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Royal Dinner

It was a grand affair, nothing like the casual dinners he had with his mother, and much more extravagant than the occasional embassy parties he went to. We followed King Trigon into his chambers. The sound of heavy boot footfalls and clinking armor echoed as we moved. The first thing Kai noticed was the decoration growing more elaborate the farther they walked. Nearly everything was gold-touched, even the walls of the corridors. King Trigon's chambers proved to be just as spacious as Marius's, if not bigger.

Kai suspected they were bigger.

They entered the antechamber.

He lost count of the servants that were milling about King Trigon's antechamber, each designated with a task. Some carried silverware filled with delicacies he'd never seen before, going to place them on the table. Others stood in formation, waiting to serve or be called on. They lined the walls, three servants on each side.

The guards moved to stand watch at the room's corners, relaxed but vigilant.

In the middle of the antechamber sat a table filled with all sorts of foods -all unfamiliar- on gold plates of various shapes and sizes. He was actually surprised to find that it resembled the tables he often saw in period dramas depicting European Royalty. Jewel-encrusted cutlery and glass flutes rested atop a cream-colored cloth that was the length of the table. Actual candelabras were strategically placed across the two-meter long rectangular table instead of bioluminescent jellyfish.

Kai saw the first painting hanging on the wall since he'd arrived here. It was hung behind the chair where he assumed King Trigon would sit.

The table only had two chairs, and only two sets of plates and cutlery.

"Bring a chair." Marius ordered.

A chair was produced out of nowhere and placed on the right side of the armchair on the left side of the table. The chair was armless.

The servants moved in unison. They pulled the kings' chairs as they went to sit. Once both were seated, a servant came to pull Kai's chair for him to sit in. He dropped into it like a log.

A servant put plates and cutlery in front of him.

"Tell me of him." King Trigon said while looking at Marius.

"I will tell you nothing." Marius's eyes narrowed the slightest bit. Kai noticed the tightening of Marius's jaw only because he was sitting so close to him, their feet occasionally pumping.

He'd never seen Marius wary before. He'd seen him smug, arrogant and downright insulting, but never wary.

He wanted to make Marius wary of him. He wanted to be acknowledged by him. He wanted to be respect-

Kai quickly stifled that last thought. What did he need Marius's respect for? It wasn't like he respected Marius.

"Oh, come now, grandson. You must! We've both dreamt about finding the host for years. I must admit to you that I was beginning to lose hope. Of course, I never doubted you, but I'm not as young as I used to be."

They're talking about me, Kai realized and a knot of dread coiled in his gut.

Of course they were talking about him. What else was there to talk about between a grandfather and his grandson? Suddenly, he was the sun and the moon and everything revolved around him somehow. Kai was frankly fed up with all this attention. It wasn't something he'd ever bargained for.

They were only at the start of their evening and already he was dreading the rest of the bloated affair. The only thing he could look forward to was going to see his mother after this dinner debacle.

Marius's eyes flashed blue like a bolt of lightning. A lesser merman would have gone up in flames where he stood. "I didn't. I found him." And it was the most possessive thing Kai had ever heard him say.

He's mine, he was saying. He's mine and you can't have him.

The ghost of a chill wiggled down his spine.

He got the distinct feeling a secret battle was being waged over the assorted dishes of fish and weird-looking fish eggs.

A battle over him. He was being fought over like a piece of furniture, or the dog in a couple's nasty divorce. Neither of the couple really cared about getting the dog; they just wanted it to spite the other.

But then he doubted there were magical dogs out there.

On second thought, mermaids were a thing and he was half one. He should really reconsider his beliefs.

King Trigon's smile fell. All feigned sweetness was gone from his voice when he said, "You would never have found him if it were not for our teachings and guidance, boy." He was suddenly speaking in the royal 'our'.

Boy. He'd called Marius the Conqueror 'boy' like that man wasn't as old as some countries. Just how much older was King Trigon exactly?

Kai got the distinct feeling that only a few select individuals could call Marius 'boy' without promptly losing their head.

"Trust when we tell you that your guidance stopped being of any use centuries ago. It was with our endeavors that he was found. If we had followed your teachings, the ocean would have dried up before we ever found a trace of him." It was Marius's turn to switch to the royal speech.

Animosity was ripe in the air. Dinner was promptly forgotten, not that Kai could stomach swallowing a single bite. He half expected the two kings to flip the table out of the way and go at each other with the butter knives. Now that would be a show.

How did Marius find him anyway?

Apparently, it hadn't been easy. He made a mental note to ask about this later, hopefully on their way to see his mother.

"How quick you are to forget that you would not be who are are today if it were not for our generosity and care-"

"The only thing you ever cared about is drinking and fucking-"

"-when your father was busy waging wars all over the ocean like some deranged-"

"Do not speak to me about my father!" Marius's face blackened, like a dark thunderstorm. Only a fool would dare say anything after that.

"I took you in, you ungrateful wretch! Gave you a house to belong to when your own mother-"

The candelabras abruptly sizzled off, and then they flickered on again, except this time the fire was purple.

Kai stared at the purple flame with rounded eyes, unable to hide his astonishment.

It had to be more magic.

In a low voice that would have sent the most dauntless of men running for the hills, Marius said, "You will not say another word about our mother. Your daughter." The last bit sounded like an accusation.

So King Trigon was father to Marius's mother.

Kai recalled his mother. She'd been sitting in one of the amphitheater's alcoves, and had summoned her champion to fight him. He recalled her riveting beauty and cold blue eyes, much like Marius's, much like his grandfather's.

It was almost funny how the two were alike both in physical traits and character. They deserved each other, really. They all did.

King Trigon guffawed in laughter.

Kai gaped.

"These little parlor tricks won't work on me, boy. Or are you trying to impress your guest?"

Trigon finally looked at Kai, piercing him with his shark-like blue gaze. All evening, Kai had been relieved by the fact that the White King seemed to be ignoring him.

But it seemed he now had the King's full attention.