For a chair designed to be used be the wealthy and elite, the throne Crow was sitting in wasn’t nearly as comfortable as he’d expected it to be. He shifted against the cold stone seat, thinking to himself that he would have liked a cushion of some sort to lean into. He was just glad that he only had to stay put until his father allowed him to go to the banquet, which he hoped he could do soon. After facing a room full of people who hated him, he felt like he deserved another plate full of venison… and maybe something to drink.

Resting his cheek in the palm of his hand, he absently traced his index finger along the stone armrest of the chair. He didn’t want to make eye contact with any of the nobles who were still exiting the room while they were still seething about his change in title, so he pointedly avoided looking out over the crowd. However, as he did, he couldn’t help but notice Braden eyeing him with contempt from the other side of the room. He sighed to himself. It seemed no matter where he turned, there would always be someone glaring at him for some reason or another.

“Would you look at that? It’s the viceroy of Brerra.” Crow blinked and looked up to see that Naida was walking toward him with a wide grin on her face. “So, how do you feel?” she asked. “You’re a nobleman now, and a high-ranking one at that.”

“I don’t know,” Crow shrugged. “Everything’s been happening so fast, I can’t keep up.”

“Understandable,” Naida laughed. “But my gods,” she shook her head, glancing over the remaining nobles in the room. “That wasn’t a very warm welcome. I can’t believe they all spoke out against you to Father like that.”

“I told you they didn’t like me,” Crow sighed. “I’m just glad no one was violent.”

“Father would have arrested anyone who even laid a finger on you,” Naida said confidently.

[i]Yes, but that won’t stop them from hiring someone else to kill me for them,[/i] he thought, shuddering at the memory of his dream about the mercenary two nights ago. Today may have gone well so far, but that didn’t mean he was in the clear just yet.

“By the way,” his sister spoke up again with a curious look. “Father kept calling you Collin during the ceremony instead of Crow. Is that your real name?”

He shifted uneasily, still not used to hearing so many people call him by his name. However, he decided there was no point in trying to hide it anymore—not when everyone knew. “It is,” he admitted, looking up to meet her gaze with a halfhearted smile.

“Huh,” Naida grinned. “I like it. It suits you better than Crow anyway… Just like these new clothes suit you better than that ratty old tunic.” She nudged him teasingly. “I have to say, you cleaned up even better than I thought you would, Collin. If you sat up a little straighter, you might even pass for a proper gentleman.”

Crow rolled his eyes, “Who wants to be a gentleman? They have too many rules to follow.”

“Gods, I’m glad you decided to stay,” Naida snickered. “You’re so much more fun than Braden.”

“We should all get going,” Albin spoke up suddenly, standing up from his throne. “Everyone’s left, and I’m sure they’re waiting for us to arrive before the food is served. After all,” he turned to Crow with a good-humored glint in his eyes. “No one should eat before the guest of honor has been seated.”

[i]I’m hardly even welcome here, let alone honored,[/i] Crow thought dryly, picturing the nobles’ furious faces once again. However, he said nothing as he rose to his feet and fell in step beside Naida as their father led them to the Great Hall.

The walk was short, and it wasn’t long before they arrived. Crow saw that as they entered the massive room, everyone respectfully stood up from their tables. He felt rather sure the respect didn’t extend to him though. As they made their way through the room, the nobles they passed casted him looks of disgust. He refused to meet their gazes and focused instead on the long table at the end of the Great Hall that Albin seemed to be taking them to. The front was ornately decorated and there were already covered dishes set out on the surface that smelled delicious. His mouth watered as he imagined what was hidden underneath the metal domes.

When they reached the table, Albin and the queen stood behind the two center chairs, while his children fanned out to claim their own seats. Braden and Willow stood at his right, while Naida and Crow stood to the queen’s left. For a moment, Crow wondered why they didn’t just sit down, since the food had to be getting cold, but his curiosity was sated when a group of attendants hurried forward to pull out their chairs for them. He was quick to spot Preston among them as the boy tended to his own seat.

The sight made him grimace slightly. He still disliked being waited on by someone else, but given the situation, he didn’t have much of a choice. So, he forced himself to be content with just murmuring a quiet ‘thank you,’ to Preston as the servant walked off to stand at the back of the room with the other attendants.

Once everyone was seated, Albin made another announcement, thanking everyone for coming, talking a bit more about his gratefulness that Crow was going to be his viceroy, et cetera, et cetera. The thief tuned out most of the speech as he stared hungrily at a covered dish that had a savory scent to it. When the king finished speaking, the nobles applauded again, and a mass of servants stepped forth to uncover the platters of food and serve everyone as the banquet began.