Chapter 11

I stood outside the door to the dining hall, nervously adjusting my clothes. 

"I don't like this sir," Rowan whispered, looking at me critically. "You don't know the first thing about royal etiquette, and now you're about to have dinner with the royal family."

"It wasn't my idea, Rowan. The princess insisted and then got her father to insist too. I can't refuse the king."

"Yes, well. I'll be standing by you the whole time to make sure that you don't make too much of a fool of me."

"What about me?" I asked. 

"You're already a fool, master," Rowan said, a grin on his face. 

I laughed. "You know, I think I preferred it when you were too nervous to talk around me."

"That never happened, lord."

The door swung open, and I walked into the dining hall. 

The first thing I noticed was how warm it was. Everything from the colours to the lighting screamed comfort. 

And to add to the ambience I saw one of the king's hunting dogs sprawled out in front of the fireplace. 

In the middle of the room was a small table, just large enough for four people to sit comfortably. 

Anna got up when she saw me and grabbed my hand, leading me to the table. 

"Highness, this isn't appropriate." I protested as I was dragged through the room.

"Hush, Lukas. Sit down."

I heard a warm laugh from the table and saw the king smile indulgently at his daughter. "You'd better listen to her, Lukas. There's no stopping her when she gets in this mood."

I know. I thought. She stopped a war once while in a mood like this. 

"Yes, sire." I bowed my head and took the seat the princess led me to. 

The king sat at my left, the princess at my right. 

Which meant that the empty place, directly across from me, was the queen's.

"Tila's been caught up in some paperwork, and will be a little late." The king explained. 

I nodded. 

"Anna tells me she's graduated to a spiritspeaker?" The king asked, sitting back as the servants served dinner. 

"The princess is extremely talented," I replied, looking curiously at the meal that was put in front of me. A stuffed golden apple. A really big, stuffed golden apple. 

It looked familiar. 

Very familiar. 

"Majesty? Is this…"

"I believe it is. Anna's been in contact with one of the diplomats from the elven clans, and he gave her this recipe. Apparently, it's very popular in your clan?"

I nodded. "Yes, sire. Though, I'm not sure how it will adapt to a human palate." 

"Don't worry about that. I have plenty of dishes waiting in the kitchen should this not prove a success."

I smiled despite myself, my professional facade slipping as I looked at the plate. 

I was whisked back to my grandfather's hunting cabin. He had fought to allow my family to stay in the clan after we had been attacked on the roads. 

I hadn't tasted it in decades.

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile quite like that, Lukas." The princess said. "Does it mean that much to you?"

I nodded. "Yes, highness. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Then don't stand on ceremony, Lukas." The king said, a broad smile on his face. "I'm really curious as to how we're supposed to eat this."

"It's simple sire," I began to explain. "You take your knife and…"

The door opened, and the queen rushed in. "Sorry, sorry I'm late." She said, taking her seat at the table. "I was trapped under a mountain of paperwork. I have so much I still need to do."

She looked across the table at me and smiled. "Oh, I see, Master Lukas, you've joined us?"

"The princess insisted ma'am," I said, bowing my head gently. 

"Lukas was just demonstrating how we're supposed to eat…what is it called Anna?"

"I've been practising this," Anna said. "Anethta? Anehta?"

"You were right the first time, highness. Roughly translated it means Rogue's Gift." I raised my knife and removed the top of the apple. 

"Just think of the apple as a bowl. Though it isn't uncommon for it to be sliced up and opened completely, like this."

I made three cuts through the apple and spread it open on my plate into a starburst. 

"It just depends on personal preference."

I looked around the table. "Usually there is a wine with it?"

The king nodded. "Oh yes! Rowan, if you wouldn't mind fetching that wine from Corel that you brought with you from your trip?"

Rowan bowed and left the room. 

"So, like this?" The queen asked, perfectly cutting the top off the apple, and slicing it into a starburst. 

"Just like that ma'am."

"And what do we do with the wine?"

The queen laughed as she watched the king struggle. 

"No, my love, like this." She stood up and took the knife from him, cutting the apple perfectly. 

"Anna? Do you need help?" 

The princess shook her head, studying mine for a moment, and cutting it identically. 

Rowan appeared back at my side, holding a bottle of the Corel wine. 

I took the bottle and poured about half a glass of it over the apple. Then I handed it to the king, who did likewise. 

The apple soaked up all the wine, leaving the plate stained a gorgeous red. 

"Well, I didn't expect that." The king said, poking at the apple curiously.

"It's a peculiar property that these apples have, majesty. They are grown by this family of immortal farmers, who have been tending to the same orchard for almost three thousand years."

"Once the wine has disappeared, you dig in." 

The king and the queen looked at each other, shrugged and began to eat. 

I did the same, a little apprehensive as to what would happen when this apple was combined with the wine from Corel.

It tasted wonderful, and I was immediately transported back to the first time my father made this for me, as we huddled in an abandoned barn, a threadbare blanket over our shoulders to keep us warm. He didn't use these apples, just whatever we could scavenge from the farms around us.

I put the fork down and waited for the intense memory to pass. 

The king breathed out deeply. "That was…quite something." He said, a smile on his face. "Does it always have quite a strong recollective effect?"

I shook my head. "No lord, I think this might be a side effect of the Corel wine. A memory spirit has taken up residence in the vineyard, and the wine tends to bring up powerful memories."

"What did you see?" Anna asked, looking at me curiously. 

"Anna, that's not an appropriate question to ask." The queen rebuked her, though she sounded troubled. 

I shook my head. "I don't mind, ma'am. Anna is my student, she has the right to ask me anything." 

"I saw my childhood, my lady. The first time my father made this for me." I turned to the king. "My compliments to your cooks my lord, it's been prepared perfectly."

The king pointed to the queen. "Don't thank me, Lukas. Tila was the one that encouraged Anna to reach out to the diplomats."

"Well, you've done so much for Anna, already." The queen said, absently. "I just thought that it would be a nice thing to do for you in return."

"It was a mighty gift, majesty," I said and bowed again. Then I turned to my student. 

"Alright, now your turn. What did you see?"

Anna smiled widely. "Miss Rita was teaching me how to dance." She looked up at the king. "And you, father?"

The king shrugged. "I was hunting with my father. He was teaching me to use a bow."

He took the queen's hand. "And you?"

The queen looked at him, and then to Anna, and I, and sighed. "I…saw something I don't quite understand." She said. She looked up at me. "Perhaps you'll be able to help me, Master Mage."

"Whatever you need, Majesty."

"I saw a mirror. A silver mirror, with the king's face in it. It was the most peculiar thing I have ever seen. I'm certain I never owned such a thing." 

I froze, and she must have seen the shock on my face. "So you do know what it means." She said shrewdly. 

"Memory spirits aren't exactly understood, ma'am," I said hollowly, trying desperately to calm myself. "The weave, which is what we call the collection of individual souls that make up our own, stretches both into the future and to the past. Memory spirits can find pieces of your life from either end."

"So I saw my future?"

"You saw a future," I responded quickly. "One of an infinite number of possibilities, and it could change at any moment. The very act of seeing that future could change it. Which is why we at the Academy don't put much stock in fortune telling." 

"That's incredible!" The king looked thoughtfully at the bottle of wine. "I really should buy up the whole stock of this stuff. Count Dreth has done wonders."

"Indeed, Majesty. I had no idea it could see the future as well as the past." I said, withering slightly under the queen's gaze. She was looking at me, intensely, her hand gripping the king's tightly. 

That wasn't all she saw. I thought, swallowing nervously. 

"So if I drank some more I might see my future?" Anna asked. 

"I don't know," I replied. "I simply don't know." 

Rowan tapped my shoulder. 

"Lord, take this as an excuse to escape," he whispered and handed me a glowing white spirit. 

I made a show of holding it to my ear and listened intently.

"Forgive me Majesty," I said, bowing to the king, letting the spirit fade away. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to withdraw. Something requires my attention at the Academy."

The king raised an eyebrow. "Certainly, Lukas, though it is a shame to see you leave so soon."

"Indeed." The queen said, her eyes boring holes into me. "I do have some more questions regarding the weave, Master Mage, would you be available if I were to call on you?"

I nodded, swallowing. "Of course, my lady."

I turned to the princess. "Alright, princess. We're to meet first thing tomorrow morning at the palace gates?"

The princess nodded, smiling brightly. "I can't wait."

I turned to the two monarchs and bowed deeply. "Thank you for the meal, majesties. I really appreciate it."

And with that, I turned on my heel and left the room as fast as decorum dictated. I could feel the queen's gaze on my back as I left. 

What else did she see?

The door closed behind me, and I resisted the urge to just collapse on the paving stones. 

"So…" I said, looking at my servant ruefully. "How did I do?"

Rowan shrugged. "You were doing well until the queen started asking you questions." He put his hand on the top of my arm, and gently led me to my room. "Then it started to fall apart. Luckily I think the king and princess were too enamoured with the wine to notice."

"But the queen saw."

"Lord, the queen read you like an open book."

"I was afraid of that." I sighed, and let Rowan open the doors to my quarters. "How would you gauge her mood?"

"Confused, master. And afraid. What she saw spooked her." He pressed me into my room. "I wouldn't be surprised if you aren't summoned this evening to answer more of her questions."

"Gods, I hope that doesn't happen." I closed the doors behind Rowan and began to pace up and down. 

"That was some clever thinking with the spirit," I said, still pacing. 

"I'm not without my uses, master." He replied. "Although, they are going to have to replace the carpets in here if you keep that up."

"What should I do?"

"About the queen? I don't know. Run probably."

"You're no help at all."

Rowan grinned. "I know, master. Will that be all?"