Dark Prince & the Doe

Chapter 7: Polite Small Talk

Chapter Seven: Polite Small Talk

Anne

Prince Calden stared at the empty plate in front of him. He seemed a bit out of sorts. He must be exhausted, Anne certainly was. All afternoon, she'd tried to come up with a plan on how to discuss the topic of peace between Remeria and Atrezino, but she barely knew how to make polite small talk with a Remerian, much less how to bring up bigger ideas, such as the concept of a peace treaty.

Should she just tell him and skip the small talk? Calden. Prince Calden. I, Princessa Cezanne, am grateful for what you did last night. As proof of my gratitude, I would like for us to become ambassadors of peace between our two great nations. I am sure that together, we can make a lasting change and bring an end to the petty – no, petty wasn't the right word. The terrible bloodshed, might sound better. Yes. The terrible bloodshed between our two peoples.

She took a deep breath. She could do this. "Pr –"

"Would you like some wine, Prince Calden?" a server asked. His eyes broke away from his empty plate and locked on the woman in front of him as if she'd just saved his life.

"Yes, please," he said in obvious relief. As soon as she filled it, he grabbed the stem of the glass and started gulping wine down like water. Great. Just great.

Adele leaned forward. "Prince Calden, now that you're married to Princessa Cezanne how are –"

Prince Calden choked, spilling wine all over his plate. He slapped the glass down and coughed into his hand. Grabbing a cloth napkin, he lifted it to his lips.

"Married? Whatever do you mean?" Anne asked, turning to Adele.

"Yes," Prince Calden said, clearing his throat. "I too, am curious as to what you think you mean." His voice was calm, but the tightness in his jaw revealed his discomfort.

"You caught the princessa during The Hunt. By Remerian Law, doesn't that mean she's now your woman?"

Anne's hand flew to her mouth. Oh no, Adele was completely right. During The Hunt, any woman a Remerian caught was believed to be that man's property. This could be much worse than she'd thought. Is that why he'd insisted on staying at her side? If she denied his right, it might restart the Great War.

"That's not entirely accurate," Prince Calden said, waving a hand as if the concept was ludicrous. "Catching someone during The Hunt is only a form of...proposal."

"Really?" an Adderian man asked, cocking his head to the side. He was at a connected table, sitting beside the Duke. "In the Dark Depths, don't men ride around on the night of The Hunt catching as many women as they can carry and then they own them. Is that not true?"

"That's preposterous, maybe a thousand years ago when the River didn't protect humanity from the Larmalee, but certainly not in the modern day," Prince Calden said, shaking his head. "Where did you hear such nonsense."

"It is in all the stories," Anne said. She'd read about it in books on Remerian culture. It's still an absolutely barbaric practice, even if Prince Calden was telling the truth. They treat their woman like property. Despicable.

"Well then, those stories must not have been written by actual Remerians. If you want, I can tell you how The Hunt actually works." 

No one said anything but a couple people nodded cautiously. Even Anne was morbidly curious, so she bobbed her head. This might be what decides if war or peace would come upon her people.

"The Hunt always happens on the first full moon of the year," Calden said loudly, so all in his vicinity could hear. "If two people wish to be married, a hunter or huntress will –"