The stone corridor of a Medieval castle

The dim stone corridor was not very inviting, what with only a few smoky torches illuminating the portraits of their long-dead relatives that adorned the otherwise bare walls. I was used to it, however, and so were my sisters, so without a pause we journeyed forth toward the dining hall. The only sound came from the girls' heels, going click-clack-click-clack.

The dining hall was as grand as always. Suits of armour stood on two sides, with a gigantic fireplace on the third and the double doors leading outside on the fourth. A massive table, covered with a long, red tablecloth, stood on the middle. A small group of maids were fussing about, carrying empty platters away to the kitchen and returning with full ones. Our entire extended family was present, all of them busy eating and drinking. At the head of the table, our father sat on his ornate dining throne, his golden crown reflecting the light from the chandelier.

"Ah, my son! Come, sit next to me! You are just in time as our important guest should arrive soon!"

Father's voice boomed across the room. I would've winced but, having grown up at his castle, I was used to the fact that he could only speak at maximum volume, making his beard shake. I nodded at him and sat down next to him, nodding to my older brother Robert who was already seated on father's other side. And as always, the annoying cunt did not even bother acknowledging my presence. After all, he was the crown prince and I was merely a prince, so obviously I was beneath his station. Instead of getting aggravated, I took some sausages and eggs and checked that Rose and Lily had found seats. Some in the family still harboured resentment at them, despite Father issuing a Royal Decree that they were mine and not split between Robert and me. It had been a struggle to convince Father but we had succeeded and the twins had been extremely grateful that I managed to avoid them getting split up. In the end, the bond between triplets, even if we were not all identical, was seen as divine enough that Father allowed us to stay together. Meaning that Robert had to contend himself with having two of our cousins as his consorts. I was pretty sure that the fact that his consorts could not hold a candle next to our sisters probably played a part in his continuing hostility towards me.

My musings were interrupted by the herald pushing the double doors of the hall open and announcing the arrival of the guest Father had mentioned.