Infernal Desire

The Noble Dinner and New Friends

The king suggested that she dine with him and the other nobles that night. “It would be nice to get to know everyone in a more formal, relaxed setting. Don’t you think?” He says with a gentle smile. He claps his hands together and two girls step from behind the curtain. They are twins and no older than Talia. They look exactly alike except for their hair. One has ebony hair with a red streak on her bangs, the other has red hair with a black streak. They sink to their knees instantly and bow to the prince and the king before turning to Talia.

“They will be your attendants from now on. Are they to your liking?” The king asks and Talia nods, choosing not to speak about how they handle their servants, at least not now. “Take the princess to her chambers and prepare her for dinner tonight. Talia, use this time to rest yourself and get comfortable. Everyone else is dismissed.”

The king rises and begins to head for the curtains. The young boy who had announced his arrival steps forward, "If you received an invitation to tonight's dinner, please make sure you are on time. Everyone must be seated before the hour of 7. Attendance is mandatory." He follows the king through the curtain. Igneous rises to his feet and Lucian joins him as he ascends the steps to follow behind his father. Neither man speaks to her as they depart.

The whispers begin again and Talia begins to feel like the walls in the massive room are pressing on her. She is finding it hard to take a breath and she scans the hall for an exit. The people seem to have closed in around her and their whispers are a torrent of sound. Her heart speeds up, and she can feel her vision begin to blur. A soft hand touches her arm, and she feels herself being pulled away. She sees the red-haired Twin guiding her towards the large doors. The other twin is already there waiting for them to exit. Once Talia is in the entryway, her breathing evens, and the tears she had been holding fall down her cheeks. The twins wait patiently for her to get her wits about her.

"I'm okay," She says after a few deep breaths, "let us go."

Talia follows the girls down a long corridor to the right of the throne room and through an oak door at the end. Through that door are two staircases, one on the left and one on the right. They take Talia up the one on the right. They pass by several branching hallways on either side as they ascend before stepping into one on the sixth floor. There are about ten rooms on this one floor, and they lead Talia to the fourth room on the left. When they open the door, Talia is amazed at how glamorous the room is. It is large enough to fit two village houses comfortably. There is an entire wall dedicated to a view of the courtyard and Talia can see that the winding hedge maze is in the shape of a dragon with its head ending at a fountain that Talia could not quite make out.

Late afternoon sunlight baths the room in gold. The twins are at a set of doors on the opposite wall and Talia sees rows of garments, tiaras, necklaces, and other jewelry adorning the large closet. The twins busily pick out a gown suitable for dinner with dragon nobles. Talia leaves them to their task and sees a large black canopy bed set with fluffy pale pink satin pillows and matching curtains and comforter. Beside the bed is a bookshelf stocked with every kind of book Talia can think of. It is floor-to-ceiling knowledge in a mahogany dream. She picks up a volume of medicinal herbs grown in Ignis and skims through the chapters until one of the twins taps on her shoulder.

“The bath is ready for you, mistress.” She says in a small voice.

Talia smiles, “What’s your name?” The girl looks startled and turns to her sister as though asking for permission to speak. “It’s okay. You can talk to me. Please, tell me your names.”

The girl hesitates a moment more and her sister shifts uncomfortably from foot to foot. Finally, she answers, “We don’t have names, ma’am. They don’t give slaves names here.” Talia’s heart drops to her feet as she stares from one girl to the other.

“No names? How long have you lived here?” She asks.

“We were born here, miss. Our parents did not give us names. Slave children are raised by dragon nurses until they are old enough to be put to work. We do not even know who our parents are.” The other twin says in just as small a voice as her sister, and Talia feels a surge of hot anger bubble into her mouth. She knew dragons had a low opinion of humans, but to completely deny their feelings and identities is lower than she thought they would ever sink.

After a few calming breaths to ensure she did not go on a tirade, Talia finally says, “Do you want names?” The girls exchange another look and Talia sees the beginning of smiles play across their faces.

“We would like that very much, miss.” The twin with the red streak says tentatively. Her twin nods in approval.

Talia studies the girls, taking in their slim figures and pretty, oval faces. Their eyes are deep shades of green and their skin is not too pale, but fair. They are about three inches shorter than her and they each have a personality that borders on caution.

After much debate, Talia smiles “Okay. You,” she says, pointing to the twin with red bangs, “will be Annaise. And you, Annisina.” She indicates the other twin and both girls allow their faces to break into a smile.

“I was friends with all of my servants back home. I even helped them with their work. I hope we can be friends. Anna and Nissa, I look forward to knowing you both.” She holds out her hand to Anna, and she takes it eagerly, giving it a firm shake. Nissa comes up, shifts the pile of clothes in her arms, and shakes Talia’s hand, too. After more smiles and words of thanks, Talia is finally bathed, dressed, and napping before the dreaded dinner with the nobles of Ignis.

****************************************

“So, Talia, do you have any talents?” Noblewoman Clarine asks. Talia shifts in her seat at the head of the large oak table. She is seated next to Igneous and Lucian sits on her left.

She takes a sip of water before answering, “Yes. I play piano, and sing, and I am pretty good at swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat.” Her words are greeted with silence.

“They train women to fight, now? I guess humans can learn.” Nobleman Altear smirks, sipping his wine as the others chuckle.

Talia keeps her head high and meets his eyes squarely, “No, I wanted to learn on my own. It may go against tradition, but I have no intention of being a damsel in distress. Why count on a man, when I can just as easily save myself?”Altear lowers his glass and narrows his eyes regarding her seriously for the first time since she arrived. She sees a few of the noblewomen smile, and she can tell they are coming around to liking her at least a little.

“Could you defend yourself if a group of dragons attacks you?” Igneous asks and the smiles fade. Talia looks over at him as he twirls a piece of meat around on the edge of his fork. “What value could you add to this kingdom? What can you bring forth that makes us think you are worthy of being married to me? If you can’t add to my strength, you’re better off in rags.”

He meets her gaze steadily, a smirk playing at his lips. Talia feels indignation in her stomach, and she realizes all eyes are on her again, including the King’s. They all wait for her to answer, wondering how she will respond to such an obvious challenge. Slowly, Talia’s muscles relax, and she leans forward, glaring into those arrogant, lovely eyes.

“Then by all means send me back. Then ask for another princess brave enough to walk chin up into the inferno across a five-mile expanse of bridge in heels. See if you get lucky a second time. I may not be as mighty as a dragon and I may not be as strong as a man, but I can hold my own just fine in a fight, fair or not. If the enemy is bigger than me, I have no reason to fight fairly. You ask what I bring to you, what do you bring to me? A woman who can protect herself and has other talents that you cannot contribute to.”

“It seems the princess has forgotten her place.” He growls.

“It seems the prince forgets that my place is at his side whether he likes it or not.” Talia counters.

“Do you want to die?” He shouts, rising to his feet.

“Ever since I stepped on that damn bridge! Do me a favor and put me out of the misery you already promised is awaiting me in this place!” Talia erupts back, on her feet as well.

The hall is quiet and Igneous stares at her amazed at her boldness to stand up to him, to even wish for death. Talia can feel the beginning of tears in her eyes and excuses herself from the table. Anna and Nissa are waiting for her outside the door and when she brushes past them, they follow her with equal looks of concern on their faces. The tears fall before Talia is even partway down the hall, but she presses forward until she is at the door to her room. She tells the twins to leave her be for a while, surprised that her voice isn’t shaking, and closes the door as gently as she is able. In the growing darkness of her room, she sinks to the floor and begins to sob. The last remnants of sunlight paint the sky with gold and crimson, but Talia cannot raise her head to see its beauty.