Chapter 1
Pale sunlight filtered through the curtains, and Neryn angled her face towards it. One of her personal attendants, Psinn, was carefully running a fine toothed brush through her hair, pausing every once in a while to work a fragrant conditioner into the harsher tangles. Psinn’s partner, Tupha, was quietly applying light touches of makeup to her face with a soft pad.
Neryn was leaving her room for the first time in nearly two weeks for an audience with Lord Shim. King Shim, she supposed bitterly. A chill ran down her spine despite herself and Neyn closed her eyes for a moment, refocusing on the feeling of Psinn misting her hair with rosewater, before beginning to twist it into an elaborate updo.
“Princess,” Tupha murmured and Neryn opened her eyes to see her holding a subtle lip tint. She parted her lips obligingly. Psinn let out a satisfied hum from behind her as her hair was completed with touches of golden jewelry and elaborate pearl pins.
“There we are. You look lovely, Princess.” Empty words, but Neryn inclined her head slightly all the same. Tupha stepped back and nodded in agreement after running a critical eye over her work.
“For your meeting,King Shi... ah, Sov-”
“King Shim.” Neryn cut in quietly. Shim wasn’t the Sovereign of her country, not with her still alive.
“Forgive me, Your Majesty. King Shim sent word that he would send an entourage when he is prepared to meet with you.”
“Of course.” It would be rather inconvenient if she chose to walk herself right out the palace gates rather than to the throne room. Not that she would get that far.
Tupha and Psinn busied themselves with meaningless tasks, rubbing scented lotions into her hands and once again smoothing down the folds of her gown. It was more pampering than anything, completely pointless, but Neryn understood the concern behind the gestures and appreciated it. Entirely too soon, a firm knock resounded through the room and Tupha’s hand on her arm flinched. Neryn’s stomach lurched and she took a deep breath to calm herself before standing. Tupha and Psinn followed behind her to the door, nervously wringing at their dresses.
“Your Majesty...I-” Psinn began before cutting herself off. Her eyes were suspiciously glassy.
“Princess, If there is anything you wish for us to do before you leave…” Tupha interjected. She held her composure better, but there was still a hitch in her voice.
They knew as well as Neryn did that Lord Shim had likely summoned her to a direct execution.
She couldn’t deal with this right now.
“No, that will be all.” Neryn said firmly, smoothing down her dress and straightening her spine. She put her hand on the door, ready to push it open, before sending the two women behind her one last glance.
“My thanks.” She added in an undertone. Psinn and Tupha had been her Personal Attendants for years now, they deserved this at least.
Steeling herself again after the brief moment of vulnerability, Princess Neryn opened the doors and stepped out into the hallway, where an entourage of armored soldiers awaited her.
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Neryn’s attempts to pull herself together were failing utterly. The leader of the guard had been polite, announcing that they were here to see her safely to her meeting. Neryn didn’t feel safe.
I’m going to die. That traitor is going to kill me. I’m going to DIE-
Neryn swallowed and tried to crush down the rising panic. Breaking down in front of a foreign guard in the hallway would be pathetic, no matter the circumstance.
Dazedly, she noted that they weren’t leading her to the throne room, but rather in the direction of her brother’s study. It was just as well. The thought of being marched into her mother’s throne room for a public execution, or even a private one, was repulsive.
After what seemed like only seconds, although Neryn knew logically it must have taken several minutes, the small entourage halted in front of an imposing pair of oak doors. The leader of the group moved forward and knocked loudly.
“Princess Neryn here to see the Sovereign!”
“Wonderful, please come in.” A softer voice answered from inside. Neryn’s stomach dropped as two guards inside the room opened the doors.
King Shim was seated at a desk with his back to a large ornate window, darkening his profile. He stood with a warm smile as Neryn entered the room. “Your Majesty, it has been some time. Please take a seat.” He ushered her over to one of the plush seats arranged around the marble fireplace, where a small fire was already burning.
Neryn hid her shaking hands in her skirt and tried to keep her face devoid of any emotion.
“Thank you, you’re dismissed. You two as well,” Lord Shim addressed the guard authoritatively, and they all bowed low and departed with a murmured ‘yes, Sovereign.’
To Neryn’s surprise, the two guards who had been at the door inside stationed themselves outside the room before shutting the door once more. Although if she thought about it, really if the King was going to kill her he certainly didn’t need any assistance.
“Tea?” Lord Shim asked from behind her, and Neryn jerked in her seat to see him approaching her again, this time holding two porcelain cups.
“Yes, thank you.” Neryn replied when she was certain her voice would be steady. It didn’t end up mattering much, her hands were shaking so badly when she took the offered cup that she nearly spilled the hot liquid on the carpet. Lord Shim set his own cup on the small table, and sat facing her on the edge of the couch across.
“First and foremost, thank you for coming to see me, and I apologize for not requesting your presence sooner.” He took a pause to gauge her reaction to this and added gently; “I thought it was best to give you some time to yourself in light of your recent bereavement.”
A bereavement, Neryn thought bitterly, that he was more likely responsible for than not.
Her hands tightened around the cup.
“If you are going to kill me, spare me the pretense at least.” Neryn snapped, and didn’t regret it, not even while the pit in her stomach grew. Lord Shim sat back a little and actually looked a little pained.
“I am not going to kill you, Your Highness, and no one else will be either.” Hope flared up in her briefly, but Neryn batted it back down the same way she had the panic.
“Really.” She said instead, flatly. Lord Shim shook his head.
“No. I understand how this may appear to you-”
“My mother and brother are dead” Neryn hissed. Shim continued as if she hadn’t interrupted.
“-but Vaughn has considered Suurya an ally for nearly a century. I assure you, any recent actions taken were intended only to ensure our continued alliance.” He paused again and added more softly “You aren’t in any danger.”
“Ensure our-” Neryn choked up before she could finish.
She wanted to rake her nails across his face.
“Your soldiers are occupying the palace! The Queen and the Crown Prince, my family, are dead!” Neryn’s voice pitched higher against her will, and she clutched at her cup so tightly it was in danger of shattering.
“The loss of your mother and brother is regrettable. However you must understand, my forces are here to fight off the last of the invaders from the East-”
“They barely made it here!! The war is over!!” Neryn was hysterical at this point, anger and misery and fear clashing for control inside her.
“Really, Princess.” Lord Shim said sternly, as if she were being unreasonable. “We both know that, despite having faced a common enemy, tensions have been rising between Suurya and my own country. To the displeasure of both our people, I might add. All of Vaughn values this alliance. I value this alliance, and it was deteriorating.”
It was true. A warlike country such as Vaughn relied heavily on the steady trade Suurya offered. And Suurya was tiny compared to the Northern Kingdom, she knew it had been a bad idea on her mother and brother’s part to spite them. Their people had been more than open in their disdain for Queen Sang and Crown Prince Duuryn. Neryn knew her mother’s failings in regards to their kingdom, he didn’t need to rub it in her face.
“Then surely,” Neryn began, her voice shaking. “Surely you have no reason to keep me alive. I know how Vaughn acquired territory in the past, what happened in the west just a few years ago-”
“You. Are in. No. Danger.” King Shim repeated himself leaning closer to her like he was concerned. Neryn considered throwing her cup at him. “For one thing, Suurya’s alliance has been the most long standing and the most beneficial to Vaughn, I would be a fool to not honour that. For another, both the people of Suurya and the people of Vaughn saw the efforts you made at preserving those ties during your mother’s reign. They would be angry if you were to die.”
“And keeping me alive isn’t even more problematic?” Neryn asked, even while menatlly screaming at herself for not seizing the flimsy excuses he gave. He sat back and gave her a long stare. She looked into her teacup.
“In the end, Your Highness, it’s up to me whether you live or die and I say you live.” The King said shortly. It was both the most straightforward and the most blunt he had been for the entire meeting. A silence fell between them as Neryn digested his words.
She was going to live. On a whim, and perhaps not for long, but she was going to live.
Neryn was letting out a sob before she could control herself, and tears streaked down her cheeks as the entire situation caught up to her. Shockingly, the King instantly stood and crossed the room to kneel next to her, making little shushing noises and prying the teacup away before she spilled on herself. Before she could cover her face with her hands, he had caught them in one of his own and began gently dabbing her cheeks with a handkerchief. Neryn eventually got a hold of herself and she took a few shuddery breaths as the tears stopped.
“There we go, that’s it.” The King said sympathetically. “Would you like to return to your quarters, Your Highness? You’ve had some day.” Neryn nodded shakily, and he helped her to her feet like a perfect gentleman.
Like he hadn’t invaded her home and probably killed her family. Neryn felt sick.
Chapter 2
The first thing Neryn did when back in the safety of her own room was to collapse in a fit of tears. Psinn and Tupha had worriedly flitted around her for the remainder of the day as Neryn allowed her situation to truly sink in.
Shim had called for a ‘General Oame’ to escort her back to her room, and the polite man that had led her entourage had appeared to see her back. Before she had left, Shim had told her he would send for her again in a day or two to discuss something urgent.
The rest of the day (And the day after) was spent in a daze as Neryn tried to process every detail of their conversation. During that time, she finally gave herself the chance to mourn her mother and her older brother in private.
Her relationship with her mother, with Queen Sang, had been strained at best over the last few years. In the last days of her life, Queen Sang had been a bitter, paranoid woman, suspicious of every shadow and every perceived slight against her. She had made nothing but mistake after mistake in ruling their kingdom.
Still, Neryn could remember times past that, to times before her father’s death. Then, her mother had been full of smiles and laughter, without a care in the world while the King had lovingly pandered to her every need. Neryn mourned that woman, and the fact that the Queen would never have a chance to become her again with the war over.
Her brother was a somewhat different story. Duuryn... she had never liked Duuryn, and he had never liked her. She had found him too headstrong, too quick to gamble and drink and bring dishonour to their family’s reputation. It was as simple as that. Still, he had been her brother, and some of the last family she had, and now he was gone.
...Neryn should probably feel worse than she did about that.
The real blow, the bigger cause for Neryn’s increasing worry and fear, occurred to her in the evening, when she had idly been drinking tea curled up in her favorite chair. She had looked at the seats around her and suddenly realized-
Meo. Meo and Yiri, OH-
She had frantically called for Psinn and Tupha, and when they came rushing around the corner grabbed at Tupha’s arms.
“Meo, the Lady Taniche, and Advisor Islay- they haven’t-you haven’t heard-” she had managed to gasp out.
“We don’t know, my lady,” Psinn had answered her softly, taking one of her hands from Tupha’s arm. “I’m afraid we don’t know.”
Neryn had collapsed backward at that as her attendants tried to comfort her.
Her friends could be dead, they could have easily been killed on Shim’s orders with other nobles and officials- she didn’t even know who else- they could have been hurt by invaders in the palace.
Little Yiri, who had worked so hard to get to where she was, could be locked up in some dirty prison somewhere or worse.
And Meo- Oh Lord, Meo had been about to get married-
Neryn wanted to scream. She wanted to charge out into the halls and demand to know what had happened to her friends, who in the castle had been killed besides the Queen and Prince, what King Shim and the Northern army were going to do with her kingdom.
Neryn had Psinn and Tupha bring her more tea and tried her hardest not to panic.
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During the second week of being sequestered away in her own palace, three days after her audience with King Shim had taken place, Neryn finally pulled herself together enough to think through her options.
Her Kingdom was currently under control of another nation. The Queen and Crown Prince were dead, leaving her next in line for the throne. As far as she knew, the commoners of Suurya knew none of this. Her mother’s court and the nobility of the palace were either dead, imprisoned, or turned traitor.
Okay.
She was still alive, and it was beginning to look like she would stay that way. She couldn’t afford to waste away in her bed with nothing but her own anger and fear. First things first, she needed to know what was going on inside the palace. She would have an audience with Shim very soon, she needed…
Yiri is so much better at this than I am. She thought bitterly.
She took a deep breath and tried to refocus herself. What she needed, more than anything, was to stay alive.
So far, so good.
She needed to find out what had happened to Meo and Yiri, and, if possible, get in contact with them.
Less good.
She needed to find out exactly what Shim had planned for Suurya, how she fit into those plans, and, if she didn’t like them, do anything in her power to thwart said plans.
Fantastic.
Someone knocked at the door, and Neryn let out a breath of air, placing her fork down on the silver trey she was eating off. Tupha, who was idly dusting the vanity, froze in surprise.
“Tupha, that will be a guard here for my audience with the Sovereign,” She kept her voice neutral, although the title felt like acid on her tongue. The man had more power than her, for now. She had to play this his way. “If you would please get the door.” The attendant sent her a wide-eyed look full of fear, before hastily making her way to the door.
“I’m here for Princess Sang’s meeting with the Sovereign,” she heard from around the corner, and took a moment to check her hair and teeth before passing Tupha and the guard both into the hall.
The same polite man who had led her first escort was waiting for her outside- General Oame, if she remembered correctly.
“The Sovereign just got out of his meeting, Your Highness- he’ll be expecting you back at his study.” The man explained, tracing their steps back to the place of her first audience. Neryn dipped her head in acknowledgement.
“Thank you General…?”
“Oame, your Majesty.” The man replied neutrally, and she didn’t attempt further conversation. They walked in silence for several minutes, and now that she was not on the verge of a mental breakdown, Neryn couldn’t help but notice the lack of life. The route from her quarters to her brother’s-the Sovereign's office was a fairly secluded one, but still. The only people they passed were guards stationed stone-faced outside certain doors and walkways.
They ended up intercepting the King on their way to the study.
“Thank you, General, I can take it from here.” Neryn heard from behind them, and she and her escort both turned to see the King approaching them. He was dressed similarly to when he had first met with her, although today he had a sword and scabbard at his side.
Neryn took a deep breath and reminded herself that the odds of her getting stabbed now were pretty low. Probably.
“Sovereign,” The General returned, bowing shortly. Shim nodded in return, smiling, and Neryn filed away the familiarity in the back of her head.
“I see you nearly beat me here- I apologize if you had to wait,” the King greeted her politely. One of the guards opened the door for them to enter.
“Not at all,” Neryn returned as they took their seats. “I apologize for the short notice.” Shim waved her off genially.
“I’m very sorry for cutting our last meeting short, but you were understandably very distressed at the time. Are you feeling any better?” A jab at her lack of composure, a clear assertion of who was in control of their discussion, and a polite nicety all rolled into one- gods she hated this man.
“Yes, thank you for your concern. You said we had important matters to discuss, Your Highness?” Shim grimaced.
“Taesun would do just fine, please.”
“It would be impolite.”
“My friends hardly speak to me politely, and we have known each other for some time now,” the king returned, and gave her a boyish smile. Neryn frowned: They had played together a few times as children and shared some civil conversation as young adults, she hardly would’ve called them friends even before the war, much less now. Still, she was hardly going to anger him over titles of all things.
“Taesun, then. What did you have to discuss?” The smile dropped off of Shim’s face to be replaced by a more serious mien.
“I’m afraid it’s not a very pleasant topic,” he said carefully. “There’s the matter of the former Queen’s and the Crown Prince’s funeral.”
....What?
Neryn had assumed there wouldn’t be a funeral. For all Shim’s talk of alliance, it was fairly clear from her position that this was a takeover, albeit a fairly smooth one. A funeral for a dead Queen and Crown Prince would be a very public event… Was this his way of declaring Suurya to be under his rule? Afterall, with the Queen publicly out of the picture…
Ah, that was it.
“Of course,” she said, although her voice shook a little in her building rage. Instantly Shim was the very picture of concern, furrowing his eyebrows and studying her sympathetically.
“Are you very sure you are alright? If you like, I can wait a little while longer, or even take care of it myself if that’s what you would prefer.” She deserved that, she needed to keep her composure better no matter how he baited her.
“I am fine, thank you.” She replied tightly with the falsest smile she could muster on her face. He nodded and sat back, but maintained that concerned expression on his face. Because he was a condescending little-
“If you are sure. I will confess to being a little in the dark in regards to Suuryan funeral tradition, but I have a part of my Cabinet drafting the list of who will be coming-” Neryn clenched her teeth, and he hesitated before adding gently “More importantly, is there anything special you would prefer to do or have done at the funeral? Whatever makes this a little easier on you, I can make it happen.”
Was he serious?
He was, he was serious… Oh, this was perfect. He thought she was an emotional wreck right now… As long as she played her hand right, she could probably get away with a few smaller demands.
“I- I just-” Neryn forced her voice to catch, and let her lips tremble for a moment while she looked down at her lap. “There’s a woman named Lady Taniche I’m familiar with, she’s helped me plan events for years-” that part was true enough, Meo really had a knack for large social events “-If I could work with her for a bit…”
“Lady Taniche? Of course!” He answered earnestly, a note of understanding in his voice. “It’s important to be close to your friends at a time like this, I’ll have her sent to you quarters right away.”
Meo is alive. She’s alive and I’m going to see her.
The shakiness in Neryn’s ‘Thank you,’ didn’t need to be faked. He accepted her thanks with a smile, and then they moved on.
When it was clear that she wanted as much control over the funeral as possible, Shim agreed to give her the remainder of the week to plan with Lady Taniche.
“If you have any questions or need help with anything, have one of your guards get General Oame. The guest list will be sent to you as soon as it’s finished- if you have any issue with it, leave a note and I’ll have it reviewed.” Shim informed her. He had thankfully slipped out of his earlier manner of speaking and adapted a more business-like, to-the-point tone that Neryn appreciated.
“Where will it be held?” She asked. Shim didn’t hesitate.
“The funeral itself will be held in whatever courtyard they normally take place. However, you will be giving your speech from the dais addressing the court.” Her speech, right. That had almost slipped her mind. “I’ll help you with the speech’s drafting, but we can go over any details you wish to change before it’s given.” Neryn tried for a smile and it came off a little more strained than she intended.
“And will you be giving an address of any kind?” Shim actually had the gall to look a little surprised at that.
“Of course not- not unless you would prefer otherwise…?”
“No, thank you.” Neryn said a little more quickly than was probably polite. Shim nodded.
“Alright then. Those were the main things we needed to go over, I believe-” he gave her a smile and Neryn nodded politely.
“Of course-”
She didn’t get the chance to finish as the oak doors swung inwards violently and a tall woman strode inside, clad head to toe in armor. Shim didn’t flinch, but Neryn could have sworn she saw an expression of exasperation cross his face.
“Rik said you needed me? I was in the middle of something Taesun,” the woman said crossing her arms. Neryn could only stare at her shocked- was the woman trying to die? That was her Sovereign she was speaking to.
“Yes, so sorry,” Shim replied in a tone that said the opposite. Turning back to Neryn, he smiled apologetically and gestured at the woman. “This is my friend, Lieutenant Chusa Oame. She’s here to see you back to your quarters and to find Lady Taniche.”
“Lieutenant Oame?” Neryn asked incredulously, forgetting her manners in her surprise. The Lieutenant regarded her with detached grey eyes. “Wasn’t there a General-”
“Yes, that would be Chusa’s husband- I had forgotten that you’d already met.” Shim said thoughtfully as he stood up and ushered her to the door. The Lieutenant was still studying Neryn coolly. “Thank you for your visit- again, if you need absolutely anything please let me know.”
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Chusa really hated the East. She had first come on a war campaign against the Nabani a few years ago. The villages were quaint, the scenery was breathtaking, and everywhere you went you could smell the sea. And the vibrant colors everywhere- she had been charmed. Even still, she wondered if her four year old would enjoy seeing the ocean now that the war was over.
After nearly a month of baking under the hot sun in a thick Northern tunic and heavy armor, and nearly two weeks of dealing with whiny nobles and putting down whatever small rebellions erupted around the Suuryan palace, Chusa was sufficiently less charmed. One of the Lords she had been taking to prison had actually sobbed the entire way like a child- the man was at least thirty, for crying out loud. Needless to say, she wasn't in a particularly good mood.
Princess Sang didn’t attempt to make conversation while she dropped her off at her quarters, and Chusa was thankful for that much.
Finding Lady Taniche took a bit more effort- she wasn’t important enough to have been put to death and wasn’t so unimportant that she had been thrown into a cell, so she must be under house arrest in her own quarters somewhere in the palace.
Fifteen minutes later, Chusa was approaching two guards stationed around the only entryway to a room. They saluted when she approached.
“You’re dismissed until your superior says otherwise.”
“Yes, ma’am.” They replied smartly, and Chusa rapped on the door. It swung open almost instantly, and Chusa scowled, taking in the other woman.
That was another thing she hated about the South- everyone apparently felt the need to parade around half naked. The auburn woman sizing her up was dressed in an unnecessarily bright green, breezy dress with a long slit that travelled to her hip. It showed her midriff, for the gods’ sake, did these people have no decency?
“Can I help you?” The auburn woman asked disdainfully.
“Are you Lady Taniche?” Chusa returned, just as coldly.
“Yes. Can I help you?” Chusa didn’t bother answering again, just turned on her heel after gesturing sharply for Taniche to follow.
“Try to run and this will get unpleasant for both of us.” She shot at the woman over her shoulder, and received a muttered string of insults for her trouble.
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Neryn had been trying to organize a rough draft of the funeral itinerary when her doos were pushed open. The same woman from before spoke to her guards briefly and walked away, and in walked-
“Meo!” Neryn cried out, and instantly ran to embrace her friend. Meo met her halfway, crushing her tightly.
“Neryn! Thank the gods, I’ve had no idea what’s happened for weeks-” her friend babbled. “What’s going on??” Neryn bit her lip.
“I’m still not entirely sure, but I’ve met with King Shim twice now. This looks like a takeover, but he said he doesn’t want me dead for some reason- I don’t-”
“We’ll figure it out.” Her friend said, soothingly rubbing her back. “Neryn, have you heard anything about Yiri? And Hoshea, is he in any trouble?”
“I don’t know.” Neryn admitted quietly. “Hoshea should be fine for now, his estate is fairly far away, but Yiri- I couldn’t ask. You know she was in Mother's cabinet-if she’s still alive, I didn’t want to put her in any danger.” The two friends fell silent for a while after that, content to just rock back and forth holding the other.
Chapter 3
Planning the funeral with Meo’s assistance was infinitely more bearable. Less for the emotional support she offered, and more for the fact that Meo was just good at it.
“You were going to room Lady Kiona across from the Dhans family? Ner-yn,” Meo gave her a look of heavy disappointment. “EVERYONE knows that Sir Dhans and Lady Kiona had an affair two summers ago. It was a major scandal?? Ringing any bells?”
“Two summers ago. You mean while we were in the middle of a war and my Mother was ticking off an allied nation five times our size?” Neryn felt the need to defend herself.
“Yes, yes. Were you living under a rock? Anyways, it would be funny-”
“No.”
“You’re so boring.”
They got more work done in three hours than Neryn had in an entire week of solitude. After taking a break for dinner, the two girls returned to the study in Neryn’s quarters and the papers scattered around the room. They had drawn up a rough itinerary, as well as managed to room most of the guests on a list that had been passed along to them earlier. It was a good start, Neryn supposed.
Meo collapsed in front of the fire hours later.
“I have to say, it feels good to be doing something again. Planning parties is no joke.”
“This is my mother’s and brother’s funeral,” Neryn felt the need to remind her. Meo shrugged unapologetically and waved Psinn down for some cold tea.
“Mmhmm. But did you see who was on the second page of the guest list?”
“I did,” Neryn said knowingly. “Looks like you’re going to see Hoshea sooner than you think.” Meo sighed happily, kicking one leg in a very un-ladylike manner across the footstool and resting her chin on her fist dreamily.
“He’s so sweet, I hope he isn’t nervous. Are you positive he won’t be in any danger coming here?” Meo asked, suddenly sitting up straight and darkening her tone. Neryn sighed.
“I hope not Meo, I really do. So far from what I could tell, Shim only has issues with the people who were close to Mother, I haven’t heard of a single death that wasn’t from inside her Court or Cabin-” Neryn cut herself off, realising what she had been about to say. Meo looked sick for a moment. “Yiri’s fine.” Neryn said instead, straightening her back. “She’s an extremely newly appointed Advisor from a family no one’s heard of, no one would think she’s a threat.”
“No one who doesn’t know better maybe,” Meo muttered, but she did look a little reassured. Neryn counted it as a win, and turned the conversation towards lighter topics.
Meo had to leave for her own chambers soon after, but Neryn managed to extract a firm promise from the guards escorting her friend away that she would be back again in the morning.
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Taesun looked up from his papers to see the guards outside open his office doors for Alarik Oame.
“Sovereign,” the man said politely, bowing a little.
“Alarik! I’m guessing the Princess sent you?”
“Yes, Your Highness.” The man handed him a few carefully stacked papers- at a cursory glance, it looked like the guest list with some attached notes, directions for housing and seating, and an itinerary. Not bad.
“Please, take a seat. It’s late and I’m sure you’ve been on your feet all day.” Taesun told the man, who gratefully dropped into an ornately decorated couch. “Did any of your men have any trouble?”
“Not at all, Your Highness.” A comfortable silence fell between the two as Taesun returned to his work and the General relaxed by the fire. Taesun wasn’t actually very personable with the General yet, despite making an effort to provide him with some special treatment and amicable behavior. Chusa would choose to marry someone so wrapped up in formalities- she probably did it just to spite him. Still, it was nice not feeling pressured to not fill the silence.
The door banged open loudly, and Chusa swept in without warning. It looked like she had showered recently: her hair was damp, and she had forgone her armor for a simple dark teal dress, her sword hanging from a thick leather belt.
“Would it kill you to knock once,” Taesun couldn’t help but grumble. He had lost his place on the page of notes he was going over. Chusa scowled at him and dropped onto the couch beside her husband, gracelessly throwing her legs over his lap after unbuckling her sword and tossing it to the side.
“Honey! Your sword,” Alarik chided without any real heat.
“It’s fine, it was in a scabbard and it landed on carpet,” she said before turning her attention to Taesun. “Of ALL the places to invade, you had to choose this hell hole.” Taesun frowned.
“Hell hole? I actually think the view and the palace are quite lovely.”
“It’s hot.” She complained, scooting closer to her husband. “And Rik and I have to wear thick tunics and armor all day.” Her husband hummed sympathetically and stroked a hand through her hair while Taesun carefully did not roll his eyes.
“Yes, well, I’m sorry the weather doesn’t always align perfectly to your standards.”
“Me too Taesun, Me too.” Chusa sighed, and then pulled her husband back into conversation about how his day had gone. Taesun was able to happily block out the low murmur of conversation and return to his papers for a little while.
“-so? When is Lakora coming back?” Giving up on trying to focus, Taesun rejoined the conversation.
“He actually sent word just this morning, they should be here before the end of the week. It was a complete rout, of course.”
“Of course. I’m a little surprised he even bothered to chase them. There wasn’t much left of the Nabani after the battle in the palace, and they were never a legitimate threat either way.”
“Yes, well, you know Kora- he hates not tying up loose ends.”
“The Commander does seem like a very efficient man,” Alarik interjected thoughtfully. Chusa swatted his shoulder with her hand.
“He told you to call him ‘Lakora’ Rik, I was right there.” The General just smiled lovingly at his wife and didn’t press the issue. “It will be good to have him back, I suppose. If any of the Suuryan nobility try and stir up trouble, it will be during the funeral.” Chiusa pointed out more seriously. Taesun nodded.
“I’ll talk to him about security as soon as he returns- I’m sure he’ll want a word with you both as well.”
“Give him two days here and see what he has to say about the weather.” Chusa couldn’t help but throw in petulantly. Taesun groaned.
“It’s not so bad, especially when you're out of your armor. I was actually thinking if we came a little earlier in the year, this would make an excellent vacation spot for Adler, what do you think honey?” Alarik interjected. Chusa’s face softened at the mention of her son.
“We would have to keep an eye on him around the beach, and make sure that any tensions between Suurya and Vaughn settle down first,” She said and Taesun nodded.
“I’m sure he would like it here. What is he, four now?” It had been at least a year since he had seen his friend’s son, but he had been rather busy. Chusa nodded, beaming.
“And already growing like a weed. I hope he hasn’t caused my parents too much trouble while we’ve been gone.”
“I wouldn’t hope too much, he is your son,” Taesun pointed out. Alarik snorted and Chusa grabbed a nearby cushion and threw it at Taesun lazily. He knocked it away before it could disrupt any of his papers.
“Rude.”
“What are you working so hard on, anyways? Chusa asked, getting up from her place on the couch both to retrieve the cushion and to peer curiously at Taesun’s desk.
“I’m working on removing a few people from the guest list. Princess Sang and one of her-”
“Ooooh, Princess Sang didn’t want them to come,” Chusa said obnoxiously, grabbing her pillow and flopping back down on her husband. Taesun frowned at her.
“Yes. As I was saying, they need to be removed, and I’m also working on the order I placed for her crown-”
“You’re buying her jewelry? Awww,” Chusa cooed sappily, batting her eyelashes at Taesun. He buried his head in his hands.
“Chusa. You are a Lieutenant and a mother, can you not?”
“I’m tired and you’ve already stolen my husband for most of the night!”
Everyone in the room collectively paused and grimaced at her phrasing.
“-I meant-”
“Good night, Your Highness.” Alarick said, beginning to drag his wife towards the door.
Chapter 4
As the end of the week drew near, the pressure to complete the plans for the funeral ramped up.
Taesun frowned as he looked through a draft for the invites that one of his secretaries had passed off to him. This was a delicate situation- he had met with some of the lower-ranking Suuryan nobility earlier, and even they seemed unsure of what was going on.
Good. It would be much less likely for some nobody Duke or Duchess to start causing trouble if they weren’t even sure who they were causing trouble with.
A muted rap on the door stole his attention. That would be one of his Captains with another stack of papers from the Princess.
“Come in.” The man entered, offering a ninety degree bow and a mumbled ‘Sovereign,’ before depositing the papers on his desk. Taesun reached over the other stacks of paper on his desk- (What were secretaries even good for these days?) -to leaf through them.
Good gods, that was a heavy stack.
“Captain?”
“Yes, Sovereign?” the man asked respectfully, keeping his eyes on the floor.
“Is all of this just today’s work? How long has the Princess been at her desk?”
“Yes, Sovereign, and I’m not sure- of course no one has entered her quarters, my lord.” The man said. There was a note of trepidation in his voice. Taesun frowned, setting the heavy stack back down. Surely all this work must have taken hours to complete, and with only one other helper? Taesun pulled a piece of scratch parchment to himself and jotted out a quick note, waving it in the air a little to let the ink dry.
“Deliver this to Princess Sang’s quarters, and tell Lieutenant Oame that she is to report there today at four.”
“Yes Sovereign,” the man replied, and exited after another deep bow. Taesun hummed and began writing out the summons- Princess Sang would need to meet with an event coordinator and perhaps a few junior advisors- that would greatly help in evening the workload. After reviewing his work, he penned two last sentences- ‘Her majesty is to be treated with the respect befitting someone of her station. Any failure to comply will be dealt with severely.’
It never hurt to be clear. Taesun hummed a little in satisfaction before calling for one of his guards to deliver the summons.
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Neryn originally hadn’t known what to make of the note.
‘If needed, Lt. Oame can escort you to meet with a few event correlators. She will stop by for your answer around four.”
“Thank the gods, take the bastard up on it,” Meo exhaled loudly from her place draped over the sofa. The notion of planning the event had lost its appeal for her friend on the second day straight of paperwork and argument.
“Meo!” Neryn hissed, eyeing the closed door warily. “What if someone had heard you?” Meo shrugged carelessly.
“Mm. Now, take him up on it- we’ve been doing secretary work. I get that you wanted as much control over this as possible, but this is just demeaning.” Her friend complained, taking another sip from the glass she held in one hand. “You’ve driven me to alcoholism. I’m too young and beautiful to be a drunkard, Neryn!”
Neryn giggled at her friend’s antics- Meo had been cranky the past few days, it was good to see her acting like herself again.
“Well, if I’m going to accept you ought to stop drinking anyways. Don’t think for a second I’m attending this meeting alone.”
The stern faced woman in armor- Lieutenant Oame, Neryn reminded herself- was escorting them to the meeting a couple of hours later. The room was occupied by two men dressed in the faux-finery that middle-class court officials prided themselves on and a woman much more richly decked in jewels and fine fabrics.
To Neryns’s surprise, they all stood and bowed when she entered the room with Meo by her side.
“Your majesty,” one of the men began, in a tone that was almost overly respectful. “We were informed you wanted assistance with the funeral preparations?” He wouldn’t even meet her eyes. Meo looked at Neryn with raised eyebrows.
“Yes, thank you. You can all take a seat,” Neryn asserted.
It was a strange meeting. The two men were almost comically subdued, careful not to disagree directly with anything either Neryn or Meo said and quick to praise any ideas the two Suuryan women put forth. Their companion, who on closer inspection was clearly a high-born noble, who had likely married some important general or another and accompanied him to war, was much less timid.
“- if the banquet after the funeral is held in the Great Hall, the seating arrangements will need to be worked out carefully. Princess Sang, of course, will need to be at the middle of the table facing the hall-”
“-The middle of the table?” The lady interrupted Meo’s tangent. One of the men seated at her right winced, observing Neryn’s reaction to the interruption carefully. “I suppose that makes sense considering her Highness's status, but traditionally the next-of-kin really ought to be seated with their family and friends.”
“And who would you suggest sits at the middle of the dais,” Meo shot back, clearly irritated.
“The Sovereign. As a visiting dignitary, of course,” the woman said smoothly. She shot Meo a plastic smile filled with condescension. “Traditionally in the north, of course a grieving woman would be sat with people who could bring her comfort-” One of the men seated at the woman’s side gave her a wide eyed look. “-and the Sovereign is the only other person of royalty in the palace.”
“Suurya,” Neryn interjected icily “has different traditions.” Curiously, the woman backed off instantly, although visibly still displeased.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Later that night, Meo and Neryn returned to the Princess’ chambers (escorted again by the Lieutenant) for dinner.
“What a hag.” Meo said harshly, wrinkling her nose in distaste as she took a vicious stab at the fine meat laid out in front of her. “Traditionally, in the north,” she mimicked the woman’s voice in a ridiculously high key. “Who does she think she is?”
“The wife of some General, I’m sure,” Neryn responded. “And you have to admit that we got quite a bit of work done with their help- hers included.”
“Well, that’s easy enough for you to say, she was polite enough to you.” Meo took another bite off her fork and chewed, looking pensive. “And so were those other two- they were pretty much spineless. One would think think it was you who came and conquered their country, not the other way around.”
“That’s true,” Neryn noted thoughtfully. It had been odd, to say the least- it made her think again back to how Shim had behaved during their meetings. He hadn’t once been anything but chivalrous, when he really ought to have been threatening her outright or at least holding his victory over her head.
“Have you considered that maybe Shim needs you for something?” Meo asked her seriously, putting her utensils down. Neryn gave her an unamused look.
“It’s crossed my mind.” Her friend rolled her eyes at Neryn’s dry tone.
“No, I mean have you considered that he might want you to be some kind of puppet Queen?” Silence. Neryn carefully sat her glass down, thinking it over.
“...That actually makes a lot of sense.”
“He did say to you that a Sang keeping the alliance between Vaugn and Suurya would make both our people happy, didn’t he?” Meo pointed out. “And it’s not like Duuryn would have done that.” Her nose wrinkled at the mention of the (deceased) crown prince. “Pig.”
“He’s dead now, you could at least pretend to be a little remorseful.” Neryn said without much concern.
“Oh please, like you’re remorseful. The man was a disgrace, and a drunken gambler too. He would have made an even worse ruler than your mother.”
“Lets maybe not say that at the funeral?” Neryn suggested lightly. Meo snorted and returned to her food.
“Well, back to the point- if that is what Shim has planned, it’s all the better for us.”
That was true. Neryn was apparently much less disposable than she had originally thought- besides, actual power and the illusion of power were nearly indistinguishable for someone who played their cards right. That much Neryn knew from many years of experience.
Chapter 5
Nobility had begun streaming into the palace gates. Between attending meetings and directing the beginnings of the funeral proceedings, Neryn and Meo sometimes watched the extravagant entourages and gleaming carriages march through the streets below. Her personal guard had been doubled, a mix of Eastern and Northern soldiers surrounding her silently everytime she stepped in the hall. Lieutenant Oame was never among them.
Neryn couldn’t help but note that none of the nobility seemed at all concerned with the clearly Northern guards and officials occupying the Suuryan capital. One day, headed back from her luncheon with one of her Generals, Neryn ran into a Southern Prince in one of the many columned hallways of the palace.
“Your Majesty!” He greeted, gesturing grandiosely for his two guards to stand aside. Neryn motioned for her own entourage to follow suit. The Prince dipped into a respectful bow. “So sorry to hear of your tragedy. And Prince Duuryn so young- We’re all very thankful Vaughn fought off the invaders before your life was lost as well.” He told her sincerely in a deeply accented voice. A little taken aback, Neryn smiled and thanked him before continuing on her way.
She thought about the incident later, as well as the carefree behavior she had observed in the nobility entering the palace. It seemed the number of people who knew what had really happened was limited- apparently Shim’s damage control was much more extensive than she had originally thought.
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“One more time,” Shim instructed. They were in the throne room this time, Shim pacing behind her as Neryn recited her speech again to the empty room. “Very good. Do you have any last minute corrections to make?”
“I am satisfied with it the way it is,” Neryn replied neutrally. He nodded once, a hand on his chin.
“Wonderful. Again, in the opening, remember to project your voice a little more.” Neryn nodded her agreement, forcing her irritation down.
“Is there anything else you would like, Your High-”
“Taesun.”
“Yes, is there anything else?” He smiled a little tightly at her.
“There is one more thing we must take care of. Your crown.” Neryn blinked a little, automatically bringing a hand up to adjust the gold and pearl tiara she had resting on her head.
“My...my tiara, Your Highness?”
“Queens wear crowns, I believe.” Shim said. One of the many armored guards lining the great room was standing with his back to a white column, holding a furnished wooden chest. Shim passed Neryn to approach this guard, carefully lifting the lid of the wooden chest and producing an elaborately decorated crown. Neryn’s heart stuttered in her chest. “I hope this will be sufficient?” Shim asked amicably, raising the crown for her inspection.
Clear, cleanly cut diamonds reflected light from where the sun poured into the high windows of the throne room. Golden lilies ringed the base of the crown, so intricately crafted that they looked more like living flowers that had been dipped in gold than they did crafted from metal. It was beautiful.
“When did you have this crafted?” Was what she asked out loud, her voice not coming out nearly as authorative as she would have preferred. Something like this must have been ordered months in advance, long before the Nabani even dreamed of invading the palace.
“Nevermind,” Shim said dismissively, waving off her inquiry. “You have need of one, and there is no time to adjust and repair your mother’s.” He stepped back up on the dais, and despite herself Neryn couldn’t tear her eyes from the sparkling crown in his hands. “Is this sufficient?” There was a note of pride in his voice, as if he heard her internal admiration for it.
“I suppose- but surely,” Neryn rushed to say. “-there has been no coronation, the High Priest isn’t-”
“Extenuating circumstances, and Suurya needs a ruler now.” Shim said, almost lightly despite the magnitude of what was happening. “Your tiara.” Neryn did as he requested, lifting her small tiara off and handing it to one of the guards flanking the throne behind her. Her throat tightened as Shim lifted the crown above her, forcing her to lower her head.
A heavy weight settled over her golden curls, and she straightened carefully while her heart pounded against her ribs. Shim stepped back to take in his work, and despite his satisfied countenance there was something else in his eyes that Neryn couldn’t quite place.
“There’s our Eastern Queen,” he said, smiling charmingly. “Now let’s run through that speech one more time, Queen Sang.”
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Neryn wasn’t a fool. Shim had made her a puppet queen, just like Meo predicted, and no more. Still, the rush of power she felt as Dukes and Princes flicked their eyes from her face to the crown on her head before bowing lowly to hide their surprise was gratifying. She was a Queen now, and as long as the knowledge of how much control Shim really had over her remained between them, she no longer had to bow to anyone. It was enthralling.
The implications had been entirely lost on Hoshea and Meo, who had squealed and fawned over the lovely design of the crown and the size and cut of the diamonds upon seeing her wear it for the first time.
“May I hold it? Please?” Hoshea had begged, the glittering gems reflected in his wide eyes.
Neryn would have cut off anyone else’s tongue for making such a request, but really. It was Hoshea. He deserved all the special privileges Neryn could give him.
“Of course,” she cooed instead, lifting it off her head and depositing it into his hands. “Be careful with that sweetie, it was rather expensive.” As Hoshea lifted it and turned it this way and that, admiring the craftsmanship, Neryn sat back in a chaise near the large window, taking the weight off her aching feet. Heels on marble floors all day long were no joke.
“That’s just lovely, Neryn. I’ve never seen diamonds that big, much less that clear,” Meo gasped, draping herself over her fiance’s back. Neryn couldn’t help but feel smug at her friend’s praise, circumstances regardless. “I suppose I should actually call you ‘Your Majesty’ now,” Meo added teasingly. Neryn rolled her eyes.
“Don’t be annoying.”
“You’ll be such a good queen, Neryn,” Hoshea told her sincerely, blue eyes wide. Neryn smiled as he returned the crown to her.
“Thank you Hoshea. Now, how are your older sisters? I heard Sheanna sent you something recently from the South.” At that, Hoshea chattered on about his family and the gifts his eldest sisters had sent him from their ventures abroad, with Meo occasionally butting in to comment.
Their little luncheon was interrupted when Meo suddenly looked over Neryn’s shoulder and scowled. At the same time, Neryn heard heavy footsteps and turned to see Lieutenant Oame approaching them, fully armored and with a broadsword belted to her side.
“Queen Sang, I’m here to escort you to your office. The Western nobles from the Ganji province have something to discuss with you,” the woman said blandly, interrupting Hoshea mid-sentence.
Neryn raised her eyebrows. Typically, now that she was being allowed from her personal chambers to oversee things, she was escorted by at least four soldiers.
“My fiance was talking.” Meo told Oame haughtily, resting her chin on Hoshea’s shoulder and winding her arms around her waist.
He blushed.
“I’m sorry, he’ll have to continue talking some other time.” The Lieutenant told Meo. Her voice remained perfectly monotone, but Neryn thought she caught a glimpse of disdain in the look she gave the couple. Meo evidently saw it too and puffed up immediately. Before she could retort, Neryn stood and brushed off her dress.
“Of course, lead the way.” They exited the room while Meo muttered a few very audible insults to Hoshea, giving the Lieutenant bitter looks before the doors closed.
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“I haven’t seen you around lately,” Neryn commented. She didn’t know how the woman in front of her was walking so briskly in all that heavy armor- her leather boots even had a slight heel to them. It was barely there, but still.
“No.” the woman answered shortly. Ahead of them, two personal attendants- likely of one of their noble guests- scrambled out of the Lieutenant's way. Her pace didn’t slow.
“Were you reassigned?” Neryn tried again, gathering her skirts to keep up.
“Yes.”
“I imagine things are chaotic with all the incoming guests.”
“No. The Lieutenant General is handling things perfectly fine in the absence of Commander Chey.”
“I see,” Neryn said, a little frustrated with the woman’s lack of contribution to the conversation. “That’s good news.” They continued in silence for a little longer. “Who is the Lieutenant General?”
“His name is Viran. He directs the Generals in the Commander's absence. Here we are,” the woman said abruptly, stopping in front of a well-guarded door. The knights stationed around parted and bowed for the two women, as the Lieutenant stopped to the side, surveying the guarded hall with narrowed eyes.
“You.” She said suddenly to the soldier nearest her. His eyes widened behind the visor, before he snapped to attention.
“Lieutenant?”
“Where is your Captain? That guard over there needs to be rotated out, and he should be patrolling by every fifteen minutes. I haven’t seen him in thirty.”
“He took his lunch, ma’am.” The Lieutenant frowned severely, with a muttered ‘did he.’
“Send him to report to me as soon as he returns. Captain Siyuk will be your commanding officer until I say otherwise.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Oame nodded once, dismissing him back to his position, before glancing with raised eyebrows. Neryn took the hint and entered her office.
The Lieutenant was certainly efficient, she would give her that much. For a few minutes there, she had actually rather reminded Neryn of Yiri- give or take a few feet of height and muscles. Neryn’s lips twitched briefly into a smile at the thought of her friend decked out in armor and struggling to carry a broadsword before she seated herself at her desk and returned her attention to the problem at hand.
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It was a little before the sun began setting that night as a large company of men marched through the palace gates, dark armor gleaming in the low light of the evening.
Taeson stood with his arms folded behind his back as the leader of the company-a tall, imposing figure wrapped in a heavy cloak despite the heat- dismounted and jogged up the steps to greet him, despite having just embarked on a several week long pursuit.
“Your majesty,” Commander Chey greeted, grinning widely. He bowed shortly before clapping Taesun on the shoulder.
“Lakora, wonderful to see you.” Taesun said warmly, returning the gesture. “I take it you were successful?” Lakora’s eyebrow rose fractionally.
“Of course. It was a route, we should have nothing to worry about from the Nabani.” His hand drifted automatically to the sword at his side as he spoke. “Still, I’ll have my Lieutenant General fill me in on the necessary precautions for the funeral.”
“Thank you.” Taesun told his friend sincerely, and then smiled and wrinkled his nose. “Now go wash up and get some rest, Kora. You stink.”
“You would too if you spent an entire week on horseback!” Lakota called cheerfully over his shoulder, as he went to dismiss his men to go rest after the long pursuit.
Chapter 6
Lakora had spent weeks on horseback, ruthlessly pursuing the invaders that had escaped the Suuryan palace on horseback. Him and his men had hardly slept in that time, often riding through the night only to pause briefly for what rest they could get come daytime, and even then sentinels had to be posted and scouts had to be sent to track their prey’s progress. It had been an exhausting two weeks, but it was nothing compared to the war that the chase had finished.
Lakora could almost miss it.
Now, after nearly years of organizing attacks and counterattacks, staying constantly on his guard, and travelling from front line to front line to lead his men, it was surreal waking up in a warm bed to the sun on his face and a silent, luxurious room all around him.
The Suuryan palace was almost the antithesis of Vaughn, he reflected as he finished pulling on his tunic and armor. Everything was golden and shining, large glass and crystal windows made to catch and reflect the sunlight pouring through. Arches and bridges led wanderers outside the palace as often as inside, showcasing the view of the beach and the surrounding cliffs, as well as the villages and markets that spiraled beneath. Lakora wandered for a while, content to enjoy the warm sun on his skin and the wind carrying the smell of saltwater to him. As the sun rose however, his heavy armor and clothing (made for the frigid temperatures and snow of the North) forced him to return to his own quarters. That lasted an entire ten minutes before he grew bored and decided to oversee the Captains running drills, already sick of his day off.
“Commander!” A Captain snapped to attention, his soldiers lowering their swords and following suit. Lakora dipped his head briefly.
“Don’t mind me, as you were. Captain, can you tell me where Lieutenant Oame is?”
“Overseeing patrol details, sir.” The Captain responded militantly. Lakora nodded and absently dismissed the Captain back to his men. Wonderful, that meant she could be literally anywhere in this palace.
The halls became more occupied as it drew nearer to lunchtime- the people here were so different too, Lakora couldn’t help but note. He saw Northern knights and guards marching or standing guard more often than he saw Suuryan ones, and the nobility here were hard not to look at. He had travelled more than his share in his time as the head of the Northern army, but it was still quite a sight to see a Duchess from the east marching by with an entourage of guards and handmaidens and an actual tiger. The copious Suuryan nobility and the few noblemen that had followed the army from the North were easy to pick out as well. A few Advisors or scribes he vaguely recognized caught his eye and bowed deeply, before quickly continuing on their way. Most were still clad in the heavy navys and darkly pigmented fabric from Vaughn, and a few foolhardy nobles had actually decided to wear their furs.
The Suuryans, in contrast, were all decked in breezy, sheer fabrics colored in bright shades of pink or yellow or lime green. The women wore almost less than the men, and Lakora had to keep himself from showing his shock at how daring some of the outfits were. They all seemed relaxed and happy, he couldn’t help but note, despite the rather obvious imbalance of power occurring inside their home.
Eventually, he found himself in a secluded courtyard, away from the loud chatter and gaudy riches being flaunted in the more populated areas of the palace. Finally content, he began running through a few drills of his own.
“Oh, good. You’re still alive.” A voice called from somewhere to his side, and Lakora smiled.
“Lieutenant!” It was his friend, fully armored and wearing a displeased scowl. Behind her were two noblemen, both red in the face and clearly upset. “What’s going on here?” Chusa opened her mouth to answer, only to snap her mouth shut and glower angrily as one of the men answered for her.
“There has been a fight in the east wing of the palace and security is doing nothing.” One of the men said. His voice was high-pitched and grating. The other, the one with watery eyes and a truly obscene amount of jewelry glared at his companion.
“His idiot page is the cause of this- one of my daughter’s handmaidens was disrespected! I demand to see him thrown in jail, or else executed.”
“Maybe if you reminded your daughter to tell her servants to bathe where it’s appropriate then we wouldn’t have this issue!” He retorted. “My page did nothing wrong but walk by, it’s your servants who attacked him, they ought to be thrown in jail! And I expect reparations for my servant’s injur-”
“That’s enough.” Chusa responded finally, silencing the two with a sharp glare. “For the last time, this isn’t my problem and it certainly isn’t the damn Commander’s-” The two paled dramatically at this, to Lakora’s amusement. “-sort this out yourselves or I’ll have you both put in stocks for wasting my time.” The two fled quickly enough after that with their tails between their legs.
“So, you’ve been taking to the court life well.” Lakora commented lightly. Chusa punched his shoulder plate with enough force for her gauntlet to loudly clang against the metal.
“I was looking for you, those two morons tailed me for whatever reason.”
“I would’ve just had them jailed.”
“Yes, but everything’s tense right now with the funeral coming up, and Taesun is trying to keep her royal highness happy. Which means I have to not kill annoying people.” Lakora nodded sympathetically.
“That bad?” She just groaned in response.
“Yes, gods, I miss the North.”
“I have noticed that our people seem to have the greater survival instinct.” Lakora commented, and Chusa snorted.
“True, that. Anyways, you need to know about the guard in the palace, right?”
“Please. Taesun gave me a day off, but there is nothing to do here.”
“Right. Your Lieutenant General took command while you were gone, of course, should I send for him to give you a report?”
“Do that. Let Taesun know that I’ll be borrowing his cabinet a few times after the funeral, as well…” He trailed off here, making sure there was no one else around. “I get the feeling he’s been a little distracted lately. Whether he likes it or not, Vaughn just conquered the South- there’s much to be taken care of that he is neglecting.” Chusa nodded her agreement, something in her eyes sharpening.
“Agreed. I’ve been worried about how flippantly he’s been treating this…” She trailed off for a moment, before grinning and clapping his shoulder. “It’s good to have you back, Kora.”
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Neryn rested her chin on her hand. It wasn’t a struggle to keep her face disinterested as another Lord of some insignificant province knelt and babbled about his sorrow for her loss, about how him and his province would forever honor her mother’s memory, how pleased all the people were that she had assumed the throne, etc, etc.
It was maybe the twentieth of the exact same interaction she had already had today.
Shim, who was looming behind the throne like a shadow, let out a very audible noise of impatience, and the man paled and finished his rambling.
“Yes, well. You may leave your gift with the doorman down the hall, and they will show you your quarters.” Shim intoned, not bothering to put any emotion into his voice whatsoever. The guards that had escorted the man in, both Northern, marched him back down the long hall leading up to the throne and out the ornate entrance.
Neryn sighed and crossed her ankles, lounging back in her throne as the doorman read the next guest’s name and title from a card. A nervous looking young man with large eyes and a weak chin swept in and knelt, eyes darting furtively from Shim to Neryn. Eventually, he settled them at the base of the stairs leading up to the throne as he launched into his own speech. Neryn shifted uncomfortably- the throne was well cushioned, but she had been sitting here for the better part of three hours. Shim was back at the very edge of her vision, partially behind the throne again.
The boy eventually stopped speaking, and Neryn turned her attention back to him.
“Wonderful, thank you for coming. Please direct your funeral gifts to the doormen down the hall.” The boy nodded furiously, very clearly eager to leave. “His first summons,” Neryn observed under her breath as the knights showed the boy down the hall. Shim signed from behind her.
“You would think his parents would have taught him better, my first court event abroad wasn’t nearly so stilted.” he said, voice exasperated.
“His parents are the lords of some small province of farmers, he’s practically a commoner. You can’t expect much.” Neryn pointed out, and Shim hummed noncommittally from behind her. The large double doors opened again, and the doorman announced one ‘Sir Lauden Hyone’. Neryn stiffened a little in her seat before relaxing herself- she knew this one, he had been an acquaintance of her mother’s.
“Lord Sovereign... Princess Sang.” The man greeted, addressing Shim first and then her after a slight pause.
“Queen Sang.” Neryn interrupted, narrowing her eyes at the older man. He smiled genially, looking far too comfortable.
“Quite sorry, I hadn’t heard of a coronation following Her Majesty’s death.”
“In light of the recent tragedy and the lack of time, it was decided best to forego the coronation.” Shim spoke up firmly. He had moved back from behind the throne to stand by her side, and the kneeling man dropped his eyes respectfully.
“My apologies, Sovereign.” He said more respectfully- still not addressing Neryn. She clenched her jaw. She’d have to keep an eye on him.
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Neryn ate her dinner in the Dining Hall, relaxing in the presence of Meo and Hoshea after the tedious affair of welcoming all the nobles who had travelled to attend the funeral.
Before bed, she declined Meo’s invitation to visit her quarters in favor of allowing Psinn and Tupha to get her ready for an early bed. She relaxed by the fire in a silk sleep robe as one of the attendants rubbed rose-scented lotion into her aching feet, the other drying off her hair carefully from her bath.
Greeting her guests had taken up the largest part of her day, and many of them had seemed unsure whether or not they were actually greeting her or Shim. Still, his compliance had definitely made the ordeal run smoother.
The fire crackled softly and Neryn closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth on her skin in the candlelit room
Tomorrow was the funeral… Best to rest while she could.