(Dragonkin) Dragon Rider by C.E. Swain Page A

accomplishments in the fair today." The regent said. "I will have a room prepared for you right away."
       The regent called his servant and gave him his instructions, and then he turned to Menimeth.
       "I will send someone for you when the preparations have been completed for the feast."
       Then he turned to Litlorn and took him by the arm.
       "Shall we retire to the castle now?" He said, as he led the elf away in the direction of the gates.
       Menimeth turned to his friends and said.
       "We are going to a banquet tonight. We should clean up, and get some better cloths if we are to make a good impression."
       "Make a good impression!" Javen said. "I do not believe you can make a better impression than you did with that ribbon."
       "Never the less, we should go back to the Red Falcon, and get an ale at least." Menimeth said, as he turned and headed for the inn, with Chanry following close behind.
       With new cloths acquired from the tailor, at the shop across the street from the inn in which they stayed, Menimeth and his friends sat in the main room of the Red Falcon and drank a pint of mead. They waited for the summons to the banquet to arrive, and talked about the day's events. Chanry was dressed in the finest cloths available in his size, and looked like a prince's page, while Meni, as everyone was starting to call him because of Chanry, had polished his armor and cleaned his weapons. His cloths had been laundered but he did not purchase new ones, preferring the ones from the White Kingdoms, to the ones he found here.
       When the messenger came into the inn, he identified himself to Menimeth, and the companions followed him to the castle. A long table was set up in front of the main hall, and was loaded with all kinds of meats and cheeses, as well as fruits and vegetables from the farms of the west. Singers and dancers made their way around the great hall, as men and women took their seats at the tables in the back, which were set with silver dishes, and golden goblets. The regent sat at a smaller table, sitting higher, and placed where all of the other diners could see him. The chairs around that table were for special guests, but this was the first time in several years that they were used for that purpose. Today however, the table would be full of guests, as well as the regent's family.
       The regent sat in the center of the table, facing the guests at the tables below. His wife sat to his left, and his oldest daughter to his right. The regent's oldest son Saesic, and the one who had competed in the fair, sat at the end of the table to his fathers left. Menimeth sat to the regent's right, and at the opposite end of the table from Saesic. Litlorn sat beside Menimeth on the same side as the regent, and in the place of honor. Only the regent's family, or any royal visitors that may be present, were allowed to sit on the side facing the other guests. Kyler, Javen, and Feran, sat facing the regent, and the regents other children sat at the remaining chairs. Chanry sat to Menimeth's right, because he would not be separated from his master for any reason, and in the end, it was allowed.
       The platters of food from the long table were brought to the guests by a line of servants that stretched around the room. Every platter was taken to the regent first, then his family and those at his table, before making its way to the other guests below. There was a line of casks sitting against one wall, and servants walked from them to the people at the banquet, with pitchers of mead, ale, and wine
       After a short time, the regent turned in his chair, and looked at Litlorn.
       "It is rare to see one of the fair race in our realm. How do you find our lands?" He asked
       "They are very different from ours, but they hold a beauty and allure of their own, and I like them." Litlorn said, with a smooth flowing voice. He used this way of speaking when addressing a member of royalty in