~POV Artemina~
When the Queen of Artemyra first received notice from Sindria about this Prophet, her opinion could be summed up by her statement, "at least there will be another woman there to make sure things get done properly." She wasn't sure how much she trusted the idea of real prophecies from anyone other than maybe a Magi. Upon receiving the letter from her daughter however, her opinion changed immensely. "Sinbad has finally been tame?" She had to see it for herself. Perhaps, the fact that Sinbad calling all of the Heads of the Alliance to meet this Prophet was proof that she wasn't going to be just any addition to that man's resources.
Artemina had arrived in Sindria a few days early so she had plenty of time to catch up with her daughter, and to hear some of the rumors about the King and the Prophet from both Pisti, and the maids giggling in the hallways. The day of the Announcement couldn't come soon enough.
It was only a matter of time when the sun rose on the promised day. "I hope the Prophet likes my present."
---
~POV Mori~
This was really happening. I went over the plan in my head multiple times to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything. I was going to prove that I wasn't a love struck woman like in the rumors. I'd garner respect first, then I would start pushing more to be seen as my gender; the King and Generals would use my preferred pronouns, that was enough for now. I was growing impatient. It wasn't that long since the Great Bell rang out, and the first meeting wasn't scheduled to start until the next time it rung.
I held Sindria's emblem in my hands. It, the jewelry, and my copy of the contract from the other day were proof of what had happened, and that no one was here to take it away from me. I was okay. No one was sabotaging me, and I wasn't surrounded by reminders of my past that could lead me to sabotage myself -at least I hoped so. I could understand all of this logically, but my emotions and expectations hadn't caught up yet. I couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was bound to happen sooner rather than later, especially on a day like today. That was undeniably my anxiety and trauma talking. Today was going to be high stress no matter what happened, but I'd take breaks; I could handle today. I would be okay.
*KNOCK KNOCK*
I barely had the door opened before Pisti pushed passed me into my room. She was followed by other women clearly from Artemyra, and a few servants carrying boxes. The rising waves I had been feeling flooded into the room with them. My protests fell on deaf ears. After giving me a once over, Pisti yelled, "I knew it!" Then she pointed to a chair. "You sit. I'm in charge of your clothes!"
I stayed where I was. "What's wrong with my-"
"Do you want Artemyra's support or not?" She crossed her arms.
"What?"
The princess smirked up at me. "I told mama all about you. So she sent you a present to show her support."
"Oh! Um. What?" Guaranteed support of one of the other nations in the Alliance? But I haven't done anything to prove myself to anyone outside of Sindria yet. Why would Queen Artemina want to support me?
Pisti opened the largest box and pulled out a long white garment. "You'll be wearing this!" The other women were setting up stations in my room. "It did take a bit to convince Mama to give you an undyed one, but she came around."
The waves made it clear there was no point in arguing. Refusing this would be a huge mistake, even if the change unsettled me. "Why undyed?" The only woman in Artemyra that didn't wear pink was the Queen, herself.
Pisti's expression soured. "You ignored every pink item I put in front of you when we went shopping. You did get one outfit but you haven't worn it, so it's obvious you don't like pink."
I didn't have anything to say to that because she was kinda right. It's not that I don't wear pink ever... I'm just picky, and prefer it be an accent color. Still, what in the world did I do to gain the Queen's attention and favor this strongly? Going shopping with Pisti was not worth this! What did she think she was getting by supporting me? Was it really okay for me to wear this on the day of my Announcement? It would make a huge political statement -especially paired with wearing Sindria's Emblem.
"Hands up, please."
I followed that and more directions while I continued ruminating. Growing up in theater had prepared me for this moment. There wasn't time for me to think. I had to accept the present and adapt.
Looking at myself in the mirror, I was flooded with a melancholic nostalgia. The last time I had gotten glammed up anywhere near this was when I was a bride's maid in 2017. The bride and groom were good friends of mine, but the groom was also the brother of my own ex fiancé, so I had to see my ex there too. It had only been a few months since the breakup, and he had been a major part of my life for 8 years, but after what he had put me through in the last 2 years or our relationship, I would never regret my decision to break up with him. The dress I wore as a bride's maid turned heads -including my ex's- but it wasn't half as revealing as this outfit from Artemyra.
I caught the sight of a familiar color in Pisti's hand that brought me back to the present. "I'm not wearing anything purple today. I was told not worry about the rumors going around but I'm not going to do anything to intentionally fan the flames on such an important day."
She groaned, "Fine~"
---
~POV Sinbad~
Ja'far was the first to arrive at the White Capricorn Tower. The General was diligent to a fault and spent most of his time in this Tower, so his presence was natural. King Sinbad was next, arriving with plenty of time to make sure that everything was going as planned. Drakon was the next, followed shortly by Spartos. There wasn't much time left for the rest to arrive before the Great Bell would ring and they were to start the first meeting. Hinahoho, Sharrkan, and Masrur arrived with only a few minutes to spare.
Sharrkan had his arms crossed behind his head. "Don't tell me that magician woman rubbed off on Mori. It's not like we can start without her." After glancing around the room he added, "Huh, I don't see Pisit either." The King wasn't surprised that Yamuraiha was late -it would be weirder if she was on time for once.
"If my daughter and the Prophet are late, that means she accepted my gift." The deep warm voice of Queen Artemina drew everyone's attention back to the entrance. The Artemyran delegates from the embassy entered with her.
The leaders of Artemyra and Heliohapt had decided to come in person. Darius Leoxses had wanted to come as well, but Sassan was still grieving so he had to stay home. After several discussions, it was agreed that the Knight King would visit some time after King Sinbad would return from his visit to the Kou Empire. Still, neither Queen Artemina nor Pharaoh Armakan were supposed to arrive at the White Capricorn Tower until after Mori was introduced to the rest of the Sindrian officials.
Sinbad crossed half way into the room to meet the Queen in the middle. "You sent Mori a gift before meeting her? I didn't realize you were so interested in my Prophet."
"Of course." She put her free hand on her hip. "After hearing about your interest in her I wanted to show my support." Pisti must have told her about the rumors. This was like when Queen Artemina agreed to join the Alliance all those years ago. She told Sinbad directly that she was siding with him because she didn't want him as an enemy, so of course she would show support for whomever he chose as his partner -not to mention her country's stance on gender norms.
However, "I think you'll find that those rumors are exaggerated." Sinbad laughed off the assumptions about his love life.
She chuckled, "Pisti said that would be your response. I'm sure, I'll see the truth for myself."
The Great Bell rang. The doors to the entrance were flung open.
"I made it in time!" Yamuraiha yelled and then braced herself with her staff as she caught her breath.
1 down. 2 to go. The King hummed. 'What is this 'gift' that's making them so late?'
It took another 10 minutes for the entrance to open again. Pisti's voice yelled into the room, "Before anyone says anything: we are not late! We are fashionably on time!"
Queen Artemina laughed at her daughter's antics, but Sinbad didn't hear it nor what was said afterwards because he saw what the gift was. Mori was dressed in Artemyran clothes, and covered in the jewelry he had given them. This type of feminine dress was exactly his taste -although he preferred their outfit from the previous day more. He wanted to pull them close to make their heart race, and shower them in compliments until they blushed and became putty in his hands. Instead, the last thing Mori said to him the previous day echoed in his head and kept him standing where he was. They didn't trust him. He had known that from the beginning, but hearing them say it directly gave it a new level of meaning. He didn't want to make their opinion of him worse. Even knowing that Mori enjoyed his flirting wasn't enough to fight against the what-ifs that were holding him back. This had never happened to him before. It wasn't like him to be self conscious because of another person.
His Beautiful Prophet smiled up at him. "Good morning, your Majesty." Her face has the faintest blush. "I apologize for being so late. I was already ready to go when Pisti showed up." Damnit. Did they have to have meetings all morning? Sinbad would have preferred being able clear things up with Mori.
It wasn't like him to be so shaken up by something like this. "Good morning."
---
~POV Mori~
Sinbad was smiling, but he felt odd somehow. Even his answer seemed on the stiff side. "It's fine. But we shouldn't keep everyone waiting much longer." He turned away from me, and his waves showed him heading towards the scheduled meeting.
Honestly, I had expected Sinbad to start flirting with me after seeing me dressed up so femininely. This was much better for me. I needed to be able to focus to survive what was going to happen today, and I was already thrown for a loop by the Queen's gift. Not to mention that I wouldn't be in the mood to flirt with anyone for a while after remembering my ex. Still, the sight of the King's back pulled at the feelings I knew I shouldn't have for him.
The Queen's voice cut through my thoughts. "Sinbad, I know you're running late thanks to my gift, but surely you aren't thinking of leaving without introducing me."
The King laughed in his usual way before introducing us. I couldn't shake the feeling that Sinbad was keeping me at arms length on purpose. It felt more than just professional. There wasn't time to think about Sinbad though.
Artemina had a commanding presence in Adventures, and it was even stronger in person. She was prettier in person too. However, the thing I was most focused on was her voice. The last I heard either her English or Japanese voice actor was over a month ago. Most likely due to my own favoritism, this Artemina's voice was closer to the English, than the Japanese VA. I first heard her English voice actor as Kizuna in The Candidate for Goddess when I was 9, and I've been a fan ever since. This wasn't the same as meeting an idol, but hearing that voice in person was intense for my brain. I did my best to keep my composure. "It's an honor to meet the Queen of Artemyra in person, let alone receive a present from her."
She smiled with one hand on her hip. "It doesn't look half bad on you. My daughter did always have an eye for these things." Was this her way of saying this was all Pisti's idea? Pisti had said as much. I could only hope she wouldn't regret her decision as our conversation was cut short by the responsibilities we were already late for.
---
~POV Queen Artemina~
The Queen was lead to a waiting room while Sinbad, his Generals and Prophet went to have their first meetings. Armakan arrived not long before they were scheduled to start. He wasn't a talkative type of man which suited Artemina just fine. When it was time, they were both lead to the meeting room where the others were already sitting in wait for them.
The news that the Prophet shared about the future war was surprising, but they knew that day would come eventually. This way they had time to plan for the inevitable. Besides, this wasn't something that should affect Artemyra. Armakan didn't seem too concerned about it either; Heliohept was also far enough away from both Reim and The Kou Empire that there wouldn't be a risk of them getting pulled into the fight. The news about scientific and magical discoveries thanks to the Prophet's visions were far more interesting -actually, those things shown through the 'microscope' were more disgusting than interesting. Just enough details and examples were given to make those claims believable. Nothing is truly free however; if they wanted more knowledge or any future invention they'd have to pay for it. It was just like Sinbad to flaunt his prosperity and then 'graciously' offer others to buy their way into it. At least, there were certain discounts they'd be granted as members of the Seven Seas Alliance.
More than all of that though, was the answer the Queen came to Sindria in person to find. Pisti's letter was correct. From the moment Sinbad saw Mori, as well as throughout the meeting, he couldn't keep his eyes off of her for very long. King Sinbad had finally been tamed -whether or not that proud man denied it.
Next was finding out just what type of person this Mori the Prophet is, as well as. What is she planning by offering her prophecies to Sinbad? During the meeting Mori had said she wanted to prevent a few major wars and help people and what not, and that Sinbad was the best person to make all of that happen. But it was clear that none of the members of the Alliance believed that was the whole story. If that was it then Mori wouldn't have become Sindria's Prophet and let Sinbad monopolize her prophecies.
There would be plenty of time for the Queen to talk to Mori before she left for her home country.
((We're finally to this arc. While writing it I realized that part of why it took so long was that I was scared of writing it. The last few chapters of it involve a lot of strong emotions, and directly talks about the relationship trauma I'm writing this fic to work through. Now that I know what was holding me back in writing, I'll be able to fight against it better.))