222 Sibling Rivalry

As the night began to set in, Sylvy arranged for Vyrena and Lycster to have dinner with her. Wanting a taste of food from beyond Papillion, Sylvy asked if Vyrena and Lycster would be willing to share some information on it with the chefs in the kitchen so that they could attempt to replicate it. 

This was a highly unusual request to the kitchen since most meals were tailored strictly to tradition. But no one dared to deny the requests of the King. The Blackfire siblings thought about it for quite sometime before they finally came up with a few items. 

They made sure that the Royal Kitchen had the ingredients readily available. But if they were missing an ingredient or two, they would check and see if they might have any stored in their spatial storage. 

Sylvy was keen to see the chefs preparing the food, so she stepped into the Royal Kitchen with Tinee and Ramas by her side. Vy and Lycster were also there to give the chefs some pointers on how certain things needed to be prepared. 

Seeing the delight on her face brought a smile to Ramas as well. It had been some time since he had seen her so happy. 

He silently walked up to her and whispered in her ear, "Have you ever cooked before?"

Sylvy was surprised by his sudden question. After ensuring that everyone else was too engrossed to care about them, she whispered back, "I have, with my father."

Torfin Flutterheart loved smoked meats and open grills. While the Flutterheart Family watched the sunset in the Summer, they would be out on the green field next to their home. An open grill would be set up and Sylvy's father would be grilling seasoned fresh meats for everyone. 

Torfin would have young Sylvy on his shoulders or by his side while he grilled the meats. He would tell her the best ways to cook them, along with the types of spices to marinate them in. Music would be playing through the evening as torches and campfires would be set up. 

As the night sky set in, they would lay down on the picnic mats to view the stars in the sky. Sylvy would give anything to return to those carefree days with her father. How she wished he was still alive to see her become King. 

After the food was prepared, the food was brought to the Marble Dining Room, a smaller dining area compared to the Dining Hall. Sylvy felt that it was a much cosier location. After all, it would only be Vy and Lycster who was joining her for dinner. 

As they were about to begin their meal, a knock on the door. It was Grand Priestess Alfin. 

"Is everything alright, Grand Priestess?" Sylvy asked out of concern. 

Alfin bowed to her King and said, "My King, I am afraid your brother has escaped."

Unfortunately, her subordinates were still unable to locate Eskyl. As such, Alfin felt that it would be safer if Sylvy returned to her quarters for now, until he was found. 

She had hoped that the situation would be under control by then, but unfortunately, that was not the case. 

"It's alright," Sylvy sighed, "My brother will not go down easily. If this is the case, let's move the dinner to my quarters" 

With that, everyone left the Marble Dining Room to head to Sylvy's King Quarters instead. As the King, Sylvy was the first to enter the room. Before anyone had any time to react, the door slammed shut. 

Sylvy was alone in the room. The room was lit with dim lighting, but she knew who was hiding in the shadows. She should have anticipated that her brother would be waiting for her here. 

On the outside, everyone was stunned. When they tried to bang on the door for it to open, it would not budge. The door was locked and a magical seal was placed upon it to make it nearly unbreakable. 

Ramas banged his hand on the door, "Sylvy! Sylvy!" 

Vy's quick thinking led her to take to her raven form immediately as she flew over to the balcony with Lycster following closely behind. But the door from the balcony was locked too. There was no way in. 

In the room, Sylvy could feel her brother's presence behind her. Her heart was pounding in her ears. But she kept her cool. 

"We meet again, sis," Eskyl said ominously as he walked out of the shadows from behind her. 

She turned around to meet him face to face. Her brother had gone to great lengths to plan on what he wanted to do. Once again, she regretted not having a weapon in her room in case of situations like this. 

"Eskyl, we need to talk," she said to her brother. 

The waver in her voice was as clear as crystal. It only boosted Eskyl's ego even more as he thought that he had the upper hand. Sylvy took a couple of steps back as her brother moved closer to her. 

Careful not to take her eyes off him, she walked backwards until she came to a chair and sat down. She motioned for him to take a seat as well. From the door, she could hear Ramas's voice and his banging on the door. 

"I need some time with my brother! I am not in any danger!" she shouted towards the door. 

"That is brave of you to say, sister," Eskyl said with a grin. 

"Take a seat," she said, "I would like to negotiate with you."

He laughed at her, "Negotiate? What is there to negotiate about?"

Sylvy clasped her hands together and placed them on the table. She looked into her brother's eyes and took in a deep breath. 

"I want you to continue to be my advisor, until the end of my term," Sylvy explained. 

"You want me to be your loyal dog? You must be out of your mind," Eskyl spat as he folded his arms. 

"I should just kill you here and now and take your seat," he mused. 

"That would not be wise-"

Eskyl slammed his hand down on the table, "Wise? What's the use of being wise?! Power is more important!"

Sylvy shook her head, "Have you already forgotten what father taught us? Ruling through fear is never the answer!"

"What do you know about ruling?! You were never meant to be King! I prepared to King my entire life!"

Eskyl pointed at Sylvy, the fierce gaze of his eyes burned a hot flaming blaze. He gritted his teeth as he said, "Yet you took everything away from me!"