The group leaves the library with all this new information and they start discussing it in the carriage.
"What did Grandma have to say to you in
private?" Theo asked her.
"Just some stuff about my family." Rion felt really nervous about lying to her friends.
O: We will talk about what she said later I don't really to tell the group yet.
T: Okay I understand is it bad?
O: maybe? Like I said I'll explain later when we're alone.
T: Fine I guess
"So what are we doing now?" Carter asked.
"Well tonight we are hosting a ball, nothing too big just some people from here in the city." The queen said. "So I will need some time SHOPPING!!"
"Yesss, I really wanted to get some dark clan attire while I'm here."
"Well we can go back to the castle and meet up with Prince Oleander and meet you at the market for dinner?" Theo suggested.
"That sounds wonderful!" The queen said
excitedly. "Let's go!"
T: I know you and Joselyn got off on the wrong foot, but you think there's a chance friendship could be on the table?
Rion shot him a glare as cold as ice.
O: depends on her, her apology, and if I can trust her. She fought by our side when we were attacked and I'm grateful, but that doesn't mean she fights for me. I can't have her as a friend or in my personal guard if she doesn't accept me as her queen.
T: I think she had an eye opening experience during our time with her back in Teloria.
O: Well she can meet us at the market if she would like to join us in shopping.
T: Thanks little bunny
O: you owe me.
Rion rolls her eyes. "So lets go split up here, I'm sure it will be easy to find me, I'm the only white haired person in the whole market. So tell Joselyn we'll be in dress shops probably."
"Yes my Queen." Theo teased.
"Oh my god you're infuriatingly annoying, you know that?" Rion laughed.
"But you love it."
"BYE" Rion yelled as she grabbed the Queens hand and left for the stables to grab some horses to ride to the market square.
"Since we're shopping together, call me by my first name Ryuu. Calling me queen in public makes it harder to blend in."
"Ryuu," I say "I have white hair, automatically everyone will know I am a royal High Elf. There's no blending in with me around.
We laughed.
"My friends call me Rion, so I guess you can too."
"Well Rion, lets go shopping!" Ryuu shouted excitedly.
"I never expected you'd be so girly, you seem much tougher than that."
"I am probably many things you didn't expect, as are you I'm sure." Ryuu responded.
"Everything here looks like it's trying to win a dark architecture contest. Do you guys have an award for most dramatic building?"
Ryuu laughing said, "Only every decade. But the real competition is for the best hidden doorway. I'm still looking for my front door half the time."
"Back home, our buildings are so bright, you'd have to be blind to miss a door. It's beautiful and bright. Finding a place to hide is hard if you don't know your way around." I said, "Lucky me, I know my way around better than most."
"So tell me Rion, do you high elves actually
sing to your plants to make them grow faster, or is that just a rumor?" Ryuu asked jokingly
"I mean, if they start sulking." I said laughing loudly. " It's actually the birds that sing to the flowers and us who sing to the birds. You should see our gardens everything blooms together. It's like living in a musical."
"Oh my goddess! That's adorable. Here, our plants mostly grow in in the dark, our sun is different here the mountains cloudy mist changes the sun here. They're beautiful and smell so sweet, but sometimes they try to bite. Keeps things interesting." Ryuu said shrugging her shoulders.
"Are you serious? And here I thought our flowers were high maintenance." I stopped, having the smell of baked sweets hitting my nostrils. " What's that smell? It's amazing!"
"Ah, that's the Strawberry tarts. You've got to try one." Ryuu grabbed Rion's hand and dashed over to the source of the sweet sent.
"Ahh okay, okay," I giggled letting her drag me through the crowds. People looked around and whispered, but with smiles. Some where even laughing as they point. The people here didn't hate me and they didn't seem afraid of me. I wasn't used to such happiness when seeing me, since leaving home, most of the faces haven't been very friendly.
Coming to a little shop it a grey building, with a dark blue door. There was a large window and through it you could see people sitting and talking and eating; it was well lit inside. There was a bell that rang when we entered. And everyone looked recognizing us they
bowed their heads. We order our food and sit down at at table and continue to talk.
"So, do you guys actually sparkle in the daylight, or is that a myth?" Ryuu teased.
"Ha! You've got jokes. No, we're just so pale we're translucent we reflect the sparkle on the ground."
"Oh my goddess you're hilarious." Ryuu said laughing hysterically "I knew there was a reason I liked you."
After we finish eating and chatting we leave and continue through the market. We stop and look at different stalls offering jewelry and art made with obsidian and quartz. The dark elves do a lot of the mining that supplies a lot of our stone and gems here in Elysium. They're the one clan with decent relations with all the clans. Having a good relationship with the dark elves is crucial to our campaign to defeat this darkness coming for us all.
The market here is different than the one in the Teloria and in Aelindor, my home. Most of the buildings were made of black malachite and obsidian. There were crystals that glowed inside lanterns though it was day time it consistently had darker skies because of the mist. There were people moving about l with their daily activities. In the distance I see a dark skinned elf approach us. Joselyn. We haven't had much interaction since our return so this will be our first real interaction.
"I'll be right back I'm going to meet up with one of my company members. Wait at the silk shop for me up there?" I pointed two buildings up that had a sign saying fine spider silk.
I walk towards Joselyn, I trust Theo. So why do I feel so nervous? With each step the distance closes between us until we're but a few feet away and she stops, pulls out her sword, and as she does I open my palms ready to summon my soul knife. Instead, she kneels putting her sword to the ground and lowers her head, resting one arm on her knee.
"My queen, I pledge myself to you and to your service everyday for the rest of my life or until you relieve me of that duty."
I was stunned. I was definitely not expecting that, nope.
My palms relax, I didn't even realize I was holding my breath until I let it out.
"Joselyn, you may rise. I accept you and your service."
Standing tall before Joselyn, I was indifferent, I needed to show her my authority and remind her of her station. We weren't friends yet, but this was a start in the right direction.
Joselyn rises and says to me, "I apologize Princess Orion for being unworthy of serving you before, and I look forward to having an opportunity to prove my worth. I will not disappoint."
"Let's go Queen Aiko is waiting for us at the silk shop."
"Your grace, may I have a moment?" Joselyn stops and asks.
Here it goes.
"You may."
I walk us over to the side between a bakery and a watchmaker.
"Your grace, I over stepped by a lot and I would just like to say how grateful I am that I still have my tongue." She said and I could hear the truth in her words.
"I'm glad I didn't kill you; you proved useful during the attack on Teloria. Not having you would have hurt our efforts to save lives. So we're even." I paused and got in her face "But if you EVER disrespect me again in" I blink and when I reopen my eyes they're glowing and shadows start to swallow the walls and ground around us. "I won't treat you any
different than the enemy. I will drag you into the place where shadows dwell, do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, your grace." Joselyn said. She nodded.
"Good now get up and lets go. You need a dress, just as much as me. I have to be seen with you and I refuse to be around someone who isn't dressed well." I said walking away.
"Your grace, if I may?" Joselyn said.
"What?"
"I can't afford a nice dress, to your standard." Joselyn sounded a bit cold when she spoke and it irked me.
"I didn't ask if you could afford it. I didn't ask you to buy it either, I said you need one, so you. Will get one." I glared at her saying that sternly.
"Yes, your grace." I could hear her tone had change and I swear I saw a slight smile.
O: What do you pay your guards that
Joselyn can't afford a decent dress fro a banquet?
T: what do you mean, why does she need
a dress? She doesn't even like dresses?
O: oh did she tell you that? Or did you just assume it?
T: Well, I've never seen her in a dress. Except our wedding night.
O: You're an idiot, go away
T: you came into my head
O: go away Theo you're stupid. Of course she likes dresses, you just pay shit so she can't buy a dress she probably likes. Pay your people more you stingy shit.
T: Yes my queen
O: Don't you start Theo or so help me
T: or what? You going to punish me?
O: yeah, I'll kick your ass in training later.
T: and I'll beat that ass in the bed later. Two can play my sweet little bunny.
O: I hate you. BYE
Meeting back up with Ryuu, "Guess I have to increase the wages in my husbands military, did you know how little he pays them? It's absurd."
"How so?" Ryuu asked.
"Let's just say I'LL be taking over that area once I'm queen so I know the people in charge of protecting my loved ones are paid well enough."
"Do you not have poor people in your country?" Joselyn asked with a hint of sarcasm.
"Of course we have people who have less
means, no where is perfect. What kind of question is that?"
"Well I just mean, you make it sound like your people don't know suffering because you're perfect rulers." Joselyn admit.
"No, my people know suffering like all the rest. We have hunger and poverty in my kingdom, but if you work for the crown, you don't know hunger, you don't know need. Our crown does provide, we have some of the highest paid military and social workers in all the clans. So when I become queen, the wages of those who work for the country will be increased. Unless you have a problem with a higher wage Joselyn?"
"I believe this conversation is above your station Joselyn, need I remind you of that?" The queen said. Sending her a sharp look.
"I apologize your grace, I just felt like you were talking badly about my prince." Joselyn confessed.
That remarked irked me a bit more than
I expected. "Joselyn, he is MY husband. He is MY life partner. He was created for ME." I start to approach Joselyn and I grab her by throat bringing her face to mine. "Theo is your prince, but he is MINE. He is Ether and I am Nether. He is nothing to you compared to how he is everything to me, do not fucking insult me by thinking I would think badly of my man."
If fumes could come from my body they
absolutely would. "You are here because he asked me to give you another chance. And you're failing miserably, you do not have to serve us if you do not think you are capable of loving and serving me the way you do him than get the fuck out of my sight." Tossing her face away from me.
I was yelling now and the whole area was looking at me.
"You are far more kind than I would have been given the disrespect." Ryuu said to me.
"It is not kindness that rules my temperament, it is the fact she is Theo's responsibility and he is far more cruel than me. So he can deal with her."
***
Joselyn hung her head in shame, she didn't mean to be disrespectful or rude, and she's let go of her feelings for him. She was punished severely upon returning to her clan. She was imprisoned and flogged for her tongue and then Prince Theo personally reprimanded her when he came back from Aelindor. She just meant to defend her prince from any bad talk. She was nervous about how to make things right with her princess.
"Your grace I meant no disrespect. I really didn't please forgive me, I really didn't mean it." Joselyn pleading with her princess. "You are strong and more than worthy of being my princess and my queen. I am loyal to you Princess Orion future Queen of Elysium."
Orion was shocked, this wasn't the response she expected from Joselyn. She could feel her sincerity in that, and felt moved even, she heard that Joselyn was a prideful woman so Orion knew this was a big deal for Joselyn. Feeling a bit more satisfied with this she lightens up on Joselyn.
"Promise?" Orion says with a sweet smile.