Dinner Time

  Elizabeth sat in silence as her family gathered around the grand table for a family dinner.

  This was uncommon in her family, as everyone would eat dinner whenever they’d felt like it.

  However, tonight Midas has demanded everyone be in attendance.

  Elizabeth had chosen to sit across from Elaine and her uncle while Pamela sat in the seat to her right. Her mother had taken the seat closest to Midas who was seated at the helm of the table.

  It was seat where her father had always sat on the few occasions where they’d eat dinner together as a family.

  “Welcome everyone, I’m so glad you all were able to make it here tonight.”

  “Not like we had a choice, if your done playing house I have sleep I need to catch up on.”

  “Boo! Party pooper, punish her papa.”

  “I’m sure you’ll survive a few minutes with your family Pamela.”

  “That’s right, tonight is about family, and with that being said I’d like to reintroduce my beloved twin sister Elizabeth back into our little family.”

  Elaine clapped and cheered while everyone else hadn’t seemed to care.

  “So Elizabeth, care to say a few words?”

  Elizabeth remained silent, she repeated the word endure over and over in her mind.

  “It would seem that Elizabeth it’s with us right now.”

  “Leave the bitch be, she’s never been with us. Not even before your father died.”

  She’d tried to endure but hearing her own mother lie about her father’s death was too much.

  “My father didn’t die, he was murdered!”

  Everyone was silent, she’s said the one thing they all knew never to speak about.

  “Since I don’t want to ruin this lovely family dinner, I’m going to pretend you just told a bad joke, isn’t that right everyone?”

  Everyone agreed including Pamela, this had been why she’d left in the first place.

  “Can you just tell me why I’m here, the truth this time.”

  Midas took a sip of his drink. “The truth Elizabeth, the truth is that I don’t think you understand what it means to be apart of this family.”

  “I never asked to be part of this family, I was happy living on my own till you had this psycho drag me back.”

  “Papa! Did you hear what she called me!?”

  “That’s enough Elizabeth.” 

  “What are you going to do about Maximus?”

  The room went silent again, even Midas seemed taken aback.

  One again, she knew she shouldn’t have said anything, she was letting her emotions get the better of her.

  “I was told that Maximus had been taken care of along with his companion, isn’t that right Elaine?”

  Elaine was visibly nervous, she’s was never good at lying.

  “Well, you see. I saw him leave her cottage and when he didn’t come back I just assumed that maybe he died?”

  Midas was silent but Elizabeth could tell he was seething with anger. Out of all her family members it was Midas who had the shortest temper.

  “Are you telling me that the one person in all of Arion who can ruin all my plans is just roaming around the forest?”

  “He might be somewhere else, I heard he’d gone searching for the goblin’s nest.”

  “You fucking idiot, he never believed there were any goblins! He’s probably already travel to the Kingdom of Lotopia by now!”

  “Calm down dear, you don’t know that for sure.”

  “Everything I’ve done will have been for nothing if he’s told anyone his suspicions.”

  “Who cares? We’ve silenced others before.”

  Midas picked up his glass and threw it at Elaine, it smashed against her head causing her to bleed, yet she didn’t even flinch.

  “I’m sorry Midas! Please don’t be angry with me!”

  “That enough Midas, you couldn’t possibly think that she could kill Maximus Luminose?”

  “Silence Pamela! I’ll not have you defend her!”

  The only one who hadn’t said anything was her Uncle Honest, who continued chewing on a piece of raw meat like he always did.

  “What say you brother?”

  Uncle honest cleared his throat, before he spoke. 

  “I don’t see what’s there to worry about, even if Maximus has shared his suspicions with another kingdom, this is Dulciena. We’re one of the biggest kingdoms in all of Arion, a trusted ally who aided in the extermination of all the witches during the second Arcane War. There will be no war over the word of a single hero, even if that hero is the great Maximus Luminose.”

  Midas seemed to have calmed after hearing what his uncle had said.

  “Even so, I ordered her to eliminate Maximus and his companion. She’s failed me and has put my plan into risk.”

  “I understand your frustration nephew, you can be sure she will be punished for her failure.”

  Elaine was never one to be afraid of things, most things were afraid of her. But hearing her father say she’d be punished had terrified her.

  She was silent for one, she knew that when her father spoke there was no arguing with him.

  “That still leaves the problem of Maximus, I suspect he’ll return any day now. What worries me even more is why he hasn’t already returned once he found Elizabeth gone and his companion dead?”

  “The Kingdom of Lotopia is still a long walk from here, perhaps he hasn’t found returned yet.”

  “That’s assuming he’s even gone to Lotopia, for all we know he’s outside the kingdom’s walls preparing to storm the palace.”

  “He’ll have to go through all the guards before he reaches us, even for him that is a different task.”

  Uncle Honest spoke so calmly that even Elizabeth had found herself believing that Maximus would fail.

  “I’ll order the guards to be on the lookout for Maximus.”

  “What will you tell them when they ask why they are looking out for the great hero?”

  “Same story, that he was possessed by the goddess of destruction or something of that nature, and if they still keep asking questions, I’ll see that they and their entire family are imprisoned in my prison.”

  It was a fate worse than death.

  “Very well uncle, I’ll leave this matter in your capable hands.”

  “Excellent, now let us continue to eat, the foods getting cold and I’m famished.”