Serpent Lake dulce

belen looked around as the man spoke. her father did not appear, and neither did her weak mother. the girl's brow furrowed again. they had not told her to stay here. in fact, they had not said much to her at all. "all right," she said slowly, untrustingly, after a moment. "i will come and eat and make a decision." royalty, he had said. "you have a rey, then? a king?" belen was interested, though she hoped it would not be readily apparent. "what is your name?"