Mr. Barnes stared at the King, in shock waiting to hear what the King had to say. It wasn't every day a normal man or a woman got an invitation to come and have tea with the King. The King had other affairs to attend to and giving time to people meant a lot. Mr. Barnes had a cup of tea in his hand, when he heard the King ask,
"Mr. Barnes, since how long have we known each other?" the King was stirring his teacup, round and round looking down at it.
"It must be more than two decades, Sire," answered Mr. Barnes. Though the man himself was much older than the King, it was because of the power the King held, that made Mr. Barnes appear to be slightly timid. One had to be extra careful when speaking to the King. A relative or family members words could be dismissed, but it wasn't the same when it came to outsiders. Sometimes even the relatives were not shown mercy because the amount of betrayal that ran in the cracks of the bond never closed.