The door to the private royal

  dining room creaked open slightly and for a moment it seemed that

  perhaps it had only been a very strong draft in the castle that had

  caused it to move. Alice’s tiny face peaked into the room, eyes

  wide as they darted around, taking in sights that a typical commoner

  of her status would never be able to see.

  Despite her obvious wonder,

  her feet stayed planted outside the door, hesitant to cross a

  threshold that she had internalized as something that should have

  been out of her reach. Her training tunic had been slightly altered

  from the one the other girls wore, brilliant purple stitching had

  been added along the bottom hem and the sleeves of the garment. I was

  certain they held some special meaning or function, though the fiend

  had not shared exactly what it might be.

  “Come in, come in, you’re

  letting in a draft,” Feros said jovially.

  Princess Tiffany let out the

  usual small gasp as she was forced to perceive the creature and gave

  an uncomfortable glance in his direction, but settled back into her

  plate of food. It seemed that she was begrudgingly starting to

  acclimate to his presence. I was absolutely certain that being the

  least magically inclined person I had ever met, that Tiffany was

  confirming that truly powerful beings were hard for non-magical

  people to detect and their minds willfully ignored their existence

  unless necessary.

  Alice pushed open the door

  just wide enough for her body to fit through and leaned her body

  forward to enter, but snapped back upright and locked her eyes on me,

  giving me a timid expression requesting permission. A grumble arose

  out of Feros’ throat as he prepared to scold her for deferring to

  me despite his insistence that he needed to have the ultimate say

  over her destiny. The sound must have triggered a reminder for the

  tiny child who stepped through the door without waiting for my

  blessing and scurried her way to the nearest empty chair and sat. Her

  bright blue eyes avoided mine, uncomfortable with the idea that she

  had to openly defy what was the common order of things. The

  discomfort actually soothed any misgivings I still had about the

  arrangement, at least she understood that she was doing something

  deviant. Had she paraded her newfound power to ignore my authority I

  would have had a hard time forcing myself to adjust.

  “That’s better,” Feros

  said as he flicked his wrist in a practiced motioned towards a

  servant, who disappeared to fetch a breakfast plate for the girl.

  “What’s she doing here?”

  Mari asked. I was glad to have had the foresight to fill her in that

  the peasant girl was going to act like she didn’t acknowledge my

  power as the top authority, I could easily imagine her explosion at

  such a display of disobedience.

  “Ask her,” Feros said with

  an uncanny smile, “she needs to start finding her voice and answer

  for herself.”

  Mari rolled her eyes, but then

  set them on the girl. “I doubt I need to repeat the question.”

  “No, Miss Mari,” Alice

  said, wide eyes sweeping the table and nervously taking in everyone

  in attendance. “Mr. Feros says I need to have better food than the

  other girls usually get, so I have to eat at this table. I know it's

  too good for me, honest, but it is what he wants me to do.”

  “I see. I can understand the

  better food, but this table is usually reserved for royals and their

  direct guests, I have never heard of a guest inviting their own

  guest,” Mari said tersely.

  She set her gaze on Feros

  whose smile never faltered from his lips. She had been tolerant of

  his presence at the royal table despite him never actually having

  been invited by anyone, I assumed it was out of respect for his

  impressive magical presence.

  “It is just easier this

  way,” the fiend said, “no use having one of the servants who

  would usually serve you having to run off to serve her separately. I

  would think you'd be quite upset at the idea of one of your personal

  servants openly serving someone else and it is by your own preference

  that they be the only ones to handle the food intended for the royal

  table. Not to mention the possible grumblings that could come from

  the other girls seeing Alice getting better food, that might get some

  of them to start thinking they too deserve better. I think that’s a

  cascading effect that would be best to avoid.”

  “I suppose,” Mari said

  shortly, “but it would be both of the trainer’s jobs to ensure

  that any rumblings of discontent would be swiftly and thoroughly

  corrected. At least the girl has fixed her speech to be something

  other than the dreadful peasant drivel so at least she does not

  destroy the atmosphere, but I wonder if this perhaps isn’t your own

  little project to see just how much you can spit in the royals’

  faces without reprimand.”

  “Mari.” I extended my hand

  and gently laid it on her arm. “I trust in this instance Feros

  knows better what to do. We are in unexplored territory and I’m

  afraid we might take unnecessary risks by trying to uphold normal

  social expectations just now. I know it is difficult, but I do not

  see much harm in the girl eating with us.”

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

  Her lips thinned as she pursed

  them together and said no more, though she pushed her plate away from

  her and crossed her arms, signaling her displeasure.

  Before anything else could be

  said, the servant reappeared and placed a plate of steaming golden

  potatoes, cured sausage, and fresh bread with butter on the table

  before the little girl. Her eyes lit up and seeming to forget the

  awkwardness of just moments before, she picked up her fork and began

  to eat like she hadn’t in days. Tiffany looked in horror as several

  of the unspoken table rules for the upper class were broken at once

  and I couldn’t disagree with her, it reminded me of my very early

  memories of the few festival feasts I could still recall as a little

  girl.

  The feasts were the only time

  royalty ate with the peasants, though my father had at least had the

  common sense to set our table far away from the general populace. I

  could still clearly recall my shock at watching people practically

  clambering over each other trying to take plates of meat as servants

  walked by. Though still young, I recalled thinking that it felt like

  an affront to our wealth and power. Surely they understood that if

  they were being treated at a festival that we had more than enough

  food to feed everyone and if they just waited calmly everyone would

  get their fill.

  “A growing magical weapon

  needs proper fuel,” Feros said. “We can work on the manners

  later.” A grin had grown across his features as he watched our

  expressions of discomfort, he took pleasure in upsetting the status

  quo.

  Suddenly self aware of what

  was going on, Alice stopped shoveling food into her mouth and looked

  around the table as her face reddened. She slowly set down her fork

  and wiped her greasy hands on the fabric of her tunic, then used a

  napkin to wipe the spices and oil that clung to her lips from the

  potatoes.

  “I’m sorry,” she said

  quietly.

  “It’s quite alright dear,”

  Feros said, not one to check with anyone else if they felt if it was

  alright or not, “but try keeping in mind that the food is not going

  anywhere, you don’t have to inhale it like it’s your last meal

  before the guillotine.”

  Mari breathed in deeply, held

  it, then let it out in a huff. She was holding in from saying

  something and was angry about it. “Well, with no appetite I might

  as well get back to work and go check just how much snooping my new

  apprentice had done in my office.” When she stood she couldn’t

  help but raise her glamour to make herself more tall and imposing as

  she marched from the room, taking no care to prevent the door from

  slamming closed behind her.

  Alice followed her with

  curious eyes, then snapped her attention to me once the door slammed

  closed. “Miss Toria, is Miss Mari alright?”

  I couldn’t help but let a

  light chuckle escape my lips. I had been a bit annoyed myself at the

  girl’s table manners, but it was hard to keep upset at something so

  innocent and delicate. It wasn’t a mystery why a fae might be

  inclined to try to steal such a child, she likely would have fit

  right in.

  “That is just the way of

  Mari, surely you must know that, you spent enough time traveling with

  her,” I answered.

  The girl turned her head to

  the side in thought, then gave a short nod of agreement. “I suppose

  so, she has always been grumpy sometimes, but she seems grumpier

  now.”

  “You are a very observant

  girl,” I commented, “that tells me you might be a bright girl, so

  tell me why you think she’s grumpy?”

  Alice glanced at her plate

  longingly before furrowing her brow slightly in thought. An

  expression I couldn’t quite place passed over her features and her

  eyes which had been trained on my face started to flutter to other

  parts of the room. She had an answer, but didn’t want to say it out

  loud.

  “Come now,” Feros

  encouraged, “what did you come up with?”

  “Oh…” she said

  sheepishly, “I think maybe she is just still sore from all the

  traveling. She did seem to be in a lot of pain while we were

  traveling back.”

  “It has been a while since

  she’s been traveling,” I said, “I think we both know that’s

  not the reason you came up with.”

  The girl fidgeted in her chair

  like it was no longer comfortable for her and she looked to Feros

  with a pleading expression. He shook his head and motioned for her to

  reveal what she truly thought. She let out a pained sigh and set her

  gaze back on me.

  “I’m sorry miss,” she

  said quietly, “I guess I am likely wrong, but I think she might be

  upset because her aura is fading.”

  I raised eyebrow in surprise

  at her answer and was inclined to tell her not to be so silly, but I

  caught sight of Feros nodding in agreement. It was not often I felt

  the need to expand out my power to check on anyone’s aura and even

  when I did I it was usually exclusively to check on recruit progress,

  I hadn’t thought to examine Mari’s.

  “It used to be stronger,”

  Alice continued, “mine bounced off of it like it was a stone wall,

  but now it feels softer and more fuzzy.”

  “What does that even mean?”

  Tiffany said with a snorting laugh.

  “Quiet,” I snipped, “I

  think it’s time you left to your sewing or whatever it is you fill

  your day with.”

  Tiffany sniffed her

  displeasure, but calmly took the napkin from her lap and placed it

  over her plate before standing, bowing, and leaving the room.

  “Is this true, Feros?” I

  asked, trying to keep my emotions from my face.

  “It is, I’m a bit taken

  aback that you did not know this for yourself already,” he

  answered.

  “I just haven’t thought of

  checking.”

  “Haven’t thought to or

  didn’t want to know?”

  A sigh escaped my lips and I

  leaned into the back of my chair, a heavy feeling in my heart. “The

  physical signs were there, but I thought as long as her magic kept

  strong she would have plenty of time. The last I checked it was, but

  I suppose that was a while ago, before she left on her first time

  traveling to look for girls.”

  “Take

  a peek sometime,” Feros instructed, “it’s important for a

  monarch to have all the cards on the table. Besides, you shouldn’t

  have been the last to realize, even if it’s painful it is part of

  your duty to know everything happening in your kingdom. If you think

  really hard I’m sure you can come up with a few glaring absences of

  knowledge you currently have.”