~Serana⚜

I watched as maids and stewards bustled back and forth flowing around us like water around a rock. Mirandiona was leading me to the dining hall where we would meet the delegates and begin our little escapade. Hopefully one or both of us wouldn't be dead by the end of this.

Thankfully Mira's hand was still firmly placed on the small of my back giving me something to anchor to.

"Calm down, you'll do fine." The queen's soft voice whispers in my ear.

Swallowing past the lump in my throat. "I don't normally have to deal with people. At least not ones I can't threaten to shoot." I confess.

The sound of light laughter has me glancing sideways to see the queen with a gentle smile and bright gleam in her eyes. "I'm sure your threat of shooting will still be taken quite seriously." She reassures with that damned smile still pulling at her lips.

"You should smile more often." I blurt out before I can catch myself.

The smile drops from her face and is replaced by a bemused expression. "What?" She's stopped in the middle of the hall while the staff slips around us pretending not to notice.

"Nothing, I don't even remember what I said." I try, hoping she'll get the hint and just drop it.

She stares at me for a long moment before slipping her hand back under my wing and resume our walk.

The rest of the trip was made in silence other than the staff and the occasional squawk from Ovah.

Finally arriving at the dining hall I stop short as a wave of nerves hits me when the doors open to reveal a dozen or so figures seated around the table with silver clad guards standing at attention with the normal gold of the royal guard. The cloth parts of their uniforms were white and blue to represent Darqira, the same way reds and blues represented Algrie. A few of the silver clad guards wore purple and black, the same as the guards from home.

Mirandiona's hand on my back pushes me forward just enough to get me moving again. Taking a few more steps into the room our presence is noticed and quickly draws the attention of the people milling around the dinning table.

The figures of nobles and high powered persons stand and turn to us. It's written on all their faces, some hiding it better than other certainly, but the same undertone of unease and confusion at the extra presence at the queen's side.

"You're majesty." Ripples through the gathered delegates as they bow their heads and sweep their wings low in respect.

Thankfully I have the presence of mind to mimic the real queen and return the gesture on a bit small scale showing higher status that I did not have.

The hand on my back has disappeared and leaves me on edge without its reassuring guidance.

Mira starts toward the head of the table using the tip of her wing to flick mine telling me to follow.

Walking with her I'm relieved to see that two chairs have been positioned at the head of the table and standing beside one of them is the now familiar figure of Fyko. Letting go of the breath I'd been holding I swiftly stepped around Mira and gingerly claimed the seat next to him.

Mirandiona didn't seem to mind and took the seat next to a smokey bronze skinned man with wings that faded from light to dark gray. "Avar." The queen greats as she takes her seat.

"Your majesty." He greats back with a slight bow as he retakes his seat along with the rest of the table.

Looking a bit closer at the man's wings I could see hints of silver giving away his noble bloodline.

The man looks between the both of us and smiles with just the barest hint of a smirk, he knew exactly what we were doing. I didn't know wither to feel a bit safer or terrified that he caught on so quickly.

"How was your trip yesterday." Fyko's voice breaks my trail of thought and draws my attention away from the man now talking in low whispers to the queen.

Pulling my gaze away from the whispering pair I focus on the bright green eyes looking for all their worth amused beyond belief.

"Great." I answer, then as an after thought add. "Especially after you ditched us...the second time." I clarify with the beginnings of a smirk playing at my lips.

The amused look drops from his face and turns into a light glare. "That's just mean." He says in a flat voice, blank glare still in place as he shoves a forkful of meat into his mouth.

We both stiffen at the low hiss coming from my other side. "Fyko!" Glancing out of the corner of my eye, I see Mirandiona glaring daggers at said man.

Closing his mouth he sits up straighter and starts eating with a bit more edict. Turning my gaze to the plate of food in front of me I pick up a fork and hold it the way I'd seen Mira do, and quietly thanked the skies she'd taught me at least the basics that first morning here.

Taking care to follow her lead on how to eat I begin eating my breakfast and only speak when spoken to, mostly just listening to the delegates as Avar, who is apparently the queen's head adviser or something, answered most of their questions and enquiries. I knew Mirandiona didn't care too much for the man but I couldn't be more thankful to him at that moment.

Finishing the food on my plate I reach for one of the sides to seem busy. Pushing the green leafy food around in the small bowl I stop short at the sight of mushrooms in the dish.

Setting my utensil down I push the bowl away and turn my full attention to the room at large. Mirandiona gave me a questioning look before leaning in to whisper something. "Is there something wrong with the dish?" I could have sworn she almost sounded a bit concerned but I wasn't sure if it was genuine or just part of the act. Either way it served me better for her to know.

"I'm allergic to mushrooms." I admit using a finger to tilt the bowl so she could see the, to me, deadly fungus.

"Right. I'll fix that." She says grazing her fingers over my waist as she leans back to look around my wing drawing the attention of a stewart.

"Yes your majesty?" The man ask softly leaning down to hear the queen's hushed words.

"We apparently have some guest here with an allergy to mushrooms. Please inform the cook to not make anything with mushrooms as an ingredient, if the guest want them then they can add it themselves from a side bowl or something." She orders before dismissing the server.

"Yes, right away your majesty." He says before dashing off into the adjoining kitchen.

"Thanks." I breath grateful for her stopping the issue at its source.

A ghost of a smile crosses her face before she turns back to talk with Avar brushing her wing against the back of mine.

I had to fight hard against a blush at the show of affection. It was a friendly gesture but overlapping wings like that without the necessity of proximity was usually reserved for close friends or lovers, it wasn't like a full wing wrap, like when you were little and your nani kept a wing around you to keep you from getting too far or falling behind.

Swallowing the lump in my throat I spend the rest of my time poking at food with my now unusable fork and chatting idly with Fyko and occasionally Mira.

During a lull in conversation while most of the gathered people were distracted by their meal, something nudged my hip. Looking down I see Ovah's large frame crouched at my side hiding him from view.

He nudges me with his beak again lightly clicks his beak at the table. Guess he wants my food since I'm apparently not eating it. Glancing sideways I see Mirandiona still in the middle of a conversation with Avar.

Grabbing the bowl of greens, chopped meat and mushrooms I quietly slide it off the table and lean down until the gryph can get ahold of the bowl.

Grabbing it with his beak he lays down and places the bowl in his taloned forefeet to keep it still while he chomps down on the food I slipped him.

Sitting up straight again I glance around to see if anyone's noticed. Fyko raises a brow at me but other than that no one seems to notice. My relief is short lived when I have to bite my tongue to keep from yelling when hard heel comes down on the top of my foot.

Shooting a glare out of the corner of my eye I'm met with black curls as Mirandiona keeps talking as if she didn't just stomp on my foot under the table. Suppressing the urge to kick her back I turn my glare to the rest of the room and take note of all the new guards standing around the room.

"So has her majesty found a new mate." A man's voice speaks up from the other end of the table. A murmur goes through the room as the question they've all been dying to ask was finally voiced.

Avar was about to answer but I found myself answering before I realized what I was doing. "No." My voice was loud and clear, sounding every bit the queen I was pretending to be.

"Then why are there two of you?" The same man ask.

Looking more closely at him I noticed the top of his wings are a dark gray that faded into another color hidden by the table and dignitaries on either side of him.

Something about him seemed familiar, I wasn't sure what but he just felt off.

Avar chuckles and smiles falsely at the man. "Surly you can answer that yourself Helton. You are the commander of the guard throughout the shattered mountains region."

My jaw clenches as the information hits me. Lockren was in the shattered mountains one Skyris's largest regions somewhere in the middle altitude toward the eastern part of the kingdom.

"Well then," Helton speaks up grinning widely at Mirandiona and I. "It certainly is interesting times when the even queen has to go to such lengths to keep her identity hidden from her own dignitaries." He chortles lightly and gives me an appraising look before doing the same to Mira. "Interesting indeed."

He leans back still appraising us when the rest of the room erupts in low whispers as men and women whisper amongst themselves. I catch a few snippets of conversation trying to decipher who the real queen was and others talking about what this mean about the upcoming war.

I didn't want to give the smirking commander the satisfaction of knowing he'd pissed me off so I settled for turning my glare on the silver clad guards.

Looking at them as they stood there silently while the delegates sat fussing and making noise around the table my eyes catch on one that starts fidgeting lightly.

Looking more closely I notice the black and purple marking him as one of Helton's, what has the air rushing out of my lungs is the pattern of his wings.

I couldn't see his face past the helmet fastened over his head but I should know those wings anywhere, I'd seen them every day for the past century up until a few weeks ago. Many people had light gray wings but not all of them had green speckles, especially not in that pattern.

Reaching under the table I grab Mira's thigh and squeeze digging my nails in to prevent my talons from coming out.

Tensing beside me her hand finds mine and tries to pry my fingernails out of her flesh. Sucking in a sharp breath she hiss at me in both pain and annoyance. "What!" I could feel her glare but my gaze was firmly locked on the masked face staring motionless in my general direction.

"I know that man." I hiss lowly so no one else can hear.

She stops trying to pry my hand off her leg and follows my gaze to the silver clad guard. "Are you sure?" She whispers trying not to draw anymore attention to us.

She taps me with her wing to get me to look at her. Ripping my gaze from him I turn to look at her. "I know my best friend when I see him." I quietly snap trying hard not to have a panic attack and keep my heart from pounding out of my chest all at the same time.

"Is this the same friend that joined?" She ask looking at me with a stony expression.

If I hadn't been staring at her I would have missed the flash of fear that ran through her eyes. I can't manage to open my mouth for fear of my heart leaping out of my throat so I do the best I can and give a small nod for conformation.

She leans back in her seat and look to my other side where Fyko is sitting. Glancing at him I realize that he must have heard our hushed conversation.

Grabbing his hand on the corner of the table. "Please don't hurt him." I plead in a low voice. Begging him with my eyes, not to harm Treale.

"I won't." He promises before slipping from his seat, careful to step around Ovah still seated at my side.

The murmur of voices die down a bit as Fyko stands and makes his way around the room. "Helton, was it?" Mirandiona's smooth voice quickly draws the attention away from Fyko and hushes the room.

Looking up to meet her gaze with fiend politeness. "Yes," He ask, deliberately waiting a moment before adding. "Your majesty?" The small forced smile on his face spoke volumes.

Giving him an equally fake if not slightly predatory smile the queen continues undeterred by his failed attempts to belittle her, even if he wasn't sure it was her he was trying to belittle. "Why is it that you, along with several nobles, have come here with the delegation gram Darqira? The last time I checked a map which, correct me if I'm wrong, clearly showed the city of Darqira in the lowlands region with less than a days travel through your assigned region." She points out leaning her elbows on the table pressing her mouth into her clasped hands for a moment before speaking again. "So I wonder how it is that you came to know of the delegates meeting here and how you managed to arrive at least within the same day with a delegation of your own." She lightly rest her chin against her hands again and smiles a sickly sweet grin at the man.

Sitting up as tall as he can, which was admittedly an impressive height for any man, he puts on a perfect mask of humble sincerity. "Your majesty, I only wished to bring attention to the growing distress in the shattered mounts. When I caught wind of the delegation from Darqira I gathered as many of the higher nobles as I could and went on to travel to Algrie so we to could have audience with the queen while it best suited her. I did not dare come sooner for fear of interrupting attempts to calm this civil war before it could really start and decimate our kingdom." He explains earnestly.

The other delegates and nobles seemed to believe him but all I could think about was wanting to rip out his voice box so he couldn't tell so many damned lies. Glancing sideways Mira's jaw was clenched and she was visibly fighting a scowl.

Avar on the other hand was smiling broadly at the man. "You're more equipped for the theater than the barracks, Helton. Could have made quite a bit more as well." Avar jokes with hard glint in his eyes and sharp curve to his smile, warning the commander. I don't care what Mira says, I like this guy. I decided smirking lightly.

While hearty laughter fills the room I look to the door in time to see Fyko ushering Treale out of the room.

"I think that's our cue." I whisper to myself. Clearing the lump from my throat I stand up, Ovah jumps up out of my way as I round the chair meeting Mira as she rises from her seat as well.

She flashes a quick smile at the tables occupants. "If you would excuse us, there is something in need of our immediate attention." She says slipping in front of me and heading straight for the door.

I hold my breath until we're on the other side of the door cutting us off from the prying eyes in the dinning room.

Sighing in relief my shoulders sag from the tension I had been holding back. When my hand is seized in a strong grip I don't even try to fight as I'm dragged through the hallways.

A low whistle has my head jerking up to look in the direction of the sound. Fyko was peaking out of a door midway down a hallway off to the side from where we stood.

I don't have time to react as Mirandiona drags me to the door and pulls me inside with a soft click shutting us in the room. She lets me go and turns to the door. "Fyko make sure..." She begins instructing but I stop listening when my gaze lands on my best friend.

"Serana?" His voice was chocked, scared and unsure as he hesitantly reached for me.

I felt like smiling and crying all at the same time. "Treale." My voice cracked but I didn't care as I closed the distance between us and threw my arms around his neck, pulling him into a bone crushing hug.

He started laughing softly at first but then it gained depth as he started rocking back and forth hugging me like he might never see me again. He thought I was dead. The realization of the fact that he had been so worried about me, and I hadn't even spared him a thought until now, almost crushed me. I had been so caught up in my own affairs that I had completely forgotten about my only friend who I dragged into this mess.

He steps back holding me at arms length. "I can't believe it, what are you...how did you...what's going on?" He finally deciding on which question to ask first.

Smiling ruefully. "It's a long story." I say shaking my head not wanting to repeat it.

He heaves a sigh that shakes his entire body before reaching up and undoing the buckles of his helmet.

Once it's off I'm greeted with the face from my childhood, but not the same one I remember. He had a gash running from the side of his nose to his lip that was sure to leave a scar and stubble growing thickly across his jaw.

Looking more closely I could see a few faint bruises and cuts littering his cheeks and running down his neck to disappear behind the armor.

"What happened to you?" I ask looking him up and down for anymore signs of trauma.

"It's nothing I'm fine." He assures taking a step back and spreading his arms wide to prove his point. The flinch he made when his sides stretched wasn't exactly comforting.

"Treale..." I start.

"Serana." Mira's voice interrupts.

Glancing over my wing I see her stop right behind me, lifting a hand to rest on my wingblade.

A deep growl sounds from in front of me before she has time to continue. Whipping my head back around I see Treale glaring at the queen with a snarl firmly in place as he takes a threatening step forward reaching for where his sword should be.

In a flash Fyko is in front of both Mira and I holding the sword, that was supposed to be at Treale's side, against the other man's neck. "You really shouldn't." He warns pushing the point into Treale's exposed jugular.

Breaking Mirandiona's grip on my wing I shove past Fyko and put myself between the two men. "Knock it off the both of you!" I half shout turning my glare on either of them in turn.

Treale steps back but gives a final snarl at Fyko causing the man to lunge forward with the sword. Before I can grab him, Fyko is jerked back and half throw half shoved to the opposite side of the room. "Put the sword down Fyko, we don't need a fight." Mirandiona snarls, visibly angry at the man.

Rounding on me with icy blue eyes I shrink back as she lashes out at me. "Control your friend before he gets himself killed." She hisses turning her glare on him.

Treale for his part only ducks his head and folds in on himself to look as small as possible not risking meeting the true queen's gaze.

Coughing lightly he looks up at me with frightened eyes but forces himself to stand back up straight. "What's going on here?" He ask throwing a cautious glance at the queen.