Morons and Monarchs

Chapter Three: Viviendel👸

"𝕹𝖔," 𝕴 𝖎𝖓𝖘𝖎𝖘𝖙, 𝖐𝖓𝖔𝖜𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖞𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝕼𝖚𝖊𝖊𝖓 𝖘𝖆𝖞𝖘 𝖎𝖘 𝖆 𝖑𝖎𝖊. 𝕾𝖍𝖊 𝖎𝖘, 𝖇𝖆𝖘𝖎𝖈𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖞, 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕼𝖚𝖊𝖊𝖓 𝖔𝖋 𝖑𝖞𝖎𝖓𝖌. 𝕺𝖗 𝖆𝖙 𝖑𝖊𝖆𝖘𝖙 𝖌𝖊𝖙𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖆𝖜𝖆𝖞 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖎𝖙.

"Yes, darling. Freyja was your mother." I look over at Ea for reassurance, not that he would ever give me any. He's plugging his ears, I realise, like a little kid. I roll my eyes.

I was informed about Eirene, but I was not forewarned that she would try to tell me that my mother was a Queen. I search around the room again, but only Azul seems tuned in on our conversation.

"Maybe, we should let her sleep on it." He suggests, and when Eirene's face snaps in his direction he adds, "If she is Freyja's daughter, she will be as stubborn. And," he shrugs. "She is half-Bwardipuginin, and you know how hard they are to persuade." He gives the Queen a lopsided dolphin grin.

"Are you telling me what to do?" She asks Azul-who introduced himself in the carriage. I kind of like him. Not as prideful as Ea, that is for sure. Azul's grin fades, and his snout turns down. "No, of course not, my Queen."

The queen nods, her green hood that covers her face and neck wrinkling as she does so. She is wearing a leaf vest; I observe. A leaf vest is a vest in the shape of a leaf that can deflect any blow, whether from a sword, dagger, or even a punch or kick. It is a pretty tough leaf found in my native area, Imbolc Island. Her dress is a floral pink, it hangs down to the floor and flows about around the chair. Her sleeves are tight, and the pink material floats down to the floor on the edges of her sleeve, her hands hidden beneath. She has a black headdress on. The headdress comes up in two horns, coming up in sharp points. In between the two horns is her class logo (A winged heart within an orange frame with three hearts at every corner.). The logo works as a clip for her green hood. Her crown made of roses perched above it.

There is something majestic about the Queen's dress, of course, more elegant than the rest of us, but also with a mysterious side. Not only can you not see her face or hair, but you can't tell her personality through her filtered voice.

There is a guy in the background, hiding in the corner, clearly a prince from the look of his clothes and crown. He does not have to hide this face, but he should. His eyes give away how long it has been since he has slept. And his face looks as if he is truly losing a fraction of his life every single day. I flinch.

The Queens lose more of their essence every generation, so they use princes as their essence. And it tires of the princes. They don't have to do anything, just be born more powerful, and they are married to an heir. Every day they just stand in a room, and the Queens can use their essence when they need it. When a queen gives away their essence... it kills their consort. Because, at the same time, they give away the princes as well.

Yet the princes find immense honor in the task. This one does as well, you can tell by the little light still in his eyes.

I stare at him a bit longer, a lump forming in my throat. Poor guy.

"I have an idea," Eirene draws me out of my thoughts. "How about you sleep on it? We have a room booked for you in the palace?" She says as if she came up with the idea. I glance at Azul, only to see him trying to suppress a grin, his little tiny teeth so small you can barely see them.

"I will go back home," I say, standing up, bowing slightly at the waist.

The Queen cocks her head to the side. "No, I don't think you will be." She reaches up to her headdress, pricking her finger until a drop of blood hits the floor. Her lips become outlined beneath her hood, and her pointy teeth become prominent as she smiles. Suddenly Ea is on his feet, his ears unplugged.