The room fell silent after Reuben spoke. At the very least, none of them were expecting Reuben to side with Lythion for any purposes because it meant he approved that Lythion was better than him, which wasn't so.
'What? Why?' Lythion remained quiet, waiting for Reuben to state his reasons for siding with him.
Ren stood from his stool and held Reuben by the shoulder, turning him around to glare at him directly in the eyes.
"What do you mean by that, Reuben? You're gonna let this kid go on that dangerous journey, for what? To prove himself to Father?"
Reuben pushed Ren's fingers off his shoulder and glared at him in opposition. His face twisted in anger and he didn't let what Ren say slide.
"The kid deserves to see the world too. We've all gone on quests for the king. This is his chance to prove himself and show why Father trusts him more than any of us!"
Ren pulled back, sighing before sitting down on his stool. Even if he wanted to start a fight, Reuben was older than him and therefore he would be punished for it.
The only thing he could do was sit and watch what happens next without interrupting.
'Reuben is seriously letting this kid prove himself to Father. If he does and comes out victorious Father will only trust in him more! What is he thinking?!'
Reuben raised his head to their Father, placing his hands behind him. "What do you say Father. He should have an opportunity to prove himself to us and tell us why he is your most trusted son."
Lythion didn't know what to say in response, all he could do at this moment was to keep quiet and let the adults in the room decide.
'How dangerous are the kings quests? Why is so much a bother if I go on it? And why does Reuben of all people support me in this crucial moment?'
He stood upright, pushing his chest outward with his hands placed behind him as he was trained to when in front of his elders.
Their Father didn't know what to say, he was left with almost no option to the solution of his current problem.
"You want your younger brother to have an experience of the world… even though he may or may not survive this quest. Is that right?" Their Father, Gregory spoke softly.
'What does he mean by may or may not? What is the percentage of both occuring?' Lythion's face tensed.
"Yes, Father." Reuben answered without a second thought. "He should have the opportunity as he wants, to see the world from a different perspective and learn why we do things our way."
Greg, their Father faced downward again. Ruminating through his thoughts when one of the soldiers brought forth a solution to their problem.
"May I interfere in this family matter?" He asked for permission first, as a responsible member.
Everyone nodded because of served the king and had every right in the matter since it concerned a matter relating to the king himself.
"Okay, this is my own opinion and shouldn't be taken seriously" he started off so it doesn't lead to a massive problem later and he is blamed for it.
"First, I'd like to say I am impressed by your youngest son's actions and his confidence to go on this quest for the king. It is really inspiring to see the younger generation so eager to prove themselves."
"Secondly, if you are confused on who you should send on this quest. Then may I include the idea of lot casting?"
Everyone's expression changed, except for Lythion who didn't know much about lot casting. 'Casting lot? Isn't that the same as gambling?'
"Lot casting…. Is a good way to decide this without anyone getting blamed for the outcome because there is no definite response."
They all stared at the soldier. 'Lot casting is not a good way to decide this.. if I somehow get picked then nothing about my plan will come true. I need to find a way to avoid this from happening!' Reuben thought.
"Father, I don't thi-" he was paused mid speech by a hand gesture from their Father.
Their Father finally raised his head and stared at Reuben. "If the royal guard suggested it, then it must be done accordingly."
"Wait sir, I already said initially that this is my own idea and shouldn't be taken seriously. You are a family and you can still decide on your own accords, no need to depend on mine." The soldier interrupted.
"It's fine, no one will be blamed for the outcome. As you said, the outcome is indefinite." Greg spoke, finally rising up from his chair.
He walked over to the wooden shelf in the room and pulled out an old wooden box from it. The box was intricated with strange idolized patterns he wasn't familiar with.
Their family crest sat on each side of the box and a lion head was on each corner too. The box was the size of a Ps5 shipment box case.
He blew all over it and dust particles escaped the surface, covering the room in slight amount of dust.
"We'll use this for the casting of lot, it's an old box case we used back in the day for this kind of thing. It has been passed down from generations and therefore I will continue the tradition as expected by our ancestors."
'Its not the first time lot has been casted in this household before. But what exactly is lot casting and how can it be done?'
He watched as the old man walked back to his chair and took a seat. 'Guess I'm about to find out'
He gestured for them to pull the middle table closer to him, before dropping the box on it. He unwound a particular key from its side before it clicked open like a lock.
Inside the lock were small rectangular wooden frames carefully arranged inside and each of these wooden frames had names inscribed on them.
He pulled out eight wooden frames from the box and clicked the box shut before pushing it aside. Then he arranged the names accordingly, to the names of his eight sons.
'Eight? That means any one of us can go for this quest.'