~Serana⚜

Skies, I'm gonna mess up. I'm going to mess up and then everyone will know that I'm not the queen and then they'll kill the real queen, and then I'll be killed.

How does it go again? They land, we stand here perfectly still and wait for them to come to us, they bow then we bow, then we... Shit! What do we do after that?

"You're fidgeting." Mira's voice breaks through my racing thoughts.

"Hm?" I hum glancing up at her.

"Stop fidgeting." She whispers leaning toward me. "You'll do fine, and if you mess up I'll make a mistake somewhere else, so stop worrying." She says standing up straight again and looking back out to the entrance yard.

"Right." I mutter under my breath clenching my jaw in an effort not to fidget.

I'm so focused on not fidgeting that I nearly jump out of my feathers when my wing's tapped by another. Glancing to the side I see Mira giving me a withering glare, but the smirk playing on her lips gave away her amusement.

Drawing my lip back in a slight snarl I bare my top fangs at her before looking straight ahead and attempt to keep a smile from my face.

Taking deep breaths I feel my heart rate begin to slow down when someone yells across the yard that nobles were approaching.

My heart was back in my throat as I looked up to see a dozen different carriages with about five silver clad guards around each one. Taking in a lungful of air I shift slightly and brace myself.

The prel teams landed one at a time hitting the ramp at full speed and slowing as they went around the large track, coming to a stop just off to the side allowing for the next carriage to race by and slow to a trot.

The nobles of the first carriage exit, dressed in dark red and white showing them to be from Migrany, the largest city in the western basin region. Nani and Mira had put me through a crash course about Skyris' major cities and the capitals for all fifteen regions. I was pleasantly surprised that I actually remembered what they told me.

The larger of the two men that exited the carriage was the first to step forward and bow, quickly followed by his partner.

Mira and I swiftly return the gesture albeit not as low as they had.

"Your majesty." The first man smiles glancing between the two of us. "Is it safe to assume you have found a mate?" He ask, all wide smiles and faux cheerfulness.

When we answer it's at the same time. "No."

Mira is the first to reach forward and I quickly follow suit and reach for the arm of the slightly smaller man. Grabbing his forearm I give a firm but gentle squeeze that he returns in a gesture of good favor.

After the greeting was done the large man ushers his mate to the castle doors.

When they finally step out of the way a man and woman stepped forward, clearly the head of the five. They bowed quickly followed by the two women I assumed to be their daughters. The young boy, only just reaching his teen years, was looking between the two of us with confusion, completely forgetting to bow. His nani cuffed him over the head with a wing and he quickly bowed with the rest of his family. We return the bow and reach forward to clasp arms.

The heads of the family swiftly walk to the door, one of the two girls follows obediently while the other hangs back half a moment and gives me an odd smile, and I swear by the Drace I saw her wink at me.

I can't react fast enough to stop the look of shock from crossing my face. She opens her mouth like she's about to say something when a low growl sounds from my side. Glancing over I see Mira glaring at the woman with a barley contained snarl pulling at the edges of her lips.

Looking back to the flirtatious woman I see she has disappeared along with the boy. That was weird, right? I question myself.

I ran on auto pilot from there on, greeting delegate after delegate throughout the day until night began to fall.

When Avar finally says that we're free to go as the sky darkened with storm clouds. We both sigh in relief and take off straight for Mira's chambers. Thankfully it had been prearranged for us to take dinner there instead of in the dining hall with the delegates.

Mira lands on the flight platform with practiced ease, but I just opt for the simpler landing and hit the railing with both feet rolling off and stepping to the ground in a single fluid motion. It's not that I couldn't land on a platform, it was just easier to bounce off the rail the same why I'd do to the rim of a cliff.

When we enter the room my whole body sags with relief and I fall onto the bed. "That was mind numbing." I groan, pulling the jewelry from my arms and ears.

Mirandiona chuckles as she walks over to me. "Come on, you need a bath. I'm not letting you sleep in my bed as filthy as you are." She scolds with a teasing tone to her voice.

Groaning again I let her grab my hands and pull me to my feet. "I don't have the energy to bathe." I complain.

"Would you rather I bathe you? Because if you don't get clean you're sleeping in the chair with Ovah and Etria." She threatens, pulling me to the bathroom.

"Don't play with me. I might actually take you up on that offer." I tell her, letting myself be pulled around like a limp noodle.

A smile traces her lips as she turns to get the washroom door open. "You'd actually let me bathe you?" She teases pushing me into the other room.

Turning back around I lean on the door. "Considering I wake up with your naked body wrapped around me every morning, it's really not that far of a step." I remark shutting the door in her face before she can retort.

Grinning like a fool at my own clever remark I set about cleaning all the dirt off along with the feeling of stale dry skin that clung to my body from the late summer heat. Autumn was just around the corner, evident enough by the changing of the leaves in the garden and the occasional cold gust, but the day still warmed enough to feel hot and dry.

Stepping out of the warm water I reach for a towel and dry down. Once I'm mostly dry and my wings have stopped dripping I set about the exhausting task of grooming both my feathers and my still wet hair.

Halfway through one wing the door opens and someone enters the room. Glancing over my wing I see Mira kicking the door closed as she steps farther into the room.

I don't say anything and just wait to see what she's doing. When she unsheathes her swords and lays them on the table next to the tub I realize and quickly turn back around to resume my grooming.

It was a sort of tranquil silence between us as I sat and groomed through my feathers listening to the water slosh behind me and the distant sound of thunder. I barely even noticed when she stopped and stepped out of the bath.

I freeze when I feel her body hovering right behind me. One pale arm reached over my shoulder and grabbed the brush I had set down on the table in front of me.

When her arm disappeared from my sight I felt a gust of hot air against my ear. "You really are far too easy to mess with." She whispers in a rougher tone of voice than I was used to hearing.

Clenching my jaw I try desperately not to react to her teasing. "And you find way too much pleasure in messing with me." I retort, wincing at the odd strain in my voice.

She chuckles lowly sending burst of air across my cheek. "You have no idea." She practically growls before pulling away.

Whirling around to confront her properly I'm met with the sight of her back disappearing into the bedroom.

"Hey!" I shout getting up to follow her. When I enter the room she's sat on the bed brushing her hair with a tray of food off to the side.

When the smell of fresh cooked meat and pasta hit my senses, I forget all about my indignation as my stomach reminded me that I hadn't eaten since breakfast.

"Hungry?" Mira ask with a quirked brow and smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth.

Settling for a blank glare I ignore her and crawl onto the end of the bed, putting the tray between me and her. I hear her huff in amusement but pay no mind as I start to dig in to the steamy food.

Chewing on a bite of meat I reach for a bright red fruit I had come to learn was an apple when a pale white hand snatched it up before I could grab it.

"Oh now you're just being mean." I complain, looking up at her with a mildly annoyed expression.

"What? I happen to like apples thank you." She responds returning my look with a furrow to her brow.

I narrow my eyes at her when she takes a bite with a smug expression peaking through her mask. I barely spot the smirk when she goes to take another bite and that just about does it. "Why you little..." I snarl lunging over the tray to take the apple back from her.

I apparently took her off guard because she actually shouts in surprise as we tumble back onto the bed.

I'm on top of her reaching for the apple with her legs wrapped around my hips and a hand at the base of my neck to hold me back when the guards stationed outside her door come bursting in. "Your majesty!" The first guard shout before he really spots us.

Mira and I both freeze and turn our heads to look at the two guards standing just inside the doorway with dumbfounded expressions.

"She started it." I accuse pulling back a bit.

"I did not!" Mira shouts turning her wide blue eyes on me.

"Don't even, you started it and you know it." I say bearing down on her to get the apple again.

"Why do I keep catching you two like this?" A woman's voice sounds from the doorway.

Mira's attention is quickly drawn to the door allowing me to snatch the apple from her hand. With the apple now secure I sit back and look up to see the head general framed in the door with Nani standing just behind her with that expression of 'I can't believe you did that' written all over her face.

"Katal." Mira greets sitting up. That's when I realize I'm still kneeling between her legs and we were both still naked from our baths.

I could feel the heat rush to my face as I backed off to the far side of the bed. "We were just eating dinner." I tell them awkwardly holding up the apple to emphasize my point.

"Of course." Katal responds motioning for the guards to retake their post in the hall.

Nani slips around the general and walks over to start picking up the fruit I knocked over when I lunged at Mira.

"Why is it..." Katal starts when a loud howl sounds from the platform. Mira and I freeze for a moment as panic strikes. "What was that?" Katal questions leveling a hard look at the queen currently shrinking under her gaze.

"That, was nothing that needs any concern." Mira says springing out of the bed when Katal made a move for the platform. "Honestly it was nothing." Mira assures physical blocking the armored woman.

Etria howls again, louder this time. "Serana." Mira hisses at me.

Jumping out of the bed I make a dash for the garden when a big bundle of green fur comes barreling in and crashes into my legs taking me off my feet. Pushing my torso off the ground I see the young vyx' tail disappear under the bed.

"Mirandiona Nykima Lavaris, what in the skies is that, and why is it in your room?!" Katal's voice booms.

Mira for her part didn't look too scared of the seething general. "Um. That was Etria, and she doesn't like thunderstorms." She answers, as rain started to poor down outside. The storm that had been brewing throughout the afternoon had finally broke.

"That was a vyx." Katal snarls pointing an accusing finger at the bed where said vyx was still hiding.

"She's harmless." Mira defends.

"I told her not to get it." I pipe up, climbing to my feet.

"You knew about this?" Katal turns on me now. "And I assume it never occurred to either of you that this might be highly illegal?" She snaps glaring between the two of us.

"Katal, don't be mad at her." Mira says stepping to the side so she's directly between the general and I.

I was a little more than annoyed now. "Mira didn't even know it was illegal until I told her." I snap back stepping forward.

"You didn't know?" Nani ask turning to Mira.

Glancing at Nani. "I hadn't the slightest clue. I wasn't even aware it was illegal to hunt the region grounds until Serana informed me of that as well. No one has told me any of these things." She answers turning a glare on Katal.

It was Katal's turn to take a step back and look away. "There were more pressing issues." She defends crossing her arms.

"More important than what could very well be causing this conflict in the first place?!" Mira shouts. I hadn't known the queen long, but this wasn't like her normal self. I realized that this was the first time I had really and truly seen her ticked off, and it was terrifying. "I am the one responsible for this kingdom. I am the one who is supposed to run it effectively and keep these people well and as happy as I can. And I am the one who gets blamed for the stupidity and ignorance of other people who do not think I am capable enough to do the only thing I am meant to do. This is my kingdom and my responsibility, yet you," She jabs her finger into Katal's chest-plate. "Avar, and everyone else on that damn council undermine my authority and take matters into your own hands. Incase you haven't noticed that hasn't exactly worked out very well, has it?" Mirandiona was seething at this point.

Nani pulled me back against the bed where we stood back and let the two duke it out.

"Everything I've ever done was for your own sake. I have tried my hardest to prevent this, and Avar for all his faults and misgiving loves you like his own child and is just as scared, if not more so." Katal shouts back drawing herself up to her full hight.

Despite the fact she was older and fully armored, the queen still easily out did her. Mirandiona drew her shoulders up and took that stance that screamed power. Even in her state of undress she was an intimidating figure.

"That is no longer up to you. You can't still treat me like a child, Katal." Mira had stopped shouting, instead her voice was low and even sounding twice as threatening. "I have been in power for nearly a century, it's time I actually took the full responsibility you're all keeping from me." She says meeting the other woman's gaze steadfast.

After several long moments, Katal sighs and let's her shoulders drop. "I'm still not happy about that animal." She barks, spinning on her toes to march out of the room.

Slamming the door behind her we all take a breath as the tension in the room lessons.

"Evyo, you can go. We won't be training tonight." Mirandiona speaks in a low tiered voice.

Nani nods her understanding and slips out of the room leaving us in the silence of rain and distant thunder.

Taking a breath I look around for something to get me started. Sighing I let my eyes fall on Mira, her wings hung low and her eyes were shut against the dark of the room.

"Mira..." I start not quite knowing what to say.

"Don't." She cuts me off. "Please. Just don't." She breaths.

Closing my mouth I cross the short distance between us and grab her hands.

Blue eyes look up to meet mine, she looked tiered. Pulling her forward I wrap my arms around her neck and wrap my wings around her frame. She returned the hug by slipping her arms under my wings and burying her face in my neck.

"I hate this." She breaths in a voice so low I barely hear it. "All of it. I just want it to be over. I don't know what I'm doing." She groans pulling me tighter against her body.

Holding onto her I press my cheek into her damp hair. "No one does. If we all knew what we were doing, nothing would ever change." I answer just as quietly.

Her whole body shakes with laughter at that. "Who told you that?" She chuckles thickly.

"Believe it or not, I did remember a few things from school." I respond. "Not exactly sure what, but some things stuck." I laugh.

Pulling back I'm met with a small smile just wide enough to see her teeth in the dark room.

"I do get to sleep in the bed right?" I ask trying to lighten the mood.

Letting out a huff, she leans forward and presses her nose to my neck, taking a deep breath. When she pulled back she gave me an appraising once over. "I suppose so." She says.

Before I can do little more than open my mouth to respond she pushes me onto the bed and jumps onto her side.

Flipping onto my stomach I crawl up the bed and flop down next to her. Mira starts pulling on the covers until I relent and get underneath them. The moment we're both settled under the covers I'm pulled back until my body's flush against hers. Sighing I let her wrap a wing over me and keep the hand on my abdomen.

"What did you sleep with before?" I question shifting into a more comfortable position.

"The blanket or a pillow." She mutters into my hair.

Humming softly I finally find a comfortable position and settle down. "Goodnight." I call out to the other woman.

"Night." She mumbles already half asleep.

Smiling to myself I relax and let the low rumble of thunder wash over me. My journey to sleep was disrupted when something warm and fuzzy slithered underneath the blanket at my feet. Ignoring the vyx I drift off.