The grand dining hall was far larger than his father's personal dining room. It was as long as a football field and lavishly decorated in gold and white with the banners of their house, a Giant hand breaking a lightning bolt in half, decorated the walls. A golden carpet ran through the center of the room up to a dais that held a large, intricately carved, table where his father sat - in all his hulking weight- on his even larger throne. On either side of the golden carpet were wide circular tables for those not at the high table to sit and eat.
The Emperor sat imperiously and impatient on his throne as he looked around the room at all of the royal family that had been called back for this event. To his left sat a beautiful woman with black hair and blue eyes who was talking enthusiastically to him. Nassir could tell that his father was not paying much attention. This was Emperor's first wife, Anita Wellingburg youngest daughter to Duke Wellingburg and father of Nassir's eldest younger brother Prince Navier. In truth she was meant to be the Empress of the Sacred Alliance, but she had never been conferred that title by his father- much to her and her fathers annoyance- so she was stuck as only being the first wife. A prestigious title, but not so much so that it held sway over the household or other wives.
On her left sat his younger brother by a few month Navier. The boy took more after his mother in appearance than their father, with his black hair and green eyes. Nassir did not speak much to his siblings as he found talking to young children as a peer insufferable, but from the little interactions he did have with the boy he found him pleasing enough. It made him wonder what the boy would do to get himself killed by their father in the future.
The rest of the table was filled with the rest of his siblings who were old enough to have learned some type of decorum and their mothers. Meaning only Reyna, his oldest sister who he was also the same age as. Neil, the chubby third prince who was a year younger than him. Noel, another one of the princes who would die in the future who was the same age as Neil. Finally, the youngest one allowed at the table, just barely it since he and his mother were seated at the edge of the table, the fifth prince Nyris a boy of only six years old.
The table was mostly filled save for the two seats to the Emperors right. Nassir smiled when he saw that those seats had been saved for them.
He followed his mother's lead and began walking down the carpet slowly and purposefully. Soon his fathers gaze noticed them and it brightened just slightly.
"Nassir, Winter, come you will dine next to me." his fathers voice boomed through the hall.
All eyes turned towards them from the most powerful members of the house near the front to the less important ones near the back where he currently stood. Nassir did not mind though, if he was to be Emperor one day he would have to get use to moments like this and his mother is a Legend this was a minor thing to them. So they continued on with easy steps.
He could see the curious gazes of his siblings and the venomous ones of their mothers. It was no secret he knew that the other mothers hated him, but their was little they could do to act against him for fear of garnering his mother's wrath.
When they reached the end of the golden rug, they both bowed to their Emperor before taking their seats on the dais.
When they were finally seated his father raised his meaty hands and mountains of food was brought into the room. Each table was being loaded with more food than he had seen in any of his lives and like fish to water the members of the Mordain family, following the Emperors lead began to eat with vigor. Nassir and his mother naturally joined in on the gluttonous feast.
While he ate Nassir wondered what feast were like before his father took the throne. Did the other Emperor's have their own unique quirks about food or did they have another things that they focused on. Did his father's mother prefer thinness and that was why the current Emperor preferred having his excess heft? Or did she judge one by how well they danced. What about her father, was he more traditional and only cared about martial pursuits or did one's ability to recite poetry truly make a man in his eyes?
Were all the previous Emperor weirdly zoned in on a specific things? Or was it just his father who had an obsession with eating and masked it as a talent assessment. And secretly a way to bury the guilt that ate at him everyday. He didn't know, and it was incredibly hard to get access to the history books of their lineage for some reason. A six year old prince did not have much access as one may think and he was sure that one did not think a six year old prince had much access to begin with.
The feast continued in silence as everyone gorged on as much food as they could to both impress their Emperor and to partake in rare delicacies that they may not ever get to experience again in their lives. Even the Legendries of the family, those able to attend, happily shoveled food as they spoke, doing it with an unnatural ease.
He had not yet mastered the technique of eating and speaking at the same time, nor had any of his siblings so it was left to their mothers to speak to the Emperor while they ate.
After over an hour of just pure eating the Emperor stopped eating his food and quickly the others in the room stopped too. His father raised his hand once more and the food was quickly taken away and the tables cleaned. Nassir was happy that his father had finished the feast fast, he was reaching his limit and did not want to embarrass himself and pass out. Poor Nyris had landed face first into his food. His other siblings were all asleep in some positon or another, their bodies doing its best to manage the excess energy introduced to it.
When everything had settled down his father motioned to his right for the Steward of the house to come forward. A middle aged thin man with a no fun look to him walked forward just in front of the Dais at the end of the carpet. In perfect view of everyone.
"Hear his Imperial Majesties Decree!" the man began