The instant I seen how many people my Grandfather had managed to gather together I felt like I was going to be sick. There were two, ridiculously long dining tables positioned side-by-side and filled with more chairs than they could fit so everyone would be sitting elbow to elbow. Everyone was dressed similarly in either typical, colonial, British clothing or something similar to what I was wearing. Everything looked so expensive an out of my league. It felt like if I so much as touched something, everything would break apart. One thing I noticed was that everyone had either blond or brown hair. Those with blond hair typically had blue eyes. Of course, there were some red-heads and a couple of people looked like they were platinum blond. Some people had green or hazel eyes. Others had brown or gray. I recognized the Council members and my grandfather, but otherwise I knew no one. The tables were covered with white table cloths and fine china and silver. It was the type of set up where there are different sets of silverware and plates for different courses and cloth napkins stuffed into wine glasses. Bouquets of rainbow roses were positioned evenly on each table. On the ceiling was a carving of a blue and gray nightingale and on the marble (or was it granite?) floor was the Nightingale crest. Tapestries, banners, crests, and decorative weaponry traced the walls around the hall. No space went undecorated.
I only had a few seconds to take everything in before a female stewardess whisked up to the three of us wearing a fluffy white dress with intricate blue designs at the chest and around the skirt. She was very pretty with long, dark brown wavy hair and hazel-green eyes. Something about her seemed out of place compared to the other stewards and stewardesses.
“Prince Kalin,” she curtsied and held out her hand, smiling sweetly. “Please follow me Young Master.”
I looked over at Mai and Taehyung. They nodded. I sighed and took the stewardess’s hand. Her skin was soft and smooth and contrasted with my own pale skin. I felt that if I gripped her hand too tightly I would break it. Then again, I was half vampire, so, naturally, I would. Swiftly, she guided me over to a seat near the end of the table on the right, on the inside near the people sitting at the other table. She released my hand and pulled out the chair, still smiling at me. I stepped in front of the chair and she pushed it in as I sat down. She curtsied again, turned, and left just as gracefully as she came. I glanced at her as she left and then turned to face forward.
I stared at the cutlery for a while, reminding myself which plate, fork, spoon, and knife was for what and saying a silent word of thanks to my adoptive parents for teaching me everything there was to know about British culture. I also remembered to sit up straight and keep my hands folded loosely in my lap. I glanced around and along down the length of the table. Some people were chatting with their neighbors, others were walking around greeting others, but most were looking at me and gossiping. I was only half surprised to see a small vampire girl with long blond hair and green eyes sitting in an older girl’s lap. She was looking at me with innocent curiosity while smiling and playing with the hem of her powder pink and white trim dress. She was cute and couldn’t have been much older than eight years. She waved at me casually and I smiled back at her waving slightly.
I looked away, suddenly feeling self-conscious. I was fiddling with my fingers when I felt a slight tug on my sash. I looked to my right and down a bit to find the same little girl standing before me. Surprised, I looked back over to where she was previously sitting and then back to her only to find my nose in a single rainbow colored rose. I went cross-eyed for a moment then focused my gaze on the girl’s smiling face.
“Here you go!” she said happily, pushing the colorful flower further into my face.
I heard snickers over from where she was sitting and looked over. A group of youths around my age or less were stifling their laughter and trying to avoid eye contact. They all looked relatively the same.
I looked back to the little girl. “Um, thank you,” I said taking the rose.
“You’re welcome!” she said, still smiling widely. “They’re pretty aren’t they? Just like us!”
Her words took me aback for a second. Then I smiled and set the rose down on the plates in front of me. I picked another rainbow rose out of the vase in front of me, snapped of most of the stem and slipped the flower into her hair, behind her ear.
“There you go,” I smiled at her. “Now you’re even prettier.”
Her smile brightened impossibly. “Thank you!” And she ran off back to her seat.
I smiled and picked the rose back up. Suddenly, I didn’t feel so nervous and self-conscious.
“Ladies and gentlemen!” Grandfather rang out clearly from the front of the room after everyone was in their respective seats. “My fellow comrades and kinsmen! We are gathered here on this glorious day to celebrate the homecoming of someone who we thought to be dead!” He gestured over to me. “My youngest son, Alistair’s, long lost son, Prince Kalin Nightingale!”
As I stood up, I felt my heart beating like Thumper’s foot from Bambi. I tried to smile confidently but was afraid that it didn’t come out as such. The Dining Hall erupted into voices, applause, and whistles. When the cheers stopped, I sat down. Grandfather continued.
“I am sure we all can admit that, without Prince Kalin, there has been an ‘unfilled gap’ within the Nightingale Clan. Something was missing. And now that the prince has come home, that gap has been filled and the Nightingale Clan is complete! So please, make him feel welcome and at home like he should. And without further ado, let the feasting begin!”
Well, actually, while the stewards brought out the appetizers and the stewardesses filled wine glasses with beer, cider, wine or mead, a flock of different people got up and made their way over to me, eager to be the first to greet me. I had people left and right telling me their names and trying to shake my hand that my brain was becoming a big jigsaw puzzle. Thankfully, someone came up and broke the crowd.
“Alright, you pansies! Break it up and give the boy some air! You’ll suffocate him!” barked a female’s voice. Instantly, the crowd parted and a tallish, slender woman with long, wavy dark brown hair pinned up into a tight bun and cool gray eyes, dressed in a midnight blue, strapless evening gown walked forward. She was both beautiful and scary looking. She pointed to the young man that was seated to my right. “You! Up!”
“Er, y-yes Madame!” The poor man shot up out of his seat so fast he almost tripped over himself.
Elegantly, she sat down and crossed her legs. She held out a pale slender hand to me. “Lilian Nightingale, you’re father and uncle’s older sister.”
I took her hand and shook it. For a woman, she had a firm grip, even if she was a vampire. “Pleased to meet you,” I bowed to her, thanking the spirits that I didn’t stutter.
She looked me over. “Hm,” she grunted. “You’re better looking than your father. Believe it or not, even after eight-hundred years, Alistair’s still a baby-faced teenager. I’m beginning to wonder if he’ll ever grow up.”
Then, suddenly, one of the men in the crowd spoke up. “Ah, Lilian! Leave old Asterisk alone! You’re just jealous that your youthfulness was stolen away as soon as you hit a millennium!”
She whipped her head around to glare at the man. “This, Felix, is coming from the man who refused to speak to him for a month simply because he beat you in a fencing match.”
The man called Felix looked away and ruffled his already shaggy dark brown hair as the rest of the crowd hollered in laughter.
Then another man from across the table said, “Yeah, maybe. But you can’t beat him either, Lilian.”
Within the blink of an eye she had flicked up one of the steak knives on the table and flung it at the glass full of red wine in the man’s hand. It cracked in to pieces and the wine splashed all over the table cloth, his plate of appetizers, and the lap of his expensive looking suit. His eyes went wide and he launched back in his chair.
“Should have kept my trap shut…” he said as the other men turned their laughter at him.
“Yes, you should have,” Lilian said.
I couldn’t resist laughing a little at all of the excitement. “I take it my father has quite the reputation.”
“That, Young Prince,” Felix said moving forward and placing a hand on my shoulder, “is the understatement of the century. Not only is he the greatest Nightingale General to ever stalk the night but he’s also known for being the most cunning man of us all. There isn’t a thing that goes on within this palace that he doesn’t know about, not a problem he can’t solve, and not fight he can’t finish.”
“Why did you call him ‘Asterisk’?”
“Because back in the day he was so adept at earning his stars that we figured we might as well call him one!” one of the other men said.
“Yes,” said Lilian. “It’s a shame he isn’t here for you to see him. He’s quite an exciting little firecracker once you get him going.” She noticed the sad and longing look on my face. “But not to worry. You have lots more family to meet here at Palace Nightingale and before you know it your father will be home and eager to meet his son. Now, one other thing.” I looked up at her questioningly. “You are to address me as Aunt Lilian and nothing other than that. Am I clear?”
I smiled at her, grateful to her for trying to cheer me up. “Yes, Aunt Lilian.”
She smiled back. “Smart and good looking. You’ll do fine here.” She turned to the crowd. “What are you all standing there for? I’m sure you all have food on your plates by now. Scram!”
They all scrambled back to their seats. Well, except for Felix. He sat in the empty seat beside me.
“So,” Felix said placing his cloth napkin on his lap. “I assume the young prince is wondering who his fellow Nightingales are, no?”
“Yes,” I huffed in relief that someone was finally going to point them out to me.
“Well, besides Old Geezer Julian and” –Felix glanced over at Aunt Lilian- “sweet, beautiful Lilian, as well as the currently non-present King Victor, there’s your grandmother, Alice, sitting over there next to your grandfather.” She was beautiful and elegant in a venerable sort of way; not old looking, but not too young. “Then, over there at the end of the table behind us, is your eldest second cousin Luca. I’d watch your tongue around him too. Unless you’re on his good side.” His hair was a darker shade of blond than the others. His was almost a light brown. It was slicked back with a few strands lingering over his left eye. His eyes were a cool, dark gray color. More so, he was staring at me as though he were studying me. Quickly, I looked away. “I’m your godfather. And directly behind us is your youngest second cousin, Irene.”
“Well, it’s about time you introduced me Felix! I’m just as close to Alistair as you are!” shouted a young feminine voice behind me.
I looked back to see a smallish, fairly young woman with long, wavy, sandy blond hair pulled up into a high ponytail and decorated with a rainbow rose hair ornament. Her eyes were a beautiful mix between light blue, powder blue and navy blue. She wore a dress similar to the one the stewardess who led me to my seat was wearing. She was smiling brightly at me. She leaned over the back of her chair crossing her arms and resting her head on them.
“You are too cute! Just like my baby cousin! He’s going to go ballistic when he sees you!” she squealed happily.
“You’re going ballistic, Irene,” Lilian huffed.
“Of course! Look at him! He’s natural eye candy!”
“Um, thanks?” I threw out for the sake of conversation.
Then I felt Felix’s hand on my shoulder. “Be warned, Young Prince. Irene will spoil you until you’re a Persian cat on a velvet pillow.”
I winced. I didn’t much like Persians.
“Oh, Felix! Look! You’re scaring him!” Irene scolded. She smiled at me again. “Don’t worry about Felix. He’s just a big tease, is all.”
“Uh, o-kay.”
“Anyway, if there’s anything you need-anything at all!-you come and see me, okay? I’m always eager to help out! It’s one of my defining qualities, you see. Of course, there are others.”
“You sure like to talk, don’t you?” I wondered, trying to keep from smiling at her talkative nature.
Felix, Aunt Lilian and Irene all laughed at my bold question.
“Ah,” Irene sighed once she had stopped laughing. “He’ll make a fine prince. Finer than Alistair, maybe?”
“He just might. He’s cutting it close, even now. And he just got here!” Felix exclaimed. Then he remembered something. “Oh, and one other group you should be on the look-out for.” He pointed down the table at the same group of teenagers with the little girl I was looking at earlier. “I won’t tell you their names because you’ll meet them in person later, but they are your own brothers, sisters, and cousins. They’re quite the interesting and excitable bunch. Get to know them. You’ll be seeing a lot of them since the King’s Council all approve of generational members of the Nightingale Clan sticking together and becoming close with one another. A way to keep the peace, you could say.”
I stared at them for what seemed like an eternity, a hundred questions running through my mind. I was as curious as I was awestruck. I had brothers and sisters. And cousins, even. Not spiritual brothers and sisters, like Mai and Taehyung, but by blood. People who were like me. I wondered what all we would have in common. Would we like the same things? Dislike the same things? Were they as curious of me as I was of them? That was all I had on my mind as the banquet progressed. I was only half listening as Irene talked on and Felix and Aunt Lilian told me about the history of our clan and what not. Nothing they said was as interesting as the group of teenagers who I now knew to be part my family. I thought of the first questions I would ask them. One of them, I decided, would be about my father…
When the banquet ended, Felix lingered behind me, placed his hands on my shoulders, and told me to meet him in the Portrait Hall later around seven. I kept that in mind as I went to find Mai and Taehyung.
