The lion's den, Chapter 15

The boys and girls were dancing around their parents as the maids are distributing drinks, the lower floor was way crowded, the air was filled with joyful music singers were on the sides of the hall their voice echoed throughout the ears, it was such a happy afternoon
“Ewe! no wonder the king of the Varish wishes not to meddle in such disgusting behaviours” said Rose the grandmother of the Waster house
“I agree, even if the king of the Varish was to be in good health, he wouldn’t want to come here” said the great reader Brone
The grandmother Rose looked at him and said “Come on, stop the act already it’s just us, the crowd won’t be able to hear anything from here for the sounds are too loud”
Brone looked at her in confusion and said “No I mean it really, it’s been months since he was last seen by any of the public, only his close circle which I’m not a part of yet, are allowed inside his halls”
“Well, this is really big news, and very dangerous at that,” said Rose
“Only the wrong hands” said the great reader as he smiled towards her, letting her know she should not let a word slip
“Oh, don’t you worry, the last thing I want is my family in a World-wide war” Rose said as she patted his hand
“Now let’s move on from politics and tell me about how your life as a trader is going on in the capital” said Brone trying to move to a less intense subject of conversation
“If you want to hear it, the last big trade I did was in the great market” she said as her voice faded through the crowd they were walking in, on the other side The lord of the Waster family alongside his wife were meeting the king giving their congratulations to his highness and his offspring
Kailer the lord of the family stepped forward greeting him with not too low of a bow down” Your highness, happy 50th”
“Kailer!! My old friend stop that come here” as he hugged him in a way that showed how old they both go back to
“How I miss those days we went to hunt the Bandits beside the roads, we should do it again sometime,” said the king
“If Gerdon the great wishes upon his name to be heard once more, it may end up getting the rats too far to catch,” said Lord Kailer
“It’s been so long since I heard that nickname” said the king Gerdon before he looked behind Lord Kailer to see his wife “If it isn’t the lady Elara of the Waster family, Grand lady Rose talks about you allot, she is very prideful of your assistance to the family”
“I am just doing my duty as a part of this kingdom” said the lady of the Waster family
“I almost forgot” said the king as he showed them his heir and oldest son “This is Rafam heir to my thrown, and my pride”
“I am very delighted to meet you my lady, my lord” said Rafam with a bright smile on his face giving a respectful bow
As the King turned back to call upon his daughters he said “and these sweet flowers of mine are…” he did not find them left speechless he said “I guess they went their own ways out of boredom”
While the others smiled at how his left stranded
On the second floor Torden with his hands on the fence is watching his brother getting dragged around by the youngest daughter of the king, as they were having fun amongst the crowds, he smiled on him, behind him the middle daughter of his highness was searching around until she spotted him, slowly she walked to him and started to watch the crowd bellow with him
“I guess you are not much of a fun of the group stuff” she said as he got startled for, he did not notice her coming towards him
“Oh, my lady, Eh, lady Rembya I did not see you their” he took her hand and wanted to give his greetings before she pulled it away
“Stop it” in a calm voice she said as she got back to the fence “I am not much of a fan for such fancy things” she said wearing the brightest of gems, and purest of gold upon her dress
“Weird coming from you while you are wearing this, but to be truthful I am the same too” replied
As she hit him lightly upon his head, she had a disappointed look while she said “Your first mistake, that was a test, you should never seem boring to a lady who is also your fiancé”
While scratching his head he said “Should I have said the opposite?” with ridicules smile on his face, before shit hit him again and said “You can’t disagree with her either” left confused she smiled at him and said “ now as my fiancé you need to show yourself more, the other side stars of the show did so already and I am not going to fall back in this race” she said as she ran holding his hands, he smiled and followed quietly as the music got louder and louder and the party went on and on
On the bottom floor, his brother Fraymon dizzy and tired went to the nearest table to drink some water, his grandmother drinking juice beside him she said “So I guess you were no challenge for her?” as he turned her way and said grasping for air
“How are these capital girls so energetic, from one conversation to another, and from a group dance to another”
His brother came in the same energy level as him, grasping on air and taking the water from his hands to water his needs
A low noble lady came to their grandmother with a drink, a smile, and a cheerful look, she handed her the cup and spoke
“For you the great lady of house Waster, I heard much about your travels and how great of a brain you are, I wish upon some of your wisdom to my future if it may be to your liking”
Lady Rose smiled on her and took the cup saying “Of course sweet heart, here it is”, poring it down slowly and then dropping it to the ground while remaining eye contact, and then said “Opps, my hand slipped my apologies” with a startled look she walked back and then away into the crowd who did not care or notice what happened, some maids rushed to clean the grounds beneath
“What was that for” said Fraymon looking at his grandmother
“I gave her the wisdom she asked for, although her test is to discover where it lays” replied the grandmother taking another cup
“That was just mean” said Fraymon to his grandmother getting into eye contact
Her face deleted all emotions and smiles she had just for her to speak “Mean? Oh, little adorable boy, back in my days I would have poured it on her face”
Torden cut the conversation and with curios tone he said “can you at least tell us where the advice lays their”
Her smile came back as she spoke “That is what I want to hear, listen well and close my grandchildren, but be sure, this thing is never learnt by books nor man’s words, don’t ever feel safe playing politics”
A silence went between the two boys for a moment before Fraymon spoke “That is just stupid, we are in the king’s castle, if you are not safe her, you never are”
She looked at him still smiling but in a way that said, how stupid can you be before she spoke “If you ever feel safe in the lions then, you are either the predator, or the prey”
They were confused for a moment before she put down the cup and said “do you think good people rule? No little ones, smart, brutal, and greedy ones do, for example look at your mother” as she pointed towards her, their mother’s face is full of worry searching for where they are with her eyes, while keeping a conversation with some nobles
“What’s with her? Why is she so nervous” said Torden
“She lived this world same as I do, she knows best what is this place made of, this place is a jungle, and you both are no beasts, you never experienced this brutal world, you were raised in a completely different place, you only visited these parts in your youngest days as children”
As they both looked at their mother with broken eyes realising, they were only a burned, their grandmother continued “You are no bugs, your size won’t let you hide the bushes like the common folk, so use that size to your advantage” she said as she pushed Fraymon into the crowd and towards his fiancé
Torden wanted to walk away towards his fiancé who was looking for him before his grandmother pulled him and said “I saw the both of you get dragged around the room in such a disgrace of a state, everybody stared at you as if you were dogs on a leach, I wanted to burn this place and get you out that instant, I saw your mother’s eyes having the same thought written all over them, I thought to myself, who am I to do such a thing when who gave birth to you couldn’t do anything”
“I did not want to say this in front of your brother for, a bad liar he is, and his emotions defeat his decision makings, you are different, don’t be the one on a leach”
She left him in confusion as his fiancé came towards him and said “Here you are” with a smile on her face she pulled him into the crowd, while his eyes did not cut their contact with his grandmother, until she disappeared behind the faces passing by
the fun went on and on, The prince flirting with the ladies, the music getting louder and louder as time went by, the sun’s light begun to set, as the moon ruled over the land with his own, its light broke apart the clouds and got reflected on the glassy windows of the castle, revealing the shape of a great octopus on its walls and grounds, his armes reaching every part of it as if covering the world, it covered the noble men with its shadow, as they danced not noting they are in its grounds