Chapter 9: A friend in the scale
“I’m sure you’re just hungry. Let’s go eat.” Kai turned to her and said as he took his hand in hers. She felt awkward rejecting his hand, but felt awkward holding it as well.
She received many stares as the four walked through the castle halls. She tried to pull her hand from Kai’s by the second or third stare, but he just held tighter.
They found their way to a dining hall. It was practically silent. Only soft murmurs filled the room, nothing louder than a whisper. Juniper saw they were all sitting on the floor on pillows, the way a warrior would accept a new sword or something majestic.
They all had the ashy black clothes as Kai’s, embroidered with fine red thread. Their hair was all tied and braided. Another thing that stood out apart from them sitting on the floor, as silent as a mouse’s squeak, dressed ready for war, was how they ate. They all ate with their hands. No fork or spoon to be found. They grabbed something from one side of their trays and used it to pick up the saucier food before placing it in their mouths.
The food looked foreign; the smells were unfamiliar, and the eating customs were foreign. Juniper felt herself having a bit of culture shock. Especially since there were so many people in the room, she somehow grabbed all the room’s attention while Kai refused to let go of her hand.
He walked her to the line. There were so many options to pick from, but overwhelmed as she was, she was content with hearing Kai and Stasia plan her whole meal.
“She needs to try some of that!” Stasia’s bright voice was like a beacon of safety to her. It shocked her when Dayton even added a suggestion for her. Kai made many glances toward Juniper but said nothing. It was as if he could tell she was feeling nervous.
They made their way toward an empty table. She was shocked they could find it easily, given the number of people in the room. They sat the same way as everyone else. Juniper did her best to mimic them. She found it uncomfortable.
“It’s okay if you don’t like something, but you should at least try everything,” Kai said, pushing her plate towards her and finally letting go of her hand.
She noticed the sweat left on her. She wiped her palm and stared at the plate. It felt like they were all waiting for her to eat first.
“We have two stable foods here. One is more of a fluffy bread called pan, and the other is, I guess, in a way very firm mashed potatoes called ma,” he spoke as he pulled a piece of ma in his hands and rolled it into a ball. “Every bite must always have more of a staple food than the meal itself. Use it how you would like a spoon to pick what you wish to eat, and then…” he placed the ma with some meaty sauce into his mouth. The moment he took a bite, the other two ate as well.
Perhaps they weren’t waiting for her to eat but for him to start. That was interesting to her. She hesitantly mimicked what he had just done, not because she was nervous that the food would taste bad. Juniper had never been known to be a finicky eater. She was just being careful not to mess up somehow. She was aware of the eyes on her around the room.
She wasn’t nearly as graceful as the others or as clean. Who knew eating with your hands was so tricky? The food often fell from her fingertips, and the sauce was everywhere.
She looked towards Stasia as she spoke with so much vigor. Stasia’s hands were spotless. It was the same for Kai and Dayton as well. How the heck? She thought as she continued to mimic them to the best of her ability.
Luckily for Juniper, their conversation was in English as they spoke about some girl whose boyfriend cheated on her and all the drama about it. It was interesting to listen to, but Juniper couldn’t keep up with the storyline.
Stasia made Juniper feel at ease and would have been more than willing to listen to her until a man ran up to the table, taking a knee as Dayton had the other day when he pissed off Kai.
He spoke something Juniper could not understand. Kai only nodded, and the group suddenly felt ill at ease. Juniper felt she shouldn’t ask, but her mind ran wild with possible answers.
“You are full already?” Kai asked, turning his attention to her. The food was terrific. She loved the sauce, and all the seasoning put into it, but the stares in the room felt heavy in her gut. She wanted to continue to eat, but she felt queasy and nervous about the dangers of eating.
She nodded her head yes. Kai frowned. It looked like she had barely eaten, but to her defense, she did at least take a bit of every food.
“K, let’s go. We have a meeting to attend.”
...
Juniper walked into a large, open room. The roof was covered with a ceiling filled with murals depicting stories of dragons and war and love, and who knows what else. She was being ushered so fast that it was hard for her to catch everything. She was sure she looked odd with her head in the air, but didn’t care since it meant she didn’t have to feel the stares of every passerby.
They walked to the center, where natural light shone in, and were met by a waterfall with a mermaid statue shooting out with the water. Every stone of the waterfall sparkled under the sun.
“Stay here, please, and stay in sight. We will only be a moment.”
She watched as the three walked towards the halls with the beautiful pictures and met with a group three times as large as theirs. Among them was the king. Juniper went on watching the fountain.
“Psst. You must be the prince’s new gal.” A chipper yet hoarse voice spoke over the sound of the water. She turned to see a much older gentleman with a cane making his way to her, but stopped at an odd distance. “Come here. Let me get a look at you.”
She looked at the older man. He had a gray beard that hadn’t been cut in years, moving from his chin like a tumbleweed. Then she looked at Kai, and their eyes met. She quickly noticed the old man stood in the perfect blind spot from Kai’s view. This didn’t stop her from walking to the man.
“Awe, yes, you are pure of heart. But be wary here in this castle. Not everyone can be trusted.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re a human girl. The Royals will not tell you this, but riots have already begun since you arrived at the king’s castle last night. Rebel groups want your head.”
Shocked at what she heard, she stared at the man to see the left side of his cheek crawling from his beard was a dark black smudge.
If she hadn’t known better, she would have thought it was simply a bruise, but upon a heavier look, she could tell it was much like what her grandad had on his arm: an old, shriveled-up, aged tattoo.
“Wha-”
“Never mind that child. Tis only my job to warn you and tell you, you have a friend in the scale.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what that means.”
“You will know what it means when you need it to know. But you must not mate with the prince. You’re not intended for him.”
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone