The family dinner.

The Royal family had gathered in the palace dining hall. They were seated around a long table that had far too many seats for just the few of them. The King, naturally, sat at the head of the table with his wife Caroline at his side. Stewart, the heir apparent, sat to his father’s other side and opposite his mother. Adella sat to her mother’s side and Duncan was seated opposite his elder sister, next to Stewart. Being the most distant relative to the King, Alan sat furthest away at Adella’s side.

‘We don’t do these dinners often enough—with always someone being busy,’ the Queen said to her family, eyeing Duncan with her last words. She looked to her husband, ‘It is somewhat sad it took a visit from your dear nephew to bring us all together at the table again.’
  The King smiled, ‘Well, we’re all here together now, my dear. That’s what counts right?’ He glanced down the table to Alan, ‘Besides, Alan’s visit is not a mere family reunion. We do have some business to discuss.’
  The Queen looked to Alan, ‘I had heard of that. Why are you here again, dear nephew?’
  Alan cleared his voice and spoke, ‘The Obscurian mission hired me to help with the talks between Obscuria and Mirantia. Ambassador von Felsenstadt will be leading the talks, though, as I understand.’
  The King nodded and then looked to his sons, ‘Would one of you like to attend those talks? Especially you, Stewart, you’ll have to do all of that one day.’
  ‘You’ve got plenty of years to go, Father,’ Stewart frowned, ‘But I wouldn’t be averse to seeing how you handle diplomacy for myself.’
  Malcolm chuckled, ‘Good, very good. And you, Duncan?’
  Duncan laughed nervously, ‘O, I’m sure you have more than enough people with Stewart and Alan there. Too many cooks and all that? I also have magical training—yes, that’s right.’
  ‘Fine, suit yourself,’ the King sighed and turned to his eldest son, ‘Just make sure you sire me some grandchildren before you kick the bucket, son. Woe betide us if Duncan would ever be king.’
  Alan noticed that Adella was uneasy during the whole conversation between her father and brothers. ‘You alright, ‘Ella?’ he whispered to her.
  Adella looked to him in surprise, drawn out of her own thoughts, ‘Ahm—no. It’s nothing.’
  ‘Care to tell the rest of the family what the two of you are whispering about?’ Malcom called to them.
  ‘Nothing, Father. It was nothing.’ Adella told him.
  The King frowned, ‘Well, nothing it is then.’ He looked over to one of the servants standing besides the door. She was a lovely girl, short of stature but cushioned in all the right places. Her red hair was bound in a long braid and her blue eyes were turned downward in reverence. ‘You may serve now,’ He told her concisely. She curtsied and left the room.

A short while later, a small company of servants filed in through the double doors and began laying a cornucopia of delicious food onto the long dining table. Every appetite would find something pleasing on the menu: fresh salads and soups, rabbit stew, baked taters, filled pastries and much more. When the table was full, the glasses filled, and the servants had left again, leaving only the lone fire-haired girl at the door, the King rose to address his family.
  ‘Today’s meal looks delicious,’ he chuckled, ‘Now, I raise my glass to my nephew, who came to us from exile.’ His family members rose and held their glasses to toast, ‘And to my son, who beat him the moment he came back.’ The King laughed, and the others did likewise. They drank and settled down to eat, exchanging small titbits and pleasantries in-between.

The conversation fell to the fight in the courtyard earlier that day.
  ‘Too bad I missed it, Stewart. You all make it sound quite exciting,’ the Queen said.
  Adella touched her mother’s arm, ‘O, it was quite exciting.’ She giggled and looked at Stewart, ‘You nearly lost back there, little brother.’
  Duncan joined in, ‘Yeah, Alan made you look pretty slow, Stewart.’
  Stewart raised his finger, ‘I’ll admit, he’s a bit quicker on his feet than I, but I have better technique and more experience. I mean, I didn’t lose in the end, now did I? Alan’s cheek can bear witness to that one.’ He chuckled.
  Alan laughed, ‘It still stings a bit.’
  ‘Your skills are lost on a “diplomatic mission” if you ask me, cousin. You should become a knight,’ Stewart said.
  ‘What knight would take on a twenty-year-old squire?’ Alan asked in jest.
  ‘O, I’m sure one of the female knights would love to have you as her squire,’ Stewart joked and winked at Alan. ‘Like Dame Hildegard, right Duncan?’
  Duncan face turned into a blissful smile, remembering a pleasant memory, ‘Hildegard, what a feisty one she is.’
  Adella’s mouth was agape, ‘What? You and the knight captain?!’
  Duncan whistled, ‘Who me? I would never~’
  ‘Who around here didn’t you screw?!’ Adella groaned.
  ‘Language, honey,’ the Queen said with a musical giggle.
  Duncan leaned back and tapped his finger to his chin, ‘Let’s see, there’s you and mother, of course, but then I didn’t have the pleasure of the cook Melinda yet.’ He looked to the girl at the door, ‘I haven’t made full introduction with that cutie over there, either.’ He winked at her and blew her a kiss. She only stiffened even more than she normally did in the presence of Royalty and blushed profusely.
  Adella eyes narrowed, ‘I’ll just casually ignore that you named mother and I in your list of not-yet-conquered women.’
  Duncan laughed, ‘Hey, you said, “around here”. And the two of you are, in fact, around here.’
  ‘Speaking of conquered women,’ the King perked up, ‘Who were those two lovely ladies you had with you earlier?’
  Duncan grinned, ‘Well, the red-head’s a Merchant’s daughter—sells silk gowns down at the square—I met her when I was there fitting some new undergarments, if you know what I mean.’ The King laughed. ‘The brunette is Lady Warrick’s granddaughter, I think.’
  The King looked at his youngest expectantly, ‘And you have?’
  Duncan nodded, ‘I may have once or twice.’
  ‘Bugger me, you’re only eighteen and you’ve probably bedded more women than I!’ the King said. ‘What about you, Stewart, anything to boast about?’
  Adella protested, ‘Father this is hardly talk for the dinner table.’
  Stewart said, ‘You kind of started it, dear sister. But, to answer your question, Father, I’ve—ahm—reduced my conquests recently.’
  Caroline smiled, ‘O, did you finally find a sweetheart, my dear?’
  Stewart blushed, ‘Something like that.’
  ‘When can we meet this mystery woman?’ the Queen asked.
  Stewart laughed nervously, ‘It’s to early for that, I think.’
  The Queen frowned, ‘Fine, fine. Have your secrets.’ She sighed, ‘But I would so very much like to meet the girl that could capture my son’s heart.’
  ‘You will, when the time is right,’ Stewart assured her.
  Adella smiled for the first time in a while, ‘There isn’t that much better than talking about Duncan’s exploits?’

Alan only watched and listened, while his family laughed and bickered with each other. It felt nearly surreal to be sitting there with a loving family. He had missed this, and just smiled looking at the scene before him.