Marie-Fey and Zaydan were shown into the private palace of The Sultana once they returned to the women's palace. They settled in one of the private gardens, accepting drinks as they waited.

"What's The Queen like?" Marie-Fey asked as she settled back, making herself comfortable.

"She's wonderful," Zaydan said as he watched one of the white peacocks strut past with great importance. "I'm not sure how she'll present herself to you, it's like she picks and chooses personality depending on the person. Don't be fooled by her demure attitude, she's far smarter than she lets on at times. Everyone lets their guard down around her. She isn't seen in public much anymore, but she cannot be underestimated. I adore her but she is a dangerous individual."

"Zaydan, how dare you sully my character before the lady has even had a chance to meet me."

Zaydan's face brightened as they both turned towards the voice.

The Sultana arrived with a party of fifteen servants, watching them with gentle but hyper-focused midnight blue eyes. Her black hair was plated but could well have reached to her thighs, jewels inlaid through the locks, her crown made of gold and sapphire to match her gown and wheelchair.

Her chair was like a throne, gold plated with gemstones in the wheels, armrests and seat built with padded satin, the back high and carved to resemble falcons in flight at the top.

She extended an arm to them as she reached the grass and Zaydan moved to her side, taking her hand and bowing low.

"Zaydan, you've been gone too long without amusing me, you must do better," she said with a mock-pout and Zaydan grinned.

"I shall do better, but I believe you'll like my reasoning," he said, looking back to Marie-Fey who curtsied to the queen.

"Lady Rais, I had been wanting to meet you for so long," The Sultana said, gesturing for her to be wheeled forward until she was in front of Marie-Fey.

"I apologise, Your Majesty, I would have attended you sooner had I known," Marie-Fey said.

"Well, no matter, you're here now," The Sultana replied before waving them off. "Go on, return to your seats."

They did as instructed, moving back to the ground and The Queen gestured to her servants. One revealed a large, legless golden chair, which they placed on the ground before adding cushions. One of the eunuchs then carefully lifted The Queen from her wheelchair and set her down in the seat on the floor, careful as if she were made of glass.

She grimaced as she settled down, absently rubbing one of her legs that stretched out in front of her as her skirts were rearranged.

"How are you, Your Majesty?" Zaydan asked, his smile now gone as he watched her with careful, serious eye. "I heard you were in some pain this morning."

"Nothing out of the ordinary, don't concern yourself with it," The Sultana replied, waving it away.

"You're taking the medication, right?" Zaydan said, frowning suspiciously at her.

"I'm taking my medicine, have daily massaging sessions and the royal physician checks me once a week," The Sultana said, glaring back at him, "Frankly it is overkill for a problem that can never be fixed but, between people like you and His Majesty, my legs can't get any peace."

"It's only out of concern. His Majesty can't stand not being able to fix you so he has to fuss. Are you taking—"

"Zay, I'm taking everything. Must you insist on interrogating me in front of your sister-in-law? I've never met the girl and wanted to have some control over that first impression."

Zaydan drew back, his gaze dropping. "Sorry," he muttered.

The Sultana hmphed dramatically and fixed her blazing eyes on Marie-Fey. "Do you think I need fixing?" she asked coolly.

Marie-Fey looked at her, then glanced at her legs and back again. "That depends," she said, lifting her glass. "Do you think you need fixing?"

"I would love to walk again but I have long come to terms with the knowledge that some things just aren't meant to be, it's everyone else that's the problem. No, I alone think I do not need fixing."

Marie-Fey smiled, lifting her glass slightly in a small salute and tipping her head. "Then I don't think you need fixing," she answered.

The Queen eyed her for a moment as Zaydan watched them. Then she threw back her head and laughed.

"Good!" she cheered, clapping and smiling. "Very good. A lovely answer." She looked at Zaydan, who shot her a grin as he lifted his head.

"See?" he said, "I told you you'd like her."

The Queen chuckled and held out a hand, a servant slipping a glass between her fingers as she watched Marie-Fey, settling into her seat and letting out a contented sigh. "Quite right, I do like you at first sight. Whether that continues remains to be seen, but you amuse me. Did you really barge into the court hall like you own the palace?"

"I wouldn't say I walked in like I own the palace," Marie-Fey said.

"You walked in like you own the palace," Zaydan corrected and she shot him a glare, but The Sultana started laughing again, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Wonderful!" she laughed, "Does that move remind anyone of someone else?"

"Are you referring to how you blew into the court hall like a hurricane the day you arrived at the palace, prepared to face beheading just so long as you could tell The Sultan, to his face, that he wasn't good enough for you?" one of her servants asked with cool indifference.

"I'm sure I didn't phrase it like that."

"Your phrasing was remarkably similar."

She narrowed her eyes up at the older woman. "I don't know what I keep you around sometimes."

The woman just gave her an arrogant smirk, which faded into gentle fondness as The Sultana looked away, dropping her cheek on her knuckles.

"I swear, this kingdom's queen and is there any respect?" The Sultana muttered, shaking her head.

"I assume you weren't punished for your bravery by having your legs damaged," Marie-Fey said, also resting her cheek on her knuckles and everyone but The Sultana gaped at her.

She just waved it off. "Goodness no. I got a diamond necklace and The Sultan's undivided attention out of that stunt. Powerful weapons when I was still only a potential fiancée."

"So, was it an accident?"

"Fey," Zaydan growled under his breath.

The Sultana grinned. "Usually no one would dare ask me such a thing."

"You don't have to answer, it's mere curiosity," Marie-Fey replied.

The Sultana smiled, tilting her head back to look up at the trees bathed in golden sunlight above. "It wasn't an accident. A concubine in the palace poisoned me. As you can see, I survived to fight another day, but not unscathed. I came out of that fight a lot worse than you came out of yours."

"Oh, you heard about that."

"Well of course. What else called my Zaydan away?" The Sultana said, grinning at Zaydan, who glared back at her.

"'My Zaydan.' What if His Majesty hears you talking like that?"

The Sultana gave him a unconcerned wave, that smirk suggesting she was daring The Sultan to say anything before looking at Marie-Fey again.

"So, people have tried to kill you several times and yet you are still here."

"I'm exceedingly stubborn," Marie-Fey replied, "I dislike being killed before I've decided I've had enough of this world."

The Sultana laughed. "I've heard of you Leigh Siblings. All strange and awfully difficult to kill."

Marie-Fey raised an eyebrow. "I hadn't realised we had that reputation."

"It's a decidedly odd reputation," Zaydan agreed.

"From what I hear, they're a decidedly odd set of siblings," The Sultana replied.

"We have been known to be disappointingly normal on occasion," Marie-Fey said.

"Says the girl married into the Rais Family," The Sultana said, smiling, propping a cheek on her knuckles.

Marie-Fey tilted her head to the side. "One powerful family marrying another, nothing so strange there."

"Sure, but you aren't dead yet."

Marie-Fey's eyes narrowed. "As I said, I'm extremely difficult to kill."

"I thought his first two wives would be difficult enough to kill as well," The Sultana said with a sly grin and Marie-Fey's eyes slowly widened as Zaydan's hand shot out, grabbing The Sultana's wrist and squeezing.

"Stop," he ordered, his voice darkening, and The Queen's eyes cooled as she looked at her wrist.

"You're as dear to me as a little brother, Zaydan, but do not order me to do anything," The Sultana cautioned, eyes darkening. "I am warning her because I know what is going on in that head and heart of yours."

"Excuse me?" Marie-Fey cut in, staring at her.

The Sultana smiled brightly at her. "You don't know?"

"No one mentioned former wives to me," Marie-Fey growled, her glare fixing on Zaydan. He winced, then lightly touched his neck. "Not even the women in my palace."

"They don't remember," Zaydan muttered, and the queen chuckled.

"That palace really is dripping in magic, isn't it?" she said coolly.

"Your Majesty," Zaydan muttered, a plea in his voice.

"The other wives only lasted six months though. How have you survived two years?"

Marie-Fey slowly sat back, her eyes on the middle distance even as she answered. "I can't be killed," she muttered.

The Sultana perked up at that. "What does she mean by that?"

"She isn't serious, she just has excellent luck and is good at defending herself," Zaydan snapped.

"How did they die?" Marie-Fey whispered, slowly looking up towards the blazing sun.

"Oh, I have no idea," The Sultana said, "But it's a tragedy to lose one wife. Shameful to lose a second. If you disappear, either the man is careless or something more sinister is happening. Zahir is still very young after all."

"Your Majesty!" Zaydan cried.

"I'm not a possession to be carelessly misplaced," Marie-Fey said, eyes still on the clear sky above. "I will not fade silently into a quiet night." She lowered her chin, her old, hateful ice settled in her eyes again, ice Zaydan hadn't seen in months, and then she blinked, surprise blowing away the rage.

She quickly began to rise and the other two looked behind them before Zaydan jumped to his feet.

The Sultan stood with his hand planted in his hips as he frowned down at his wife, her head tilting back to smile up at him.

"Hello, Your Majesty, finished so soon?" she asked.

"Wife, why are your riling this good lady up?" he asked, setting his hands down on the back of her chair to loom over her, "I send you wonderful company and you instantly proceed to upset her?"

"Now, such falsehoods, I never wished to upset her," The Sultana replied and The Sultan gave her an unimpressed quirk of the lip and brow before leaning down and pressing a loving kiss on her forehead, the touch lingering naturally as his queen smiled happily up at him.

When he finally turned his attention to Marie-Fey and Zaydan, they both properly greeted him, and he waved for them to take their seats again. Zaydan moved away from The Sultana, sitting down beside Marie-Fey and The Sultan took Zaydan's vacated seat.

"Her Majesty has not upset me," Marie-Fey said calmly as she held up her cup, a servant hurrying over to refill the drink. "She's just got me thinking."

"Thinking?" The Sultan asked as he absently fussed over The Queen's skirts, rubbing the same spot she had rubbed when she'd sat down until she batted his hand away.

Marie-Fey looked at him for a moment, then smiled. "I'm sorry I stormed into the court earlier. I know you're showing me an incredible level of grace to not have me punished for such an action."

The Sultan raised an eyebrow at her, then smiled slightly. "Your timing startled me; I had only just been thinking about you the day before."

"Oh?" Marie-Fey said, raising her eyebrow.

"Why?" both The Queen and Zaydan said at the same time, frowning at The Sultan.

He started laughing at his wife's narrowed stare. "It's because I had been talking about you and your siblings with someone that day, so you were on my mind as I realised I still had very little concept of who you were and how you related to your husband outside of marital status."

"I don't relate to my husband outside of marital status," Marie-Fey said, "I only just met him today. We don't share correspondents either, so we are effectively non-entities to each other. I arrived because I have something that I insist on discussing with him and he can try to ignore me, but I can be persistent."

"What do you have to discuss with him?"

Marie-Fey smiled brightly at him. "Death."

The Sultan eyed her at that response while The Queen shot Zaydan a look as he sighed.

"Who in the capital could you have possibly been discussing me with, by the way?" Marie-Fey asked, setting her cup aside, "I can't imagine I'm really known here."

"Oh, an old acquaintance I believe," The Sultan said, "He was out in the city when you arrived, but I called to have him informed of your arrival. I'm sure he'll be here soon if he wishes to meet you."

"An old acquaintance?" Marie-Fey frowning, trying to think who would be in the capital. "Who?"

At that moment, they heard some of the inner doors fly open and hurried footsteps approaching but, even as Marie-Fey turned towards the palace entrance, she couldn't think of a male she knew who would be allowed within the women's palace – especially The Queen's quarters. Not even her brothers should have had permission as they were not family to the royals.

And then the man called out her name just before he turned into view and Marie-Fey's eyes widened.

"Kilan!?"