Cold Dinner
Persia sat glaring coldly over the other side of the table to where Abel sat. Her father could make her attend dinner, he could insist she spoke politely to him, but he could not make her like him.
So far dinner had been an uncomfortable string of pleasantries and she could tell her short none committal answer’s where starting to frustrate her date. Abel’s chambers where clean and well kept as one would expect of a noblemen with servant’s to take care of his needs, the table lit with a single candle in some vain attempt’s to create a romantic atmosphere Persia decided disgustedly.
“How is the Queen?” he asked.
“Like you care?” she replied coldly.
“Actually I don’t” he replied honestly “But you seem too so I thought it would be a place to start a conversation”
“She’s fine”
“Is she eating yet?”
“No”
Abel sighed “does she say why she’s not eating?”
“It’s private” Persia retorted. “And I’m not a gossip” He’d not apologised for hitting her, in fact he didn’t seem to show any sort of remorse for it at all. So as far as she was concerned she was going to make sure he knew how much she despised him.
“How’s Thomas”
“Fine”
“Your father is worried for him?”
Persia sighed “I suppose”
“You’re not making this easy” Abel replied “how about attempting a conversation?”
“I really don’t care for anything you might have to say” she replied.
“Why not?”
“Because you show contempt for the queen and her mother” Persia answered honestly.
“I don’t hate her”
“Yes you do” Persia replied “You wouldn’t care if she died”
Abel shrugged pushing a stray potato around his plate “I don’t hate her, I don’t think she’s fit to be queen there’s a difference. I don’t have any reason to hate her. I wouldn’t wish her ill, even if I could see a benefit for the kingdom if she were gone”
“Thomas loves her” Persia retorted.
“That’s the difference between men and woman” Abel replied “women have this silly infatuation with the concept of Love. He slept with my sister, what does that tell you about his ‘love’”
“He made a mistake”
“A mistake he’ll make again”
“You can’t know that!” Persia replied feeling irritated.
“Is there any point in any of this?” he asked finally.
“Point in what?”
“Me trying to get to know you?”
“You’ll never ‘know’ me” she growled.
Abel let his fork clatter heavily to the plate and let out a long and frustrated sigh. “Very well, you may leave”
“Pardon?!”
“Leave!” Abel demanded more forcefully.
“I don’t understand” Persia replied panicked, not that she wanted him to like her but the last thing she needed was yet another complaint going back to her father.
“Leave” he repeated “I’m not chasing you. We shall simply have to get to know each other once we are married”
“So you’re going to stop hounding me?”
“Hounding?! Is that what you call it? Very well I will stop ‘hounding’ you. Frankly Persia I was hoping for a less difficult wife but as you don’t need to like me to provide me with children. So you’ll suffice. So go!”
“Suffice… I’ll suffice!!?” Persia replied indignantly, suddenly concerned by his apparent lack of concern… “You .. you ….”
Abel suddenly cut her off “I don’t care what you think, so save your insults”
“I’ll never give you children” she threatened.
“You’ll do as your told” Abel replied matter of factly “If that mean’s I have to take you like the bitch you are then so be it. Now get out of my chambers you are no longer welcome here”.
Oh man this does not look good for Persia.