His Royal Doofus [Rhiiiiiiiii!]

[Blue]

So there may have indeed been something on his agenda for the day that had mentioned a proper breakfast with the Queen and a few of her relatives, planned well in advance as was everything on said agenda, and likely told to him at one time or another, perhaps even several times, leading up to this actual morning of.
And on this morning of, there were at least a dozen servants and the like looking with desperate abandon for the man who may have indeed had something to that effect on his agenda for the last three months.
A man who was not in fact at the table at that very moment with his Queen and her mother, father, aunt, and younger sister.

A man who was currently well outside the castle, in the aerie he'd had built, currently trying to wrestle one of his seven Featherfall Gryphons into allowing him to trim an errant talon that had gotten a few inches too long. He had already lost a good portion of his shirt in the process, as the gray-and-black mottled beast was determinedly nipping him with it's hooked beak, grazing his tanned skin in a determined show of protest. Of course, given the number of excessive scars he already had, he didn't even bat an eyelash at the multitude of small scratches currently appearing across his broad back.
He would get this damnable talon under control. It was a matter of pride now. Well, and it wouldn't do to have the talon grow into the poor creature's foot!

Yes, this man...was the King of Serendipity, one Rheinallt Di'Veera, and he was unaware of being in a whole heap of trouble.

[Rhindeer]

Well. This was quite the awkward family dinner.

Considering one very important member of the family was noticeably not present.

Qiana's eyes flicked to the empty seat on her right, then to her parents who were seated across from her. She had dressed up for the occasion, spent hours letting her servants fuss and primp, scrub her skin and rub her with Essyrni oils, squeeze her into a lovely gown with a ridiculous amount of buttons (it had cost a small fortune), then plait her curly hair (a feat in and of itself!) and twist it into an elaborate up-do, a few curled strands framing her face. Even to her own eye (and she didn't fancy herself all that vain, only moderately so) she looked good. She'd put time and effort into this, and her family looked like they had, too.

The meal looked wonderful, as well, delectable meats and fruits all ready to be served.

But they couldn't eat yet, of course, because that would be rude.

Even though a certain someone was being terribly rude right now, himself.

After long minutes of trying to stall, of laughing it off, of listing off plausible excuses (which, Kia help her, it would floor her if any of those were true!), she let out a sigh and went to get up. A servant rushed over to pull her chair out.

"Tell the others they can stop running around like headless chickens," she told him, and lowered her voice before adding, "I know how to handle my husband."

She excused herself from the table and didn't bother heading to their chambers. She began her search in the most likely places.

'Most likely', for him, did not include the indoors. She headed straight outdoors and, sure enough, it wasn't long before she could hear the sounds of a tussle. With another long-suffering sigh, she followed it to the aerie.

Sure enough, there he was.

King of one of the most powerful nations.

And he was wrestling with a gryphon.

Qiana had been prepared to be stern, to be annoyed, to be frustrated and let him have it, but the sight of him like that--and the entire situation, that this was what he was missing and important dinner over!--was so ridiculous that the anger bled right out of her and her stiff shoulders relaxed. She watched him for a moment, torn between amusement and exasperation. He was filthy! He couldn't attend dinner like that!

Long moments passed before, with a wry smile, Qiana folded her hands beneath her breasts, tilted her head, and cleared her throat loudly.

"Having fun, Your Majesty?"

[Blue]

The familiar female voice easily carried through the aerie, and immediately Rheinallt's fiery red head popped up. A bad move, it would turn out - the Gryphon he was currently trying to 'assist' pounced on the opportunity and snagged a beak full of all that golden streaked mane of hair.
"Yowch!"
Finally the creature was released, and it trotted off a short distance, regal eagle head held up high in triumph. Rubbing the side of his head, as if checking to make sure there was not now a bald spot to be found, Rheinhallt waved the large iron clippers at the rogue Gryphon.
"You great feathered beast! How uncouth! And in front of the lady even!"
The Gryphon replied with a sharp squawk, and did not seem particularly apologetic.

Finally taking note of the sad state of his shirt, Rheinallt did not seem particularly perturbed even as he made his way over to his Lady Wife, the Queen. Instead, a large smile immediately brightened his face, warm and open as was his way.
"Good morning dear heart! And don't you make for a beautiful sight? You're likely to make all the lady servants blush with this radiance of yours!"
Flattery to be sure, but when it came from Rheinallt, it could only be the truth as he saw it. Taking a care that he not get her dirty, he still managed to sweep in and give her a peck on the cheek.
Stepping back, he took to removing the shredded remains of his shirt, not minding the many raised welts and scratches he was sporting against tanned skin.
"What brings you all the way out here? Certainly we were not making that much of a ruckus that you could hear us all the way indoors!"
Yes, indeed, King of Serendipity had completely and utterly forgotten this morning's engagement.

[Rhindeer]

Oh gods, she couldn't help it. The entire situation was so beyond ridiculous that she laughed when his hair was snagged. Served him right, that did!

When he finally extracted himself from the gryphon--and Kia help her, how many shirts did that make this week?--she waited patiently for his approach and cocked her head to the side, one eyebrow quirked. Flattery, hm? Alas, she would love to say it didn't work, but it was damned difficult to be angry at someone that was so genuinely kind, whose one major flaw was simply that he was a gigantic, absentminded oaf.

At least he remembered himself enough not to cover her with dirt and sweat and gryphon fluff.

She leaned in to accept the kiss and her smile broadened. It would be easy to let him off the hook and remind him, but if she did that, what was there for him to learn if she always gave away the answer?

"Oh, no dear. The castle walls are thick. No one could hear you from indoors," she said, and winced sympathetically when he removed the remainder of his shirt, revealing welts, scratches, and bruises. However, after having seen him in worse condition, and after having gotten used to him being perpetually in a similarly roughed-up state, it was not nearly so shocking anymore. He enjoyed this nonsense.

"Now I wonder. Surely there must be some reason I trekked all the way out here, to the dusty stables, in a dress so tightly buttoned I can scarcely breathe?"

[Blue]

At that response, the king tilted his briskly to one side. She did pose a good question, didn't she? Bereft of a shirt, Rheinallt took a moment to stride over to a nearby barrel of water and get some of the dust and sweat off his face. The crisp, cold splashing on his face would perhaps help kick his brain into gear too...the queen didn't say things like that unless he'd done something air headed again.
More damp than he started, he returned to his queen's side.
"Well my little lovely, I can't say I truly understand any garment that limits something so sincere as breathing. Now, for you to come all the way out here, you certainly must have good reason. Watching me harass Gryphons, while I'm sure entertaining, does not sound like an ideal afternoon past time for my lady."

So, what was he forgetting? She was in full garb, so there had to be something going on...something he was necessary for to some degree. Granted, she often did without when he was off gallivanting about. So this was something where she felt it necessary to go out and find him.
Hmm, what sort of engagements normally required that?
Hmmm...
Scratching the back of his head, he was very visibly baffled for a long moment. He was not a dense man, but sometimes the little things just completely escaped him.
Like a late morning meal with his wife's family.
His eyes widened, and his face lengthened a bit as startled surprise overwhelmed him.

"Ah..."
A heavy sigh slumped his shoulders, while a sheepish smile spread across his face.
"I wonder if your family might accept a Gryphon as an apology gift?"

[Rhindeer]

Qiana smiled serenely and nodded at his slow deduction. He was getting there! He was getting warmer! And she had made it a point not to make it easy for him and just give him the answer straight away, because he needed to learn to figure these things out and remember details like this! He was her husband, true, but she was not his keeper. A king needed to be responsible and she needed to teach it to him!

Finally, the candle sparked. She could practically see the light flicker on as realization dawned, and her smile broadened. There we go!

"I'm not sure about a gryphon," she said, head tilted to the side. "In general, my family doesn't really see the fun in a good mauling like you do. I know, I know. Heathens, the lot of us."

She laid a hand on his bare shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. "How about for the sake of everyone's safety and sanity, we settle on getting you dressed and down to breakfast? I think that will do just fine! I can stall a little longer, say you were, ah...tending to important political things that we simply so important and pressing and crucial to the realm that our little get-together slipped your overworked mind! How's that sound?"

[Blue]

That response earned a warm chortle, despite his earlier sheepishness. He felt terrible about that...she must have sat under her family's questioning gaze while he was absent. Truly, he did not ever intend to make things more difficult for her.
He simply...seemed to have a talent for it.

Reaching up, he covered her much more slender hand under his own, reciprocating the gentle squeeze. To most people, they likely appeared to be a sweet couple, happily married. Thankfully that, considering what the truth was and how difficult it would be to explain were it exposed.
A smile lit up his face, though subdued thanks to his gaffe.
"I believe that is quite reasonable, and I also believe that my lady does give me far too much credit."
He returned her hand, and then bumped her cheek gently with a knuckle.
"Thank you Qiana."

Turning on his heel, he began jogging off while calling over his shoulder.
"I promise to get dressed most quickly, and presentably, and I shall be down to join the meal likely before your poor breath-stealing-bodiced self has even had a chance to sit at the table!"

[Rhindeer]

Smiling, Qiana leaned into his hand briefly, an affectionate gesture. She did love him, just not in a conventional way.

"Thank you," she said, watching him leave. "But we'll see about that! I'm afraid I'm far more used to fancy clothes than you'll ever be, dear."

And with that said, she turned and headed back, walking as quickly as she could manage in her outfit. It was all about striking the right balance--moving fast, but not fast enough to run out of breath, because if she did then it would be a while before she caught it again and it wouldn't do to return to her parents puffing and sweating and straining.

They'd just have to see who made it there first.

[Blue]

Turns out he always did underestimate the amount of time necessary to get 'properly dressed'.
He'd at least managed to avoid a full bathing, opting instead for a light wipe down to get rid of all the sweat, blood, and gryphon feathers. And then have his wounds hastily patched, lest they bleed through his clothing of course. And then there was the grand task of attempting to wrestle him into various layers of clothing - though in the end they only managed two. His hair was gathered into a somewhat presentable tale even as he was striding out of his room, and in the end his servants just had to let it be.
At the very least his top and vest were (mostly) buttoned up.

In that uncanny way he had, Rheinallt swept up next to his Queen just as they were about to enter the dining hall. Smiling mildly to himself, he gently took her arm and made quite the proper entrance.
"My deepest apologies for keeping you all waiting."

[Rhindeer]

Needless to say, Qiana made it back first, and she took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself  to spend some amount of times smoothing things over and keeping her family entertained. Oh, you know, he just gets so carried away with all the hard work that comes with being king, bless him! Things like that. It was something she had grown quite adept at, having long ago leanred the art of keeping up a continuous stream of chatter to stall.

Thanl goodness Rheinallt saved her from all that.

"Oh, it was well worth the wait, dear heart," Qiana said, turning to him so she could button his shirt up the rest of the way before sliding her arm in his. Beaming at her parents, she walked with him to the dinner table and waited as a servant came to pull their seats out for them. Sitting, she smiled at her husband, and then at her family.

"You know how it goes. A monarch's work just never ends! I always tell him he needs to relax more."

[Blue]

Rheinallt chuckled softly at her as she fixed up his buttons, covering his chest more properly. Sometimes he liked to muse at how much the perfect couple they likely seemed, and yet everything they did was so much more like siblings or best friends. Still, he had to be grateful for the easy illusion, or it would have been quite difficult to explain things.
Arm in arm they swept into the hall with easy grace, the fiery king releasing his wife to be seated before himself.

Here came the great theatrics of a social gathering. Some days he found it amusing, others quite the chore, and always he managed to disrupt polite conversation with his own unabashed good nature and honesty. He let out a warm laugh at Qiana's words.
"Indeed, I do seem to recall being infamous for my inability to sit still. I can always find something to do in a spare moment, but at least it keeps me from having idle hands."
His easy good humor all but permeated the air around him, a grin always on his lips. It was one of those things that helped endear people to him - a good thing too, given how difficult he was to manage!
"I do apologize for keeping you from your meals. Now then, how is my esteemed family doing on this beautiful day?"

[Rhindeer]

Already, Qiana could see the lines of irritation smoothing out of her parents' faces. If there was one thing Rheinallt had, it was charisma--you just couldn't dislike the man, and he had a way of goading even the grouchiest old fart into a merrier mood. She didn't know how he did it--she only knew that it worked, and worked to an exasperating degree.

Sometimes she wanted to be angry, and yet it just wasn't possible.

She smiled, watching her family warm up to him. A servant swept into the room to refill wine glasses and offer Qiana and Rheinallt their first serving, and Qiana happily accepted and reminded herself not to drink it too fast. Still, when family was involved, one couldn't have enough wine.

"No apologies needed, Your Majesty," Qiana's mother, Aine, said. "And in any case, we're doing very well. It's always a pleasure to be in your company--"

"And to share in your amazing food!" Allyn, Qiana's father, chortled.

Aine gave Allyn a look that Qiana had felt her face make many times before and, for one brief second, she had the horrifying thought of, Gods help me, I've become my mother. She gave Rheinallt a sidelong look. When had that happened?!

Instead of saying anything, though, she cleared her throat and clapped her hands, signaling the meal be brought out. "About that! I'm sure you're all famished. I certainly know my poor, overworked husband is."

Alright, so maybe she was going to rub that in just a little more before she was done.

[Blue]

Rheinallt let out a warm, deep chuckle in response to his father in law's quip. It earned a look that the king knew well, but that only made him smile even more. It was pretty obvious where his own dear wife got it from, eh?
"I'm glad our food is to your liking! What a compliment to our kitchens, I'll make sure to let them know!"
And because it was him, it was quite likely that he would be heading into the kitchens right after this meal to give the entire staff a hearty congratulations.

Moments later, and he was nearly snorting his first drink of wine thanks to his wife. She...seemed to be bringing that particular point up quite often, hm? He got the distinct feeling it was for her own entertainment, and he gave a sheepish grin.
"Ah, I am certainly famished, but I feel that is by virtue of the size of my stomach. And for any and all work I might accomplish in a day, I can assure you that my dearest Qiana is capable of twice the productivity."
The king held no misconceptions about the queen's abilities. In his humble opinion, she was amazing. If it were not for her, he doubted things would be running as smoothly as they were.

[Rhindeer]

Leave it to Rheinallt to lovingly compliment her after she'd just taken a dig at him! Qiana felt her cheeks warm. Even worse, the compliment was genuine, and she felt strangely humbled. Bless him, that sweet, good-natured man. She should remember to compliment him so genuinely instead of tease him incessantly, as she was wont to do. He was always making her look good, and it would be unfair not to return the favor--especially since it was deserved.

She smiled serenely, hiding her mental flailing behind a well-practiced mask.

"Oh, you flatter me, darling. But we all know that's not all true. A wife is only as good as her husband, and a husband only as good as his wife, for they balance each other. Ah, but enough talk of business! This is a family dinner and should be enjoyed as such."

Qiana raised her wine glass in a toast. "May the pleasures of the evening bear the reflection of the morning!" she said, and smiled brightly. "I'm glad to see you all again. I missed you."

It was then that the servants bustled out of the kitchen, as though her toast had been a cue, and brought out the first course of miniature beef pastries, fish, and even freshwater eel in a thick, spicy brown sauce. It smelled amazing, and it was only then that she realized how hungry she was. She had spent so much time preparing for this moment that she'd forgotten to eat earlier!

[Blue]

All in all, they'd salvaged the meal rather well! Thank the skies for that, for while he could handle the burden of his in-law's disappointment (for it was entirely his fault to begin with!), he would not wish the same on his wife. She certainly did not deserve such treatment, and not from her own parents at that!
The meal was delicious as expected, and afterward there was a bit of a sitting to wrap up conversations begun over breakfast.
Rheinallt saw them out with laughter and good natured flourish, and once the doors had officially been closed so to speak, his hands went to his hips as though he were quite proud of himself. Despite his earlier mishandling of the situation, he felt it had ended greatly enough.

It was then his face brightened, and one might say they could even see the realization spark above his head. He snapped his fingers and turned, having just remembered. The kitchen staff! He needed to alert them to a job very well done indeed!

@Rhi-Rhi

[Rhindeer]

Qiana was just breathing a sigh of relief at having the place to herself once more when suddenly Rheinallt was bustling away like a cat with its tail on fire. Before she could even get a word in to him! With a shake of her head, she followed after him, curious as to what all that was about--and hoping her parents hadn't spooked him too badly!

They could be rather...well...

Needless to say, it didn't matter that Qiana waa the Queen of bloody Serendipity, she was still their baby, mortifying as that could be, and thus they were still a bit overly critical of Rheinallt--and the fact that they hadn't yet borne children!

"Rheinallt? Dear?" she called, and found him just outside the kitchens. "Are you okay?"