Chapter 4: The King’s Whims
Two knights in gray armor and black cloaks, customary of The Knights for the Ontradinian Royal Family (sometimes referred to as The Royal Guard), opened the massive oak doors that led to the audience chamber. The room was well lit, filling with sunlight from the clear glass covered windows under the colored glass of the domed ceiling depicting images of battles won. The color from the glass normally made the room appear darker than it was, but today that was not the case. The room was so bright it was almost like we were outside on a winter's morning.
Nova led the way. Nila, Terrence, and Tory were on her right. Aria and I followed behind, no longer holding Nova's hands.
We were waiting for what felt to be hours before anyone on the King's Advisory Court came to great us. When they arrived, we waited another fifteen minutes in silence while the Councilman (senators) greeted each other and made small talk. "What the hell are they doing here? Don't they have their own chambers they can congregate in?" Tory scorned at the advisors and the councilmen.
The Baron and the King's most trusted advisers entered the audience chamber followed by the king himself. The king was the last to make his way in and find his seat on the throne.
"What the hell took him so long?!" Nila mumbled in disgust.
"Nila please." Nova begged with an edge in her voice.
"Silence!" Boomed the Baron as he surveyed the room to signal the start of the meeting. I could see Nova, Terrence, and Tory stiffen. Nila steeled her emotions, a hard look crossed her face and a cold glare resided in her eyes. Aria and I hid behind Nova. The sheer force behind the Baron's words had frightened us. "Bow. Before. The King." He said in a tone so cold and sharp it cut the air. There was a hidden threat behind his words, telling everyone he was not to be trifled with.
Aria and I bowed quickly and sheepishly, Nova and the others looked as though they were about to spit in the Baron's face, but begrudgingly did as he demanded. Aria and I stared at each other as though making sure that our fears were valid.
"Thank You, Baron you may now be dismissed." The king said waving off the Barron with an air of dignity. When the Baron left the room, it was as though everyone let out a sigh of relief, including the king, at his departure.
Nova, Terrence, and Tory stood taller, but less rigidly. Nila's eyes had lost their glare, yet her face had remained hard. Aria and I came out of hiding and stood proudly at Nova's sides.
"Now we may begin." The king smiled peacefully, almost happily.
We knew better. Andrews loathed the council meeting more than anything. The only reason why he keeps the council is to appeal to the people. Andrews once told us that what gives a king his power is the illusion that he is somehow above the common man because he rules the government. And who says the government has the power, the common people. But should the commoners choose to rise up against it, or should the illusion be lifted, those in charge of the government would be powerless.
The council men conducted the opening to their meeting and got down to business. The meeting took forty-five minutes to end. An extra forty-five minutes we spent standing.
"I can't believe Andrews has the audacity to call us to the audience chamber and be there at half past noon and not address us till one and even now, he still hasn't addressed us. And it's what? Almost two!" Nova said through her teeth as she leaned in to Nila.
"Nova, you're right. But please shut your mouth before any of the council men or the King take notice." Nila whispered into Nova's ear. Nova nodded and kept quiet for the remainder of the time.
Only after the last of the council members finally left, did King Andrews address us.
"So, now for you lot," the king said with exasperation, looking thoroughly worn out and at his wit's end. "Nova, please ensure that your younger sisters retain their manners. And Terrence keep your brothers in line. I am tiring of all the complaints that I have been receiving about you and your brothers from your commanding officers. Tory, I want you to stay after the others are dismissed."
"Why is that Your Highness? Why must I stay after all the others have gone?!" Tory asked with mounting irritation.
"Because I said so Tory! And my word is final!" The king snapped; his voice reverberated off the walls of the audience chamber. We were all stunned into silence. Tory bit his lip and clenched his fists in frustration. The rest of us were powerless to come to his aid. Terrence, always one to get someone out of a tight situation, opened his mouth to say something, but no words followed. The king coughed and looked ashamed as though he had realized he had put too much force behind his words. As though seeing six children stunned into silence, was too much for him to bear. On Nova's face there was a look that spelled out disappointment. Nila, one of loathing. For Terrence, a look of powerless distraught. Tory, anger. Aria and I were only capable of feeling fear at that moment and time. "I'm sorry," The king said, lament was buried in his voice as he sat back in his chair. "I didn't mean to frighten all of you, truly I didn't. It's been a long week for me. I haven't slept well with my wife, having mysteriously vanished three weeks ago, I am still adjusting to her absence. I know that does not excuse my actions, nor my lack of patience. I ask you for forgiveness, find it somewhere in your hearts to grant my pardon." The king's confession to us had all of us appalled. Nova was the first to speak. the words flowed naturally from her mouth as water flows through a brook, with practice and maturity.
"My King, your children have heard your plea and grant you your pardon. I, as your eldest daughter now humbly ask that you grant the pardon of your sons and daughters. That you forgive us for our naivete and brashness." The king broke out in a smile and a soft chuckle. Nova was mortified by this; her pride had been damaged; words spoken like a true queen were laughed at.
Honestly, we were all trying not to laugh. All except for the mighty Terrence, who was turning redder by the second while gawking at Nova. Andrews' caught on to what was happening and is face turned stern when he looked over at him, "Terrence, if you continue to gawk at my daughter, I will personally scold you." Terrence's face looked like steam could come pouring out of his ears at any moment from being caught. The king was confidently smirking at the sight of him. Nova's ears flushed, then her cheeks turned pink, as she looked over at Terrence with eyes wide. Tory broke out laughing at the both of them so hard he fell on his ass. Nila found that hysterical and started laughing at Tory. The young and innocent, Aria and I, unintentionally, began to tease Nova and Terrence about why their faces were so red. But all that did was add to their embarrassment and make the others laugh at them more. It was at that point that Aria and I joined in the laughing.
"Please Kia not you too?!" Nova said almost pleadingly.
"Don't you think that it's time we move past this matter?!" Terrence asked when his face couldn't get any redder.
"We will never move past this moment Terrence!" Tory exclaimed gleefully, struggling to get off the floor.
"Shut up Tory!" Terrence barked, using anger to mask his embarrassment. The king saw Terrence's annoyance and decided it was time to move on before Tory got hurt. Clearing his throat was the king's cue for the rest of us to get our faces back in order before anything else could be said. He waited for us to calm down before he started speaking patiently, but the laughing was hard to quell. When the king shot all of us a meaningful look, we got ourselves in order in a timely fashion and he began to speak.
"What I really wished to talk over with the six of you was, if any of you would be interested in teaching Kia and Louka how to dance. There may or may not be a Gala coming up in the next couple of weeks. I am still unsure of if I am willing to attend given the location which I will inform you of when I make my decision on whether or not we are going. Should we go, I would like it if were they both able to dance proficiently. Nova, if you and Nila could teach Kia how to dance a proper waltz, that would be a huge help." Andrews made it sound like the dance lessons were a request, we all knew that those words were orders and he wanted them completed as quickly and as well as possible.
"When will I learn how to dance Father?" Aria's quiet and earnest voice rung out through the hall.
"You will learn when you're Kia's age," Nova added tenderly.
"Yes, as I was saying, Nova, I want you to teach Kia and Louka how to ride a horse as well. The task of teaching Louka how to waltz falls to Terrence and Tory." The boys put up little resistance to Andrews' remark.
With that the audience was concluded.