Wymera shows a gentle smile in response.
"I can see that my son is in capable hands. Even if some of them love to get sticky with sugary delights."A castle guard approaches the small gathering, informing that the festivities are about to begin.
"Ah well. Took enough of your time, you should enjoy the feast. Don't get too stuffed if you wanna enjoy the banquet afterwards, Lulu. And I know that there must be more people following you, my son, I'd love to meet them too. A shame it will not happen tonight, with all of us being busy." "I wish I could enjoy the feast like you..."Wymera says her goodbye and moves through a door, the castle guard escorting you to the main hall.
Duchess Eleshyn raises and stands firm and collected.
"Allow me to rephrase my words and to offer an apology, Milady, fellowship of Sir Dunas. I did not intend to slight you or belittle your achievement. However, Her Grace has a penchant for giving the highest praise to the smallest of deeds. I merely intended to introduce a balanced perspective." "Oh my, did I really overdo it, Eleshyn? They did wonderful work for the safety of the commoners both Dunlandic and outside, so I thought..." "... On second consideration, my worries were unfounded, Your Grace. The presence of the entire group who has slain one of the vilest criminals of this generation honors me as well."Their personalities might be day and night, but it is clear that the friendship between these two strengthens each other.
"You always had an eye for talent, dearest sister. Greetings to you, Rhian. As one of Lady Emilia's chosen, it is my promise to you that you will be provided food and board within my realm when requested. I hope to hear even more great deeds from you in the future."Upon hearing Eiriol's introduction, Patrice places his thumb and index finger against his chin in contemplation.
"Myrick, you say... ... By chance, any relation to...?"As Patrice was about to state his thought, a castle guard enters the room and annouces the beginning of the festivities, offering to escort everyone currently here.
"I guess that will have to wait. It would be rude to let the king wait longer than necessary." "It's been so long since we had such a large gathering AND an emblem ceremony, so exciting!" "... I wonder whom His Majesty will choose for the ceremony though."
The two parts of Dunas' group merge back at the banquet. Many moving servants, a lot of chatter between the aristocrats and a long table reserved for you specifically, somewhat off-center but close to where the royal family will dine.
Speaking of, it wasn't long before their arrival is announced. King Greoger Alfalm, Queen Ulen Alfalm, Crown Prince Arnston Alfalm and Princess Eleya Alfalm, flanked by elite guards led by Orlsen. With their arrival, the chatter makes way for silence as everybody takes their seat.
King Alfalm stands and raises his chalice.
"It is with pleasure that I welcome you all here on this joyous day. I shall remind you of today's protocol now: With the end of my speech, we will begin the feast in honor of Sir Dunas and his retinue, who not only had a decisive part in ending the four-year long war, but also exceeded my expectations with the death of Ghal, leader of the blight known as Ghal's Marauders. Their service to crown, country and continent are exemplary."The king points the chalice in Dunas' direction, and the rest of the royal family plus their guests follow suit with similar gestures and a collective chant. The lord remains composed, but cannot escape his cheeks getting flushed a bit.
"When the feast ends, there will be a break, to give you an opportunity to greet the guests of honor personally, if so desired. After said break, the emblem ceremony will be held, followed by the banquet to partake in the grand dessert."Dunas side-eyes Lulu for a fraction of a second.
"May the Goddess and the Chosen smile upon us all."Thus, the feast begins, and copious amounts of lavish, luxurious meals were served across three courses. For many of you, that was probably the chance of a lifetime to be served food this extravagant. Did you ever see such large amounts of meat gathered at once before?
A few hours pass and the feast comes to a slow but fulfilling end. It was now time for the break and the King and Queen retreat to a side-room for the moment, possibly in preparation for the ceremony. The royal offsprings, on the other hand, remain. Soon, groups begin to gather...
The Crown Prince is in lighthearted conversation with the two Duchesses. Marigold seems especially delighted at this encounter, to no one's surprise.
Next to Princess Eleya, you spot familiar faces. Rubinelle must be the invited representative of the Clavesh Guild of Archeology.
Sir Jernigan converses with Duke Laspa and Sir Dulosta. The tone is calm, but it seems like something is bothering the leader of the Red Wings...
The Duke of Thavios, Zornac, was in a high-spirited chat with an elder woman. She is probably one of the guests Dunas had named from the list a few days ago, the Marchioness of Ralm.
Lady Vigrid and Sir Thrum silently stand next to each other. Still, it seems like there's an intense atmosphere between the two...
Count Palatine Patrice scurries from guest to guest, ultimatively not sticking too long with any one. He seems to now take a short rest to observe the room.
Ceodor and Noel are accompanying you, but they stick to the background as much as possible. Even during the feast, they didn't eat too much. Still, it seems most guests see the two as part of Dunas' entourage. The advantage of having the reputation of mingling with both nobles and commoners, the former ignore the latter as long as they assume they belong to the knight.
You also see Sir Brenyron, Sverrand's uncle. However, he seems to be in a rather foul mood today, so you collectively decide to not engage him for longer than necessary. If asked about, all he'll say is that his "barely capable" nephew is working hard and doing fine.
You also can't escape the feeling that someone from the guest list Dunas named during his initial announcement a few days ago is missing today.
The break won't last for long, so each player character can interact with two groups at most. Make your choice.