The Beauty in Pain | Book One of In Pain Trilogy *EDITING*

1.2. Betrothed

"Ah, here my daughter comes now."

Daego Antarian was in his late sixties but look no older than his early forties. He was a strong man, with wide shoulders and weathered, scarred hands. The similarities between father and daughter were slim. Mynera was the spitting image of her late mother, Sariella, and, for that, her father both loved and hated her. Sariella died while giving birth to Mynera and having a daughter that reminded him of his late wife was a hard ordeal. Mynera assumed his lasting grief was what made him rule Typena with an iron fist. She excused him for it, even when his 'hand of justice' was a little too cruel.

Upon her entrance, the people in the dining hall rose. It was a large, generously luxuriant room. The thick stone walls were adorned with portraits of past lords and ladies of the Antarian household. Lord Daego stood near the head of the grand dining table, platters of meats, stews and bread covering every inch of its shining wood.

Mynera didn't recognize any of the faces in the room, except her father and his guards. Two, however, she knew them immediately, although the faces were not known to her. 

The first was King Damon. She knew immediately since he occupied the head of the table, which was normally reserved for her father, Lord of Typena. The King of the Five Nations, however, took precedence.

The first thing she noticed about King Damon was that he did not want to be there. It was the expected conclusion one would come to when seeing the complete disinterest on his face and, for a moment, Mynera worried that she may have been the cause. But she quickly dismissed the thought. What could she have done so quickly upon her entrance to have bored the King so? 

The king ran a thoughtful hand over his full brown beard as he regarded her with his dark brown eyes. Mynera turned her attention to the next person she recognized: the crown prince. 

Prince Saenar was every bit the same as the songs told -- face wise that is. To be completely honest with herself, Mynera thought him to be the most beautiful person she ever laid eyes on. Her eyes locked unto his and studied him openly. He had black hair that fell over his face with a natural flourish, brushing soft brown eyes, identical to his father's. Mynera could see that his face contrasted his build. Where one had the look of frailness, the other was strong and broad; where one was flawless and smooth, the other was just almost as weathered as his father, making it blatantly clear that he was no stranger to hard work. Mynera also saw that he wore the same look of disinterest as his father, only heightening the similarities in their eyes.

Mynera paused before her king.

"Your Majesty, 'tis a pleasure that you can be with us. I welcome you to our castle." She curtsied, just as Margot had taught her.

"The pleasure is all mine, dear Mynera," King Damon replied. His voice was low and gruff, but soft enough to make her shoulders relax just a tad.

Mynera faced her prince. Her betrothed. She curtsied before him, gracefully, saying nothing. She didn't have any words, for once.

"Come now, Daego," King Damon said. "You can't have me waiting so long with such delectable food before me. It'll drive me half mad."

Her father laughed. The formalities in the air disappeared with that small show of affection and the two were old friends again.

"You never could stand the sight of food without diving right in," Lord Daego said. "I was not entirely surprised to see your belly come in first long before you."

"Food is meant to be eaten, and enjoyed while we're at it, Daego," King Damon said with a soft chuckle. "'Twill be a waste to let it grow cold in our mouths and anger our stomachs."