There was less than a week to Méabh's coronation celebration and Emberlee had met the Sovereign once. And thus far the ruler of Adaba had lived up to both expectations and her promise that the alliance between Xutia and Adaba wasn't tied to the woman's interest in Cinderella directly. It was a relief, that Emberlee didn't have to endure the fate of a hostage to buy peace, but it was also concerning because she had no idea what Méabh in isolation could plot. There would be peace, for the Nations at least, but by all implications, Méabh may NEED Cinderella in a manner less intimate and more primal than originally anticipated.
But as with every other went in Emberlee's life the past year, she had almost no time to even process as she prepared to attend an Adaban three-day festival with uncertain allies. Logistically, as Envoy, Emberlee could bring Sir Ludwig to watch her back, but she would be bound by the etiquette of the guest to host. Meaning she could have her Knight but was forbidden a weapon in her hand; meaning her innocence would be entirely up to interpretation unless there was overwhelming force welded against her. Considering that her maid Helene had already tried to kill her, Emberlee couldn't dismiss the possibility of violence being threatened, promised, or likely wielded against her. Méabh wanted Cinderella, so Titania and Oberon the Pretty were firmly on her side; insofar as that meant that they wouldn't tolerate attacks on her. Oberon the Monolith would thank her murderer with a bouquet, except that it would upset Méabh if she were killed, so Emberlee could rely on him not letting her die right in front of him but he wouldn't watch her back. Oberon the Pretty was the one stuck in a truly unpleasant position; he loved Méabh as a dedicated husband, he cherished Cinderella as a dear friend, and he had to regain the social power he'd lost in his long absence. That left him trying to appease or please all sides, and as far as Emberlee had ever experienced that simply wasn't possible. Somehow it was impossible to make everyone happy, but it was absurdly easy to piss everyone off. He would warn her if he heard of a threat, if nothing else Emberlee could trust in that. Whether or not he could help her in a perilous situation would remain to be seen.
As Emberlee prepared to be Hosted at Titania's palace for an evening, it occurred to her that she never had to question Prince Damien. Despite her cautious nature, he'd somehow slipped through the cracks of her cynicism to become someone she trusted. It wasn't like Oberon the Pretty, where his affection for her would mean he'd warn her of a threat. If Damien heard she had an enemy, he'd strike first; like he'd taken care of her during her illness, and resolved the alliance on her behalf. It still bothered her greatly that she'd failed in her duty as Envoy by being unable to attend to the signing herself; Emperor Andrion had granted her the authority to sign on behalf of Xutia, however Imperial Prince Damien Lindquist could sign with the authority granted as his birthright. The alliance was considered a success regardless of which one of them had signed it on behalf of the Empire, but regardless of accomplishment she couldn't stop ruminating about it. She'd rectify as much of the failure as she could both tonight at Titania's and for the rest of the visit.
To that end, she chose her attire with diligent care; she was saving the dramatics of red for the tea party so for Titania she decided to wear one of the Adaban style dresses she'd been given, this time in the deep blue like Titania's aura. Oberon the Pretty had gotten grief from Titania and the Monolith for doing so, and now it was going to look like Titania had done the same thing; Oberon the Monolith was going to be irritated. Titania liked being liked, both her actions and her words had proven that to be a basic truth, Emberlee wasn't trying to drive a wedge between the spouses but she did enjoy seeing the rare flashes of who Titania was when she wasn't trying to make people like her. By setting the stage to look like she was not only in Méabh's and Oberon the Pretty's favours, but also Titania's, she was isolating Oberon the Monolith to see how he'd react, and how Titania would attempt to soothe.
It wasn't subtle but it wasn't meant to be, she had very limited time left before the coronation and even if the alliance terms had been set she still had to resolve the issue of her place as Cinderella. She'd made it very clear that she wasn't staying in Adaba, not as Méabh's lover at least. But although she'd assumed that Méabh's favour would require it, Emberlee had learned that she'd been wrong about her motivations. Yes, she would have gladly taken Cinderella as a lover as well, but Méabh had wanted her to be a counterbalance more than a temptation. It still meant that Méabh, and thus her spouses, wanted her to stay.
All except Oberon the Monolith who'd made it clear that he wanted her gone.
Since Emberlee had been warned repeatedly that she could only trust the bonds she forged herself, that left her needing to ascertain the few connections she'd made. Titania should react predictably, but she's surprised Emberlee with the spell. Oberon the Monolith should see Emberlee wearing Titania's colour and draw erroneous conclusions from it, but since it was such an obvious manipulation he might not react to it at all. Oberon the Pretty at least got to see her attire before they departed, so he was granted a modicum of privacy to react to it before the other spouses.
"This shouldn't surprise me," he pointed to her Adaban blue shift dress, "and yet I am dazzled by your beauty and cruelty."
"Cruelty?" Prince Damien had also worn his Adaban finery, though he wore the Pretty's teal, white, and black. His new red eye was distinctly striking looking in contrast.
"Your eye can See now, so you've seen the teal in the air around me. The blue your Bride-to-be currently looks so fetching in is Titania's colour," Oberon easily explained and Emberlee realized that whatever they'd gone through together to get the Relic in Damien's eye had cemented their friendship.
Damien had been born and raised in the heart of Xutian High Society, he knew the Game being played when he saw it; even before the Eye. "Here the colour of your Magic determines the colours you display," like a poisonous frog warning all in its ostentatious hue, "but in Xutia it is one's Family that has set colours." Prince Damien's smile was teasing. "Marchioness Ortega is entitled to silver and blue due to her family Name. My lineage has white and gold as our mark, and yet here white would be considered Méabh's colour, no?"
Oberon the Pretty was wearing white and teal, an obvious acquiescence to his place as Méabh's husband, and it wasn't hard to predict what the other spouses would be wearing. In Adaba there were colours aplenty, but the social constraints limited one on what colours they could or should wear. Wearing your colour was a display of dominance, wearing someone else's was a declaration of belonging. As outsiders both Emberlee and Prince Damien were excused the colours they wore, but that didn't mean it couldn't still be utilized, which was why Emberlee had elected to wear Titania's colour. They were attending a dinner and discussion at her palace, but it was Oberon the Monolith's task they were discussing.
It didn't matter what colour she wore but being socially exempted from Adaban implications didn't mean she couldn't strategically use the impact of it to her advantage. "We are selecting which Adaban candidates are capable and worthy enough to become a permanent resident in Xutia, it is a good idea to keep it in mind that the selected Envoy will have to be able to adapt to Xutia," she reminded instead of explaining.
"Don't be surprised if the other Oberon tries to insist that I keep the role," Oberon the Pretty led them to the Mirror so they could transfer over to Titania's palace, "he's been trying to get rid of me since Méabh first noticed me."
"Can't understand why," Damien's tone was teasing and Oberon grinned at him for it.
"I know, even you've been taken in by my charm," Oberon hooked an arm with both of them, "but still he resists."
"Such a tragedy," Emberlee agreed with her amused smile.
The Mirror came into sight; Oberon's Palace was all graceful curves and peacock hues, and Méabh's Palace had been grown from crystal, but Titania's Palace was a wonder to behold. The structure was more of a pagoda style, tall and towering into the sky like an exclamation point built to live in, and it was entirely tiled in gradients of blue and white. It was almost serene and somewhat aqueous and yet there wasn't a fountain or pond in sight. Instead, Titania had surrounded her palace in a sea of white blossoms; from roses to orchids, day and night blooming gardens. And the Mirror also revealed Titania waiting for their arrival in an almost identical blue to what Emberlee wore.
Oberon looked back and forth in blatant shock. "How did you know what she was going to wear?"
"A little birdie told me," she answered honestly but avoided eye contact so he could believe she was joking.
"Nobody told Oberon the Monolith about the dress code," Prince Damien idly remarked. Oberon the Monolith was wearing mostly white and would have matched Oberon the Pretty, except he wore a formal suit with fiery red accents in bold contrast to all the blue and green. And he lacked the jewelry Oberon the Pretty so regularly donned.
Their idle conversation fell quiet as Oberon led them through the Mirror, the instantaneous transport across a not-inconsiderable distance still a marvel. Given the use of Mirrors as long-distance transportation, Emberlee could determine all manner of cultural practices and exploitations. In Xutia the Trade roads were the lifeblood of a territory and their maintenance was a constant drain on a Noble's budget. To counter that endless drain, taxes collected from the cities and towns of the territory helped in the caretaking of all roads. Travel could be conducted on foot for those who had no other option, by cart, carriage, or horse for the more financially privileged, or by ship if headed to a port city. Merchant trains travelled regular Routes at set schedules, so a business of intercity carriages to transport people had also grown to accompany those protected convoys for a set price by distance. In Adaba none of this would be the case; Mirrors were established at set locations, bypassing Trade roads entirely. Those who could afford to use the Mirrors so any non-Mirror travel would have to be arranged privately as needed. It'd be easier to keep the populace in their respective areas, though she didn't know enough about their social structures to predict more than that just yet. For all that she was being exposed to Adaban culture, and wooed by its leader, it was all carefully curated in its presentation. Cinderella wasn't being shown the shape of Adaban slums, or how the truly unfortunate scratched out a living in a Nation full of Fairy Magic and spell casters. As when Oberon had attended Xutia's masquerade of civility, the less pleasant aspects of their cultural practices were being glossed over and hidden away as much as possible. Though with how Oberon the Monolith regarded her with utter disgust, it seemed that not quite everything unpleasant was being disguised.
And as unimpressed as Oberon looked at her attire, Titania looked captivated to be the matched pair to Cinderella. And in furtherance of the charade Emberlee was presenting, Prince Damien kept his arm in a friendly embrace with Oberon the Pretty's, his Adaban attire making a proclamation for all to see. The only one not matched was Oberon the Monolith, his red hair and fiery accents highlighting the fact. The Monolith's glower deepened but he remained silent.
"Welcome to my home, let's get inside and start the selection," Titania finally moved to play Host and even though it was Oberon the Monolith's task, Emberlee mimicked how Damien and Oberon the Pretty were clasped, and walked with Titania on her arm.
"Your gardens are quite copious and well-tended," Cinderella managed not to make it a euphemism; with this many flowers available her Blessing could entomb the Palace in moments.
Her Fairy Magic might still be slow in recovery from its maturation in reaction to confronting and rejecting Méabh, but her Blessing was stronger than ever. And it wasn't the kind of thing the Fairy Bound could sense, though it occurred to her that Cinderella had known about how her Blessing worked, but that Oberon and Titania all seemed unaware of it. Prince Damien had never questioned her about it despite witnessing it, letting her conclude that the Imperial family was entirely cognizant of what form Blessings could take, and deliberately withheld the information.
As had been to norm this far, they were led to dinner tables set up outside of the Palace itself. Oberon The Pretty's gardens had been shrubbery and verdant flora; Titania's were an ocean of white. The table set was hexagonal, more like a beehive than anything floral, and it was deeply symbolic that the empty seat was entirely ensconced in Méabh's white. Directly across from Méabh was Cinderella's seat, Prince Damien to her right and Titania to her left. Méabh's empty seat was flanked by both of the Oberon, the Pretty to her left, and the Monolith to her right. A part of Cinderella wanted to hesitate at the sight of a place set for Méabh, she didn't feel ready to face off against Adaba's Sovereign again just yet, but Emberlee persevered and sat facing the space like it meant nothing to her. But Emberlee had always been willing to face destruction head-on if that's what her duty called for, not that she didn't have a finely honed survival instinct.
"You were gracious enough to volunteer your Palace to facilitate this discourse," Emberlee laid her praise on thick deliberately, "so why don't you start the selection recommendations?" Titania's darker skin hid if she blushed under the blatant flattery, but Méabh's only wife still seemed to glow under the positive regard. Méabh hadn't given Titania any task relating to the alliance, while both Oberons had their roles to play, but Titania was the one garnering compliments.
"My dear Oberon must discuss the candidates," she seemed to thoroughly enjoy rebuking Emberlee for the oversight.
"I still say the best candidate remains the Pretty one," Oberon the Monolith didn't hesitate to insist.
"Unless Méabh herself tells me to go, I will not leave my position as her husband," Oberon the Pretty immediately deflected.
Emberlee had to fight a very caustic urge to ask him if being sent to Xutia as their Ambassador was truly such a distasteful task. Seeing Oberon squirm wasn't worth the potential political fallout. "As the Adaban Envoy will be living in Xutia," Prince Damien thankfully remained practical, "it would almost be expected for them to find a Xutian lover, so I would recommend an unattached Ambassador."
It made sense to send someone who could become attached to Xutia, it was a way of suggesting that the Xutian permanent Ambassador from Adobe also be an eligible bachelor on bachelorette. Cross-National marriages were an easy way to help solidify alliances, so the Ambassador would almost be obligated to do so themselves. "Méabh agrees with you," Oberon the Monolith finally spoke up, "all the candidates have no established lovers."
"We should exclude anyone who cannot maintain monogamous relationships, Xutia has some puritanical traditions," Oberon the Pretty recommended.
"The practice of taking a side love has been a discreet practice until now," Emberlee pointed out gently in defence of her Nation. She may lack the heartbreaking romance her parents' relationship had held, but she didn't eschew the potential her relationship with Prince Damien had promised thus far.
Oberon the Monolith had at one time been Méabh's first spouse; he'd had a brief tenure of monogamy with her, and by all accounts had wanted to keep that the status quo. He wouldn't have the same view of Xutia's practice of monogamy as the other two spouses held. Based on how they all behaved Emberlee had already deduced that Méabh had married her spouses in order of Oberon the Monolith, then Titania, and finally Oberon the Pretty. The Monolith had been easy to determine, he'd told her so himself. But it was Titania's drive to try and appease Oberon the Monolith by making her presence a benefit and not a burden that demonstrated that she had been the second spouse. Emberlee could ever imagine how the Monolith tried to appease his possessiveness by focusing on how he was still the only Oberon and the new spouse was a Titania. But then Méabh had selected Oberon the Pretty to join their rants. "I already eliminated those who had established spouses in Adaba," Oberon the Monolith rebutted.
"We should eliminate anyone who's had their Fairy Bonds for less than five years," Titania suggested and Oberon the Monolith diligently shuffled through the dossiers in his hand, discarding several to the side. Cinderella smothered the urge to point out how her Bond was only three years old.
"Agreed, "Oberon the Pretty quickly supported, "I'd also recommend only those who've scored as a Tuatha or higher," he referenced some measure of merit that meant NOTHING to Emberlee. "They will feel the effect of the Landquester's border." He shook his head, "There's a reason none of our Venturing Merchants can be Fairy bound, it hurts to go into Xutia." That was news to Cinderella, it'd never been painful for her.
"That'll limit the candidate pool," Titania sounded hesitant.
"Spells don't work in Xutia at all," Oberon the Pretty confessed, "not even the spell set stone you gave me. So if they can't rank as Tuatha they may not be able to even cross the border in the first place." More dossiers were discarded and then Oberon the Monolith was left with five candidates.
He focused on Prince Damien, "Does your Nation have a gender preference? Is any presentation more favourable than another?"
"No," Damien admitted readily, a Xutian King had held as much authority as a Xutian Queen had, and becoming an Empire hadn't changed that standard.
"We have two men, two women, and a fluid as candidates." he presented the final five.
"Leander is Tuatha rank only, but a skilled linguist ." Titania read the first dossier out loud. "He was a second-wave volunteer, meaning that he only volunteered after Méabh offered a reward."
"Did anyone volunteer before a reward was offered" Damien immediately asked.
"Chard and Gyor," Oberon the Monolith had memorized the portfolio of each candidate.
"Chard is a Tuatha de, but only Bonded for five years this year." The first dossier showed a fancy young-looking man with gray hair and yellow eyes. "Gyor is gender fluid, and ranked as Tuatha de Dan." The second picture was an androgen with magenta hair and dark blue eyes.
"Fairy Magics are Air and Darkness, Light and Illusion," Cinderella spoke up again, " What do they fall into?"
"Chard is Air, Gyor is Darkness," Monolith once again answered.
Oberon the Pretty was Air, and Emberlee was Darkness, so that did nothing to help narrow it down. And if she had to try and guess, it felt natural to assume Damien would be Light; Uncle Albert would be Illusion, no contest. "Are there any sexual orientations we should be considerate of?" Emberlee asked, knowing her preferences excluded women.
"Chard prefers men, Gyor is Omni-sexual, in that they don't prefer a gender but does insist on monogamy."
"Gyor sounds easier to place," Damien confessed, "Xutia has tended towards possessive monogamy over more liberal polyandry." It was true, no one cared what your gender was, but they did care if you were a single lover or not.
"With only two candidates we should meet them before we decide, Emberlee cautioned.
"Is that doable before the coronation?" Damien asked.
"They volunteered," Oberon the Monolith replied instead, "they've made themselves ready."
"Tomorrow then, we'll meet with Chard and Gyor in whatever order they're available," Emberlee confirmed. She looked at Oberon the Pretty, making a deliberate choice to include him because he was her friend, "You'll help us determine the next best candidate to replace you."
The air around the table stilled as Oberon the Pretty and Cinderella made unintentional eye contact and veracity locked in place, "Is it so easy for you to replace me Emberlee?"
"Never, you were my first friend, an ally against Jimena's schemes," she referenced their first meeting.
the amount of actual care he had demonstrated in their friendship in the months surrounding than first in-person meeting only solidified that certainty. He could have reacted to that night in any number of ways and yet held elected the reaction that best helped her.
"As you truly are irreplaceable, which of the two candidates available are the best suited to survive Xutia in your opinion?" Prince Damien helped Emberlee tag-team Oberon now. It broke her eye contact but established it between them, and allowed her to see the almost panicked look in Titania's eyes.
"Gyor, they're a Darkness type and since Emberlee is too they stand the best chance to survive and flourish." Both Damien and Oberon the Pretty seemed equally affected by that equivocal stare-down, and both Titania and the Monolith looked unsettled.
And before anyone could find a sense of equilibrium, the neigh overwhelming wave of Méabh's power washed over them, announcing her arrival.
It was the stinging pain of a terrible burn, unrelenting and inescapable, and some primal instinct from the most possessive part of Emberlee lashed out to protect not only herself but Damien and Oberon the Pretty, along with the Imperial Knights guarding her and Damien. Oberon was Méabh's husband, willingly Bound in her power like Cinderella had refused, and yet she instinctively tried to keep him safe, and she felt Damien's limited power try to do the same.
"Well isn't this interesting?'' Méabh sounded strangely satisfied.
Every part of Cinderella burned, not at all recovered from rejecting Méabh the first time, but still Emberlee stood resolute. She would not submit to Méabh, and further she would not let Méabh overwhelm HER people. Sir Ludwig had willingly given himself to her and wore her power like a collar around his throat, but now Damien and her Oberon were both shielded by her will too. Eloise seemed utterly nonexistent to Méabh's attention and was thus spared the pain of her regard.
An hour ago Emberlee had been idly aware of what an asset the garden Titania had was, and now she was thoroughly grateful for it. Cinderella hadn't recovered yet, the painful absence of Fairy Magic more painful than any broken bone, but every strand of flora awaited her request. In the more distant trees, she could feel the Ravens arching to dive down in attack like the birds of prey they were.
None of it would be successful in the face of Méabh's thousands of years of power, but still, they stood prepared to sacrifice themselves to aid her. "Which of the two candidates would you recommend then?" Prince Damien managed to ask as if oblivious to the tension strangling the air.
"You still don't understand," Méabh's answer was directed to Cinderella, "but the Envoy had already been chosen." Her power settled around there like a storm calming after ravaging the shoreline. "Am I too late to share dinner?"
"Not at all," Oberon the Monolith immediately responded to soothe, mostly matched to Méabh's white robe.
Méabh's power eased off, less suffocating and more endurable, "Let us celebrate the great many changes that our Nations are to undergo," the glass in Méabh's hand didn't look to hold wine, but something darker, more amber, and all of their glasses suddenly matched it. "How have you been, Cinderella?" She couldn't escape Méabh's eye contact.
"Sick, nearly assassinated, and determined to resolve this alliance to my satisfaction," she admitted without resisting. She couldn't fight off Méabh's eons of experience but she could redirect it like she could the blow of a stronger adversary, "You were already prepared for this weren't you?"
"I was prepared for far worse calamities than this my dear, kind Cinderella," Méabh admitted.
It'd been such a long time that she'd considered herself kind that it shattered the eye contact and let her look any. "Will you sign the terms set by your spouses?" she managed to query.
"Certainly, have you come to terms with all you are?" Méabh's regard was the scorch of the sun.
"Not even a little," she wasn't lying or telling the truth with that, only able to with the lack of eye contact.
"Perfect," Méabh's power settled finally, a predatory cat gone languid.
"Your coronation is soon," Cinderella pushed where it was wiser to remain silent, "do you believe I've learned what I must to be prepared?" And like such a question required, Méabh turned her full attention onto her and it burned.
"You'll survive." It was a terrible, beautiful promise.
"Your Titania has taught me spell craft, and Oberon the Monolith has been utterly impassable," she redirected the conversation carefully, now more aware than ever the table was split in half.
"And our Oberon the Pretty; what has he taught you?" Méabh deliberately worded her question.
"Affectionate patience," Damien worded it perfectly, his timing even more sublime.
"Then let us salute to affection and patience both," Méabh called out, lifting her glass of fig brandy.
"To alliances, friendships, and the ever-evolving landscape of relationships," Emberlee saluted back, not entirely certain she'd caught every level of implication that had just occurred.
"Here's to continental history that hasn't been written yet," Damien concurred.
Oberon the Monolith glowered, Titania looked astonished and Oberon the Pretty looked bewildered, "It's a future that has actual hope in it," Méabh agreed.
They all ate in silence after that, the implications left unstated for a little while longer to spare the stress. If asked later, Emberlee wouldn't be able to describe a single morsel she consumed. She ate, she drank, and she waited in dreadful anticipation. And yet no calamity befell. She'd originally attempted to manipulate this collective to her advantage, and Titania had Invited Méabh to try and bolster her standing; even Méabh had attended anticipating something other than what had occurred. A simple meal and drinks after that felt almost absurdly anticlimactic. But as Méabh's power rippled across her own she didn't dare delve deeper just yet.
"A message arrived at the Adaban border for you this morning," Méabh's comment held no precursor or segue.
To send a mess on from Xutia to Adaba meant it'd been sent weeks ago, even if one of her Ravens carried it from Ortega that'd take a week to get to the Peak's Garrison and then they'd dispatch a messenger to the border where the Adaban guards would take the message and have it delivered the rest of the way. If the message was from deeper in Xutian, it would add weeks of travel from the starting point, and if it'd been a human messenger instead of an avian, the only way it could have arrived by today would have been to leave shortly after her departure.
"Did you intercept my mail, or are you playing at messenger?" Cinderella avoided Méabh's obsidian gaze, the cavernous hollow of where her Fairy Magic had all but burned out warned she'd fare poorly this time.
"Everything that concerns you interests me," Méabh's smile seemed warm and caring but her words were chilling.
"Then what news arrived from home?" Having the ruler of a Nation be that obsessed with her despite her rejection wasn't flattering but alarming.
Like Oberon had done with wine repeatedly, Méabh summoned the message packet from nowhere to present it to her. The golden seal of Emperor Andrion was unbroken, seeming to promise that Méabh hadn't read it before delivering it, and yet Emberlee doubted that Méabh was that innocent. Prince Damien didn't seem surprised to see his Father's seal being sent to her attention instead of his, so she didn't hesitate to break the seal and open the message in front of the watching table.
"Emperor Andrion has set a wedding date for us," that was only the first bit of news, "according to your Father's decree we are to be married at the height of Mosaica, in the Capital temple." That was three months away, seventy-five days to prepare for a wedding she hadn't been anticipating at the start of the year.
"Is that all?" Prince Damien seemed infernally calm about it as if he had already known the date Andrion would pick.
She locked eyes with him, slowly adjusting to a hazel and red mismatch, fairly certain her manipulative dragon was keeping secrets. "You tell me, is that all?" she didn't bind him in her will like she had Sir Ludwig, but she could feel it settle around Prince Damien because he didn't resist it.
They were being witnessed by the exact people this kind of exchange should be kept private from, and yet she wasn't deterred at all. Besides, both the Prince and Emperor had elected to inform her this way. "He selected my Mother's birthday so he could openly celebrate that day without offending Empress Clara."
"Oh," Titania's surprised sound revealed how romantic she thought that was. It also successfully broke Emberlee's stare down with Damien as everyone turned to look at Titania.
"Well played," Oberon the Pretty complimented, not specifying what or whom he was referring to.
"Beyond our impending nuptials, Emperor Andrion has three important bits of news to share with me as Marchioness Ortega, not Ambassador Cinderella," she deliberately refused to expand further.
Emperor Andrion had told her the now-planned wedding date, and then he informed her of her own Father's new marriage to Guinevere Monske, done without ceremony but legally recognized as Marquis Matthias and Marchioness Guinevere Bergerac. The second bit of news tied into that, in that Marquis Mihal had petitioned for the second child of House Bergerac to be declared the Mihal March Heir. It was Grandfather's last chance to keep his title inheritance for his direct descendants instead of handing it over to one of his siblings' grandchildren. The last bit of news was both unexpected and hysterical. Uncle Albert had gotten Lady Igraine pregnant. The Abeita family was planning for a wedding before the end of the month, so she'd missed both her Father's and her Uncle's weddings even if one hadn't happened yet. And Emberlee couldn't help but suspect that the Emperor was sending her the information to try and give a subtle prompt; marriage and children.
"Would Adaba like to send a representative to attend my wedding to Imperial Prince Damien?" Cinderella asked Méabh, using the opportunity to once again emphasize her choice.
"Adaba will witness it," Méabh caught her eyes despite her best attempts to avoid it.
When Méabh's power had tried to dominate her well before, it had taken all of Cinderella's willpower to reject it. And she had ended up in a three-day coma afterwards; her Fairy Magic hadn't recovered at all. Méabh's power was like being in the heart of a thunderstorm, cataclysmic in noise and explosion. She couldn't flee it, couldn't escape or hide, or even survive it.
And then the little thorn necklace she'd all but forgotten about launched itself at Méabh like a venomous snake set to strike.
Eye contact broke as Méabh grabbed the murderous vine before it could reach her. It whipped around, thorns lashing out and tearing at the flesh of Méabh's hand to rain blood onto the tabletop. "You truly are Beloved, aren't you Cinderella?" she marvelled, crushing the vine in her hand until it stopped squirming.
Emberlee could feel the little darling die, and the rest of the gardens around them rile in response. She'd idly considered entombing the palace in flowers if needed but now might do so against Méabh if she tried overwhelming Cinderella again.
"I'll sign the alliance my wonderful spouses have agreed to," Méabh continued as if she wasn't bleeding on the silverware, "and I'll take your considerations to the permanent Ambassador and tell you my decision before your departure."
"My love, we should see to your hand," Oberon the Monolith tried to focus on the actual immediate needs, the rest of the meal forgotten.
"Will you take me to your Palace and tend to me, my Monolith?" Méabh let her husband fuss over her as if the rest of the table ceased to exist.
"Yes love, gladly," it was the first time Emberlee saw Oberon the Monolith smile. He looked at Méabh with such soft regard, every line of his face etched with his love for her as he led her away from the ruined table.
"This did not go as anticipated, did it Titania?" Oberon the Pretty put her on the spot for her obvious maneuvering.
It was supposed to have been them determining the new Envoy, eating dinner, and ending the process on amicable terms. Instead, Titania had invited Méabh, likely in an attempt to gain her favour by giving Méabh another chance to pursue Cinderella before the coronation and Méabh's ceremonial 'death'. Now Méabh was injured, Emberlee was reeling on the edge of shock, and Titania had been as forgotten as Oberon the Pretty in the aftermath.
Only Prince Damien had come out of the encounter in the same condition he'd entered it in. "Emberlee," he drew her focus, his eye contact not overbearing but supportive, "shall we retire for the evening?" she knew he was trying to help her, as aware as she was how poorly she'd reacted after the last time.
She didn't deny the rescue, nodding agreement to it and standing from the table. Titania still looked too stunned to speak, but Oberon rose with them. He seemed angry at Titania for putting them all in this situation, to begin with. They returned to the Mirror and Oberon's palace in unsettled silence, Emberlee holding Damien's hand for the needed support. It wasn't the same as last time, but she felt more numb than agitated.
To everyone's surprise, she didn't fall into another three-day sleep. She slept, sharing Prince Damien's bed after the habit had been established, and woke with no backlash from the encounter the day before. She wasn't any better but at least she wasn't any worse.
Méabh had signed the alliance, a copy was delivered for Emberlee to return to Emperor Andrion and technically her duty here was done. All that was left was bearing witness to the coronation ceremony, but given all that had been endured thus far she suspected that there would be nothing simple about the festivities.
A tea party, a banquet, and a ceremonial funeral, all of which had separate and complicated traditions and cultural meanings. She was as prepared as an outsider being kept in the dark could be, so likely woefully, but Emberlee had been chosen for the task and she would not fail herself or her Nation. Prince Damien was trustworthy and on her side, Sir Eloise was likewise reliable. Oberon the Pretty was in an unfortunate situation where his urges as a friend were in direct conflict with his duties as a spouse, and although Sir Ludwig was now her Hound, she felt neither trust nor remorse about his eventual demise.
Soon she'd be attending a tea party full of Adaban High Society, a motley crew of those who wielded the power in Adaba equivalent to Xutia's Nobles. As Titania had warned, every attendee would be Fairy Bound like she was, only they'd have had decades of experience compared to Emberlee's scant three years. They would see that, unlike Méabh's spouses, Cinderella wasn't bound by Méabh's power and protection. she'd look like an arrogant and easy target to a crowd of people who were born and raised on the art of outmaneuvering their opponents. Her status as Ambassador would only buy her so much gentle handling because her duty was to be adaptable; and find the middle ground between Nations. If she couldn't prove it was possible in her reactions or actions, that could weaken the alliance itself.
So Emberlee had once again sacrificed precious hours of sleep to ascertain her ability to impress with the attire chosen for this pivotal tea party. Between Titania's visceral reaction to Emberlee's Xutian attire and Oberon the Pretty's cajoling to showcase her rare black hair, she'd combined a Xutian blood red silk top with the same white Adaban style pants Oberon the Pretty had given her, far more form fitting than Xutia tended towards but it visually proved she had no weapon hidden on her body at least. Only her sleeves had any real give in them, but in the heat of an Adaban summer it was surprisingly lightweight. She looked like the Queen of Hearts from a Xutian Fairy-tale, the children's story a warning of how deeply down the wrong path good intentions could take you, and if that didn't suit the direction her life had taken nothing did. At one point Emberlee had tried to be patient and kind, but now she knew to be patient and relentless as needed.
Prince Damien had chosen an Adaban-style vest like Oberon's, corseted but lightweight in the heat, the red and gold suiting his colouration and matching Emberlee's outfit perfectly. Oberon had surprised them both by not wearing his usual teal, but instead having an all but identical vest to Damien's in white and black. Titania, Méabh, and Oberon the Monolith had given them all some space, so she had no idea what they'd be wearing and she hadn't cared to send a bird to check.
There'd be nothing simple about an Adaban tea party, especially this particular one, but it was time to see what perils exactly it would present. The Mirror didn't reveal a palace this time, as they weren't going to indoors at all; the tea party was being held on dozens of floating barges, the tables separated but all clustered like lily pads in a pond. It was whimsical and impractical, and Emberlee could find a dozen things to criticize about it even if she said nothing.
Today was the festival of the Maiden, the version associated with new beginnings, dawn and positive things. It'd be poor manners to point out the overwhelming likelihood of combining alcoholic tea and floating tables resulting in someone going for an unwilling swim. So instead she carried their gift for Méabh's Maiden celebration; a white and gold orchid that bloomed at night. Thankfully it wasn't a flower with thorns, when Emberlee spotted Méabh's table the Sovereign's hand was still bandaged from the vine's attack.
Every barge was set to hold a table of three, except Méabh's which held all of her spouses and all the gifts. But Emberlee wasn't put at a table with Prince Damien beside her; he was led to a table on a separate barge because their Knights took up the space of a table guest. Emberlee shared her barge with an Adaban woman who's hair was the blue of chicory flowers and Sir Ludwig took up the third space. Considering her status as Ambassador, and Oberon once pouting out that she'd be celebrated as first of her Name, her solitary table guest had to be someone of high esteem in Adaba's society.
"I am Cinderella, it's a pleasure to meet you," she greeted without bowing, balancing her Nation's etiquette with the Adaban style customary courtesy.
The other woman was blue-haired, older, and lovely-looking, but instead of greeting Emberlee back, she spat to the side as if disgusted. Sir Ludwig's body language thrummed with suppressed reaction to the blatant disrespect, he wanted to reprimand the Adaban for the insult but held himself to Emberlee's command. "I cannot believe you are what all the bother has been about," her scorn was almost dripping offer words, "an insignificant little girl with a fledgling Bond. I have been Fairy Bound for longer than you've been alive!"
Logically Emberlee could deduce that this woman's agitation wasn't about Emberlee's shortcomings but her sense of indignity at being overlooked. Many people here would willingly throw themselves at Méabh's feet if she indicated that was her desire, and yet Cinderella had Méabh's interest only to reject it repeatedly. But Titania had also warned her that Adabans would be deliberately provocative, so she felt justified in agitating right back. "Who are you again, I was already introduced to everyone special," she smiled and poured herself some tea.
"You rejected Méabh's favour and yet you dare look down on me?" if the blue-haired woman had held a weapon, Emberlee suspected she would have lashed out with it. She forced eye contact and tried to overpower Cinderella, but lacked even the ability of the spouses. Her brown eyes were bloodshot in her despair, "If I eliminate you Méabh will see how very special I am."
"You're truly not that bright if you believe attacking me will end well for you," this had gone past the pointed testing she'd been told to expect in Adaba but she still didn't want to be seen as the aggressor.
"And what if it's not you that I attack?" the spell snared into place, not around Emberlee but around her Knight. The blue-haired Fairy's smile was sharp, "I can kill him quicker than you can save him."
Her personal Knight should have been a decent hostage, but the threat only worked if she wanted to keep him alive. So she sipped her tea, a light smile on her face in defence of the spell caster's aggression, "Is that all? You really should have better sense than to make such a scene at Méabh's tea party."
She had no weapons, Need couldn't be summoned without her becoming the aggressor, and Sir Ludwig's sword was as wrapped in the spell as he was. Emberlee's advantage was that she didn't emotionally care if Ludwig was killed, but she couldn't allow it in this circumstance. She couldn't feel the spell cast, couldn't even guess how to break it or overpower the spell like Titania had warned, so instead she'd have to take out the spell caster.
"Kill my personal Knight and all it will do is guarantee that I make myself your problem, as you can no doubt see that is my Hound, so release him and drink your tea," her attitude was a deliberate bait, she had to use the next few minutes to her absolute advantage.
Everyone was watching, and if she let this aggressor off easily, she'd be fending off endless attacks. Worse, Prince Damien might be targeted as well. As expected, the spell caster came to invade Emberlee's space, leaning over her and boxing her in as she pressed her face close to Emberlee's, "I am going to kill him slowly, and there is nothing you and your teacup can do about it."
The threat should have been menacing, but instead, Emberlee smiled. Then she smashed her cup against the matched plate and shattered the porcelain into a rather fine shard. As the caster tried to react, Emberlee stood and rammed the shard into their surprised brown eye. She thrashed as Emberlee embraced her tight, pressing until the screaming stopped; her weak attempts to save herself fell away as the shard scraped against the bone of her eye socket. The magic holding Sir Ludwig fell, the caster dead, and Emberlee dropped her corpse into the water with a negligent splash.
She'd killed a Fairy at a festival celebrating Méabh, and now the entire Adaban Court watched her. What she said next would make or break her reputation in Adaba. "I choose to be peaceful, it was her mistake to see that as being harmless," And then she sat back down and poured herself a new cup of tea.
There was blood on her hand, the smell of copper reaching her nose even over the fragrance of the spirited tea, but she couldn't flinch at it as they all watched her. This was supposed to have been a peaceful event, but she felt no remorse for killing someone. She's survived four assassination attempts already, if this would deter any others it was worth the brutality. Later she could question the morality of what she'd done; while they were still in Adaba it was smarter to focus on survival. Then again returning to Xutia would just put her at home and still in danger. It was time to make her reputation daunting enough that she and her loved ones would be safely left alone. Maybe not the best attitude for an Ambassador to have, but it was necessary for Emberlee's sanity.
"Peace without the potential for violence is not being pacifistic, it's being harmless," Méabh's statement seemed to be in her favour, so absolutely no reaction was given to the unexpected murder that had just occurred.
Instead, Oberon the Pretty was dispatched from Méabh's table to attend to Cinderella's, and an indicator of the favour she still held "Titania sends her compliments," he sat down in a languid sprawl, pouring more spirits than tea into a cup. "That spell was constricting the life out of your Knight and could only be lifted with a death."
"That is heartening to hear," but ultimately she hadn't known that when she'd decided to kill the Fairy. "I didn't even get her Name."
"No need for it now, she can feed the naiads of the lake," he dismissed it all so easily. Then again it was his culture to celebrate with an alcohol-fuelled breakfast tea party, maybe a little casual carnage was anticipated. "By the way darling, you're bleeding," he carefully pointed out, gesturing at her hand holding the teacup.
He was right, some of the blood on her hand was her own from where the broken porcelain had caught her as she'd killed the nameless Fairy. "Damn," she carefully licked the wound, the copper suited the flavour of her tea. It wasn't the most savoury of actions but her medical texts had said saliva helped stop bleeding in minor wounds.
"Your fiancé going to come over here and tip us all is over if you keep that up," Oberon warned pointedly.
"I think I've disrupted the festival tea party enough as it is," she demurred, carefully wrapping her hand in a handkerchief Sir Ludwig handed her.
"You haven't even been celebrated as First of your Name, so don't think about leaving just yet," he warned carefully.
"What more fun can I have at a tea party that I haven't already accomplished?" If he wanted to play it off as a typical day she would match his attitude.
"We could always go for a swim, see if the naiads are grateful for the meal you provided?" he seemed more like the jovial man she'd first met, being back in Adaba had seemingly subdued him lately.
"There's a good plan, go skinny dipping with you in a lake full of cannibal pixies, in front of the entire Adaban Court including your wife and my fiancé," her offhand acceptance made Oberon grin.
"That would guarantee your fiancé came over, though I'm not sure if it'd be to stop us or join us," he looked over at Prince Damien and saluted him with the very alcoholic tea.
"My rule one for him applies to you too Pretty," she warned without losing humour.
"And what is rule one?" he seemed all too eager to learn.
"Not before I'm married, so you'll be stuck wondering what that experience would be like," she clinked her teacup to his.
Now that the adrenaline and shock had worn off, her hand hurt, the steady pulse of her heart throbbing in the wound. She could feel the eyes of the Adabans watch her drink tea with Méabh's husband in blatant fascination, the weight of expectation setting on her shoulder like another burden she didn't want to bear. The alcohol she'd added to her tea only helped blunt the pain's insistence, not eliminate it, and she tried eating the rather fantastic desserts set out with the teas as a distraction to no avail.
"How greatly did I just alter your Society by opening her position up?" she idly wondered, knowing that she was supposed to be here as an Ambassador and yet had behaved consistently like an agitator instead.
Now Oberon laughed as if she'd told the greatest joke in the world and this time when he made eye contact it lacked the painful pressure it'd once held, "Emberlee, that's not even the greatest disruption to Adaba you've caused and you haven't even realized it yet." And then he changed topics on her so quickly it almost physically hurt, "Have you noticed how being IN Adaba has brought your subconscious impulses to the forefront of your actions?"
She had noticed that something was different about being in Adaba and had assumed it was Fairy-related, not environmental. "So it's not just Fairy Magic?"
"This land was chosen because of its unique properties, and they remain why Adaba has never expanded. Continuously you stand as a unique creature in this world, bound to no land but Fairy Bound all the same," eye contact ensured he was honest, but like always Oberon managed to remain vague in his details.
"I am aware of my impulses," she'd just murdered someone with one, "and I allow them to be used as needed. I am not willing to be used by them."
"And you wonder why we want to celebrate your Name," he looked away finally.
"Which Name would that be, the Cinderella they call me, or the Emberlee you've come to use now too?" she didn't resist the urge to dig, given their conversation topic.
And to her everlasting surprise, Oberon flinched as if he hadn't realized it himself. "I'm starting to believe neither Name you currently wear is enough for all the majesty you contain," his recovery was remarkable though.
"There's a dead body floating in the deeps beneath us because of me and you want to call me majestic?" she let the moment pass into something easier, looking at the tables around them desperately trying to act like they weren't watching them chat casually.
"Find me a ruler that doesn't have a skeleton in their closet and I will show you a liar," he finally stood up again, this time raising his alcohol-filled tea cup to the crowds at large, his volume meant to include them on his next comment, "to my beloved Méabh, I celebrate your eternity."
Around her, the Fairies of Adaba came to their feet and saluted Méabh, almost in unison as they cheered 'Méabh's eternity'. Goosebumps prickled across her skin as she felt the ripple of Méabh's power wash out over her people, a loving acceptance of their benediction. Instead of the pain Cinderella expected after the last time, this felt like the first warm wind after a cold dark winter. It was full of life and adventure, a promise of potential.
"And to our dear Cinderella," Méabh's voice didn't have to be raised to be heard, her Magic assured that the very Air carried her words to everyone's ears, "to be First of your Name is a rare thing, and to be the Resolute that you are is even rarer. This day of the Maiden is far more suited to you than the Crone I am."
Maiden, Lady, Crone. Thirds once again it seemed, so who was the Lady?
"To eternal Méabh," Prince Damien could certainly draw the focus easily, "and inevitable Emberlee."
If only she had understood what a dangerous statement that was to make.