by JH Terry
XXX: Dinner, Dancing, and Curious Developments
“You seem elsewhere this evening,” said King Eron to Ondess at the supper table. Eron was wearing his gold cape still, but Ondess had decided to take hers off, showing the suit she had been wearing earlier when she was talking to Tom. They sat a long mahogany table with several chairs. Attached to this table were two others at right angles to it, also made of mahogany. In front of the table were several dancers performing for them. Eron sat in the middle of the table with Ondess to his left and Onden to his right. Next to Onden was Princess Penelope, whom seemed to be enjoying the festivities. She danced with her feet under the table and looked in awe of the dancers with their magnificent, and incredible, body movements. She hardly touched her food, gripped by the dance that was filled with betrayal, love, death, and innocence destroyed. Next to Princess Penelope sat Ebsen, who glanced occasionally to Ondess. Onden also glanced at Ebsen occasionally with a look of pure hatred and disgust in his eyes. Ebsen just smiled it off and continued to look at the dancers and eat his food, as if he was forced to go through this sedate event and hated every minute of it. Akemi sat at the right end of the long table, and looked to the others constantly, contemplating what to do next for her plans.
“I am only thinking of those three,” said Ondess. “They were whisked away from their homes, the other two with that boy forced knowing the way Akemi works, only to be prisoners in an unknown land, while their parents suffer, awaiting some word of where they are. The anxiety of their plight is of the highest priority in my mind.”
“I know, but there is nothing to do right now. I shall return them to their homes tomorrow so that they can be at least there.”
“What about this black creature Akemi calls Norbis and those dreams? Shall he continue?”
“I do not think so, he may have mistaken the lad for another.”
“I just cannot understand why. A black creature has never made a mistake before, even in the legends that have been told about them. There must be another reason.”
“At this time I do not know what it is, but we must focus on what we have.”
“I know, grandfather, but there is something else that I must tell you about.”
“What is that?”
“The boy, he was in the Teal Abyss with Akemi and the others. There he heard spoken to him the language of Binese and its English translation.”
“In the Teal Abyss?” asked King Eron concerned.
“Yes,” said Ondess also concerned.
“This is strange, only we royalty know of this language. Only one of royalty could have let others know of it. If it has reached the Teal Abyss then we are in serious trouble.”
“Our rule has been able to keep hold because of this language,” said Ondess. “If others know they could understand the foundations that keep our nation strong. It is the wording of this language that we use each year for bringing wealth and happiness for the upcoming year. If others learn of this, like Unop, then that could mean the destruction of our state by the forces of evil.”
“So, Unop is at work even here as we speak. If what the boy says is true….”
“It is, I trust him.”
“Then it is, and if Unop gets ahold of our language then our time of peace and happiness will be at an end. Gordana shall fall to evil once more. We will talk more about this later. Besides that, something else has been troubling me.”
“What, grandfather?”
“Ebsen, and you. Do you share the same affections that he seems to have for you?”
“No, he is only my uncle and your son. I feel for him as a family relative, that is all. I would never think of marrying my own uncle, nor would I risk my life in the hands of such a man. He is very devious.”
“I know that, I believe every parent at least knows if their child is that or not, but he is faithful to me. I need him, even though I do not trust him.”
“I do not understand,” replied Ondess confused.
“He has assets that a ruler needs, but his corruptness does not make him wise. Do not depend upon him, for when you do, then he shall use you to obtain what he wants.”
“I shall remember that, grandfather.”
“Now eat your food before I do,” said Eron with a smile.
As Ondess picked at her food, still troubled by what was happening to Tom and his friends, Ebsen had already started to talk to Princess Penelope.
“So, by two we were down in the Dragon Row. It was not fair though. They had red dragons, while we only had useless green ones. You know what I mean?”
“No,” said Penelope puzzled.
“The green ones are always camouflaged in the green parts of the grass and trees. Due to this temptation they tend to eat their fill, thus making them very fat, and very slow. Red ones are the best, they always burn their food off and it is cooked thoroughly with their fireballs that it makes them lighter and faster. Besides that, the red ones always are kind, they are very courteous too. I remember one that burnt down an entire area of forest so that people could put a farmland there, and he did not even request a certain amount of wages. It is phenomenal how kind they are, even though we do eat some of them, but as I have told others we can feed all of Gordana and Mergot for weeks with the flesh of one old dragon. You know dragons are not like other animals that when they die they are tough, it is just the opposite and makes a delicious dish. I believe anyone who does not eat dragons are either incredibly stupid or just extremely uncivilized. I mean really, everyone eats dragons nowadays. It is phenomenal how much dragon costs, so cheap, but no one seems to want to eat it, only the intellectuals. They say that eating dragons causes people to become smarter by two-hundred fold, can you believe that?”
“Two-hundred fold based on what?” asked Princess Penelope.
“What?” asked Ebsen.
“Two-hundred fold based on brain cell count, interconnections between brain cells, or the amount of knowledge added to one’s brain mysteriously by the dragon food? For if it is brain cell count I would watch how large my brain is getting everyday, before it explodes.”
“I don’t know,” replied Ebsen. “They just said two-hundred fold, I did not ask two-hundred fold of what, but that does not matter. Besides, on with my story, we did not win, losing by only one ball throw since my dragon was getting cramped muscles and another team member’s dragon would not let go of the ball, thus causing the time to run out. It was ridiculous what happened. I told the others not to have green ones, but did they listen to me, no. They are just like green dragons, fat and stupid,” said Ebsen with a sniggering laugh of a female, which caused Princess Penelope to laugh as well.
“You should not talk about yourself so harshly Ebsen,” interjected Onden.
“If you would listen once in a while by using your brain Onden you would notice I was talking about you,” said Ebsen with a large smile on his face.
“Really Ebsen? I did not know you were capable of having an intellectual, rather, any discussion at all, knowing your mental inabilities since you dropped out of school after only seven years, rather than the usual nine.”
“I only dropped out because I chose to fight in Mergot against those savage beasts in the Forest of Haber, something you know nothing about due to your excessive spoon-feeding from Eron.”
“Watch you tone Ebsen, you might get Daddy angry, and who will pay for your bills then?”
“You like to talk Onden, but I do not see you working like Princess Ondess does. While we are on the topic, why do you not work, Onden?”
“I have the matters of running a state Ebsen, something you will only dream about for the rest of your life.”
“Perhaps,” said Ebsen. “What do you think Princess Penelope? Will I forever only dream about running the matters of a state?”
“I do not know for sure, but I believe that there is something in your eye Ebsen that will not settle alone for just being an idle playboy. Perhaps there is such a destiny
for you, not here, but perhaps elsewhere,” said Princess Penelope with a small smile.
“Why dear Princess, I never would have dreamed you and I to be an item, before.” said Ebsen. “You are still only eleven years old, though you have been that age for twenty years already.”
“Yes, I have waited for too long to go back into the maternity abyss, but perhaps it was my destiny as well. What do you think Onden?” asked Princess Penelope.
“I do not rightly care for this talk, I just want this supper to end so that I may rest. It is only sad that rest shall not keep me from the reality of seeing Ebsen’s face everyday for the rest of his life,” replied Onden.
“Oh poor Onden,” said Princess Penelope. “It is sad that you must suffer like that.”
“His suffering, I was happier when he was not born,” replied Ebsen. Looking over to Akemi, Ebsen could see that she was watching him and the others. Yet once he looked at her she turned her head away. Looking over to Ondess, Ebsen could see that she and Eron were watching the dancers finish their performance. “Enjoy yourself Princess Penelope,” said Ebsen, “but watch out for Onden, his personality can cause your wish to not live another year to come true in the most horrible and disgusting way. A way that not even your mind could ever imagine.”
Ebsen stood up as the dancers walked off of the floor and the orchestra began to play various tunes. The conductor said, “Now we shall play the Gindon Reel. Will all dancing partners please move to the floor now before we start to play the music.”
Ebsen walked over to Ondess as she was about to eat her dinner. As she was about to put a spoonful of soup into her mouth, Ebsen said, “Good evening, Princess Ondess. May I have the pleasure of dancing with you?”
Looking to Eron, who gave a non-compliant look by looking straight ahead to the exiting dancers, Ondess said, “Yes, uncle.”
Ebsen took Ondess’s hand to join the dance of the Gindon Reel. The orchestra began to play and Ondess and Ebsen took their places on the floor, while Akemi looked on angered and ripping her bread into shreds. Eron looked to Akemi as she did this and to Ebsen and Ondess on the floor, and suddenly he knew what was going on. Ebsen and Ondess stood across from each other along with several other couples on the floor, comprising two rows one yard apart from each other. Then, the dancing commenced.
Each female and male danced into the middle of the two rows. The first couple, the one nearest the table, which was Ebsen and Ondess, danced around each other, with Ondess going first and Ebsen second each creating an invisible C upon the floor with their feet. They then took each other’s hands, facing towards each other, and danced around in a circle. Then turning around, facing away from each other, they took each other’s hands from behind their backs and danced in a circle again. After this they danced to the back of the rows and with hands still together, but facing each other. They spread out their arms forming a triangle in the air until the last couple in the line went through the triangle. As the last couple went through the line they held each other’s hands. Once the last couple reached the end of the rows all of the couples clapped their hands once, then the last couple went in between the rows again, doing everything the same as before in the reverse order.
Finally, Ondess and Ebsen returned to their original places and bowed to each other, causing the music to stop and everyone to clap. However, Onden was not happy. He walked over to Ebsen, enraged.
“Leave Ondess alone, you old crone. I will never allow you to defile her with your foulness,” sneered Onden at Ebsen.
“Onden, this is a merry evening, not to be disturbed, even by you,” said King Eron.
“It is all right, father,” said Ebsen. “I believe that a little unsettledness exists in Onden still. I shall not be the one to shed family disputes tonight. Thank you, Ondess, for an entertaining evening. Now, I must go.” Ebsen left the supper hall through the east entrance, with Akemi eventually following him.
“Onden, what are you doing?” asked Ondess.
“Defending you from him,” declared Onden.
“There is no need, even you know that,” said Ondess as she left the hall through the south entrance. Onden then stormed out through the east entrance.
“Do not worry,” said King Eron to the others still at the supper hall, “there is still more gaiety to be had, therefore, let’s have it.” The dancing commenced once again.
• • • • • • • • • •
As Ondess walked down the south hallway, someone tapped her on her shoulder. Looking around, she saw that it was Olta.
“There you are. I am sorry I am late, we had a council today,” said Ondess.
“It is fine. I decoded something today that should surprise you. Let’s go to the study chamber.”
Olta and Ondess went to the study chamber, which was littered with books, papers, and notes on a chalkboard.
“I just translated this part of the original text of Dena’s Prophesies, the one about the chosen one,” said Olta. “The result is very interesting.”
Looking at the translation, Ondess said with a smile, “Olta, can you manage to take over my lectures for a while?”
“Yes. For how long?”
“Hopefully not more than a week, but then again even that is merely an inference upon the future. I must see my grandfather. Do not worry, I will be all right.”
“It is not you I am worried about, it is that cousin of yours.”
“I know,” said Ondess. “I must go though, and you be careful. As you said before about Akemi she is up to something, but what it is I do not know just yet. I must see grandfather soon, but before I do I must get something from his study.”
“What?”
“A map,” said Ondess with a smile.
Ondess left the study chamber before Olta could utter another word, and walked through various staircases and hallways over to King Eron’s private study. As she entered the room, she saw that it was pitch black and the doors to the balcony were open, allowing gusts of Altinium air to reach within all of the corners of the knowledgeable room.
“Grandfather?” asked Ondess out of the sheer, but slight hope, that King Eron was there.
“I am on the balcony, Ondess,” said King Eron.
Ondess walked onto the balcony to see Eron looking down upon the city of Lupo and its outer areas until the forest clouded and concealed the grass.
“You know, if I were to bypass Gordana to get to Mergot, which would be the safest route to travel by to leave Gordana, due to the dragons patrolling the northern, western and eastern borders, I would travel through the forest along the Legan Path.
“So you already know,” said Ondess with a smile to herself.
“Yes, I knew that you would come, for it was our fate to meet at this precise moment of time,” said Eron. Smiling, Eron said, “and I have the ability to read your mind as Onden does.”
“Why did you say nothing before?” asked Ondess.
“There are some things that one does not need to know until a specific time, and the time for you to know about that was now.”
“And you, grandfather, what is your destiny?”
“To keep your throne warm.”
“You mean Onden’s throne.”
“No, yours. Onden shall not live to see another year, like most of us, but you will, forming a new throne as foretold in the prophecy.”
“What do you mean by telling me this?”
“I give you enough knowledge so that you shall have no fear in what you do. Along with that boy who was chosen, you have also been chosen, Ondess, though you do not know it. Your importance in this mission is equal to his. When Onden dies, do not die with him. Have the strength to carry on, for without it we all shall die.”
“And you, what shall become of you?”
“What becomes of all grandfathers in such turbulent times: wait with grief.”
“Oh, grandfather, you acted as both mother and father to me when my
parents died. If it were not for you, my world would have been grey with grief, perhaps causing me to become another Akemi.”
“I am glad you are not. Beware of her, she is like a snake out to destroy all, save herself. If she and Ebsen were to be together, the result would be unstoppable.”
“But why did she get the boy, what would it have proven?”
“Not all can be forecasted so easily, Ondess, but in time all shall come forth to you. Go now and take the four with you. I shall keep you in my thoughts always.”
“Goodbye, grandfather,” said Ondess as she left the room.
When she was gone, Eron said, “Goodbye my dear child, and may Providence be there guiding you by your side.”