way to the dining hall to eat with his grandmother.

Every time I stand outside of the dining hall doors, a rock forms in my gut. The heels I'm wearing, though my own, are so uncomfortable that I already want to kick them off. And the sweetheart neckline ball gown I was forced into nearly caught fire twice in the kitchen.

"Let's get this over with."

Camus opens the doors, and we step inside. My heart sinks even further when the first face my gaze lands on is Camus' cousin; the one who assaulted me my first night here. He's here with his two partners.

His eyes find mine, and his brow furrows before a smile forms on his face. Not the reaction I was expecting.

"Arden," he says as I approach the table. His smile seems genuine.

He stands and reaches for my hand. I consider it for long seconds before shaking my head. I don't want to engage in pleasantries with this fucker.

"Camus almost strangled me because I was sitting too close to Stelryn. I don't think that a handshake would be wise. I wish I could say that it was a pleasant surprise to see you, but considering how we left things the last time..."

"Yes, unfortunate business. But water under the bridge now that you're family."

Keeping my face neutral the entire night is going to be a chore. My resting bitch face is bad enough, but the need to roll my eyes at these spoiled rich kids is so strong that I can barely resist sometimes.

"Right. Family." I link my arm with Camus' and smile up at him.

"Please have a seat," Cyndair says, gesturing to an open pair of seats only two away from her own.

The smug look on her face tells me everything I need to know. She's not only hoping that I'll fail—she's anticipating it.

The first two are occupied by a man and woman who must be the parents of the guy I stabbed. Camus pulls my chair out for me, and pushes it in as I sit down.

"A little bird told me you took an excursion to the library today," Cyndair says as I place my napkin on my lap as I've been instructed by Ursa.

"I did! It's beautiful by the way. It's so bright and open compared to the one in Feldorn."

"That's because I have taste."

"Indeed," I say reaching for my water, my mouth suddenly very dry.

I'm about to put it to my lips when I remember the test I had the day before.

"You," I say, pointing to a servant, "come here, please."

He dutifully walks over to where I sit. "Yes, miss?"

"Taste this."

Cyndair actually cracks a smile. "Not going to kill another one of my two hundred year old plants?"

"I could. It would make them a matching set."

The servant looks to Cyndair who waves her hand at him and says, "Well, go on. Let's not waste any more time."

He takes a sip of the water and when he doesn't keel over, I take two large gulps, attempting to quench my thirst. Once my cup is back down on the table, Cyndair begins introducing me to the people around the table.

"This is my son Fenian, and his mate, Myrani. Then their son, Thallan, and his two mates, Iyandar and Amnestra."

Thallan is the name of the one who came into my cell the first night. I make note of that. Actually I'm making intense mental notes of all of them. Camus has spoken of them off and on, so putting faces to the names will make them a little easier to remember. But it's not like any of them are named 'John' or 'Michael.'

On the other side of Amnestra is Phyrra, Cyndair's daughter and her mate Nindrol. Their two children, are mateless, and sitting side-by-side; they're twins—Taegyn and Theodus. They look annoyed that they have to be here. If I had to guess, they're only about twenty—not even adults by Sangaraian standards.

"When they're here, Falmir, his mate, and Iona sit on the other side of Theodus."

At the mention of Falmir and Iona, my back straightens. I want to ask how many people at the table are actually sad that she's gone, but I keep my mouth shut. I don't need to remind them of the position that I put Iona in.

The last of the people at the table are Solina and her parents, who are seated on the other side of Camus. My gaze shifts around the table, and I frown when I realize that Gormon is missing.

"Where is Gormon?" I ask.

"He threw a tantrum when we told him Dira wasn't invited, so he's off somewhere else," Cyndair says.

"Why wasn't she allowed to come?"

"Because I've heard from my guards that all you two do is bicker, and I like to enjoy my meals in peace."

"We're perfectly capable of pulling it together around other people. The guards don't count. They're basically flies on the wall at this point. But you know how it is, sibling rivalry and all of that."

Before she responds, Cyndair gestures to the guards and they open the doors for servants who bring in the first course: the soup.

As the servants set the bowls in front of us, Cyndair asks, "Should I retrieve them, then?"

"I would rather get this over with."

"Alright, so tell us what we're having. I hope you do not disappoint."

"First is a vegetable soup that my grandmother taught me using earth realm alternatives. Thankfully, they're similar enough in flavor. Though, I have to admit that the flavors in Sangaris are much more intense than in the earth realm. I blame pollution and pesticides."

Every single person at this table wants me to fail, and they're all holding my future in their hands. My heart is in my throat and the pounding of it is so loud that I can hardly hear anything else. Everyone is staring at me. I barely register Camus' hand sliding to my knee, squeezing it gently. His touch pulls my attention to him.

"They're waiting for you to eat some of yours first," he whispers.

"To make sure I didn't poison it?" I ask with a nervous laugh.

"Yes, actually."

I put the spoon to my lips, and the door to the dining hall slams open.

"Sorry I'm late, your majesty. I got caught in a vision."

A tall man in a sparkling, blue, sequined suit jacket comes strolling into the room. He pulls a dagger off of his belt, and approaches the table.

"Alright everyone, wrists out."

"Do we have to?" the twins whine in unison.

Their mother smacks them both in the back of the head. "Stop whining, and give the man your wrists."

I watch, enraptured, as the man goes around the table and pricks the wrists of all the royals, then ingests a small drops of their blood.

He skips over Cyndair and rounds the table to me, waiting expectantly.

"You don't need her blood," Camus growls.

"Your majesty?" the man asks Cyndair.

"She's not voting on anything so you can move along."

He takes a small bit of Camus' blood, then Solina's and her parents. Then he takes up a seat at the end of the table, and one of the servants brings him a bowl of soup.

"Arden, that would be Nym, Grandmother's seer."

"Right," I say. "Well, no more messing around."

I place a spoonful of the soup in my mouth, chew, and swallow. While it's good, it's nowhere near as good as the food Helena makes. Thinking of her makes me homesick for Feldorn, and I have to fight back tears as I take another bite of the soup.

"Are you okay?" Camus asks.

I hate that he always knows what I'm feeling.

"I'm fine. I just miss my grandmother," I say, squeezing his hand under the table.

It's not a lie. I do miss her.

"She was a good fae," Thallan's mate, Amnestra says.

"You knew her?" I ask, my heart aching in my chest.

"I was one of her court. I actually met Thallan in Feldorn during the ball shortly before she disappeared."

"You're Ashylan?" I ask, and when she nods I continue, "What's your element?" I don't miss the disdain on Cyndair's face.

"Ice. I can show you sometime, if you'd like?"

I swallow around the lump in my throat and nod. "I would like that very much. And maybe you can tell me more about what she was like when she was here? I only ever knew her as human.

"Lord Emyth told me a little bit about her while I was in Feldorn, but he had just started warming up to me right before I left."

"Of course. I'll arrange it with Prince Camus."

The reminder of my short time with my mates makes my entire body hurt. As long as I avoid thinking about them, I'm okay. But the second they infiltrate my mind, the bond makes me feel like I've been set on fire. It's getting worse the longer I'm away.

Camus kisses my temple as I rub at my chest.

"Are you certain you're okay?" Cyndair asks.

"I'm fine. Just feeling nostalgic."

"Imagine having over seven thousand years to feel nostalgic over," Cyndair says mournfully.

"I can't fathom how many people you've lost in your lifetime," I say, truthfully. For one brief moment, I pity Cyndair.

She stares at me, considering me and my words, but she doesn't give away what she's feeling. Without warning, she gestures to the servants, and they bring the next plates in.

This is the moment of truth. Once everyone is served, I suck in a deep breath.

"This is a recipe that I found in King Esrend's father's journals. It's surprisingly similar to a dish in the earth realm called steak tartare.

"It's raw minced deer heart, mixed with crushed belally blossoms and citrus juice, spread over a baguette. On the side is mashed root vegetable with a mushroom sauce."

I slowly take a bite of everything on my plate while everyone watches. It's awkward, and tense, and makes me unbelievably self-conscious.

The nerves and anxiety dissipate as I realize just how delicious it all is. A small giggle bubbles out of me before I can stop it.

"What?" Camus asks before taking a bite of his food.

"I just can't believe I cooked this. I mean Sterlyn helped with the chopping and stuff, but this is actually pretty good."

Camus' food is almost gone when he says, "It's a shame that this wasn't just a meal for me. You would have passed with flying colors because I've been blown away by everything you've made." He leans in and whispers, "And I cannot wait to go back to my quarters and have dessert."

"Speaking of dessert," Cyndair says, and gestures one last time to the servants who bring out the cake I made.

Once we've all finished our cake we sit in uncomfortable silence. Cyndair sets her fork down and stares at me before she leans back in her chair, looking the most relaxed she has since I met her.

"Well?" Camus asks his grandmother.

"I wanted so badly to fail you on this," Cyndair admits. "I was looking for every possible reason I could think of, but you've passed—as Camus said—with flying colors."

"Really?" Camus asks in complete disbelief. "I was preparing myself to have to argue with you, and you're just going to give her the points? No other questions asked? You're not going to make everyone put it to a vote? Why?"

"You're right to be suspicious of me. But in all honesty, it's because Arden—whether intentionally or not—has played on my own nostalgia. One of the few times I was able to consume guardian heart was while Esrend was courting me." A sad smile graces her lips, but disappears in an instant. "His father invited me to dinner to get to know me better. He had been successful in hunting the guardian that day, and he prepared the heart exactly like this.

"That was the day that he gave his blessing for us to be mated. That day set the trajectory for the entire rest of my life."

"What was he like? Esrend..." I ask.

"I believe the children would be able to answer that better than I could. I always thought he was a good king."

"He was a great king," Solina says, shocking the hell out of me. It's the first time she's spoken all night.

"You knew him?"

"As well as a council member's daughter can know a king. But he was always kind to me. He was strict, but fair, and believed in doing what made you happy."

Camus speaks up, "With all due respect, Solina, you did not know him as well as the rest of us at the table. He was far more strict than he was fair. Especially with myself and my siblings.

"I loved the man, but he was never concerned with my happiness when I was a child; he just wanted to prepare me for the throne. He wanted to prepare all of us for the throne. He was always so concerned about making sure there was a suitable replacement for the role. You were also a literal child when he died. Not more than ten."

"Yes, well, I suspect that he wouldn't have encouraged my father to mate me off to someone I didn't care about," Solina says with a pout.

"Solina!" her mother says. "I'm so sorry Your Majesty. I don't know what got into her."

Cyndair holds her hand up at Solina's mother who stops talking.

"Young lady, I understand your frustrations. You want to find love and live happily-ever-after. But I will be the first to tell you that finding that is an absolute lie. Not a single person in this realm finds true happiness forever. We simply live too long for that. It's better to find someone tolerable, and to strive for greatness."

"Do you think you'd feel differently if Esrend had been your fated mate?" I ask, and Cyndair's attention snaps back to me.

"What makes you think he wasn't?" Cyndair asks incredulously.

"Just the way you speak of him."

She considers me for long moments, then says, "No. I don't think it would have been any different for me if I had found my fate bound mate. Fated mates make you weak. They blind you to other possibilities in your life. And I'm glad that I was paired with Esrend.

"If there's nothing else, I'll excuse myself. I have a long day of complaints tomorrow, and I have to get things ready for your next challenge. Like the others, Camus will not be permitted to come to this one with you. You will have the morning and afternoon off, and your challenge begins in the evening."

"What is this challenge, Grandmother?" Camus asks, prying to get the truth out of her.

"Her ability to be an agreeable hostess for our higher members of society. Solina and Dira will be in attendance as well. Ursa and her girls will be by your room to paint you up before your challenge, so be ready right after dinner."

" My room," Camus corrects. "Although it might as well be hers too."

"Right." Cyndair says disdainfully. "Have a good evening," she adds as she stands and heads for the door.