Saffron led the way through the halls this time. She was the only one who knew the way, after all. The sound of five sets of shoes clacking against the stone floor drew every eye as they went. Saffron stopped outside of the door to the throne room. She took a moment to glance back at her new family and prepared herself. Then she pushed it open and stepped inside.
"There's my Saffy," King Oleander said, signalling for them to approach.
Saffron stopped at the base of the stairs and knelt down. She waited for the brothers to kneel with her. Though the younger princes followed her lead, Prince Ash remained standing. Saffron grabbed his arm and pulled, forcing him down. She heard him swear quietly, but he didn't put up a fuss. He was clearly not used to having to kneel for someone.
"Father, your daughter greets you," Saffron said formally.
Though she was rarely this formal, given the nature of their visit she wanted to do things correctly.
"We come to pay our respects, Your Majesty," Prince Ash said.
King Oleander nodded thoughtfully and waved his hand, allowing them to stand once more. It was silent for a moment before Oleander placed a hand on his chin and smiled.
"So, when can I expect grandchildren?"
"FATHER!" Saffron yelled as her face flushed red.
She tried to ignore the sound of the other princes stifling their laughter as she shot a pointed look at Prince Ash, who turned his head to hide the smirk.
"There is much time before that, Your Majesty," Prince Ash answered, still looking away.
"I'm an old man now, you know. If you wait too long I'll be dead. Not to mention that the longer you wait the less you can have in total."
"Father, please," Saffron interrupted, her voice sounding desperate.
She was utterly embarrassed. How could her father speak so candidly of such things in front of her new brothers-in-law? The door to the side of the room clicked open and Blossom entered, taking a seat in the smaller chair beside her father.
"Sister," Blossom said curtly.
"Your highness," Saffron replied, bowing her head respectfully.
King Oleander slowly got up from his throne and came to stand in front of Prince Ash. He extended his hand. Ash took it and grasped the King's forearm. The room was silent as they held each other's gaze. The King's face broke into a smile and he patted the Crown Prince firmly on her shoulder.
"Take good care of my daughter. You're going to rule a kingdom one day and she will be your Queen."
Prince Ash dipped his head in acknowledgement.
"I shall treat her like the air I breathe, Your Majesty."
Blossom approached quickly, leaning around her father like a child.
"It's awfully nice to meet you again, Crown Prince," she said, fluttering her eyelashes.
Prince Ash's face remained stoic, he barely gave the girl a glance before turning his attention back to the King.
"If you don't mind, Your Majesty, we are frightfully tired from the journey."
Oleander nodded and gestured towards the group of maids who had been watching curiously from the doorway.
"Of course. These ladies will show you to your rooms. Your bags should already be there. You can go and prepare to join us for dinner."
Three maids hurried over to escort them. They split up, each leading one of the Princes away. Saffron followed them outside, Prince Ash walking behind her.
"It's this way," Saffron told the Crown Prince, gesturing in the opposite direction.
"Why so far away?" Ash asked, tucking his hands into his pockets as he walked beside her.
"My father had my room built in its own wing, to make sure nobody had an excuse to lurk nearby," Saffron explained.
"Tsk."
They continued silently until they reached Saffron's door. She pushed it open and held the door for Prince Ash to enter first. He looked at her for a moment before going inside. She closed the door behind them, letting out a large sigh.
As promised, their cases were neatly placed beside her bed.
"Isn't this... Small?" Ash asked, examining his surroundings.
Saffron folded her arms defensively. Her room was small, but she did not need much. The left of the room held her bed, armoire and vanity table. The right was partially blocked by a folding screen behind which sat a wooden bathtub.
"This is all I've ever needed," Saffron replied, sitting on the edge of her bed.
"Does your sister's room look like this?"
"If you are so interested, perhaps you would like to go and look yourself?" Saffron snorted, rolling her eyes.
"That means it's not, right?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You're quite right. Her room is much larger, but she prefers to live much more extravagantly. I doubt father would hear the end of it if she had a room like this."
Prince Ash did not respond. He paced slowly around the room, dragging his hand over various items as he went.
"If you'd like to bathe before dinner, it's right over there," Saffron said, gesturing to the screen.
Ash peered behind it and looked back at her incredulously.
"That is your bath?"
"Yes. Are you going to use it, or do you need instructions?" Saffron replied, scowling at him.
"I think I'll pass."
It was silent again for a moment before Ash strode over to the bed and set his case down on it. Saffron heard the clicking of the latches and turned to see what he was up to. He produced the bottle of salve he had applied to her back the previous night.
"You should apply more to make sure it doesn't scar," He said, tugging at the fastenings on the back of her dress.
Saffron squeaked indignantly. He could have at least asked her permission first. She sat quietly as he lathered the cold ointment on her skin. She had to admit, it was so soothing on her irritated skin that it felt amazing. He paused for a moment and ran his finger across the bottom of her back.
"What's this?" He asked.
"Oh, is it my birthmark?" Saffron asked him.
Saffron had been aware of her birthmark for many years. Every member of the Fae Royal family had a floral-shaped birthmark on their body. Typically it was somewhere visible, like Blossom's shoulder, but Saffron had been born with hers just beside the small of her back.
"Fascinating," he murmured.
"Thank you, I think?" Saffron replied, a little confused by his reaction.
There was silence for a moment as Ash continued to rub the medicine into her skin.
"Your sister seemed to be flirting with me today," Ash commented as he worked.
"She's like that. Don't mind her," Saffron replied dismissively.
"Hm," Ash muttered as he put the cork back into the bottle and wiped his hands clean, "I will be frank with you since you seem to have similar feelings as I do. I hate your sister."
"Hate is a very strong word," Saffron remarked, fixing her eyes on the ground.
"Well, for you perhaps. I've hated her since we first met. She has harassed me at every single ball since we were children. She is pompous, arrogant and spoiled. She disgusts me," Ash replied sourly.
As he began to refasten the back of her dress, there was a knock at the door. Nanny Pine entered before Saffron could ask her to wait. It took her a moment to register the scene, but once she did she cleared her throat and apologised profusely.
"No, no. Don't get the wrong idea!" Saffron said quickly, holding her hands up, "His highness was just applying ointment to my back. Please, tell us what you came for."
"His Majesty has requested you head to the dining room for dinner." Nanny Pine explained, bowing her head quickly.
"Thank you, Nanny. We will be along shortly," Saffron said with a small smile.
As Nanny Pine excused herself, Ash put the salve away and joined Saffron on the other side of the bed.
"That was rather quick," he commented.
"I assumed Blossom had the servants hurry. She has probably got something planned," Saffron sighed.
"Well, let's go and see what she wants."
Saffron gathered up her strength and nodded. She led Prince Ash to the dining room, meeting up with the other Princes outside.
"I will warn you all before we go in, our food is not nearly as fancy as yours..." Saffron told them, feeling a little anxious about their reactions.
The four men followed behind her as she entered. The dining room was much smaller than the Phoenix palace, but it was still regal in its own way. All of the furniture was wooden and had an earthy smell. The King was not yet here. Saffron instructed each of the Princes on where to sit before taking her own seat.
The doors swung open as two maids held them for the King. He entered, followed by Blossom, and took his seat at the head of the table.
"Ah, I can give you all a proper welcome now," Oleander laughed, patting his stomach.
Several servants carried in trays and set them on the table. They had prepared a selection of speciality dishes. Every dish was packed his fruits, vegetables and herbs of all kinds. Saffron glanced at the boys, who seemed to be smiling politely. She had given them advanced warning, so she hoped they could at least put on a good act.
"Dig in! Dig in!" Oleander cried excitedly.
Her father had always found meals to be his favourite part of the day. Saffron dished herself some food out and began to eat quietly.
"Sister, you're so quiet," Blossom commented smugly, twirling her fork between her fingers, "Shouldn't you be talking to your new husband?"
Saffron breathed deeply as she tried to ignore her sister. Ash cleared his throat from beside her, making Saffron look up at him. He grabbed her hand and twisted their fingers together for a moment.
"We don't need to talk. As long as you're next to me, I don't care."
Saffron was caught off-guard for a moment until Ash gave her hand a small squeeze. A signal. Was he helping her fend off Blossom's comments? He hated her after all, and it was obvious Blossom had some sort of infatuation with him. Perhaps he was taking this as a chance to rile her up. She couldn't deny that the thought was amusing. She put on her best smile and ran her thumb over his hand.
"Thank you, darling," She replied.
Ash released her hand and returned to his own meal, offering the King a few polite comments on the food. Saffron could see Blossom's cheeks puffed up like a sulking child. She had to admit, it did feel good to see her sister's reaction. Blossom had always gotten everything she wanted, and if she wanted Prince Ash... It must be killing her to know he married her 'useless freak of a sister' instead.
The rest of the dinner continued without incident. Oleander seemed thrilled to chat with the princes and he seemed especially enamoured by Prince Ash, likely because he thought buttering him up might get some of the Phoenix Kingdom's secrets out of him. Once they had cleared their plates, the King announced he would be retiring to his room. Blossom's mother, second consort Magenta, met him at the door and escorted him away.
"I'm not tired yet," Prince Blaze complained, stretching his arms.
Saffron glanced at one of the nearby maids and cleared her throat, grabbing her attention.
"The princes may find some enjoyment watching the guards training their magic before bed," she said.
The maid nodded knowingly and bowed to the men.
"If your highnesses would follow me, I will take you to the training yard."
As they walked away, Saffron heard her sister's voice.
"Sister dearest, we haven't had a moment to talk yet," Blossom called in a sickly sweet voice, "You must accompany me and you can tell me everything."
Saffron eyed her suspiciously but she had no reason to object. She followed behind her sister as she flew to the study. The two princesses took a seat in front of the fireplace, warming themselves in its glow.
Just as Saffron had suspected, once Blossom was certain there were no eavesdroppers, she dropped her facade.
"Why do you insist on ruining my life?" Blossom hissed.
Saffron sat upright, insulted by her question.
"What do you mean, sister?"
"You stole my prince from me. This was supposed to be MY big day."
Saffron stood abruptly and stormed over to the window, wanting to put distance between herself and her sister.
"What are you talking about? I didn't have any choice!" Saffron yelled back at her.
"So you're saying he just fell in by himself? The crown prince?" Blossom laughed, rolling her eyes.
"That's exactly what happened." Saffron insisted, furious at her accusation.
"You are such a lying little bitch. Just admit it, you've always been jealous of me. I'm the crown princess, I'm father's favourite and I'm clearly better than a wingless freak like you!"
Saffron stared at her sister, utterly wounded by the comments. Though she was well used to her sister's attitude, it still hurt to hear nonetheless.
"I am just happy to be your sister, Blossom. I have never wanted anything more than just to live in peace." Saffron said firmly.
Blossom laughed, shaking her head. She twirled a long silver hairpin in her fingers.
"Do you recognise this, sister?" Blossom asked.
"Should I?" Saffron asked, staring suspiciously at her.
"Oh, you don't need to, but father will. He gave this to Nanny Pine as a thank you for her long years of service."
"What exactly are you up to?"
Before Saffron had time to react, Blossom lunged at her. She stabbed the hairpin into her chest, watching the horrified confusion on Saffron's face as she fell down.
"I hope you enjoyed your little dream while it lasted," Blossom spat as she rushed out of the room.
Saffron gasped from the pain, grabbing the hairpin in her hand. She was too weak to do anything or call for help. Blossom must have hit somewhere important. She fell back, staring at the ceiling as her vision grew darker. She had never expected Blossom could be so callous as to murder her own sister, and out of pure jealousy at that. Saffron drew a slow, pained breath. Was she really going to die like this?