Princess Luna seized a door handle in each hand and walked forward, effortlessly forcing the doors apart.
Her five companions filed into the dining room after her, and then invisible servants closed the doors behind them with nary a whisper.
Three figures stood before a cloth covered table that stretched the width of the room: two women, each outshining the other in terms of grace and beauty, though one had an air of maturity the other could only hope to gain with more years in the earth; and a man, solid as a rock, with an unquestionable air of authority and an obvious appreciation of his good fortune to be standing next to each of the women.
It was obvious upon seeing the king and queen how the princesses had arrived at such a wide palette of skin colors. The king was dark: black of hair, brown of eye, dark brown of skin, though not quite as dark as Luna.
Where the king was dark, the queen's golden hair, blue eyes, and skin almost as pale as her daughter next to her provided a fantastic contrast. That the remaining daughters ranged from Selena's white skin and yellow hair to the warm tan lying under Mona and Aadhira's honey and red colored hair.
Though Luna was at a loss to explain her own pure white hair and golden eyes.
She did definitely inherit her father's resolute demeanor, though.
Where the queen always seemed to be dancing even when standing still, when you looked at him, you expected that if the ocean itself were to crash against him, he would still be standing there, undeterred, when the tide let out.
"Father," Luna said as she came to a halt in front of them.
"Luna," he replied. "How went this afternoon's exercise?"
"It seems two of your daughters conspired to find a more efficient way to test the applicant's mettle."
There was no need to say which ones; besides the fact that one daughter was absent from this afternoon's event and another was the one reporting, there were only ever two to which the word "conspire" could ever readily be applied.
"I see," the king replied. "And how spectacularly did it fail?"
"Your other daughter reports that the twin bond should be sufficient to ensure no scars remain as evidence of the unexpected use of the applicant's natural weapons, which as you are aware are not capable of receiving the Illusory Damage enchantment."
Truth be told, Luna was proud of her sisters' little plot. Seeing Cassandra's determination to protect Mona was one thing, but pushing her that extra little bit into instinctual action revealed so much more about her frame of mind. As for the one problem with it–
"And how much was the applicant traumatized as a result?"
The king's eyes were on his youngest, but Luna was certain her response would shift them to a better target.
"Your daughter's quick wit and silver tongue were able to turn what was almost a liability into a bid for intimacy and a call to action."
Seeing the king's gaze shift to Mona, she added, "It seems your daughter not only anticipated the applicant's feelings of betrayal, but she hoped for them as a sign of emotional honesty that would build trust in her hands rather than destroy it."
A silence fell as the king regarded Mona.
Finally he said, "You will make a fine diplomat some day."
Luna smiled as her sister inclined her head.
"General Hatha!" the king bellowed.
"Sir!"
"Do you have anything to add?"
"Only that I look forward to training the applicant to act as a bodyguard. Her natural instincts are beyond what we could hope for; only proper training and polish are needed to make her a force to match her charges."
"Good."
The king's posture relaxed, signaling the end of business talk.
"Will you be joining us for dinner?"
"My apologies, Your Majesty, I have business to attend to with the garrison."
This was fiction, of course. There was nothing the army needed that wouldn't wait until after dinner; but the fact that no other servants of the king were in attendance wasn't lost on him.
"Very well, Yim. May the Light of the Mother shield you and guide you."
"And you, sir."
As the General left the way he had come in, the king turned to lead his family through a small side door.
Cassandra hesitated to follow until Aadhira and Mona each laced an arm through one of hers, Luna noticed with a small, concealed grin. The halfcat would recover from her daze in time; by the time she did, she would be hopelessly lost in the clutches of their friendship.
The last one through the door to a smaller, private dining room, Luna closed the door behind her and stood by her seat around the cozy table.
"Mother, Father, may I present to you Mona, Selena, and Aadhira's new tutor Cassandra Demarin. Cassandra, King Tidus and Queen Tera Luna, our parents and rulers of the Kingdom of Luna."
Any other presentee would have received a string of honorifics; but Luna hoped that leaving them off, and preferring the familial identity over rank, would help induct Cassandra into the circle of intimacy where Mom and Dad took precedence over King and Queen.
"We are pleased to have you join our service," King Tidus said, his eyes briefly meeting Luna's to confirm his words as a reminder that a servant could only come into the circle of intimacy so far.
"Please, sit," he said, taking his own seat as the prompt for the rest of the family to do likewise.
And then the servants came, bearing duck, lamb, fish, greens, vegetables of root and seed variety, all manner of fruit, and breads and pastries to make one's mouth water.
"Is it true you studied in the Imperial City?" Queen Tera asked after the scramble for first helpings had settled down.
Cassandra froze with a fork full of fish halfway to her mouth.
"I did," she replied. "Though it has been a few years. It seems your daughter Mona has a stronger grasp of recent happenings than I."
"Is it that nonsense about atoms?" the queen asked. "They sure do come up with strange ideas these days."
Luna's eyes weren't the only ones that narrowed on hearing Mother say that. And in that insipid voice!
What was Mother playing at? It was her appetite for knowledge that had brought these and many other tidings such a long distance, and raised daughters who equally appreciated them, after all.
Cassandra cocked her head, considering the queen as she slowly chewed her fish. Finally she swallowed, opened her mouth, and – took a long sip of wine.
Luna took approving note of Aadhira carefully hiding her mouth behind a napkin she had never before seen her use as Cassandra finally spoke.
"I find it odd that someone whose diction so clearly speaks of time spent in the Oratory should take such a dim view of the sciences."
When the queen's eyes crinkled with pleasure, she went on.
"What next? Will His Majesty challenge me to arm wrestle? I hate to disappoint you, but that is one test I will not be able to pass."
"I don't know," the king said. "I could take it easy on you."
Cassandra looked around the table at the princesses she had been getting to know, then took the extreme risk of looking the king in the eye.
"If you had raised your daughters to be capable of doing that, then I might have believed you to be able as well."
The king's laughter was as deep as the sea and as warm as the sun filling it with life.
"I think you mistake my wife's hand for my own," he said. "Before I married her, the fate of the princesses of Luna was always to be auctioned off for political favors to be baby factories.
"It is only through her patience over the years – and the occasional lack thereof – that I have learned that daughters are as much of a blessing as the son that never came."
Then his tone turned somber.
"That reminds me. We received a missive from Prittavia today. Darius is sending Prince Lucas for a visit."
"What?!" Luna exploded, chair scraping backwards as she came halfway to her feet. "Dad, no! I've been clear, he's nice enough and all – a little bland – but–"
The king had his hand extended to her in a placating gesture. "–but he's coming to meet Lucine, not you."
"He's what." Luna said flatly. She looked over at her sister, who had her head tilted, considering.
"I suppose," Lucine said slowly, "it would be rude to turn him away. Without even hearing him out."
Luna cautiously retook her seat. "Then I guess I have no objection."
"It's also possible you might not be around when he visits anyway," the king said.
Luna raised an eyebrow.
"We've received some reports of some possible trouble up north," the king explained. "Still waiting for more information, but it may warrant sending a detachment to investigate."
"Can we come?"
Luna looked over at where Mona and Aadhira had their hands clasped and eyes wide, pleading.
"We don't–" Luna began, perturbed. "We don't even–" she looked at their father for help.
King Tidus shrugged. "They do tend to get into a lot less trouble when they're playing soldier," he pointed out. "If it turns out to be something serious, we'll probably be sending a lot more soldiers – and it'll be that much harder to keep them at home."
Luna threw up her hands in exasperation.
She was saved from having to come up with something to say by the sound of a bell drifting in from an open window.
All eyes turned to Selena as she rose quietly to her feet. "That's my cue," she said. "Father, may I have permission to leave?"
"You have per–" he began, but was cut off by the queen.
"Before you go," she said, "we have a new woman in the palace. Cassandra? Do you have a site to attend the Convocation?"
Cassandra hesitated, and Luna quickly realized why. She knew of the halfcat's family in town; surely she could attend the Convocation with her sister-in-law.
But the queen's question bordered on being an offer without actually being an offer. Would it be ruder to presume and accept, or to turn it down unheard?
So Luna took pity on her and made it explicit. "You are welcome to attend the Convocation with us at the site provided for all who dwell or work in the palace."
Cassandra nodded her thanks and acceptance. "In that case it would be an honor to attend with you."