"Ah, magic." The ebony skinned man thought as he sat back in the generously stuffed chair, "It makes all of life's desires possible. And what I desire now is food and drink."
As if on cue the doors to the den opened and in stepped an albino beauty. Nearly white locks tumbled past her shoulders in thick curls. Pale, almost invisible grey eyes stared at him defiantly; her deathly white skin was accentuated by the deep purple silk dress she wore. The tight fitting, low cut gown emphasized her large bosom and slim figure.
A pained look was etched on an otherwise sweet face. But the mage knew it was not from physical discomfort. He watched as the young woman tried to fight the words she felt forming in her mind. He smiled as she slowly lost the fight.
"Say it." he thought to her in a gentle yet firm mental command.
First her lips parted, though no sound followed. Her eyes hardened and she pressed her lips firmly together.
"Say it!" he thought more forcefully.
In no time her lips had parted again and a low moan escaped them. Her chin quivered and a tear fell down her cheek. She was making this far more painful than it need be. Still the seated man did not move.
"Say it, NOW!!" He thought again, this time with the equivalent of a mental slap.
The woman's eyes became daggers as she finally lost the struggle. Thin lavender painted lips moved and a voice sweet as honey poured through them, "Dinner is ready Sir Eubol. The others are waiting in the dining hall."
Keldan Eubol lifted his large muscular frame from the generously padded chair. He pushed back a braid that had strayed from its place then straightened his loose fitting brown breeches and baggy green tunic and moved toward the door.
"Nobles!" he thought as he approached the young woman, "Two simple sentences, yet her pride and ego bring her to tears saying it. Her servants say and do far more demeaning deeds on a daily basis with nary a quarrel. This 'mighty' family has had this coming for some time."
The mage looked down on the young duchess as he reached her. Despite her much smaller stature, the woman looked back at him as thought they were physical equals. She forced herself to smile, refusing to let the intruder think he had won. For his part, Keldan smiled graciously, knowing what he had in store for this young woman, and extended his arm. Once the petite woman took it, he led her to the dining hall.
He was greeted by stares of fire and ice. Fourteen pairs of eyes turned to the man who had held them captive these past two days. This was the dining hall of Duke Reginald Parnell, who sat far away from his accustomed place at the head of the table. Next to him sat his wife the Duchess Mira Parnell. Also gathered were his four sons Albert, Victor, Reginald VI, and William, along with the wives of the younger three named Elise, Mariana, and Katrina. The elder duke's three daughters, Miranda, Celine and Annette also sat at the table. As well as Miranda's husband Cornelius, and Celine's husband Marcus. Constance, the young woman on his arm, was married to Albert.
Some gathered muttered the most profane curses, since the mage allowed them the free use of their tongues. Others shouted about their vengeance or the outrage of such treatment as themselves. The head of the household, Duke Parnell, simply sat in brooding silence. The look etched on his face more than spoke his intent.
Keldan Eubol led the Duchess Constance to the head of the table. As with every meal since the Friday night he arrived, only one chair was unoccupied. Everyone in the room knew that chair was meant for the towering stranger. Everyone knew that Constance would stand by his side, serving him for the entire meal. Just as every other woman gathered around the table had for past meals. What no one yet knew was that Constance, whose behavior toward the servants, her in-laws, even her husband, Keldan found appalling, had earned herself a more severe punishment.
As their large guest took his seat, the evening played out in its usual fashion. The servants came with the evenings courses, the first of which was a quail's egg soup. They moved around the table filling every bowl, until they reached Keldan. Then, as he had commanded, they passed both the pot and ladle to the young duchess who, much to her shame, filled his bowl with the steaming broth. Not of the mind to let food go to waste, the nobles ate freely. The soup was superb, though no one commented on it. In fact, not one word was said during the entire course.
Once every bowl was empty the servants swooped in to clear them from the table. It was young Duchess Constance's duty to remove Keldan's bowl and, politely, hand it to a waiting servant. Soon after the table was cleared the main courses were brought into the room.
First, a tray of freshly baked breads arrived. There were a variety of large rolls and miniature loaves to choose from. Two servants circled the table presenting the breads to the waiting lords. Again when they reached Keldan, the trays were presented to Constance. She picked a small pumpkin loaf and placed it on his plate as well as a good sized sourdough roll.
The trays of bread were followed by trays and bowls of fruit, vegetables and cheeses. The seated nobles chose their favorites from each and were promptly served. Again it was Constance who chose for and served Keldan Eubol.
Finally, two platters of meat arrived. One held a succulent orange and ginger marinated roasted duck. The other held various cuts of beef. These were presented to the young duchess first. She awkwardly cut meat from the breast of the duck, so tender and juicy it almost fell from the bone. Heaping a large portion onto Keldan's plate, she turned and chose the best pieces of beef from the other platter. Most of the men scoffed at this outrage, demanding that Duke Parnell, as head of the household, receive the finest cuts. As he had for the entire weekend, the elder duke sat in silence. Once all were served the meal continued in silence as well.
Shortly into the feast the mage looked around the table. Chewing on a piece of tenderloin he spoke up, "You lords may wish to savor this sumptuous animal you're eating. As it will be the only time you taste its flesh. I've had the rest sent to a number of needy villages."
William, the youngest, laughed, eagerly taking the bait. "If you think this small bit of meat matters to us, you are more crass and ignorant than these past two days have proven you to be. We can have a hundred more cows like these in less time than this captivity has lasted."
