End of the Longest Day

They walked over to the table together and Katherine took a seat at the head, while Charles took the seat to her right.

Eric took the seat to her left, and Jasper sat next to him, much to Eric's dismay. Everyone else took random seats wherever they found an empty chair at the long table.

Once everyone was seated, the kitchen staff brought everyone's meals to the table before they found seats themselves.

Everyone sat very still, unsure of if they needed permission to start eating since they were dining with the Queen herself, and Katherine immediately noticed the tension.

She was about to tell everyone to start eating, but just then Eric cleared his throat, picked up his glass of wine, and pushed his chair out to stand.

"Let's raise a glass to our new Queen and her generous spirit. She already is proving to be a blessing for Helios. All hail Queen Katherine Mors of Helios!" Eric said as he proudly looked to his right at Katherine.

The people all raised their glasses and toasted their Queen. Katherine hated the attention, but she was grateful for the kind words said about her. She wanted them to be happy that she was their Queen now.

Katherine raised her glass in front of her and took a sip of the wine before she put her glass down and began eating the lemon chicken dish that was prepared for them. The second she took the first bite, she realized just how hungry she truly was.

The sudden intake of food after having not eaten all day made her slightly nauseous, but she was also so famished that she made sure to eat every last bite.

While dinner took place, she never paused from eating long enough to strike up a conversation with anyone, not that she wanted to, so instead she took on an observer role for the night.

She would occasionally smile and nod at people if they looked to her mid-statement, and usually a small acknowledgement from the Queen was enough to satisfy them where she did not actually have to say anything or get actively involved.

Eric and Charles spoke tons about military strategy at the borders of each land. Apparently there was a problem of people from Selene trying to sneak into Eos and Helios.

Katherine made a mental note to ask about it at the next meeting, and pondered why that would be happening. She did not have to think too long about it because Charles was quick to mention how strict and absolute the King and Queen of Selene were.

It really made Katherine curious about the people and how they lived. 'Was it so different in all of the lands? What was it about Selene that the people were trying to escape?' she thought to herself.

Eric had taken the stance that the trespassers should become prisoners who were directly taken back to the prisons in Selene so that they could be punished for breaking the law. Much to no one's surprise, Charles disagreed and argued that they should be offered asylum in Eos and Helios.

Neither man directly said it, but Katherine was sure they knew why the people were on the run.

When they finished that heated discussion and moved on to speaking about what grand event they thought might be planned next, Katherine turned her attention elsewhere since she was never one to care about parties.

She looked across the big stretch of table and saw all her staff and servants laughing and enjoying themselves, and it made Katherine smile. She was glad that at least something good could come from this horrid day.

Feeling eyes on her, she turned her head to her left and saw Jasper watching her. He gave her a smile that matched the one she wore, and he quickly winked at her before he returned to his food.

The little wink made Katherine's stomach flip, and she suddenly had a hunger for something else entirely.

Eager for the night to end, when Katherine saw that most people's plates were nearing empty, she stood up and spoke to everyone. "Thank you all for your support today. I hope you have enjoyed dinner. I'm happy to have spent this time with all of you."

She gave them the best royal smile she could, and was met with "thank you's" and applause as she sat back down.

"Wonderful job, Your Majesty," Eric whispered towards her.

Now that that was over and her duties as Queen were fulfilled for the night, Katherine was back to business and wore a serious expression as she turned to look at Eric.

"Tomorrow morning, nine a.m. sharp, we meet in the battle room to discuss the plan to get my mother back. I want maps showing of possible locations, where we have looked, known rebel hideaways, and places we can set up traps for the rebels. The chances of finding her lessen each day, and we have wasted enough time with my playing dress up and putting on a show for the people."

Next to her, Eric cleared his throat and nodded uncomfortably.

Katherine did not take the time to acknowledge anyone else before she pushed her chair out and got up to leave the room. She could feel eyes on her, but she did not care.

As she exited, she heard quick footsteps behind her, clearly trying to catch up. She did not have to look back to know who it was, so she continued on to her room, eager for what would come next.