The envoy from the Astonville Kingdom arrived with great fanfare and got the whole capital waiting. Catching the last of the long line of luxurious carriages took a long while to get to the city door, where Eldric was waiting with other noblemen to receive them.
"There they are," Eldric said, and the curtain of the biggest carriage opened, and the sight before them shocked them. In the carriage, a young, handsome man with shiny black hair cascading to his shoulders lay half-reclining, the robe on his chest open and his crown placed next to him, surrounded by a few scantily dressed women. He opened his eyes, looking hazy, half-hooded. He then lifted his hand, patting one woman sitting next to him on her buttocks. "Fun is over. Leave now," he said, and the women alighted from the carriage, passing in front of Eldric and other men, giving them smiles and walking to another carriage at the back.
