"What's taking them so long? The food is going to get cold." Arthos complained.
"Maybe I should go check on them." Wain offered.
"Don't you dare. If you do, I will put three arrows in you…and I will let you guess where exactly." Kay warned sternly.
The door opened, and three elegantly dressed and very beautiful princesses emerged. The room fell silent as all eyes turned to witness the grand entrance of the three princesses. Enchanted by the sight, the villagers smiled in appreciation. It was a true honor to share a meal with such respected company.
Princess Elencia wore a pearl white dress that looked ceremonial…almost celestial. As she walked, the fabric shimmered like clouds on a sunny day. The soft silk held a luminous glow that gave the princess an angelic look. However, what made the look even more special was the beautiful contrast her sky-blue hair held against the dress.
Princess Nevariel wore a midnight blue dress that spoke of elegance and refinement. Her steps were like watching the glow from starlight…timeless and magical. The colors gave her a dramatic, powerful, yet gracious look. She wore her hair up which accentuated her beautiful face and enchanting silver eyes.
Princess Kristan (she looked like a princess that night) wore a crimson red dress that looked unforgettably majestic…it was bold…it was royal…it had a 'queen-in-the-making' look. The deep red contrasted perfectly with her white skin and dark colored hair giving her a quiet confidence look that also spoke of passion like fire.
Arthos, Percy, and Wain remained silent…starstruck by the beautiful ladies.
Kay whispered to the boy, "aren't you glad you listened to me? You can thank me later."
[…]
[4 Hours Earlier]
"No, you will not do that! What you are suggesting is a disrespect for yourselves, the occasion, and more importantly the other guests who will be attending." Kay said with tenacity.
Moments before, there was a heated argument between Kay and the four young men because the boys were planning on attending the banquet just as they were. No change of clothes, no bath, no preparation, nothing special. Kay, on the other hand, knew the ladies would be pulling all the stops tonight and did not wish to see them disappointed by the lack of effort from their suitors.
"Listen boys…I know you think this is silly and doesn't matter…why should it matter? Tomorrow, we face 50,000 red orcs and it may be our last day among the living. That is not the point though. The point is honor…these banquets, these dinners, these parties all come down to a matter of honor. You honor yourselves, the host, the other guests, by looking your absolute best."
He continued with his lecture, "I'm not blind, I can see what is happening here…whether you admit it or not, you have feelings for the lovely ladies. Those ladies happen to be princesses…that makes this dinner ever more dangerous. Love is not a game, and it's not a fairy tale, love is a battlefield. One where even the strongest warriors are slain if not adequately prepared."
"What do we need to do?" Arthos asked.
A veteran of many royal parties, Kay knew how to prepare his men.
He said, "three important things. First, the genuflection. It's how knights and men of honor show respect. It's done like this, stand straight, chest up, shoulders back, head high, then in one graceful gesture you drop your right knee to the ground and hold like this. You try."
"Percy very good. Arthos and Wain, remember it has to be graceful. Think elegance, try again. Hector you too, you practice as well. If we survive this battle, you will likely attend royal banquets in the future…its good for you to know all this."
"Second thing, bathe and dress. Please tell me you have other clothing besides what you are wearing."
"We have armor." Wain replied sheepishly.
"Hopeless…absolutely hopeless." Kay mumbled.
"Let me check the inventory…maybe we have something in the coin shop window. I see some high-quality silk tunics…it's a three piece with a high-quality linen shirt underneath, wool leggings, and a fine tunic on top." Wain replied.
"Let me see. These are very good. The black tunic goes to Wain, the navy blue goes to Percy, and the light gray goes to Arthos. Hector, you wear the white tunic. These will need to fitted properly. I will handle the fitting."
"Third thing, the dance. There are three important dances you must know. The estampie, the carole, and the line dance. We will practice all three. Watch carefully."
Kay proceeded the instruct the young men on all three dances. Percy with his keen eyesight and high agility quickly master all three. The rest of boys required additional training but managed to learn to basics.
"Good...very good. I think you boys are ready. Make me proud." Kay praised the four young men with a smile.