The door to the private royal dining room creaked open slightly and for a moment it seemed that perhaps it had only been a very strong draft in the castle that had caused it to move. Alice’s tiny face peaked into the room, eyes wide as they darted around the room, taking in sights that a typical commoner of her status would never be able to see. Despite her obvious wonder, her feet stayed planted outside the door, hesitant to cross a threshold that she had internalized as something that should have been out of her reach. Her training tunic had been slightly altered from the one the other girls wore, brilliant purple stitching had been added along the bottom hem and the sleeves of the garment. I was certain they held some special meaning or function, though the fiend had not shared exactly what it might be.

“Come in, come in, you’re letting in a draft,” Feros said jovially.

Princess Tiffany let out the usual small gasp as she was forced to perceive the creature and gave an uncomfortable glance in his direction, but settled back into her plate of food. It seemed that she was begrudgingly starting to acclimate to his presence. I was absolutely certain that being the least magically inclined person I had ever met, that Tiffany was confirming that truly powerful beings were hard for non-magical people to detect and their minds ignored their existance unless necessary.

Alice pushed open the door just wide enough for her body to fit through and leaned her body forward to enter, but snapped back upright and locked her eyes on me, giving me a timid expression requesting permission. A grumble arose out of Feros’ throat as he prepared to scold her for deferring to me despite his insistence that he needed to have the ultimate say over her destiny. The sound must have triggered a reminder for the tiny child who stepped through the door without waiting for my blessing and scurried her way to the nearest empty chair and sat. Her bright blue eyes avoided mine, uncomfortable with the idea that she had to openly defy what was the common order of things. The discomfort actually soothed any misgivings I still had about the arrangement, at least she understood that she was doing something deviant, had she paraded her newfound power to ignore my authority I would have had a hard time forcing myself to adjust.

“That’s better,” Feros said as he flicked his wrist in a practiced motioned towards a servant, who disappeared to fetch a breakfast plate for the girl.

“What’s she doing here?” Mari asked. I was glad to have had the foresight to fill her in that the peasant girl was going to acting like she didn’t acknowledge my power as the top authority, I could easily imagine her explosion at such a display of disobedience.

“Ask her,” Feros said with an uncanny smile, “she needs to start finding her voice and answer for herself.”

Mari rolled her eyes, but then set them on the girl. “I doubt I need to repeat the question.”

“No, Miss Mari,” Alice said, wide eyes sweeping the table and nervously taking in everyone in attendance. “Mr. Feros says I need to have better food than the other girls usually get, so I have to eat at this table. I know it's too good for me, honest, but it is what he wants me to do.”

“I see. I can understand the better food, but this table is usually reserved for royals and their direct guests, I have never heard of a guest inviting their own guest.” Mari set her gaze on Feros whose smile never faltered from his lips. She had been tollerant of his presence at the royal table despite him never actually having been invited by anyone, I assumed it was out of respect for his impressive magical presence.

“It is just easier this way,” the fiend said, “no use having one of the servants who would usually serve you having to run off to serve her separately. I would think you'd be quite upset at the idea of one of your personal servants openly serving someone else and it is by your own preference that they be the only ones to handle the food intended for the royal table. Not to mention the possible grumblings that could come from the other girls seeing Alice getting better food, that might get some of them to start thinking they too deserve better. I think that’s a domino effect that would be best to avoid.”

“I suppose,” Mari said shortly, “but it would be both of the trainer’s jobs to ensure that any rumblings of discontent would be swiftly and thoroughly corrected. At least the girl has fixed her speech to be something other than the dreadful peasant drivel so at least she does not destroy the atmosphere, but I wonder if this perhaps isn’t your own little project to see just how much you can spit in the royals face without reprimand.”

“Mari.” I extended my hand and gently laid it on her arm. “I trust in this instance Feros knows better what to do. We are in unexplored territory that I’m afraid we might take unnecessary risks by trying to uphold normal social expectations just now. I know it is difficult, but I do not see much harm in the girl eating with us.”

Her lips thinned as she pursed her lips together and said no more, though she pushed her plate away from her and crossed her arms, signaling her displeasure. Before anything else could be said, the servant reappeared and placed a plate of steaming golden potatoes, cured sausage, and fresh bread with butter on the table before the little girl. Her eyes lit up and seeming to forget the awkwardness of just moments before, she picked up her fork and began to eat like she hadn’t in days. Tiffany looked in horror as several of the unspoken table rules for the upper class were broken at once and I couldn’t disagree with her, it reminded me of my very early memories of the few festival feasts I could still recall as a little girl. The feasts were the only time royalty ate with the peasants, though my father had at least had the common sense to set our table far away from the general populace. I could still clearly recall my shock at watching people practically clambering over each other trying to take plates of meat as servants walked by. Though still young I remembered thinking that it felt like an affront to our wealth and power, surely they understood that if they were being treated at a festival that we had more than enough food to feed everyone and if they just waited calmly everyone would get their fill.

“A growing magical weapon needs proper fuel,” Feros said. “We can work on the manners later.” A grin had grown across his features as he watched our expressions of discomfort, he took pleasure in upsetting the status quo.

Suddenly self aware of what was going on, Alice stopped shoveling food into her mouth and looked around the table as her face reddened. She slowly set down her fork and wiped her greasy hands on the fabric of her tunic, then used a napkin to wipe the spices and oil that clung to her lips from the potatoes.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly.

“It’s quite alright dear,” Feros said, not one to check with anyone else if they felt if it was alright or not, “but try keeping in mind that the food is not going anywhere, you don’t have to inhale it like it’s your last meal before the guillotine.”

Mari breathed in deeply, held it, then let it out in a huff, she was holding in from saying something and was angry about it. “Well, with no appetite I might as well get back to work and go check just how much snooping my new apprentice had done in my office.” When she stood she couldn’t help but raise her glamour to make herself more tall and imposing as she marched from the room, taking no care to prevent the door from slamming closed behind her.

Alice followed her with curious eyes, then snapped her attention to me once the door slammed closed. “Miss Toria, is Miss Mari alright?”

I couldn’t help but let a light chuckle escape my lips. I had been a bit annoyed myself at the girl’s table manners, but it was hard to keep upset at something so innocent and delicate. It wasn’t a mystery why a fae might be inclined to try to steal such a child, she likely would have fit right in.

“That is just the way of Mari, surely you must know that, you spent enough time traveling with her.”

The girl turned her head to the side in thought, then gave a short nod of agreement. “I suppose so, she has always been grumpy sometimes, but she seems grumpier now.”

“You are a very observant girl,” I commented, “that tells me you might be a bright girl, so tell me why you think she’s grumpy?”

Alice glanced at her plate longingly before furrowing her brow slightly in thought. An expression I couldn’t quite place passed over her features and her eyes which had been trained on my face started to flutter to other parts of the room. She had an answer, but didn’t want to say it out loud.

“Come now,” Feros encouraged, “what did you come up with?”

“Oh…” she said sheepishly, “I think maybe she is just still sore from all the traveling. She did seem to be in a lot of pain while we were traveling back.”

“It has been a while since she’s been traveling,” I said, “I think we both know that’s not the reason you came up with.”

The girl fidgeted in her chair like it was no longer comfortable for her and she looked to Feros with a pleading expression. He shook his head and motioned for her to reveal what she truly thought. She let out a pained sigh and set her gaze back on me.

“I’m sorry miss,” she said quietly, “I guess I am likely wrong, but I think she might be upset because her aura is fading.”

I raised eyebrow in surprise at her answer and was inclined to tell her not to be so silly, but I caught sight of Feros nodding in agreement. It was not often I felt the need to expand out my power to check on anyone’s aura and even when I did I it was usually exclusively to check on recruit progress, I hadn’t thought to examine Mari’s.

“It used to be stronger,” Alice continued, “mine bounced off of it like it was a stone wall, but now it feels softer and more fuzzy.”

“What does that even mean?” Tiffany said with a snorting laugh.

“Quiet,” I snipped, “I think it’s time you left to your sewing or whatever it is you fill your day with.”

Tiffany sniffed her displeasure, but calmly took the napkin from her lap and placed it over her plate before standing, bowing, and leaving the room.

“Is this true, Feros?” I asked, trying to keep my emotions from my face.

“It is, I’m a bit taken aback that you did not know this for yourself already,” he answered.

“I just haven’t thought of checking.”

“Haven’t thought to or didn’t want to know?”

A sigh escaped my lips and I leaned into the back of my chair, a heavy feeling in my heart. “The physical signs were there, but I thought as long as her magic kept strong she would have plenty of time. The last I checked it was, but I suppose that was a while ago, before she left on her first time traveling to look for girls.”

“Take a peak sometime,” Feros instructed, “it’s important for a monarch to have all the cards on the table. Besides, you shouldn’t have been the last to realize, even if it’s painful it is part of your duty to know everything happening in your kingdom. If you think really hard I’m sure you can come up with a few glaring absences of knowledge you currently have.”