The First one was Keron, who was known throughout the kingdom as a scholar of some renown. As the King's oldest child he had been originally chosen to succeed his father. Unfortunately, Keron had been born with a weak constitution and the doctors had told Sharan that ruling a kingdom would be too demanding on the prince's health.
The Other was Merees, the youngest of the King's children and considered by many to be the most beautiful. After having helped her oldest brother to his seat, the young princess took her own seat, which happened to be next to Risha.
When all the guests had taken their places, the King tapped his jewel-encrusted goblet, with one of his claws, in order to call for attention. All the guests turned towards their monarch, the king cleared his throat and began to speak:
"My friends and loyal subjects", he said, his voice reaching to the farthest corners of the room. "I know that you're no doubt eager to feast upon the various delectable dishes that my chefs, under the supervision of master Bureno, has prepared for us. Before that though, there are a few things I'd like to say. Do not worry, I promise, it shan't take long."
Here, King Sharan paused, took a deep breath and looked at the guests, who were all hanging on to his every word.
"It has been my privilege", the King continued, "to have been the head of this nation for over three centuries now and I hope that I've proven myself worthy of the task bestowed upon me. However, I could not have done it myself: Your ancestors helped me to bring peace and prosperity to this land of ours and you have followed in their footsteps. You have served me and the people of Vinoli well and I have no doubt that your descendants will do the same. I thank you."
At this moment, King Sharan raised his goblet.
"My friends, a toast: To Vinoli."
"To Vinoli!" Everyone shouted at the same time, the sound of their cheer causing the walls to vibrate.
With the speech over, his majesty gave order for dinner to be served. The collective mouths of the guests began to water as they saw the variety of meticulously prepared dishes, that were being carried out in front of them. Naturally, the king was served first and he was just about to start eating, when a thought entered his mind, like a thief sneaking into an unguarded house:
What if the food had been poisoned?
Long, long ago, when he was a relatively young and inexperienced ruler, King Sharan had fallen victim to an assassination attempt, when a jealous pretender to the throne poisoned his food. The Poison had been strong enough to kill a horse, but fortunately not strong enough to kill a dragon. However, the King had been ill for some time after. Ever since, he had employed someone to taste his food, to see if it had been tampered with. As luck would have it, there had never been another attempt to poison the King, aside from that time (perhaps the failure of the first attempt served to discourage others, who can say?), but the fear that one day, someone would find a poison strong enough to take his life, lingered deep in the dragon-king's subconscious and occasionally that fear woke up and made itself reminded.
King Sharan looked at his food, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with it and besides, his daughter had been in charge of everything. Surely, Argath wouldn't try to poison her father? The mere thought was preposterous. Still, what if someone else had persuaded the chefs to put poison in the food? Someone like Thekros, for example?
King Sharan looked at his son through the corner of one eye, he had never liked Thekros and that antipathy had only grown stronger over the years. The King's low opinion of his son had only been strengthened further by reports from his spies, who had often seen the Prince in places of ill-repute, consorting with shady and uncouth individuals. Yes, if anyone was capable of poisoning their own sire, it would be Thekros.
Having made his decision, king Sharan held his plate out for his food-taster.
"Try some of this. A little bit of each", the King commanded.
The food-taster, a skinny hare with sunken eyes, who had inherited his position from his father, when the old man had died of a brain-aneurysm at the age of 70, sent a silent prayer to the appropriate deity and produced a small fork and knife, with which he proceeded to cut a slice of each piece of food, which he then popped into his mouth. As the food-taster chewed vigorously, the king studied his face with a mix of hope and anxiety.
"How do you feel?" He asked after awhile.
The food-taster swallowed and seemed to be pondering the question.
"Like usual, your majesty."
"You do not feel ill or anything?" The king asked, hesitantly.
"No, your majesty, I feel fine."
Feeling more at ease, king Sharan took the plate from the food-taster and started eating, as he swallowed a morsel, a look of pure bliss came over his face. The servant, seeing that the king was satisfied, began serving the other guests.
As the hours passed and the drink and food were consumed, the mood became less and less formal; the guests conversed more freely with one another and soon the hall was filled with a plethora of noises, including someone bursting impromptu into song, heated arguments (some of which ended with both parties clearing their schedules for a duel, when the time was right) and laughter. At one point, Leorin turned to his mother, reached out and nudged her shoulder.
Nasari, who had been talking with Keron about a treatise of his that she had read and found interesting, excused herself and turned towards her son.
"What is it, Leo?" She asked.
The kitten looked around and motioned for his mother to bend down. Nasari did so and Leorin whispered into her ear:
"Try some of this. A little bit of each", the King commanded.
The food-taster, a skinny hare with sunken eyes, who had inherited his position from his father, when the old man had died of a brain-aneurysm at the age of 70, sent a silent prayer to the appropriate deity and produced a small fork and knife, with which he proceeded to cut a slice of each piece of food, which he then popped into his mouth. As the food-taster chewed vigorously, the king studied his face with a mix of hope and anxiety.
"How do you feel?" He asked after awhile.
The food-taster swallowed and seemed to be pondering the question.
"Like usual, your majesty."
"You do not feel ill or anything?" The king asked, hesitantly.
"No, your majesty, I feel fine."
Feeling more at ease, king Sharan took the plate from the food-taster and started eating, as he swallowed a morsel, a look of pure bliss came over his face. The servant, seeing that the king was satisfied, began serving the other guests.
As the hours passed and the drink and food were consumed, the mood became less and less formal; the guests conversed more freely with one another and soon the hall was filled with a plethora of noises, including someone bursting impromptu into song, heated arguments (some of which ended with both parties clearing their schedules for a duel, when the time was right) and laughter. At one point, Leorin turned to his mother, reached out and nudged her shoulder.
Nasari, who had been talking with Keron about a treatise of his that she had read and found interesting, excused herself and turned towards her son.
"What is it, Leo?" She asked.
The kitten looked around and motioned for his mother to bend down. Nasari did so and Leorin whispered into her ear:
"I need to go."
Nasari turned to her eldest child, who was engaged in conversation with Merees; the two of them having discovered that they shared some similar interests and had hit it off quite well.
"Risha, go with your brother", she ordered.
Risha sighed, annoyed by the interruption.
"Do I have to?"
"Yes. Make sure he doesn't get into trouble."
Reluctantly, Risha got up, excused herself and left the dining hall, along with Leorin. As the two siblings walked through the corridors, she turned to her brother.
"Let's find a bathroom, so we can get back. There has to be one here somewhere."
"That's fine", Leorin replied and smiled mischievously. "I didn't really need to go, that was just an excuse."
The lynx-girl shut her eyes and groaned in frustration. She loved her brother, but there were times when he really got on her nerves.
"We're going back", she said and reached out to grab hold of Leorin's paw, only to find that he was gone.
It didn't take long for her to find him, he was climbing the stairwell up to the second floor. Risha could move quickly when she wanted to, in the wink of an eye, she stood at the bottom of the stairwell.
"Leo, get back here!"
Alas, her brother did not listen.
"You'll have to catch me first!" He replied and bolted upstairs.
Cursing all younger siblings over the World and their obstinacy, Risha dashed after him. Upon rounding a corner she found Leorin crouching by a door, his ear pressed against it.
Risha approached, intending on giving her brother a peace of her mind. She was just about to speak, when to her surprise, Leorin turned around, signaled for her to be quiet and waved at her to come closer.
"There are people in this room", he whispered, excitedly, as if he was revealing some great secret.
"I heard that one of the King's daughters was sick and couldn't enjoy the party", Risha whispered back. "This must be her room. Anyway, we shouldn't be here, let's go back."
"She doesn't sound sick", Leorin replied. "Listen."
Against her better judgment, Risha found herself intrigued, she put one ear to the door. Two voices, a male and female could be heard on the other side, this is what they said:
"Its almost time for dessert, isn't it?" Said the female voice.
"I believe it is", answered the male voice and burst into laughter. "A toast to your ascendance, princess", it proceeded to say in an almost comically formal tone. "May your reign be long and prosperous."
"Thank you, Lorenzo" the female voice replied. "Its been hard, forcing myself to feign loyalty to the father I despise all these years, but it will all be over with, soon enough.
"Shame about Merees though. After all, she has nothing to do with this."
"Yes, that is a shame. Among all my relatives, she's the only one I retain any genuine feelings of kindness towards. Part of me wishes she could spared, but sadly she has to die with the others. Though I will shed sincere tears over her corpse."
Risha felt her heart beat faster, a mix of fear and excitement mingling in her mind. Somehow, she and her brother had stumbled upon a royal conspiracy, just like in the novels she loved to read. She was just about to tell her brother that they should leave and tell someone about what they had heard, when the door opened and a one-eyed fox, dressed in elegant clothes, stepped out. The two siblings pressed themselves against the wall. Fortunately the fox did not seem to notice them and hurried down the staircase.
Risha and Leorin waited until the fox's footsteps had died away and then sneaked downstairs, as quietly as they could.
"Who should we tell about this?" Leorin asked as they headed back to the dining hall. "The King?"
His sister thought about it for a second and then shook her head.
"No, somehow I doubt that he'd believe us. After all, it seems like this Princess is very close to the King and besides, we have no proof."
"So, what will we do? We have to tell someone."
"Well, Princess Merees is one of the targets, I'll talk to her. Meanwhile, you can talk to dad, since he's one of the kingdom's heroes, maybe the king will listen to him."
"OK."
While Risha and Leorin were gone, Merees had remembered an amusing story, which she felt the need to share with someone. However, everyone else at the table were busy talking to each other and it would be rude to interrupt, so the princess was delighted when her new friend and her brother returned to the dining-hall and sat down at the table.
"You have to hear this...", she began, smiling brightly. Then, she stopped abruptly, as she noticed the serious look on Risha's face.
"Is something wrong?" She asked, sympathetically.
"Princess, there's something I must tell you", the younger girl answered. "Its very important."
"Well, what is it?"
Risha was just about to reveal everything, when she noticed that the fox she had seen coming out from Argath's room was present in the dining hall, he was leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed over his chest and maybe it was Risha's imagination, but she could swear that the fox was looking directly at her. Had he noticed her and Leorin after all? No, he couldn't have, could he?
"Princess, this is really something that needs to be discussed in private."
"Really?" Merees looked surprised. "Well, I can't just leave, not without a good excuse and besides, I need you to come with me."
The Princess tapped her chin, pondering a solution. Then she suddenly reached out and swept her glass off the table, causing it to land in Risha's lap. The glass was still almost full and the stains started to spread over the lynx-girl's dress. Risha looked at her ruined dress in disbelief, then at Merees, who stood up. with a shocked expression on her face.
"How clumsy of me", she said. "I've ruined your dress! Come with me, you can have one of mine!"
Having said that Merees turned to the king and curtsied, Risha followed her example.
"Father, I'm afraid that I've ruined the General's daughter's clothes. Will you excuse us, while I attempt to fix things."
"Very well", said the King. "Just don't take too long; dessert will be served soon."
"We'll be just a second", the princess replied and grabbed Risha's paw. "Come with me."
With that, the two girls left the dining hall, as they walked past the place where the fox stood, Risha couldn't help but take a quick glance at him. Her heart almost got caught in her throat, when he looked back at her and winked slyly.
Nasari turned to her eldest child, who was engaged in conversation with Merees; the two of them having discovered that they shared some similar interests and had hit it off quite well.
"Risha, go with your brother", she ordered.
Risha sighed, annoyed by the interruption.
"Do I have to?"
"Yes. Make sure he doesn't get into trouble."
Reluctantly, Risha got up, excused herself and left the dining hall, along with Leorin. As the two siblings walked through the corridors, she turned to her brother.
"Let's find a bathroom, so we can get back. There has to be one here somewhere."
"That's fine", Leorin replied and smiled mischievously. "I didn't really need to go, that was just an excuse."
The lynx-girl shut her eyes and groaned in frustration. She loved her brother, but there were times when he really got on her nerves.
"We're going back", she said and reached out to grab hold of Leorin's paw, only to find that he was gone.
It didn't take long for her to find him, he was climbing the stairwell up to the second floor. Risha could move quickly when she wanted to, in the wink of an eye, she stood at the bottom of the stairwell.
"Leo, get back here!"
Alas, her brother did not listen.
"You'll have to catch me first!" He replied and bolted upstairs.
Cursing all younger siblings over the World and their obstinacy, Risha dashed after him. Upon rounding a corner she found Leorin crouching by a door, his ear pressed against it.
Risha approached, intending on giving her brother a peace of her mind. She was just about to speak, when to her surprise, Leorin turned around, signaled for her to be quiet and waved at her to come closer.
"There are people in this room", he whispered, excitedly, as if he was revealing some great secret.
"I heard that one of the King's daughters was sick and couldn't enjoy the party", Risha whispered back. "This must be her room. Anyway, we shouldn't be here, let's go back."
"She doesn't sound sick", Leorin replied. "Listen."
Against her better judgment, Risha found herself intrigued, she put one ear to the door. Two voices, a male and female could be heard on the other side, this is what they said:
"Its almost time for dessert, isn't it?" Said the female voice.
"I believe it is", answered the male voice and burst into laughter. "A toast to your ascendance, princess", it proceeded to say in an almost comically formal tone. "May your reign be long and prosperous."
"Thank you, Lorenzo" the female voice replied. "Its been hard, forcing myself to feign loyalty to the father I despise all these years, but it will all be over with, soon enough.
"Shame about Merees though. After all, she has nothing to do with this."
"Yes, that is a shame. Among all my relatives, she's the only one I retain any genuine feelings of kindness towards. Part of me wishes she could spared, but sadly she has to die with the others. Though I will shed sincere tears over her corpse."
Risha felt her heart beat faster, a mix of fear and excitement mingling in her mind. Somehow, she and her brother had stumbled upon a royal conspiracy, just like in the novels she loved to read. She was just about to tell her brother that they should leave and tell someone about what they had heard, when the door opened and a one-eyed fox, dressed in elegant clothes, stepped out. The two siblings pressed themselves against the wall. Fortunately the fox did not seem to notice them and hurried down the staircase.
Risha and Leorin waited until the fox's footsteps had died away and then sneaked downstairs, as quietly as they could.
"Who should we tell about this?" Leorin asked as they headed back to the dining hall. "The King?"
His sister thought about it for a second and then shook her head.
"No, somehow I doubt that he'd believe us. After all, it seems like this Princess is very close to the King and besides, we have no proof."
"So, what will we do? We have to tell someone."
"Well, Princess Merees is one of the targets, I'll talk to her. Meanwhile, you can talk to dad, since he's one of the kingdom's heroes, maybe the king will listen to him."
"OK."
While Risha and Leorin were gone, Merees had remembered an amusing story, which she felt the need to share with someone. However, everyone else at the table were busy talking to each other and it would be rude to interrupt, so the princess was delighted when her new friend and her brother returned to the dining-hall and sat down at the table.
"You have to hear this...", she began, smiling brightly. Then, she stopped abruptly, as she noticed the serious look on Risha's face.
"Is something wrong?" She asked, sympathetically.
"Princess, there's something I must tell you", the younger girl answered. "Its very important."
"Well, what is it?"
Risha was just about to reveal everything, when she noticed that the fox she had seen coming out from Argath's room was present in the dining hall, he was leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed over his chest and maybe it was Risha's imagination, but she could swear that the fox was looking directly at her. Had he noticed her and Leorin after all? No, he couldn't have, could he?
"Princess, this is really something that needs to be discussed in private."
"Really?" Merees looked surprised. "Well, I can't just leave, not without a good excuse and besides, I need you to come with me."
The Princess tapped her chin, pondering a solution. Then she suddenly reached out and swept her glass off the table, causing it to land in Risha's lap. The glass was still almost full and the stains started to spread over the lynx-girl's dress. Risha looked at her ruined dress in disbelief, then at Merees, who stood up. with a shocked expression on her face.
"How clumsy of me", she said. "I've ruined your dress! Come with me, you can have one of mine!"
Having said that Merees turned to the king and curtsied, Risha followed her example.
"Father, I'm afraid that I've ruined the General's daughter's clothes. Will you excuse us, while I attempt to fix things."
"Very well", said the King. "Just don't take too long; dessert will be served soon."
"We'll be just a second", the princess replied and grabbed Risha's paw. "Come with me."
With that, the two girls left the dining hall, as they walked past the place where the fox stood, Risha couldn't help but take a quick glance at him. Her heart almost got caught in her throat, when he looked back at her and winked slyly.
