Kingdom in The Sand

Hallucinations

Dinner was a lively enough affair.

Marie-Fey's father, Izzaro, returned just after they'd all been seated and had been delighted to find Marie-Fey home, pleasantly surprised to meet her ladies and Zaafira, and wary of Zaydan, though he hid it well.

With so many to dine, one of the large dining halls, usually reserved for hosting, was used and conversation flew back and forth with practised ease.

The family made the mistake of putting Beldon and Zaydan opposite each other at the middle point of the table and they politely snapped at each other heels, one studying the other like a particularly unique insect unearthed from under a rock.

Izzaro kept sending Luka worried glances – Luka trying to silently reassure him, but it didn't help much. Beldon was not to be corralled and Zaydan was not to be tempered.

Rosalia put an end to their general discord by ordering they regale the table with any tales of interesting travel. That only resulted in Beldon outlining a dramatic story from war which resulted in a battle being won while Zaydan described a political trip that resulted in a war being stopped before it could start.

That started them off again as one tried to out-preen the other.

It was really quite fascinating to watch from Marie-Fey's perspective.

Beldon hated war – everyone who knew him knew that. He despised his role, his title and his talent for it. But that dinner, apparently that wasn't going to stop him trying to flatten Zaydan's pride with his military prowess.

Zaydan, on the other hand, was also a military man, highly competent with his men and highly competent with his state. But Marie-Fey had never seen him around men his equal and it brought his unshakeable pride to the fore and knocked his usual good-humoured, gentle ease that he displayed around her and the other women of the palace out of the spotlight.

Dinner finally ended with the party splitting up to their various apartments.

Luka marched Beldon out with a hand on the back of his neck to control him, like he were an unruly cat and Zaydan met Marie-Fey's gaze from down the table.

She raised an eyebrow at him before standing.

"Well, you've certainly made an impression on him," she said coolly, leading her party from the dining hall and towards the central staircase.

She directed maids to guide her ladies and Zaafira to their rooms. Zaafira looked panicked and Marie-Fey was reminded that she's sworn to put her in the servants' quarters.

She needn't have worried. Even if Marie-Fey had suggested it, Antoinette would never have heard of it. She played court too well to let an insult against Zaafira in one country give Zaafira cause for backlash against Marie-Fey in another.

Not that she told Zaafira this. She separated from her the ladies without so much as a glance at Zaafira, who was led away to a guest room, with no idea where she would end up.

"I don't see the appeal," Zaydan said once he'd bid goodnight to the women.

"Of?"

"Your brother."

Marie-Fey frowned at him. "Because you cannot or because you will not?" she asked as they walked.

"I will not," Zaydan said.

"Oh yes?"

"No one is perfect. He's flawed and he's hiding that and that interferes with the confidence of those around him. Something is wrong with him, like everyone else. He's not some angel that's taken a tumble from the heavens."