Midway pt.4 King Eats What He Wants
A poor man's breakfast is a breakfast with no meat in it, that's what King Father said. He didn't say it to be rude though. I don't eat meat , and when you live in the kings castle your expected to live a life of luxuries. When my father noticed I didn't eat meat at the breakfast table he said "A poor man's breakfast is a breakfast with no meat in it" and I said "but a king eats what he wants" to which he replied "my son has a brain". He would say those types of things. I had a brain , my brother had a heart , and my sister had will. With my King Father trapped in his bed it had been days since I heard his voice.
My siblings and I all wanted an answer to the question of who poisoned our birthday cake. After our party Queen mother detained Ola and Teco under suspicion of threat to our family. Unfortunately we couldn't keep leaders of other kingdoms for very long without creating a ripe situation for war, so we let them go just days later. Lucky for us Teco was less than a sensitive ruler and understood why he was detained. Queen Ola seemed to also be reasonable. But no matter how reasonable a head is , it's followers are unpredictable. We had no way of investigating the crime without creating further unease between kingdoms.
So we turned to the one suspect that we already stood on bad terms with. The one kingdom not invited seemed to be the most likely responsible for such an act. Anyone associated with the kingdom of Mar was hunted. It had to be a hard call to make , The Kingdom of Mar were predominantly hyenas. Hunting known associate meant singling out one of the three most residing communities in Fae. I'm just glad I didn't have to make the call because outside of the politics it meant that Louis was in an awkward situation. He was the one hyena not targeted, so he didn't leave the castle. Louis loved being out in the community so seeing him lock himself away was sad.
I figured between King Father's battle to recover and Louis being stuck inside maybe it was a good time for me and my brother to spend some time together. No one had died yet so there was no grief but much worry. I knew the best way to relieve my brothers worries. Drink and the company of paid partners. I might have invited Sky, but she was never the type to worry. She adjusted no matter what the situation was. The day after our fathers poisoning Sky continued with her studies in combat with the guards like she usually would as if nothing was different.
But if I'm honest, you don't invite your sister to join the type of day Louis and I were going to have. I wasn't blind to how pampered I was , but I was still a guys guy , my brother made sure of that. My sister would often make it well known that she was not "common people". She never got drunk , didn't sleep around, and even when she lost her temper she always did so with manors. So of course she was not invited.
You'd think getting prostitutes and drink into the castle a challenge. Actually with my brothers history of doing what I was attempting to do I only needed to find the right guard to ask to get the job done. In just a matter of hours my request was met beyond expectation. The real problem was keeping my special guests hidden and unseen inside of the castle. I suppose that's why my brother went out rather than brought in his guilty pleasures more often than not. As I snuck the group of "workers" from my room to Louis my only thought was "what would be worse , Queen Mother seeing this or Sky"? None the less I made it to my brothers room.
I knocked three times and for a moment I thought Louis may have been sleeping or away until he opened the door. It had been a week since the night of our birthday, and Louis both looked and smelled as though he hadn't bathed since then. He seemed unphased by the horde of women and men standing behind me.
Louis - what is this
Par- I thought you could use ...
Louis - Par , you can't be doing this
Par- what? But
Louis - I can do this , but not you , mom would kill you if she thought you were into this
I was unsure of what to say , and even more unsure of what to say to all the guests I invited to my brothers doorway.
Par- we'll. .. they're here so...
Louis - I said I would help you find someone to get with , I don't need your help finding a lay, send them to the guards house out back
Par- the guards house?
Louis - let them have some fun , you and I on the other hand have people to see
He started to leave his room.
Par- don't you think you should get dressed first
It was an awkward ordeal discarding my house guests so suddenly, but Louis was right , the guards seemed pleased with my unplanned gift of bought pleasure.
Louis and I didn't leave the castle but it was a surprise to see how easy it was to get him out of his room.
Par- you know I had a whole day planned out
Louis - and I appreciate the effort, but like I said I'm not the one who needs help in that regard brother
Par- I thought you were...
Louis - thought I was what
Par- upset, depressed, with everything happening from Father being poisoned to a race that you belong to being questioned by mother's enforcers I just thought you would be feeling something
Louis - I'm fine
Par- then why has it taken a week for you to leave your room or for us to go see whoever it is you want me to see
Louis - you ask a lot of questions
Par- only when I need to
Louis - alright, maybe it's a bit overwhelming knowing that If I leave the castle I could be mistaken for a suspect, or worse those who are being suspected will turn on me as a hypocrite, but I'm not worried, I have always been closest to the people and when things die down I will still be close to the people
Par- but how long will it take for things to die down
Louis - good question,and you know I've tried waiting in solitude, but now I think what I have planned for you will be a better way
We entered the east dining room a small room for more private conversation where ironically dinning rarely happened despite the many finely crafted tables. There were the usual guards that stood by the entrances and exits of every room and a group of people I'd yet to meet. My brother escorted me to them and gave me an introduction.
Louis - Par, this is Non , from the kingdom of Catalina
His fur was white with patches of red and his stature was taller than mine and my brothers. I could tell he was strong by the way his back hunched in a way that only happens from doing back breaking work. He wore his kingdoms black armor and caried a sword nearly my length.
The men of Catalina were known for being fierce and made of stone and he looked to fit the mold. There was a general assumption that they were less than open to different forms of relationships outside of the common norm. But he was there, so that could only mean he was open to being with a male. It was unexpected that my brother would invite guests from other kingdoms to meet me, especially from kingdoms that could have been involved in the poisoning on our birthday.
Par- it's nice to meet you Non
Non- like wise , your brother has been postponing this event for several days now
Louis - well we're all here now
Non- that we are
Louis - moving on , this is Santo , he's the inventor of the castles new lights
Santo was a lion. Admittedly Id seen him around the castle before but never gave him much attention. He was a skinny guy which was unusual for male lions, but the most curious thing was how part of his ear seamed to be missing. He wore common clothes and a small tool belt, but nothing special. I could tell he tried to look presentable but standing next to Non , who was clearly a member of the Catalina royal guard, he seemed out of his element. He also had a distinct smell of smoke that I couldn't tell the origins of.
Par- so your who I have to thank for the beautiful lights
Santo- the technology has been around for a while , I simply put it together
Par- and I'm glad that you did
Louis -we all are, but next on our list of guests is
Yale- my name is Yale your highness
Par- oh you don't have to be so formal with me
Louis- this is Lady Yale from the kingdom of Oboshi
She was stunning. A gazelle with long flowing hair dressed in sea green and sand stones. No matter where she stood in the room light followed her and a breeze kept her in motion but her eyes ,for the brief moments she would look into mine, were solid glass looking through me.
Louis - which brings us to Jin , a dancer of the "Travelers of Major" a new circus popular among a number of kingdoms
Par- Jin, that's a beautiful name
Jin- it was my mother's
A rare species to find in the kingdom of Fae, she was a red wolf. She had the body of a dancer. With red fur and petite features she was a ruby. Her clothes were of thin silk that hid only the most private features. She had a presence about her that stood out for sure.
The question on my mind was when did my brother find the time to gather these people while he was locked away in his room for a week? They were all so different. A moment came when realized my brother had gathered those people not for me to connect with, but to sleep with. Did they know that's why they were selected? I had no idea, and to be honest it didn't feel right to ask. My brother was just standing there waiting for me to make a move of some sort. I couldn't do anything with him there, but what was I to do? Send him back to his room? No. I pulled him away from our guests to speak in private.
Par- what exactly am I supposed to do with these people
Louis - what ever you want
Par- what does that mean
Louis - I thought you wanted to explore your manhood
Par- do they know that's why they are here
Louis - no
Par- I don't think I can just sleep with them
Louis - well not all of them , that would be a bit of a challenge on your first go around
Par- Louis I'm serious
Louis - alright, alright, look just pick someone and whoever you don't go with I'll keep busy for the rest of the day
Par- and by keep busy you mean?
Louis - I might sleep with them
My brother. What more can be said?
Louis - pick one and I'll keep the others busy, and if things don't work out you can always try again with someone else
Par- OK , I think I can do that
Louis - great , now who do you choose
That was the real question. We needed a distraction from the turmoil of the kingdom and our father and it seemed we'd found just that. After all there is no better distraction nor convolution than the presence of choices without foreseeable risk of loss.