Torgan Wine Ch. 35

"He is well, Duchess. Being kept away with his sisters makes him..." Baeroth frowned and gestured saying something in Torgan.

"He is irritated, your Grace." Krouth supplied the word and the man inclined his head.

"Yes."

"How many sisters?" Isonei laughed, "I was raised with three of mine and we loved to irritate our brothers."

"Two. How many brothers?" He offered his arm and she took it letting him lead her from the room.

"Six!" Isonei beamed as his eyes widened. "Only two are of my House but both of my mothers had three sons."

Baeroth looked perplexed and pensive, and she realized they were passing by the stairs.

"Isn't the dining room downstairs?"

"Yes, but..." He frowned and gave her a worried frown. "You are requested. The King." Baeroth cleared his throat walking her further past the stairs, "The King wishes to have a private breakfast with you."

"But Draeseth will be joining us?" She studied his face as he came to a stop in front of a door.

He swallowed and looked at her hand on his arm, but before he could answer the door opened. A servant made a sweeping gesture for her to enter announcing loudly, "Duchess Isonei has arrived, your Majesty."

Stepping back and giving her a low bow, Baeroth retreated back toward the stairs. Isonei felt her insides twisting nervously as the servant made the gesture again with an expectant look. Being alone with the King was something she was meant to avoid, but being rude to him seemed ill-advised. She entered hesitantly and waited as the servant closed the door before following him to the side room where a small table had been laid for two.

The servant seated her and she waited patiently for the King, glancing over the food. It looked very much like an Aran breakfast. Breads and spreads, along with cold meats and cheeses, fruits and tea. One of the spreads even looked suspiciously like manirel.

"When I make someone wait they usually keep their eyes on the door, so that they can rise promptly and greet me." King Orgath sounded amused as she snapped her head around in startlement.

"My apologies, your Majesty. If Draeseth were here he would have made certain I was aware." Isonei rose to give him a brief curtsy.

"Burgath suggested he should attend, he said you would chide me for not having your husband present." His eyes sparkled. "But I think you may be a little more cautious this morning."

Taking her seat again she studied him with a frown. "Somewhat. But it was made very clear to me I shouldn't be alone with you. Your Majesty has a reputation to rival Prince Andnaeuth's."

The King's lips curved with a vicious smile. "I should hope my reputation is more impressive."

"You're both easily bored and neither of you have much interest in things like exclusivity unless it interferes with your entertainment." She tilted her chin down and gave him a wry look.

"I expected you to be less prudish." Orgath began to fill his plate as she gaped at him and then began to laugh.

"I think your son is a bad influence. But in Ara, it is frowned on to pursue someone who is exclusive to another. And Andnaeuth did. You haven't yet but I'm treating you as if you are because I've been cautioned so much." Isonei shook her head and began to fill her own plate.

"Cautioned about me?" The King's voice was cool.

"Of course, that is the burden of an impressive reputation." She gave him an impish smile. "But not only about you, any time I speak to anyone at all I get chided by Draeseth or Krouth about propriety. The rules here are exhausting."

He passed the small bowl of what looked like manirel. "I did pursue some of the young women my sons courted. You would think they would be pleased to know if their ladies were virtuous and trustworthy or if they were willing to be unfaithful."

"No, your Majesty, I wouldn't." She gave him a mildly chiding look. "Being exclusive is a very difficult thing and Torgan women seem to have more trouble than Aran women."

His eyebrows rose, "Do tell."

"From what I understand they're so starved for affection a kind word and a small gift is all it takes and they're willing to go to bed with anyone. That's why they're not allowed to go anywhere alone or speak to anyone without a chaperone."

King Orgath began to laugh, leaning back in his chair to eye her delightedly. "I think they failed to explain it well. My son may be more worried that you will be willing to go to bed with anyone because of your greater experience."

"He should know better. Desire is a choice. That I know what other men have to offer and choose to go to bed with him instead should be a comfort." Isonei spread the manirel on a slice of bread.

"No, Duchess, unfortunately," his eyes sparkled, "it is not. Particularly when you call being faithful a difficult thing."

"It isn't difficult because I want other men, it's difficult because I've never done it before and I have to adjust the way I think. I'm used to being able to take other lovers if I want them. Even though I don't want them at the moment it still feels... restrictive, like the Torgan gowns."

"If you had not been," he paused, "restricted, would you have taken Andnaeuth as a lover?"

"I would have, yes. He was persistent." She took a bite and wrinkled her nose, narrowing her eyes at the bread.

"Most would have leapt at the chance to bed a Prince, especially a crown prince." Looking at her speculatively he took a bite of his own laden piece of bread. "The manirel was made by my new cook. He is from Mun. For the first time, I found it enjoyable."

"He made it wrong." Putting it down she frowned at it in disappointment. "There isn't enough heat and it tastes..."

"He used Torgan spices to make it more palatable." Holding out his hand imperiously, she passed the manirel back to him.

"Torgan manirel." She sighed and took a sip of tea. "It isn't awful but I was expecting Aran manirel."

"Was it Andnaeuth's reputation that made you wary of him?" Orgath pressed curiously, pushing the sweet butter toward her.

"No, no one seems to believe me; I would have avoided him because he's a prince. There are too many things that I could do wrong. My father used to chide me for being too mischievous and not respectful enough." Lifting her eyes from the bread she was buttering she gave the King a rueful smile, "Constantly."

"Women favor men like their fathers. A father's task is making certain the man is in some way better." He applied the manirel to a slice of bread. "Burgath says your father was very disapproving of your choice. And it has been difficult for you to be so far from home knowing he believes Draeseth to be a poor choice."

Isonei looked down at her bread, no longer hungry for it. What she was meant to say to his statements eluded her.

"I considered inviting him so that he could see how well my son treats you, but ..." King Orgath trailed off, pausing until she lifted her gaze back to his face. "Burgath says you treat your family with a great deal of affection and he enjoys being treated as one of your brothers. If your father refused to see reason it might do more harm than good. I wished to have breakfast with you to offer myself as a father." His faintly hopeful smile made him resemble Draeseth more strongly.

"Your Majesty," she placed her hand over her heart hoping her smile held less anguish than she felt at the thought of bringing her father to Torga or of possibly never seeing him again.

"As long as you treat me like a father, Duchess, I will treat you like a daughter."