The food that was set on the table was quickly separated and divided on the five plates. Klyran would smell and ask about every dish: what it was made out of, which plants were used for seasoning, what else could be made with those ingredients and so on. His questions were coming one after another and at some point, when nobody at the table knew how to answer any longer, Ildurin decided to indulge his guest. He quickly asked the servant who was holding a pitcher filled with wine to go to the kitchens and fetch Julia.

Upon hearing the King’s call, the woman nearly ran to the room where they were serving dinner. In all her years of service, she was never once summoned during the meal itself. She wrecked her brain, thinking of what she could have done wrong. It must have been the new addition to the company, the woman concluded. The Royal family and Lord Aldryn never once spoke against her food, spare for words of praise, which were all done after the meal.

Upon arrival, Julia was unsure whether she should tremble or not. She did not know why she was summoned. When the two guards at the doors grabbed the handles, to open it for her, she took in a deep breath and straightened her back. She mustered as much grace as she could when entering the room. It was only after King Ildurin greeted her with a smile, did she released the breath she didn’t even notice to be holding.

“Ah... Julia” he begun and gestured to a chair located near Klyran, “I am sorry to be bothering you at such a busy time for you”, the blonde spoke in a light voice.

The woman offered a bow and straightened her back again, only this time, it seemed more relaxed. If when she entered the room her posture looked rather high-strung and some of her steps were faltered, now she seemed more at ease.

“How may I be of service my King?” she asked, her voice still shaking a bit, “Is some of the food... perhaps, not to your liking?” the question made her mouth dry, as the woman took pride in her trade.

“No such thing” the blonde said and waved his hand, as if dispersing the thought, “Klyran here is rather highly curious regarding how the food is made. He kept asking questions regarding the herbs and such that you used. I thought that it would be best to call you, as you are most fitting to indulge his curiosity” Ildurin said, deciding not to comment about the nervousness that Julia just demonstrated.

He felt a bit bad, knowing that he caused this woman to worry so much. She has been in his service for years now, since she was a little girl, and the King grew rather fond of her. He even attended her wedding and offered gifts when her children were born.

She approached the table and sat with grace on the vacant chair near the Ryan. While she found his behaviour rather strange, Julia never commented upon it. She did not question the way he smelled the food and then would ask what herbs were used to make it, but would smile and dutifully say the names of the various plants that can be found in her kitchen. The cook was even surprised to find out that this noble looking man could differentiate between different types of herbs and meats. It seemed that his sense of smell was much stronger than hers, even to the point that she felt a hint of jealously. Julia wished that she could sniff a dish and be able to tell each ingredient that was used to make it, as well as to guess the quantity based on how strong the smell was.

After everybody had their fill, Lunahera was the first one to rise form the table and excuse herself.

“I would like to indulge myself with some books before it is time for bed”, she said and flickered back some of her hair that fell on her shoulder.

Just as she was about to reach the door, Cyan jumped from his seat and ran up to the Queen grabbing her hand. The gesture was met with a small smile which made the young prince look at his feet and twist a bit the shirt that he was wearing. Despite years having passed, Cyan was still rather unused to the Castle and the big City.

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After the two of them left, Julia also rose from her seat and made a deep bow, claiming that she should get back to her duties, leaving only after she saw Ildurin wave her off. With only the three men left at the table, the King also gestured to all the servants who were attending them to leave. They quickly rushed out, as if their feet were on fire. Only a few of them made a small pause to put down the pitchers that contained the wine the guests drunk.

“I hope this evening was to your liking” Ildurin said and looked at Klyran.

“Humans never ceases to amaze me” was the young man’s reply.

“Now you sound just like the Kenman, I reckon the two of you will get along great” Aldryn muttered, while the King leaned back against his chair.

“How so?” Ildurin said amused.

“You created so many things out of mere plants. In my world there is only one plant that is actually useful to my kin. It is called Kherim and its roots are known for enhancing our healing abilities. The rest are poisonous to us, or simply not worth the effort of eating” the Ryan said and grabbed a nearby lettuce leaf to chew on it.

“So what it is that you eat?” the King asked, as he grabbed a pitcher and poured himself more wine, before refilling the cups of his guests.

“Meat”, was the easy reply, “though all the animals there are deadly and can rip a child to shreds”, as he said those words, Klyran scratched off a piece of his human skin and displayed his arm.

It was not easy to spot. The arm, where some skin was town was now covered in scales. They were of a beautiful black colour, slightly changing into a bluish one in the candle light that stood close to it. There could be seen a small line running around the forearm, where a few scales were obviously missing. It was rather hard to spot for someone who didn’t know where to look, because some other scales begun to grow and cover a bit of the damaged limb.

“Is that why you were not allowed to hunt?” the oracle asked, only to receive back a glare in return.

“Well they do say: The scars of a man are adventures, while that of a woman experience” Ildurin offered as he swirled a bit the liquid in his goblet before drinking some of it.

“My mother always hated that phrase” Aldryn suddenly said, causing Ildurin to pause and lower his drink.

“What else did she hate?” the King asked, looking highly interested.

It made Klyran guess rather quickly that it was not a common topic that his two companions talked about. His eyes found Aldryn and he looked at him and made sure to catch every word.

“She hated my father quite often”, the blonde laughed, “Yet somehow he always knew just what to do, the right words to say, to make her smile and hit him playfully.”

“I thought apostles were not allowed to speak of their past” Ildurin then suddenly said.

“It is not that we are forbidden from speaking of it, it’s something we chose not to” Aldryn supplied and took a sip from his own wine.

“Why is that?” Klyran the said, looking between the two blondes.

“Many reasons”, the oracle begun to explain, “Firstly is the attachment one has for their own blood. Something that can be easily manipulated by the wrong sort”, after those words he stopped, as if forming his next sentence.

“Then there is the pain. Because there is nothing more dangerous Klyran, than a bleeding heart, because it is the type of injury that can pour for years and never close up. It is an injury that never heals and the more you look at it, the more of you soul is consumed once blood no longer satisfy the heart.”

Those words were said with an easy smile, yet the atmosphere in the room was rather dark. All three men felt a pressure squeeze at their own hearts.

“What about your mother?” Klyran asked looking at the King, despite knowing that it was not a good topic to linger on.

“She passed away a few years before my late brother. She always had poor health and no medicine or magic could cure her. I still dream about her some nights, about the songs that she used to sing for me” Ildurin said with a small shrug and then looked at the Ryan with expectation in his eyes.

“My mother died in a fire when I was a child. I can barely remember her face... only her screams” he said back, looking at his two friends.

“Well I believe that is enough spoiled mood for tonight” the King clapped his hands and stood up, “I will go seek Lunahera and then sleep until tomorrow” he exclaimed as he left the room.

“Shall we also go to sleep?” Aldryn and Klyran, who only nodded and the two of them rose up.

Once they entered the halls, two servants greeted them, offering to show them to the rooms that were prepared for the King’s guests. They walked in silence, the Ryan feeling a bit dizzy, never having drunk wine before. He would often lean on Aldryn or touch a wall to not completely lose his balance. It made the priest both smile and feel a bit guilty. While he was amused by Klyran’s behaviour, he felt bad for forgetting to mention to his friends the effects of alcohol beforehand.

Once they reached the first bedroom, Aldryn helped Klyran into the bed and even covered him, while asking the two servants to start the fire going and visit this room once in a few hours to make sure their guest was warm. He told the two men, in their early twenties, that Klyran came from a land where the temperatures were much higher than here and how he often felt cold in the South. The two servants took those words to their hearts and after they made sure that the apostle was also comfortable for the night, they would visit Klyran every hour to throw more wood into the fire.