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2-21. Liquid Lunch

“Let us eat,” said the King, smiling ingratiatingly. “I hope our guests will find the meals prepared to their satisfaction. If not, our kitchen staff will bring additional options for you.”

Adon, already impressed with the variety of options that he could see in front of him, had nothing to say to that, except a quiet Thank you, Your Majesty!

He felt like he ought to add something more, but both his imagination and his courage failed him. Instead of making conversation, he simply flapped his wings and flitted up to the lip of the nearest goblet.

It was really kind of them to consider my new mouthparts, he thought. His proboscis was optimized specifically for drinking things rather than chewing. Although he believed he might be able to use his strange new partial shapeshifting to form it back into mandibles, he wanted to give his body a chance to succeed in eating in the way that was most normal for a butterfly.

Adon began to unfurl his coiled up proboscis and had almost dipped it into the goblet, when he realized he might be making a faux pas.

He turned and looked to see if the King or any of the Royal Family had begun to eat yet.

They were all staring at him.

Now I’m that kind of guest, he thought. No manners…

“Please, um, dig in, Adon,” the King said. “Unless you would like to say our mealtime prayer.”

A few seconds passed before Adon could muster a response.

No, please go ahead, he sent. I will start eating after the, um, prayer.

The King bowed his head, closed his eyes, and began to speak.

“Thank you, Goddess, for this life-giving meal. Thank you for the table, the palace, the country, and the people. Thank you for nature and light. Thank you for sending us our guests.” He smiled. “Thank you for making this marvelous world and giving each of us our place in it. May the beauty of Your creation abide with us all the days of our lives. So be it.”

The King raised his head and opened his eyes again.

Without further prompting, everyone at the table began lifting utensils and eating their lunch. Adon saw that the humans had what looked and smelled like meat pies on their plates. They were decorated with an intricate butterfly-themed pastry design. Like a puzzle that was made out of interlocking butterflies.

The sight of the pies made him slightly more nervous, if that were possible.

It really feels like we’re celebrating me with this lunch, even though the Princess only just recovered from being in a coma.

Adon stuck his proboscis into the drink in front of him, which he saw was amber-colored. He sucked in a gulp, but he did not taste anything in his mouth, even as he swallowed down the liquid. He felt as if he was drinking something alcoholic and bittersweet, but it was hard for him to be sure of how he knew it.

He took a few seconds to try and isolate where the taste was coming from.

Wait, do I have taste buds on my legs now?

It felt like the most absurd twist of Evolution yet.

So, do I need to lower myself into the cup if I want to taste it more strongly? He was not sure whether he should do that or not. If he tasted the beer more directly with his legs, would that contribute to getting him drunk? Adon did not want to get hammered in front of the Royal Family.

“Would you be so kind as to tell us a little more about yourselves, Adon and Goldie?” The King’s voice interrupted Adon’s train of thought.

Adon was struck silent for a few seconds, while he tried to think of anything about himself that was worth knowing.

He was saved by the spider.

It is very kind of you to ask, Goldie sent. My friend and I were both born—or, more accurately, hatched—in your garden. We both previously lived lives as humans, although my memory of my previous life is almost nonexistent. Adon—Goldie looked his way as if she wanted him to speak. Then she seemed to decide that he probably wasn’t ready yet. Adon remembers more. It is thanks to him that I have kept my sanity all this time. Until the birth of my children, I had no one else to talk to.

Adon saw that even as Goldie transmitted her surprisingly diplomatic and eloquent introduction to the King, she and her children were also eating the raw birds that had been placed before them. As they were employing the usual spider method of eating—partially liquefying the birds and then sucking out the juices—he forced himself to look away so as to avoid losing his appetite.

I need to say something now, Adon thought. But he stood paralyzed for a few key seconds.

“That is marvelous,” said the Queen.

“Congratulations on the safe birth of your children,” said the King.

Goldie’s posture shifted slightly, and Adon recognized that the word “safe” had upset her slightly. This pushed him to speak up.

Goldie went through a lot at that time, Your Majesty, Adon transmitted. It was dangerous, but she managed to survive.

He felt at once relieved that he had managed to say something and annoyed that he hadn’t made it more thoughtful or eloquent.

They all know she survived, dumbass, he told himself angrily. She’s right here!

“I apologize if my choice of words was insensitive,” the King said in a subdued tone. “Of course, survival cannot be easy out there.” He gestured vaguely in the direction of the garden.

Well, we chose to remain out there, Goldie sent. The Princess had offered to bring us into the palace much earlier, but we preferred to take our chances for a little longer, until Adon and I had completed our Evolutions, and I had hatched my eggs.

What Goldie said was not quite accurate—Adon had essentially made the decision that he was not ready to meet new people and then sold Goldie on that choice—but he appreciated her taking half of the responsibility from his shoulders.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

It’s my fault that we were attacked by the wasps, he thought guiltily. My fault that Red died. No matter how many times Goldie tries to make me feel better, I’ll always know it’s true.

His eyes focused on Samson for a moment. Did his reincarnated brother know what Adon had denied him, with Adon’s poor decision making? Perhaps the resentment that had boiled up in Adon since he encountered his brother in this world was not a one way street.

I’ll have to ask Goldie about that, he thought. Considering how she’s whitewashed my decision making just now, I wouldn’t be surprised if she conveniently forgot to mention it to Samson.

Adon heard the Princess’s voice, and he was pulled out of his self-obsessed pattern of thoughts.

“I am glad you have chosen to join us now,” she was saying. “I hope you will find the interior of the palace more to your liking than the garden.”

I like it much more than the garden so far, Adon sent without thinking much of it.

At least I can sort of talk to the Princess, he thought. Unlike the rest of the Royal Family, she was not new to him. Besides Goldie, she was the person he had spoken with most in this world.

“How is your meal, honored guests?” the Queen asked.

Adon looked down at the drink that he now felt fairly certain was beer.

Um, it’s beer—Adon stopped himself from rambling further, then added a simple, I haven’t tried the other goblets yet.

Goldie turned to face Adon, and he read her posture as indicating that she was surprised about his total lack of social skills.

She was probably just standing the way she always stood, but that was how it felt to Adon.

All I said was that it was beer, what is wrong with me? Adon shouted inside of his own head. They’ll think I hate it!

“Yes, um, do you dislike beer?” the Queen asked slowly. “Would you have preferred wine? You do have a fermented fruit drink in one of your goblets that my dear husband—” She smiled at the King—“ordered specially prepared for you.”

“Two different fruits in two different goblets,” the King said, grinning. “We have others that were brewed, but we did not want to overwhelm you. I know butterflies do not typically eat as much as caterpillars.”

I do not dislike the beer, Adon sent, angrily forcing himself to act like a normal person. I will make sure to try everything.

He flitted to another goblet, and as soon as his legs touched the rim, the air around the liquid brought him a strong flavor of overripe strawberries.

Adon was simultaneously aware that if he was a human, he would have considered throwing this batch of strawberries into the trash—and that the fruits had been aged just the right amount for him to enjoy the liquefied berries.

Oh, this is going to be delicious! he thought.

He stuck his proboscis into the mixture without further thought, and he began eagerly drinking the fermented beverage.

I think he likes it, Goldie transmitted to the table. We are also enjoying the birds that were so thoughtfully prepared for us. I hope it was interesting for the young princes and princesses.

Adon became aware as Goldie spoke that Rosslyn’s siblings had barely been eating. Instead, they had mostly been staring in fascination at Goldie and her children’s plate as the family of spiders ate the birds that had been provided for them.

“I feel certain that it is very educational,” Rosslyn replied quietly. “In this family, the natural sciences are something of an intergenerational passion. The dining habits of spiders are as interesting as the Evolution of a butterfly for us.”

“We hope they have given no offense,” added the Queen.

None to me, Samson sent, speaking up to the whole table for the first time. Your Majesty.

The Queen rose from her seat and walked around the table to get a closer look at Samson.

“What a precious young thing,” she murmured. She looked at Goldie. “He is so young. My husband was just telling me earlier how rare telepathic arthropods are. To achieve that so soon after hatching—you must be very proud.”

Goldie’s body visibly relaxed under the Queen’s praise.

I have tried to raise them well, Goldie sent. Dear Samson here remembers his immediate past life, a lot like Adon, Your Majesty.

“I do not know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but you mystic beasts do not have to call us by honorifics,” the Queen said. “We consider you as royals of your own species, effectively, so there is no reason why we should not all relax around each other. My name is Carolien.”

I should say, I do not remember as much as Adon, Samson sent, jumping in. Though I do remember we were brothers.

“Brothers in your previous life, eh?” the King said, raising an eyebrow. “What are the chances of that?” He looked intrigued.

“If the Goddess wants it to happen, then it was a certainty that it would,” Rosslyn said.

“Then the only question is why,” Carolien said. “What task are these two meant to accomplish?”

Adon flitted uncomfortably to another goblet. His strawberry drink was almost completely finished. He had gulped it down quickly as the conversation went on.

He was in the awkward position of simultaneously feeling uncomfortable with being the center of attention and not wanting his brother to start getting the spotlight.

And as he moved, more clumsily than he had before, in a kind of ungainly zigzag through the air, he realized he might be in the early stages of getting drunk.

Should not be possible, he told himself. I didn’t even have that much beer—oh.

Adon realized he had sent that sequence of thoughts as a telepathic missive rather than keeping it to himself.

Well, that means I’m definitely getting drunk, he thought to himself much more carefully.

“What were you, um, saying, Adon?” Rosslyn asked.

Nothing, he sent immediately. I was just appreciating the quality of these beverages.

Adon felt a little better about himself suddenly.

That was a competently constructed reply to what she said, he thought.

“We are very glad you are enjoying them,” the King said. “I meant to introduce myself, too.” He nodded toward his wife. “My name is Alistair, and you should all feel free to use it.”

I will try to make certain I do, Your Maj—er, Alistair, Adon sent. It will take some getting used to!

A quiet jubilation swelled up in Adon’s chest, as he realized that the alcohol in the fermented fruit drinks was making him less nervous—or at least preventing him from holding much back.

I have to be careful how I manage this, he told himself. Buzzed is one thing. If I get drunk, I’m going to start spilling all kinds of embarrassing secrets. He began drinking from a goblet that smelled like slightly sweetened water rather than fruit.

I wonder what this drink is.

“That one is just sugar water,” Alistair said, smiling.

Adon realized he had again sent that last thought out, rather than keeping it to himself.

Oh dear, he thought very quietly.

He continued hydrating—and wondered if this meal would end before he said something that got him and his friends thrown out of the royal household.

Maybe you could tell us something about your family’s long history with bugs, Goldie transmitted to everyone, perhaps trying to cover for Adon. Out of everyone at the table, she was the one who was most likely to recognize there was something slightly off about her friend.