Klaude Vale sits in Cierra Raduron's private rooms, sipping a glass of nightshade wine, calmly waiting for the arrival of the shadow. She set a meeting for them and he was instructed by servants to wait for her.
He almost forgets there is another person in the room, a male servant in the corner with bright white hair, armed with a jug of nightshade wine. Ready to refill Klaude's glass at any moment.
Klaude is used to such luxuries, after all he is of royal blood back home in Valostra. But this wine is exquisite, he is told that only the most important of guests who aren't shadows are allowed their special drink made only in Umbra.
But he supposes if he does marry Arwen eventually, he can have the wine regularly as he lives as king. Well king consort as Cierra Raduron loves to remind him. He forgets that women rule here.
Unnervingly he doesn't notice Cierra has entered the room until he hears her voice behind him.
"Hello Klaude," she says politely and he nearly jumps with fright as he turns to see her.
"Hello Miss Raduron," he replies, unsure of how to address her. He hasn't heard anyone call her by her first name apart from her younger sister, Ebony and Queen Arwen.
Cierra chuckles, a soft strange sound as she shakes her head,
"Klaude, you can call me Cierra," she says with a charming smile that he doesn't trust in the slightest, "after all, we are to be allies just like your father and I so I think a first name basis is more appropriate. Even if you are a foreign mainlander boy," she says and Klaude almost smiles, there it is the hidden barb of venom in her sweet words.
"Exceptions to the tradition of the island can be made I suppose. Since you are related to royalty yourself. It is a foreign concept here, kings and princes don't exist and never will. Men ruling? Preposterous if you ask me but the mainland does have its funny little ways," she muses with a small smile which makes him raise his eyebrows in annoyance.
Not giving him a chance to reply, Cierra walks over to the desk, sitting in the great ebony chair that is fashioned like a throne, with intricate details of shadows and swirls carved into it. It truly looks like she is sitting on a throne of shadows. How decadent. It's far too imposing for Klaude's particular taste.
A silver key appears seemingly out of thin air into her nimble fingers as she unlocks one of the draws of her dark desks, almost instantly pulling out a plain document and laying it out smoothing the edges against the table.
She clicks her fingers and seconds later the silent servant from the corner rushes over to fill her already awaiting glass full of the midnight blue liquid.
Klaude notices the servant's fingers shaking a little as he fills her glass up to the top almost with a little fear and then wordlessly scurries back to the corner.
"I instructed your father to inform you already of this so let's not waste time. It is time for you to sign the contract that will finalise the new trade roots between Umbra and Valostra and in the future this will include all of Fennbirn," she says sipping from her fresh glass of nightshade as she leans towards him, silently pressing him to sign quickly.
Much to her irritation, Klaude ignores this and leans back into his chair, scratching the back of his head hesitantly.
"Why must I sign it? My father mentioned the deal but not that I would have to sign the contract," Klaude says, a little doubtful, "it's his and my uncle's contract so shouldn't he be signing."
"He already has, are all mainlanders this slow or is it just the males?" Cierra says impatiently, taking another sip of wine, "you are a shareholder of your father's trade roots and lands, not to mention you are the nephew to the King of Valostra; the King and your father made you a shareholder as you're immediate family and of royal lineage and I need your signature to complete the transaction."
"My father has not yet arrived in Umbra due to business, are you sure he agrees?" Klaude asks, knowing his father's ever changing temper and the plans that went into this alliance. He doesn't particularly like it but he must obey his father and uncle, particularly as his uncle is a king.
"Of course he agrees," Cierra snaps finishing her wine swiftly, "he and I spent a long time going over this deal and our plans for both you and Queen Arwen."
Klaude only signs as his conscience weighs on him, Cierra does not look bothered in the slightest and the notion of manipulating her own queen.
Honestly, that in itself scares him a little and for the first time he feels a little fear. What sort of island has he come to? So much manipulation and death. Too much.Where the only rulers are queens who grow and then kill one another. There are coups and battles on the mainland kingdoms of course, but the crown is not won in such a ruthless way. They do not have witches, magic or gifts.
"I am not sure that I can fool Queen Arwen in this way," Klaude says voicing the unofficial part of their deal, "it is one thing to seduce her but it is quite another to manipulate and lie to her. Making her fall in love with me is something else completely."
Cierra recoils slightly at these words, blinking slowly at his hesitation to her plan and shakes her head, "Klaude, this is worth it," she says confidently, "don't be foolish, you have a unique opportunity as Pele Murtra has granted you early admission to the island because of your royal heritage and because you are new to the Fennbirn alliance. They have allowed you here because shadow queens have not existed for hundreds of years and need to be familiarised with tradition. Believe me it took weeks of negotiations with the Black Council and various trips to the capital for them to agree. This is an opportunity."
Cierra speaks so earnestly that he almost believes her but he can almost smell how hungry for power she is. Desperate to get her queen on the throne so she can pull the strings for Arwen, her little puppet.
"You are an incredibly lucky suitor, you have an advantage over all the others and if you make sufficient use of your time here in Umbra then you will eventually be a king consort, married to a beautiful and powerful queen with gifts beyond your imagination," Cierra says, her voice laced with confidence and persuasion, "You will have influence, status and will be the most powerful and envied man on the island and more importantly you, independent from your father and your uncle, will ensure any new mutually benefitting trades between Umbra and your homeland in the future one you become king consort, gaining a new ally."
She pauses before trapping him in her stare, "I want to help you reach full potential Klaude because you can be great but first you must secure Arwen's trust and make her fall for you, so when the time comes for her to slay her sisters, become queen and choose her king consort she will choose you without a shadow of doubt. And then when she rules she will always listen to you and you will always listen to me. And Fennbirn will be in my safe hands."
Klaude nods faintly and replies, "I suppose you are right."
They both notice the hint hesitation and doubt in his voice and Cierra shakes her head again,
"Of course I am right," she snaps, her mask of kindness slipping for just a slit second, showing her true manipulation before the mask appears back on her face, "listen to me Klaude, Arwen will soon have many suitors who could become king consort; secure her heart and it will be you. Then we will all be happy. Everyone wins."
"Why do you need me to do it?" Klaude questions suddenly narrowing his eyes in suspicion, "I thought shadows could heighten or lessen others feelings and emotions. I heard somewhere they can control minds."
Cierra laughs coldly, "we cannot control minds anymore silly boy, if we could then I would be Head of the Black Council by now," she says with a cruel smile as she speaks of Pele's coveted position of power and then continues calmly, "However there have been a few shadows known to be able to control minds but they are extremely rare. We call them Shadow Walkers. The last recorded one was quite a few centuries ago, but not a whisper of one since. We all know of them because of the history books in Umbra's library. It is rumoured that at the beginning of the island's existence shadow queens dominated and we could all shadow walk. But the gift is so much rarer now but due to our immense power even though we are weaker than we were, our gift is still powerful, because it used to be a vastly superior gift. But no more to the same extent due to lack of queens over the years," Cierra says with a scowl, " Most people say that is a good thing for we were incredibly powerful and dangerous, more linked to the Goddess people used to whisper. But not even a shadow walker could control the entire island now because most of the islanders now wear, drink or eat protection against it as a safety precaution. It has passed through generations naturally. The plant used has even become a tradition at some festivals."
Klaude nods, processing all the information Cierra is giving him about shadows before he replies, "are there any other rare things that shadows can do?"
"Strong shadows can shadow walk, we can teleport through the shadows. But this takes both immense power and great concentration to do, so not many shadows can do it," Cierra says, a little agitation forming on her features. She must not be able to teleport then, at least not as easily as some.
"Can shadows truly manipulate emotions then?" Klaude questions, trying to remember all that Cierra is telling him about shadows, it will give him a better picture of the true extent of Arwen's power. It gives him a thrill at how dangerous she possibly is but he is a little fearful of some of the women on the island, of their powers.
Cierra begins tapping her nails slowly and deliberately on a nearby table surface as she leans against it, "we can, but shadows cannot manipulate other shadows for all of us have a shield around our minds as soon as we are born, it is a protection in a way and a balance, otherwise shadows would be tearing each other apart for power. There would be no order if there was not certain restraints in place to leash our darkness. Arwen's shield is even more powerful considering she is a queen, the only one who can manipulate her feelings using the shadow gift is herself for she's the only one who's powerful enough to. That is why she will become Queen Crowned."
Cierra had been glancing off into the distance as she spoke but now her eyes snap right back to Klaude's face, unnerving him slightly, "so do you understand now boy? You're not on your barren gift-less mainland; you are on an island where men tremble when women like Queen Arwen speak. Where most possess gifts that you can never comprehend. But we still feel just as you do, love just as you do. Arwen can love you just as much as any of your mainland girls back home. You are the only who can do this task as you are in a unique position and ideal for winning Arwen's heart," Cierra says smiling sweetly, "so do as you're told and sign."
Klaude scowls, not liking her tone but one look in Cierra's icy eyes makes his expression shift to a glimmer of fear and then acceptance.
"Alright," he finally agrees, signing his name at the bottom of the contract.
Cierra only smiles in reply as she holds up the contract, looking at it with such satisfaction for it is a promise of more power. For Umbra. For the island. For her.
"Cierra ..." Klaude begins, already feeling doubt about the agreement.
Ignoring Klaude now completely, Cierra waves him away as if he were nothing more than an annoying fly.
"You may go Klaude," Cierra commands, not even looking at him as she rereads the contact yet again.
Sighing, Klaude rises from the chair and leaves the room quickly. Thinking of how he wishes he were home with normality and his lovers at Valostran Court. Life and love is so much simpler in a kingdom. But this is Fennbirn, this is a queendom.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Arwen's wild black curls fly back into the wind and she cannot contain her smile at the euphoric feeling of freedom that she feels inside of her as she rides on her horse, Eli, through the Shadow Forest, she laughs though she can't hear it because of the rushing winds which blocks of her hearing.
Riding is the one thing that Cierra allows her to do unaccompanied and she loves that small taste of freedom and salvation whenever she goes out to ride on Eli and they race against the very winds. Sometimes Arwen thinks that she ought to have been born an elemental queen, like Queen Shannon or even Queen Illian, the Blue Queen. She would appreciate the winds and elements even more if her gift was in tune with them.
She is also out to escape High Priestess Corra who has finally been permitted inside Umbra's borders to check on the few priestesses allowed to reside in the city. Arwen knows Corra likely tried to visit Draven Mansion earlier to meet with the queen but Arwen does like the priestess or the temple so it should be avoided at all costs.
That's why she's been out most of the day but it has been a long while and Corra should be long gone. Outsiders aren't allowed within Umbra's border for over a certain amount of time.
But Arwen rids herself of her thoughts of the temples as she concentrates on the thrilling sensation of freedom as she pushes Eli to go faster for the last part of the journey.
After what seems like an eternity, Eli finally goes from a gallop to a canter and then to a slow trot as they arrive back at Draven Mansion.
They call it the hall of shadows and they say the building turned as black as the Volroy Palace because the shadow's power has seeped into the very walls. Sometimes Arwen suspects the walls are listening and has literally tapped them hard enough to make sure that they are solid, that they aren't truly alive. Watching silently just as shadows do.
But even though they have proven solid Arwen is not convinced that they don't report her every move back to Cierra. She won't take any chances. That used to be one of her many fears as a child.
Arwen's smiles immediately vanishes as the darkness of the fortress-like house kisses her skin in greeting, the darkness coiling around her arms like a set of heavy chains.
Shuddering in disgust, Arwen checks her wrists just to make sure that she isn't actually chained and then breathes a sigh of relief to find her wrists bare and unshackled. Shaking her head at her silly imagination, she walks Eli back to the stables before preparing to dismount.
As she does so, she feels a pair of soft hands griping her waist, helping her dismount although she does not need help as Arwen has been riding since she could walk, it was the one thing that gave her a taste of salvation, of freedom. She has instructed the stable hands to not assist her before - this one must be new.
As her boots touch the ground she spins around, preparing to confront the foolish stable boy but stops as she sees her suitor, Klaude Vale, smiling down at her.
Attempting to suppress her smile, Arwen greets him in a cold manner as she watches the actual stable boy lead Eli away back to her freshly cleaned stable. They will wash, feed and dry her as they ready her for Arwen's next outing. But she suspects that will not be for a while, Cierra is even more restricting on Arwen's freedom as Beltane approaches.
Eli is the known favourite mare of the shadow queen so the stable hands take extra care to look after Eli in particular, eager to gain their queen's gratitude. Especially since she is the first shadow queen in generations. They like to treat her.
She continues to watch Eli as they remove her saddle and reins, giving her a freshly ripened apple from Wolf Spring as they do so. The horse gulps it down in one bite and tosses her pretty black mane to show off to the other horses. Arwen snorts at that, spoiled horse.
Her eyes then naturally dart around warily, worried that Cierra has heard her unladylike snort. She would get reprimanded for even the tiniest of mistakes. Horse-riding is the one slightly unladylike thing that Cierra actually allows her to do. It is her only freedom.
She then blinks out of it and brings her attentions back to Klaude who is still smirking. How she would love to wipe that insufferable smirk off of his face. He is the first boy she's properly interacted with and if they're all like him she'd sooner stay rid of them.
"So you're still here then?" She questions, a cold defiant glint in her black eyes, "you scurry around the Mansion with a likeness to a rat in the shadows."
Not fazed by the slightest at Arwen's cool exterior, Klaude continues to smile happily at her before saying,
"Fortunately yes Queen Arwen," he pauses winking at her and choosing to ignore her rat insult, "We have so much more time to get to know one another."
Arwen plasters her fakest smile onto her face, well perfected from the years she has lived in Umbra and in Draven Mansion before saying, "Yes, I cannot tell you how pleased I am at enjoying your company for even more weeks. It is not a waste of my time in the slightest."
Klaude's smile grows even more impossibly large and happy when he hears her sarcasm which irks Arwen further.
"Yes Arwen, I can tell just how happy you are at getting to see me every day for the upcoming weeks for my face is a handsome one, I'm sure you would agree," he says, still with his infuriating smirk, "you should be thanking me really, many girls back home in Valostra would die to be in your position right now"
Arwen stiffens and scowls at him, "Really? Well perhaps we should send for one of them and have them take my place. Then they may actually die by one of my sisters hands. But I'm sure it'll be worth it once they get to see your handsome face. Be sure to give them my regards when they're tossed into the Breccia Domain."
At Arwen's tone and words, Klaude loses some of his confident demeanour, wincing as he holds his hands up in defeat, "alright, I apologise for my stupid choice of words. It was foolish of me. Truthfully, I was just trying to charm you so we can be friends at least."
Arwen inspects him coolly, looking him up and down with her black eyes. She gives away no emotion as she stares thoughtfully at him.
"A queen does not need friends," Arwen says coldly, crossing her arms stubbornly. The last thing she needs is something distracting her as the Ascension Year approaches.
"Well then neither do I, seeing as my uncle is a King, so I am a royal like you in a way, "Klaude replies with a twinkle in his eye, "so I don't necessarily need friends either but I do desire them. Don't you?"
Arwen sighs impatiently, "of course I do but I'd prefer to choose my friends, not have them dictated to me by others for a potential marriage alliance."
Klaude laughs at them, "ah yes, marriage, well perhaps we should forget about that for a minute, just take the time to become acquainted instead. And I'd like to point out that this wasn't particularly my choice either."
Arwen looks down with a slight glimmer of guilt in her eyes for the first time, "Oh, I just assumed ... I apologise."
Klaude only smiles at her, leaning down so he can look her in the eye, "you're the one heading into a brutal Ascension and yet you still apologise at causing me a little inconvenience? You are a strange one," he says curiously with a playful twinkle in his eyes.
Arwen's scowl snaps right back into place as she regards him with once more before declaring, "and you're an insufferable one."
"See there's some fire," Klaude says, smiling as he leans down to whisper in her ear, "you're not fooling anyone with your icy exterior."
Arwen's breath catches quickly as she stumbles back from him immediately, startled by him. A boy has never spoken to her in such a way. Cierra wouldn't have allowed such a close interaction. But now things are changing.
Without thinking she immediately apologises, though she still holds a cold expression, "sorry you just startled me a little."
Klaude smiles wickedly at her, "that's alright, how about I forgive you if you stop looking at me with that damn evil expression?"
Arwen laughs unexpectedly as she remembers something from the past and almost looks surprised at her own reaction as she regains her composure and her mask of indifference. Shame, Klaude thinks, she is so very beautiful when she smiles. Even more so when she laughs. It is a charming pleasant sound.
"See, I made you laugh a little, we're on better terms already," Klaude says, laughing himself when he sees her blushing and she looks up at him shyly and he catches himself being lost in her dark beautiful eyes. So black. So peculiar. A beautiful sort of darkness. None of the mainland girls can compare.
"Just because you made me laugh once doesn't mean I trust you or even like you yet," Arwen states, nodding as she turns on her heel and walks back inside and shouts, "just so you know what terms we are on Klaude Vale."
"Well that's certainly a step up from loathing!" Klaude shouts, grinning like a fool as he watches her pause for a second at his words then hurry quickly back inside.
She is a strange girl. Even though he is supposed to be charming her, she is intriguing all the same. Despite all talks of alliances and agreements, Klaude finds himself being drawn to Arwen regardless. He doesn't know if it's her power, her beauty or her sharp words that drawn him in like a fish on a hook. But a pull is there.
For everyone is drawn to queens but none want to be them, none can fall for them because despite their sacred status they are marked by death and power. By the Goddess herself.
That is why Klaude Vale and everyone on the island cannot forget, how dangerous Queen Arwen could become. But not yet for she has a soft heart.
For now at least.