~Mirandiona💎

Walking in long deliberate strides Serana and I make our way through the castle and towards Evyo's room. Hopefully she'd still be in there.

I could practically feel the anxiety vibrating off of Serana the closer we got to her nani. The two had a lot of strife to work out, both women to blame for it, but in time they may eventually come to somewhat of an ultimatum. Unfortunately that didn't appear to be anytime soon.

Sliding my hand under her wing I gently rub my thumb across the small of her back, giving her something else to focus on. Her body didn't relaxed even a fraction but the anxiety poring off of her seemed to lessen to a more bearable current instead of the all consuming crash-fall it was before.

"You should work on your calming technique." I chime in whilst no one was near.

She takes a deep breath but otherwise remains silent.

We continue to make our way through the castle until I pull us to a stop outside of a door with a single guard silently standing sentry. Motioning for him to allow us entry he steps aside and opens the door for us.

I make sure Ovah stays in the hall, before walking into the room. Entering I spot Evyo at the desk in the corner of the far wall just under the locked window. Turning to the woman stationed inside the room I motion her out to wait in the hall with her partner.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of warranting such esteemed guest?" The older woman speaks softly without turning toward us.

"Nani..." Serana bites out in agitation at the other woman's tone.

"Serana." I warn giving her a look to back off. Turning my attention back to the older woman. "Ms. Vynox..." I start before the woman politely interrupts me with a raised hand.

"Please. Just Evyo." She reminds standing from her chair to face us.

Smiling politely in return I continue. "Evyo, we seem to be in a bit of a knot and could use all the help we can safely get." I state.

"Oh?" She breaths her brows rising as she looks between the two of us for more information.

I hesitate for a moment to find the best way to phrase this when Serana takes the lead. "There are rebels in the castle, they're working for one of the commanders named Helton, so far we have them confused on which one of us is actually the queen and which one is faking, oh, and also Treale is here. He was with the rebels." Serana finishes taking a deep breath and staring at her nani.

I guess that's one way to go about it. Turning my attention back to Evyo I notice the hidden look of shock and worry barely tracing her face. I faintly wondered at how often she must've had to hide her emotions to instinctually respond like that.

"And you've come to me?" She questions looking to me for confirmation.

Nodding my head in answer I watch as the older woman looks around for a moment. When Serana goes to speak I lightly thump her arm with my wing. Evyo needed a moment to absorb the information and get her thoughts straightened out.

"Who all knows about their presence?" Evyo ask seeming to come back into herself.

"The three of us and a trusted source." I answer her. Stepping forward I half block Serana and force her back with one large wing before she can do anything counterproductive. "If her friend is to be believed, and quite honestly I don't believe him all too capable of lying, then the guards here from the Shattered Mounts. are part of the rebels forces and are lead by the region commander Helton." I inform her.

She takes a deep breath and swallows the lump in her throat. "What exactly would you require my help for?" She ask staring me down with dark orange eyes that were unnervingly similar to her daughter's.

"We have to pass Serana off as royal if either of us are going to make it until they leave next week." I begin, hoping she'll see logic in my plan that only just formulated ten minutes ago. Skies I hoped it wasn't as stupid of a plan as it sounded in my head.

"So what?" Serana pipes up behind me. "She's going to help put me through a crash course on how to eat properly?" She questions gruffly.

Looking at her over my wing I notice the confused and insulted expression twisting her features. "No, though your table etiquette could certainly use work." I reply coolly, turning half way so that I could face her more fully. "I take it you've never formally been to a dance." I state rather than ask.

"I know how to dance." She snaps looking even more insulted than before.

"That's not the same thing Serana." Evyo's voice cuts through the room to silence her daughter. "I have been to a few." The older woman says turning her attention to me.

Turning back to her. "Good, Ovah can alert us if someone is coming, but I'm afraid it's a bit harder to see what we'll look like from the audience." I say as way of thanks for her unspoken help. "The dance will be the night before they leave as ceremony dictates. We will have to practice in the garden platform attached to my room during the nights until then." I tell her.

Nodding in agreement she responds. "I'll be there at sundown."

Giving a final half nod in acknowledgement I turn and use one outstretched wing to usher Serana toward the door. "Come, we've got a long day ahead of us." I say in an airy tone of voice.

~💠~

The day consisted of meeting after meeting after meeting, and it still wasn't over as Serana and I made our way up to my room to start on our dance practice. I heard the woman beside me sigh for the umpteenth time that day and couldn't help a twinge of sympathy. I was at least used to having to sit through pointless meetings that mostly consisted of shouting and trying to organize a group of bumbling ingrates.

"At least all we have to do now is learn how to not step on each other's feathers." I say with a small smile. It wasn't until after I'd said it that I realized I was trying to make her feel better.

Frowning at my own actions I shake my head and turn my attention back to the deserted hall, save for the guards patrolling them.

"Yeah, I'm not sure you should be looking forward to that. I've never really danced with a partner." She admits, all her early indignation having been washed away by the tiresome events of the day.

Glancing over at her I let my lip twitch up into a small smirk. "Don't worry, you'll avoid stepping on my feathers when I pull some of yours out after the first time." I respond, laughing soundlessly when she shoves me with her wing.

"Babboass." She curses at me, the slight laugh in her voice betraying her amusement.

We didn't have to trust each other, skies we didn't even have to like each other, to be in a good mood about being able to escaping the damn diplomats even if it meant spending more time together.

Opening the door to my chambers I enter to see the maid from earlier fighting to keep the bathroom door shut as Evyo stands in the middle of the room looking as confused as prel reined the wrong way to a cart.

"Damn I forgot about Etria." Serana curses lowly.

Screwing my eyes shut I mentally berate myself for forgetting that bit of information as well. I wasn't exactly allowed to have a vyx.

Sighing I walk farther into the room gaining the attention of its two occupants. "Ms. Banyr you're free to go. Thank you for your assistance." I dismiss the poor woman.

Smiling in relief she pushes off the door and quickly runs from the room in a disheveled mess of feathers.

Ovah squawks as she passes and slips in just before Serana shuts the door on him. Shaking my head at the gryph I turn to the still banging door and make my way over to it.

"What's going on here?" Evyo questions looking between me and her daughter.

Giving me a mildly faux glare. "Her majesty wanted it." Serana says.

Evyo turns to me for an explanation, instead I just open the door and let the light green bundle of fur tumble out at my feet.

I hear a rather loud gasp from the older woman's direction but don't pay her any mind and instead turn my full attention to the little vyx now scrambling to her feet in excitement.

Yapping uncontrollably in happy excitement she rears up on her hind legs and tries to brace her forepaws on my stomach. Catching the deadly paws I drop them to the ground, when she tried again I knocked her nose down before she could get up. Taking the hint Etria tries nosing at my hand instead.

"Is that what I think it is?" Evyo ask, her voice was surprisingly calm, but that didn't mean she was at all okay with being near the little tyke.

Serana steps farther into the room to sit on the bed with Ovah. "Yeah, Mirandiona and I were hiding from the guards in a merchants stall yesterday and she found her," Serana points at the vyx happily swishing her tail while I sit on my feet and scratch her ears. "hiding under a blanket. Had no idea it was illegal either. And even after I told her she still bought it with enough gold and gems to pay for a feast." She finishes looking at her nani with an expression I could only describe as a cheeky smirk.

Glaring at the other woman I turn my attention to Evyo when she fixes me with a bewildered stare. She opens her mouth to say something but quickly shuts it and turns for the platform doors.

Serana stands up without a word and follows the woman outside. Taking a break I turn back to the bed and the gryph laying on it. "Watch her, and make sure she doesn't leap off the edge." I tell the gryph pointing at Etria to get my point across. He huffs in response but gets up and trots over to entertain the vyx after a warning glare. Giving both of them a parting scratch behind the ear I stand and head out onto the platform.

"So." Evyo starts turning to me. "What exactly will I be doing?" She ask leaning against the flight ramp on the far side of the platform.

"I'm afraid I'm not the best person to teach." I admit stepping into the center of the open area. "I'm not one for patients when it comes to these sorts of things, and I don't suspect she is either." I state nodding in Serana's direction.

I didn't turn to see the woman's expression but judging by the look on her nani's face, I could take a guess that it wasn't a pleasant one.

Sighing Evyo motions for Serana to come to the middle. "Alright, let's get this over with so we can all go to bed." She says waiting for us to start.

Turning to face Serana I grab her hands and place them on my shoulders since she was the smaller of the two of us. Placing my hands on her hips I pull her close and drop my wings to wrap around under her's and form the lower circle.

"Wrap your wings around her Serana." Evyo instructs upon her daughters hesitation.

Doing as told Serana stiffly wraps her wings over my shoulder in an awkward manner, knocking me upside the head in the process.

"Ow." I deadpan with glare.

"My bad." She mutters looking down with a blush coloring her cheeks.

We stay perfectly still as Evyo comes over and tries to adjust Serana's wings. Every time she moved them though, the girl would flinch and whack me in the head with a muttered apology.

Gritting my teeth we continued like this for a good five minutes before Serana finally relaxed enough to get at least close to the right position without hitting me.

"Place your toes on the queen's and let her guide you until you get the hang of it." Evyo instructs stepping back.

"Mirandiona will do for now." I tell the woman as I step off slowly so Serana can keep up with the movements.

"Of course." She answers but I'm no longer paying attention to her. Instead I'm focused on keeping my feathers out from under my dance partners feet.

Once we start going, Serana seems to get the hang of it after a few minutes. That's when she messes up and takes a step too fast landing a heel on my primaries and pulling on them painfully.

Gritting my teeth I stop in my tracks and pull her off my feathers before she can accidentally rip one out. Pulling away I lift my wing for inspection to see the damage done.

"Skies, I'm sorry." She apologizes trying to help straighten out the feathers she misplaced.

"Be careful of your pace." Evyo warns taking a look at my feathers as well. Once I'm satisfied all my feathers are back in place I move to take position with Serana again. I was going to have a bruise tomorrow where she hit me in the head for the tenth time putting her wings back around me.

We continued to practice for another hour, but after the third time of having my wings tread on I was about ready to kill her.

"Would you stop stepping on me." I half snarl.

"I'm not meaning to." She snaps back, just as annoyed.

"Serana dear." Evyo calls from her place against the flight ramp. Ignoring the glare Serana throws at her. "Would it help if you saw how it's supposed to look?" She ask looking to her daughter for an honest answer.

With the glare Serana was sending the woman I knew she was going to say no, but was tired and agitated. If watching helped her to not step on me, then she was damn well about to sit back and watch. "I think that's a great idea." I speak up before Serana can answer.

She then glares at me but turns and makes her way to the flight ramp while Evyo walks over to me.

Evyo was roughly the same hight as her daughter and took up a perfect beta position. Placing her hands on my shoulders she wrapped her gray speckled wings around my shoulder in a perfect spade that I mimicked around her hips.

"Ready?" She ask looking up at me.

Nodding, I step off and we begin dancing in a corkscrew motion forming a large circle in the middle of the garden. After a few steps the older woman started counting them out, loud enough for Serana to hear.

"One." Step my right foot forward.

"Two." Turn to the left.

"Three." Drag my left foot back and step backwards.

"Four." Turn left again.

"Five." Step back with my left foot.

"Six." Turn left.

"Seven." Step back and a little to the side with my right foot.

"Eight." Turn left and repeat back to step one.

We did this five more times until we completed half the circle and Evyo pulled us to a stop. Pulling back she motions Serana over to retake her place.

"Do you get it?" She ask once Serana is standing before me once more.

"Yeah. I think so." She says putting her hands back on my shoulders and wrapping her wings around me, knocking me in the head once again. "You're gonna have an awful headache tomorrow." She comments with cheesy grin.

Fixing her with a withering glare I ram one of my sword hilts into her kidney and smile at her in return. Her talons threaten to pierce skin as she grips my shoulders in an effort to remain upright.

"Alright children." Evyo scolds, scowling at the both of us. "Let's all play nice." She reprimands fixing our stance and swatting at Serana's hands until she retracted her talons. "Now again, I'd like to get at least a few hours of sleep." She chides walking back over to her post at the ramp.

Doing as told we begin another run through, this time getting to step six before I was pulling away from getting stepped on yet again.

And this was how the night progressed for the next couple of hours. Thankfully it was the end of summer so the air was warm and the moon bright in its half full state.

After long I couldn't take it anymore and pulled away for the final time of the night. I was already starting to feel the bruises that would riddle my body tomorrow and made a mental note not to fly anywhere.

Both Evyo and Serana seemed grateful at the prospect of sleep. The older leaving the room without another word and the younger flopping on the bed fully clothed.

"You can't sleep in your clothes Serana, you'll wake up in pain." I tell her, lightly slapping her leg to get her to move.

She just buried her face in the covers and muttered something but made no other moves to take off the metal jewelry and pieces of clothing.

Sighing I absently remove my own jewelry, remembering to take off the ear-cuffs this time, and strip down to nothing but skin and feathers. Not wanting both of use to wake up in pain and foul moods a lean on the bed next to the already half asleep woman and begin removing her jewelry. Setting the gold pieces on the nightstand I go back and unhook her top and the chain holding her skirt. Once they're both off and on the floor I remove the hair beret and toss it on the table with the rest of the jewelry.

Walking around to the other side I find Etria snuggled into the pillows leaving Ovah to have the chair all to himself. Sighing once again I pull one of the pillows out from under the vyx who doesn't even stir, and flop down with as much grace as a fish out of water.

With my head at the end of the bed next to Serana's bronze legs I tuck my feet under Etria and promptly fall asleep.