Crowns and Thrones (Docga and SC)

The prince seemed to rather confusedly asked for fish chowder. Anette giggled. "Good choice," she said. "My father always gets that. What's the food like in your country?" she asked. She felt so comfortable with him even though he was royalty. It was so unusual for her. It was almost as if he was just another human being, not royal or exceedingly arrogant. He seemed really nice and friendly, and she liked him a lot so far. She just hoped it wouldn't go downhill, or she'd start getting nervous and slipping up again. That was the last thing she wanted.
 
He glanced over at Anette, thinking of a few moments. "Well, our food usually has a lot of seasoning on it. It's not unusual for the food to be very spicy. Sometimes, though, it's sweet, or just a bit plain, or covered in garlic..." he tilted his head slightly, glancing down at the menu. "You'll need a drink to go along with your food. And, uh, normally, you can't eat too much of the same thing at once..." after a moments thought, he frowned slightly. "For a regular meal, there's usually a certain order you're supposed to eat your food in."
 
"Huh... interesting," she said. "Here we don't usually drink anything with soup, but with dry food we do, of course. But a certain order?" she asked. "What kind of order?" Wow, his country was so different from hers. This must be such a change for him. She wondered what it would be like to visit another country. She had never done so, so she was curious. Perhaps she'd visit Kil'Reta sometime. It sounded very exciting. Sure, she liked the quiet life in Elheim, but a drastic change like that would be nice every now and then.
 
"Well, you normally start with some of the... milder foods, first. As a sort of warm-up, or, ah, appetizer. If it has a lot of garlic or onion, you're supposed to eat that first. Save some of it, though." he sat up a little. "Then, you eat the spicier foods. Then, something mild again, and drink something, as well, to sort of, ah... cleanse your palate. Followed by anything... sweet, sour or bitter. Finish off the mild stuff. Then, there's dessert..." as he spoke, he moved his hands, pausing at certain parts as if he was remembering the words for it. He tilted his head, thinking for a moment. "...we have a lot of desserts. All sorts of them, for different... occasions."
 
Wow. Hearing about a different culture was so interesting. As soon as she was about to respond with their style of food, she realized she didn't have too--food was served! The waitress brought them both their soups in bowls with spoons.


"To Kil'Reta!" she said, tapping her spoon twice on the edge of the bowl, as was the tradition in Elheim. It was basically like a toast without having to actually move the bowl itself and risk spilling. She didn't even consider the fact that he probably didn't have that tradition in his country and began her soup, sipping a spoonful. "Amazing, as usual. How do you like yours?"
 
He stared blankly for a moment as she tapped her spoon on the edge of the bowl, and glanced down at his, before tapping on it twice as she did. He sat up a little, lifting a spoonful of the soup to his mouth and taking a long sip. He smiled and nodded, glancing up at her.


"I like it." he smiled at her, before taking another spoonful of soup.
 
She smiled after she said he liked it and didn't talk for a while. The silence wasn't awkward, though; it was nice. She liked being able to just be with someone who she felt comfortable with, as a bit of a break from the busy life she typically had. She wondered how busy Mahna's life usually was, and whether this was a break for him to. She finally broke her silence by asking, "So, what's being prince like in Kil'Reta?" She just became more and more curious as to what his country was like with every moment, and she wanted to hear about him and the rule of his relatives in the foreign land he had verbally introduced her to.
 
He tilted his head and thought for a moment, putting the spoon down. "Well, I'm not, ah... high prince. That's my big brother, of course. Being prince is nice, though. My brother is off doing something else at the moment, so that's why my father brought me here. I have three younger sisters, and we all live in a big, big palace." he smiled slightly. "It's pretty nice, really. Of course, I don't get the pampering and... conditioning my brother gets. Seeing as I'm more of a spare prince than anything." he ran a hand through his hair, in thought for a moment. "What's it like being princess of Elheim?"
 
"Oh," she said. Having siblings must be nice, but she also didn't like other royalty much. "My only family is this city!" she said, opening up her arms. "Ah, but being princess is... okay, I guess. I dunno. I don't really like all the treatment and stuff. It's nice to have a bed to sleep in every night, and my father is wonderful, but..." she drifted off, staring in to the distance. She suddenly snapped out of it and said, "But I'm not ungrateful or anything! It really is nice. But I feel like someone else would be more fitting. So, would you... if you had the option, would you want to be king? Instead of your brother?"
 
He took another sip of the soup, sitting back and watching her quietly as she spoke. He shrugged, then, and thought for a moment.


"Would... I want to be king? Well..." he thought for a moment, searching for a way to describe what he felt with his immediate vocabulary of this foreign language. "To be honest, I... would want to be king, but I am unsure if I would be a better king than my brother. While he is expected to be king, I am not. So, he is taught everything he needs to know, and I am taught only a, ah... fraction of that. I do not know." he just shrugged. It was true; he wasn't taught and conditioned nearly as much as his older brother was.
 
"Oh," she said. She felt bad for Mahna. He was obviously overshadowed by his brother, and that must be terrible. She finished her soup and stretched. "Well, I'm sure you'd make a great king," she said, smiling. "Anyway, it's been a while. I think it'd be best if we checked back in with our fathers to see if the meeting is over and how things are going. Are you finished?" She nodded towards his bowl. "Oh, I forgot to pay!" She reached into a small bag she was carrying and pulled out a few coins and put them on the table. "That should cover it," she said.
 
He nodded, finishing his soup quickly and smiling at her. "The soup was very good. Thank you for taking me out here." he got to his feet. "I suppose I owe you a favour now, don't I?" Mahna tilted his head and thought for a long moment. He couldn't very well invite her out to his own country so he could treat her to something, so that would probably be a bit difficult for him. He shrugged, after a moment, flashing another smile. "I'll think of something, anyways."
 
Anette giggled. "You don't owe me anything!" she said. "Now, let's go back to the castle, shall we?" She put her arm in a triangle position, implying that he ought to lock his in hers. It was a very common thing to do in Elheim and a sign of friendship, but she, again, forgot to realize that his customs may be different. She did it subconsciously, and did it quite often with townspeople she had barely even met. She looked at him expectantly, ready to leave.
 
He stared at her arm blankly for a few long moment. Was he supposed to do something? He hesitantly took a step forwards, blinking a few times.


"...ah, what do I... oh." Mahna extended his own arm, locking it in hers, before glancing up at her. "Uh... like that? Or is it something else?" he tilted his head, frowning.
 
He finally, confusedly, locked his arm with hers. "Oh! I'm sorry," she said, "I forgot that you must have very different traditions in Kil'Reta. This is, ahh... a sign of friendship here in Elheim. Kind of a way of saying that you are currently devoting your attention to someone, y'know? Anyway, shall we head back to the castle?" She nodded her head towards the exit of the restaurant.
 
He blinked a few times as she explained, before smiling and nodding. Well, that tradition made enough sense at least. Mahna straightened up, his other arm dangling at his side. "Right. To the castle, then." the prince smiled at her, before briefly glancing back at their table. Truthfully, he was enjoying his visit so far; the exotic food, people and buildings were fascinating to him.
 
She led him to the castle. They passed many people on their way, many of which waved to Anette. A few tried to make conversation, to which she responded briefly and continued on their short journey back. Finally they arrived back at the courtyard, passing the carriage once more before entering the front of the castle. She unlocked her arm from his and walked up to the door leading into the meeting room. She was extremely nervous. So much... royalty inside.


"Um... could you open the door, actually?" she asked.
 
Mahna frowned slightly, but nodded. Maybe it was a customary thing. The prince approached the door, straightening his coat and smoothing down his hair quickly, before knocking. At the sound of a 'come in', he pulled the door open, holding it for Anette and smiling. However, at the sight of the expressions of the two kings, the smile quickly faded, replaced with a look of seriousness and concern.
 
"Ah, yes..." the king of Elheim said sternly. "Perfect timing. We were just getting finished," he said through gritted teeth and stood up. He faced the king of Kil'Reta.


"This is war, and no less," he said. "You are now on hostile land." He turned to Mahna, still addressing the various representatives of Kil'Reta. "Please leave as soon as possible, before the guards are notified. Thank you for your time."


"Father? What happened?!" Anette spoke, scared.


"It doesn't concern you, Anette. But this boy must go," the king said. "It's time to go back to your chamber."


Anette stood there, frozen, unsure what to do. She looked at Mahna.
 
He stared at the two kings, his eyes wide. He turned to his father, his brows knotting.


"It's best if we hurry, Mahna. Come with me." the foreign king said, getting to his feet and approaching. The representatives followed him.


"Why are we at war? What happened?" Mahna asked, taking a step back. After a brief pause, he added, in his own tongue, "Did you declare it?"


"That's none of your business." he replied, in the same language, before taking his son's arm.


"But father--"


"Your brother must hear of this immediately."
 
The other king grabbed Mahna's arm, and Anette let out a short scream before covering her mouth. She looked at him with worry, completely speechless. He was the first man of royalty she had felt comfortable with, and he was leaving this quickly? How could someone so likeable be part of a country that was going to war with them? This couldn't be happening.


They--they're leaving? Something inside of her didn't want him to leave. She didn't want him to go at all, and she didn't know why, but there was nothing she could do about it. She'd definitely never see him again, right? They were at war now. There was nothing she could do about it. Her father told her to go to her private quarters once more, but she couldn't move. She just watched in shock as the king of Kil'Reta attempted to take Mahna out of the castle.


"Goodbye," she choked out.
 
Mahna stared at Anette for a few long moments, his eyes wide. He didn't want to go, not at all. He'd only just began to enjoy Elheim, and the pleasant company only made the experience better. Now, he wouldn't see this friend of his again. He muttered a quiet apology as he was dragged out of the room, and waved a little. When they were out, he turned to his father.


"Why are we at war with them?" he asked, his eyes wide. "I'm sure the king was perfectly reasonable-- what happened?"
 
Anette watched Mahna leave, still absolutely shocked.


"Chambers, Anette. Now," her father told her sternly. She snapped back into reality like someone had suddenly pulled her face out from underwater. "What happened?!" she asked.


"All you need to know is that they are now our enemies," said her father. "There's nothing more to it. It's war. It's politics."


"No, it's not!" she said to him angrily. "It's people, it's human lives, father. Do you understand that?" She didn't wait for an answer. She marched up to her room, closed the door behind her, and sat down on her bed. This was terrible. Elheim hadn't been at war in too long--or rather not long enough. And her new friend she had made... for whatever reason, she already missed him so much.
 
"We disagreed, as countries do. Come on, Mahna."


The group walked down to the entrance, the prince and king getting into the first carriage. Mahna shifted anxiously, peering out the window. He didn't want to leave. Not at all. He glanced over at his father, who was glaring outside.


"Do you have a battle plan?" he asked quietly.


"I've seen their city. I generally know what they have for defenses."


"Yeah, but-- never mind..."
 
Anette just sat in her bed, alone. She hated being alone. She didn't want to go to war, she didn't want Mahna to leave, and everything was just going wrong. She tried to figure out if there was a way she could fix this, but she was helpless and tired. It was the middle of the day, but she was so tired. She just wanted to sleep everything away. Maybe she could figure something out......tomorrow.........


She drifted off to sleep, cutting off her negative thoughts and replacing them with dreams.
 
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