Umbra showed Caedus his room, then left him to get settled.
"Might as well take this time to relax," Caedus mumbled. It was a simple room. It had a large plush bed in the far corner as well as a seating area surrounding a small table. Off to his right were the closets and, he assumed, the bathroom.
Caedus walked to the other side of the room and plopped on the bed. It was much more comfortable than he thought it would be.
He stretched out his arms and put them behind his head while he stared at the ceiling.
'What have I gotten myself into?' Caedus sighed to himself.
He was a bit anxious and excited. He was going to meet Umbra's family, which he was sure would be uncomfortable, but at least there would be food. And tomorrow he goes off to the Ironwood Crown Initiative.
'Will I even be able to get close to them? I have never really had friends before growing up on Earth. While I did meet the occasional person my age, it was mostly just my grandfather and me. Can I get someone to trust me enough to confide in me their rebellions and grand plans?'
Caedus rolled over on his side in frustration. He knew it was his best option for a good quality of life. 'Maybe I will be able to marry a cute girl who is rich and can support my adventures financially.'
Caedus chuckled to himself.
"Man, that would be nice."
He had gone through a whirlwind of emotions and new information the past few days, so for the next hour, he just lay there letting it all digest.
*Knock knock knock*
"Hello?" Caedus called out as he shot to his feet. He walked across the room and opened the door to see a young woman standing there.
He was about a head shorter than him, with soft, beautiful, delicate features similar to Umbra. Her dark black hair fell neatly past her shoulders, smooth and almost unnaturally sleek.
But it was her eyes that caught him off guard.
A striking golden-yellow.
For a brief moment, Caedus was stunned; he half expected Umbra or Jim, not this beautiful woman.
"Caedus Violetshade?" The lady asked in a soothing voice.
"Yes, how may I help you, Miss?" Caedus shook off his surprise, trying to get his composure.
"My name is Seris Corvane. I am Umbra's younger sister." She slightly bowed her head.
'So poilite!' Caedus thought to himself. "How may I help you, Seris?"
"My family is waiting for you in the dining hall. My father insisted I come get you." She said, taking a few steps backward, obviously indicating they should go now.
"Ah, ok, I see. Show me the way, then, please." Caedus stepped out from the opening of the door and shut it behind him. Gesturing to Seris to lead the way.
Aside from the first conversation, Seris didn't say anything while Caedus followed along. He wasn't sure whether she found the task exhausting, but he didn't mind. He knew this dinner was going to be awkward anyway.
After a few minutes of going through the winding halls that reminded Caedus of a maze, they finally made it to a set of grand, ornate doors. Two guards in black and silver armor opened the doors for them.
Caedus followed them in, and the aroma of fresh food immediately made his mouth water. He saw a long table filled with all kinds of foods he had never seen before.
'Maybe this dinner won't be as bad as I thought.'
Caedus looked up from the table and saw four people already seated. Another younger woman with a kind smile was sitting next to a serious-looking man who had a beard. To the man's left sat Umbra, and next to Umbra was, Caedus assumed, his brother, given the similarities between Umbra and Seris.
Suddenly, the older man, who Caedus figured was Umbra's father, Damaros Corvane, stood up and spoke with a deep commanding voice.
"Caedus Violetshade, welcome to House Corvane. Please come sit down next to Sylas." He gestured to the young man sitting next to Umbra.
"Yes, I will, thank you for having me." Caedus felt the Corvane's eyes on him while he stepped forward to go take his seat. 'Please stop staring.'
Then a voice spoke from behind him, saving him from the stares while he took his seat.
"Father, I must request to take my leave, I am feeling unwell." Caedus looked up from his seat as he pulled it out, only to see a pale Seris.
'Oh, she wasn't feeling good, that explains the silence on the walk here.'
Damaros raised an eyebrow at that request and just stared for a few seconds before nodding. "Go ahead, Seris, I will come check on you later."
"Thank you, father." Seris quickly exited the room as if she couldn't wait to leave the awkward atmosphere. Seh slightly stumbled after crossing the threshold. This added a look of concern to Damaros's expression.
Caedus watched her leave, while sighing in his heart. He kind of hoped she would stay; having a beautiful girl around definitely would make the dinner more bearable. Now he had to eat with two men and a husband-and-wife couple.
Caedus eased into his seat, subtly adjusting his posture to appear as neat and composed as possible.
Damaros also took a see then turned to look at Caedus. "Now let's eat."
Caedus glanced slightly to Umbra, who just nodded to acknowledge him, and then, simultaneously, everyone reached for a different dish.
"Thank you for the meal, I really appreciate it," Caedus said sincerely, reaching for the closest piece of meat.
As Caedus loaded his plate like everyone at the table, the woman who Caedus assumed was Umbra's mother spoke up. "My name is Selmira, this is my husband Damaros. Don't be polite, Caedus, eat till you're full."
Caedus looked up at her, meeting he eyes. She seemed so kind, yet her eyes also seemed to be analyzing him down to his very core.
Caedus smiled back, trying to seem as charming as he could. His grandfather always told him that a smile can go a long way to show sincerity.
A few minutes went by in silence as everyone devoured their food. But everyone had a bit of a shocked look on their face. Umbra even looked like he was stifling a laugh. 'Mother said you could eat as much as you want, but slow down, Caedus. This is your fourth plate!'
Caedus was raised in the woods on a mountain. He has no knowledge of dinner etiquette, despite trying to give off a vibe of elegance.
As he loaded up his fifth plate of food, he heard Damaros clear his throat to get Caedus's attention. Selmira also had a smile on her face, which she seemed to try to suppress. A collective thought formed over the Corvane family. How can this guy eat so much?!
* Ahem*
"So, Caedus, I have heard about you being a newly ascended to Iridia, but I don't know your story. I thought it best to hear from you instead of my son."
Caedus paused loading up the mashed potatoes. And nodded his head.
He could feel the whole family's eyes on him, including Sylas, who had not spoken up since dinner started, and seemed interested. Caedus looked them all in the eyes. 'Weird, that all have black eyes, why does Seris have different colored eyes? Is it her ability?'
Ignoring the question that popped into his head, he asked Damaros a question. "Do you want my whole life story or how I came to Iridia?"
"Just an overview of your life with specific details of your time leading up to coming here."
"Ok." Caedus put down his utensils and began to narrate his story. "Well, I am Caedus Violetshade, and I lived a simple life on Earth---"
The next hour passed as Caedus detailed everything he thought was important to note.
The Corvane family hung on every word, and Caedus could see genuine interest in their eyes as well as emotion in Selmira's eyes. Umbra still listened intently even though he already knew the story.
"And that is when Umbra found me in the Endless Plains. Honestly, I thought he was going to eat me, but thank goodness he didn't." After finishing his story with that comment, he could see Umbra give him a weird look in the corner of his eye. At this, Sylas finally reacted, snorting.
"Well, you have had an eventful past few days then." Damaros looked at his wife, and she nodded back at him. "Now, Caedus, do you know why I asked to meet with you?"
"I have a suspicion it's about the Ironwood Crown Initiative," Caedus said bluntly, not trying to dance around the subject.
Damaros and Selmira nodded. This time, Selmira spoke up."While the paperwork has already been approved, you can understand our concerns about sending someone we knew nothing about to His Majesty's specialized training program."
"Understandable."
"We feel much better about it, but we only have one thing to say to you that Umbra probably hasn't told you. Do not embarrass the Corvane Family name. If you do, we won't hesitate to cut off our sponsorship, and you will be kicked out of our Kingdom." She warned, with a serious look on her face, devoid of the emotional reaction she had shown during his story.
"I won't do anything to ruin your family name. I promise. I need to grab this opportunity and hold onto it." Caedus seriously said back.
"It's good you understand. While our Nightmare Crow Clan can't join the military traditionally, due to our original forms, we still support those who serve." Damaros said approvingly.
Now, we will take our leave, Umbra. You keep our guest company, Caedus, eat as much as you want."
Everyone stood up at the same time, leaving Caedus scrambling to stand up also. The giant doors opened at the noise of all the chairs scraping across the floor.
Selmira slightly bowed with her kind smile appearing on her face as Sylas and Damros nodded to Caedus, looking at Umbra, before the trio exited the room.
As the doors shut behind them, Umbra let out a low whistle. "You did great, man. But if you are going to be around nobles, you need to learn better table manners."
"What's wrong with my table manners?" Caedus quietly asked, shoveling another serving of food onto his plate.
Umbra just laughed hard and sat down again.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sylas, Selmira and Damaros silently walked down the hall, followed by the two guards who were at the door of the dining hall.
"Well, we don't need to look into him anymore, he was definitely telling the truth." Selmira said matter of factly.
"Your power is quite handy mother." Sylas said calmly.
"It indeed is. But this timing for him coming right before the Crown Inititive. Is it divine intervention I wonder?" She asked curiously.
"Whatever it is, I don't care about it. Let's just hope Umbra doesn't get into much trouble. Hopefully the King doesn't care about him trying to intervene by sending Caedus." He frowned slightly.
Both Sylas and Selmira agreed with him silently.
Finally after a minute or two of walking they approached their destination.
*knock knock*
The door they stood in front of cracked open. A pair of yellow-golden eyes peered back at the group.
"Seris, dear. Are you okay?" Selmira pushed opent he door slightly when Seris stepped back for them to come in. Seris didn't say anything and just sat down on the sofa next to the fire place.
The three looked at each other strangely then entered the room to sit by her.
Trying to lighten the mood Selmira spoke first. "Was my dear daughter shocked by handsome he is? He is single my dear, maybe you have finally fallen in love?"
Seris stiffened at that comment then rolled her eyes. "He is quite the looker isn't he?" This stunned Damaros. Was his daughter finally interested in someone?
Selmira even seemed surprised. "Oh? Is that really it?"
"No.." Seris suddenly shuddered and goosebumps were visible on her arms. "Father, like you asked, I looked into his soul."
Waiting for her to continue no one spoke. Seris stared into the fire for a moment before looking seriously at her family and speaking again.
"He will either become the most dangerous man alive or a hero who save countless lives."