The Queen, in all her dark bride grace and beauty…was sitting at a tea table with a black canopy over her head while sipping on a cup of tea along with several maids standing at the side with their hands clasped in front of them, awaiting an order from the most influential woman in the Realm. She would have looked like a female version of King Alvar is if not for her eyes being a different color.
Victoria took a breath as the servant guided her towards the mother of the king and tried her best to put on a neutral expression. She did not want to show any amount of fear or intimidation she could be getting from the Queen.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." Victoria said, dropping into a curtsey as she let her eyes fall to her feet.
"Greetings, Lady Victoria…was it?" The Queen asked dropping her expensive, yet delicate-looking teacup on the pattern matching saucer.
Victoria nodded whilst replying that it was her name indeed.
"Have a seat," The Queen murmured and beckoned for a maid to serve a cup of tea for Victoria from the teapot. The tea was…perculiar to say the least, as was almost everything about Alcazar, it was deep purple in colour and had swirls of a sparkly green substance floating right on top. It also had a scent which reminded her of the eucalyptus trees which grew like weeds at the outskirts of the Elveria, Victoria took the cup and peered at the contents quizzically. Never had she seen tea like this before, well to be fair Victoria was never really an avid tea lover.
"Based on your expression, I can tell nebula tea isn't a well known tea in your Realm." The Queen said, looking at Victoria with an amused smile.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Although I was never on for tea." Victoria responded. "I prefer juice from freshly squeezed fruits."
"Well give this one a try," said the woman dressed in black. "I'm sure this would change your mind about this sort of drink."
Victoria took a small sip, trying to ignore the fact that this drink might be poisoned, even though they drank from the same pot. If the Queen was trying to end Victoria's life,she would have been dead days ago, seeing as it was the food served to her in the palace she had been eating. It tasted strange yet pleasant, like a mix of honey, coconut and a dash of lime. Victoria instantly felt her tense muscles relax and her body felt ten times lighter. She didn't even realize a smile had graced her pink lips.
"Nebula tea is known for its relaxing and numbing qualities. It can soothe a pregnant going through a difficult labour of up to two hours, put those with insomnia and recurring night terrors to a long dreamless sleep and makes one feel like they had been with a chiropractor. It's a shame the flowers used to make the tea are so rare."
"It's delicious." Victoria said releasing a sigh, she had a nasty nightmare this morning so if the Queen was right about the tea helping those with nightmares, Victoria would be safe tonight. "It even makes me feel nostalgic in a way."
"It tends to do something like that, doesn't it?" The Queen smiled, her blood red lips curled. "It reminds me of one particular moment from my teenage years."
Victoria nodded and took another sip, staring deep into this woman's coal black eyes. Children of the royal family had this core ability from birth, she wondered if the Queen had one or if was just her late husband and her son. The small talk was pointless, Victoria was fighting her impatience, just what is the Queen speaking to her for?
"What does it remind you of?" The Queen asked, pulling Victoria from her wondering thoughts. She has her head tilted in a manner that made her look ten years younger than she actually was. Maybe that was her core magic…infinite youth, perhaps?
"A stroll through an enchanted forest." Victoria answered truthfully…which was strange, she had never been to an enchanted forest before. The Queen smiled and took another sip herself.
A while passed with the two silently sipping their teas, Victoria started to wonder if the Queen had only invited her her for company and nothing more. Once the Queen had finished her tea and ordered a maid to pour another cup for her, then the woman finally decided to address the matter at hand.
"Now, I'm sure you know I didn't invite you over for just teas, Victoria."
"I do, your Majesty." Victoria replied robotically, inwardly she was rejoicing, the suspense had been killing her.
"You danced with my son at the ball, yesternight. Do you know of the significance of the first dance of a royal ball in Alcazarian custom?"
Victoria only had a vague idea of important it was, but to be honest she wasn't really sure herself.
"The first dance or rather the Khààlhasi in ancient language is a tradition with can be traced back to the Old World."
'The Old World.' Victoria echoed in her mind, that was over five thousand years ago where it's said the world came to existence and the Realms of Light and Darkness where created. A world where gods and goddesses roamed the earth and made it their home, a time where humans had just been created then the gods decided to live in the city beyond the heavens. The era of the Old World ended 1500 years ago, and the elders and priests at the Light Temple often said that the Old World was an era of simpler times where gods and humans were closer ever (close enough to have children with the humans therefore causing the birth of Elementals) and humans vessels of the gods where very common.
"The traditional is rather simple." Said the Queen, "women of an attractive background are presented in front of the king in a welcome ball like the one of last night, and the woman he chooses first to dance with him is instantly seen as a bigger threat by the other women, it shows that she is the one who shines the brightest amongst the other women and she has captured the King's attention."
After her explanation, the Queen's eyes darkened, Victoria didn't think that was possible. "It makes me wonder, just what a mere Elverian with a humble background could have done to capture his attention like that when they are three other beautiful, well manners women with well trained abilities who are also from his homeland."
Victoria's mouth went dry and because of that, she took another sip. "Believe me, I would also like to know."
"You mean, you haven't done anything to seduce him?" The Queen asked incredulously. "I cannot believe that, you must have done something, my son has never shown interest in Elverians. I command you to tell me the truth!"
"Now, mother there's no need to raise your voice." Victoria had expected King Alvar to have shown up unannounced after hearing those words but it wasn't. When Victoria turned to the source of the familiar voice, she found that it was not Alvar that had arrived, but it was Xander himself.