First person pov
My eyes widened like they would pop out of my sockets. I couldn't get over the shock and get a proper sentence out of my mouth. It was my father's chief commander!
Behind him stood my father's second in command and a few guardsmen with different uniforms from the palace guards.
I guess they were gaurds from the training grounds. I also noticed the maids that were meant to be in my room this morning to help me get ready at the far end corner of the hall. Other servants walked by quickly with out sparing me a glance as though I was some alien or I had grown two heads. I was looking around as I totally forgot the enourage in front of me suddemly a voice cut through my thoughts and stopped my wondering eyes. "Good morning my prince" he said. I snapped my head back to look at the speaker and it was the chief commander. Ah right! Why was he here again? He never bothered with me or training me because to him I was unfit. I quickly responded and said "Good morning commander, to what do I owe this great honor of your presence?" I said raising an eyebrow. Every thing smelled suspicious. From their gaze to their looks, I could see the hatred. But they dared not say a word nor air their thoughts. And I was sure they were here on my father's orders.
What could be the reason?
"We are here to inform you of your father's instructions for your training" he responded with a tired sigh at the end. "Training?" "Why?"
"And why couldn't the information wait till breakfast?" "I just finished my beauty sleep... Surely it ca..."
I was still speaking when the second in command said "I told his majesty this was a bad idea. This boy would be the shams of us all!" He said with a look of disgust while his face squeezed. "Here we are making important plans and all he thinks of is sleep and food" he said in a loud voice. "You are just as useless as your mother !" He continued
"we don't need you because we don't have the time for a sickly person like you for a warrior and I certainly don't welcome the idea of training a weakling and certainly not a cursed child who has no sense of duty.... I am not surprised you turned out this way because I can see your mother has taught you nothing" he finished with a puff while glaring daggers at me. Anger coursed through my veins and I was livid inside because my rage was boiling. But I kept my expression calm until he was done. I looked up at him and glared back with the same intensity before I spoke. "Now you listen to me you lapdog,-- because I will not repeat myself! Keep my mother's name out of your God forsaken mouth." I paused there were a few gaps from the servants and onlookers but I cared less.
"You--!" He pointed and looked at me like I had stoned him with hot coal. But i wasn't done , he had crossed the line and I was still crossing mine. I looked dead at him and continue " I am not done I don't know whatever grudge you have with my mother but if you as much as breathe her name one more time in my presence I would make your life and that of your children miserable.... To you I maybe weak and useless but to her I am her world and she is mine so think carefully before spouting whatever garbage that is filled in that head of yours. After all your first marriage ended because you couldn't please your wife and had no time for your family so I wonder who is useless amongst both of us or who is it who has no sense of duty." I finished while boring a hole through him with my eyes.
"You!" He fumed and made to lunge at me but was held back by the guards. Now I felt satisfied with myself. For the first time I had spoken up for myself. I turned to the commander who has been silent the whole time. That was how he was a man of few words. He never said more than was necessary. "Would be with you shortly... I would see you at breakfast" I said. He gave me a curt nod and said "we leave at noon" I nodded and then they turned to leave, well not before the second in command gave me a death look before storming off with the rest of the entourage. I exhaled the breath I never knew I was holding. I knew I would be reported because the lapdog was a tattle tale but I cared less. I had defended my mother and that was only what mattered to me. Nothing else mattered.
~~~~~~
I arrived for breakfast in the dining hall.
When I got to the large dining hall I stood at the door and surveyed where to sit and my eyes rested beside the seat next to the queen strangely it was empty. Usually her daughter sat there during meals and maybe occasionally her sister when she comes to visit. Although I would have preferred to sit somewhere else on a regular day since the the table was long enough. Though this section was exclusively reserved for the royal family it was still long enough to fit a hundred more people. On other days I sat two or three seats away from everyone but today, I felt like sitting close to my family for some weird reasons. As I walked around to the side of the table and sat down. I noticed the chattering on the table died down and every one on the table turned their gaze to me some looked with disdain,some disgust and others surprise. Well I normally had my breakfast in my room and avoided being in the same room with everyone except it was absolutely necessary.
I ignored the stares and focused on the ring on my hand. I kept turning it around my baby finger until I felt someone's gaze burn through me. As vampires we all had abilities but as direct descendants of second generation vampires our bloodline gave us access to certain gifts although I hadn't found out what mine was, I had trained myself to feel the presence of people or to connect to their emotions and what I was feeling right now was anger. It was coming from the other side of the table away from where I sat. It was a woman sitting with lips painted as though she dipped them in blood. Her face looked like she painted them with the rainbow.
'What a waste of color' I thought.
Sighing I made to turn my gaze from her but then she spoke "Devin, how are you?... how nice of you to join us today" her voice dripped with sarcasm even though it sounded sweet I knew the words were far from nice pleasantries. But I ignored her attempt at a conversation and went on playing with my ring and staring at my hand. I heard a large clatter on the table and then my name was called aloud "Devin!" She shouted
"What is it?!" I retorted
"Have you no manners nor respect for elders?" She fired me with a question.
"And just who is this elder I am meant respect?" I asked feigning ignorance.
"I am your elder and like your mother I am married to the king so I am your mother too and you should show me respect.!" She fumed, huffing and puffing vas she spoke. The rest of the family members did nothing to intervene rather they watched like they were having their own share of fun. I looked around the room again and my eyes darted towards the door of the large hall. We were all waiting for the king and queen to arrive for breakfast to begin. I had better things to do with my time than sit and bicker with, a bunch empty heads. I wanted to storm out of the dining hall and leave but I didn't want to give them the satisfaction of riling me up and making me lose my cool. I turned to look straight into the eyes of my step mother Miya. She was just one of my father's concubine because she had a child for him that is why she was sited at this table. I noticed that after a while she couldn't hold my gaze and seemed uncomfortable then I spoke "respect is earned and not demanded. He who demands it is not worthy of it." She opened her mouth to speak in a fit of rage but I beat her to it "those where your words to my mother when she asked to be respected when you recently became a concubine, and chose to ignore her presence during a royal feast...are you going back on your words or is it double standards?" I said
while curving my lips into a smirk. "You--!" She screeched like banshee. But before the words left her lips a ceramic bowl was hurled at me and instinctively I raised my teacup to have it clash against it and it ended up clattering and fall to the ground while breaking into pieces just at the same time the the doors burst open...