Will raises his eyebrows as he takes a seat towards the end of the table next to Kazimir. An empty plate sits in front of him and a vast buffet awaits. He takes a small spoonful of what looks like eggs (fluffier than he could ever imagine) and a large piece of well-buttered toast. It crunches softly as he bites into it, eyes already searching for a lavender tea.
Kaz watched Will for a moment, then turned his attention to his food with a soft hum. He was quiet as he ate, eyes flickering around the room just a little bit as the two ate together in a relatively peaceful silence. They sat like that for a little while, soft and quiet, until the door opened and a woman walked in. Marie. Kaz's wife. Her gaze found Will very quickly, and her lips pulled tight, but she didn't say anything as she sat down and began to eat.
For a moment, Will's mind buffers as he racks his brain for any memory on the woman. Marie! His mind eventually supplies when the scowl returns to her face. He tucks his lips betweem his teeth and nods an awkward sort of half smile. Will's attention then returns to Kazimir, an urge in his stomach to start a conversation. As he opens his mouth, he decides better of it and closes his teeth with a click.
Marie's gaze found Will again when he clicked his teeth, and she scowled, but didn't say anything to him. Her eyes moved to Kaz, still scowling as she did so. She was not at all happy with Will's presence at the table, and she did not make a secret about that as she continued to eat.
Will's eyes unintentionally find Marie's, just for Will to quickly avert them. He stares at Kaz. Then he stares at a teapot. Lavender be damned, Will needs something to do with his mind than bare the silence. Carefully, he pours himself a cup, unsure of what the blend is. With a hesitant sniff, Will looks over to Kaz. "What tea is this?"
Kaz blinked, a touch startled by Will breaking the silence, and looked down at the cup. "Oh. It's…" he trailed off, taking a sniff of it. Then he took a tiny sip, and shook his head quickly. "Not tea that you can have." he said, setting it to the side where Will wouldn't be able to reach anymore.
Will nods and reaches for another teapot slightly across the table. The handle is warm. This one smells of lavender. He steals Kaz's unused teacup and repours himself a cup of his favorite, non-lethal blend. "Thank you," He mumbles as he takes a sip of the lavender tea. His eyes briefly look over to Marie, unsure of what to think of the Fae queen.
Kaz nodded slightly. "You're welcome." he replied, gaze eventually moving to Marie for a moment. He didn't say anything, though, just went back to eating his food. Marie still seemed quite displeased by all of this, her gaze moving from the confiscated teacup to Will, then to Kaz.
Will taps his fingers on the teacup and takes another sip. He can feel the queen's eyes on him, but pointedly refuses to meet them. Below the table, Will lightly kicks Kazimir's calf and subtly tilts his head towards Maire. She's staring at him and Will does. Not. Like. It. Plus the silence is heavy and Will's dying to break it.
Kaz blinked at the kick, glancing at Will and then Marie. He sighed faintly, clearing his throat. "Marie, I introduced you to Will already, yes?" he said.
Marie turned her glare to Kaz, arching an eyebrow at him. "Yes. You introduced me to your concubine already." she said, voice frosty and furious.
Will nods and takes another long sip of his tea. "Fantastic to meet you again," he offers noting that at least her biting words are better than the silence. He looks between the two monarchs as he tries to figure some of his next words. "How long… have you two… been together?" He drawls on his vowels as he treads carefully into this… complicated territory.
Kaz thought for a moment. "Forty two years?" he said. "Approximately, I believe." he glanced at Marie to get confirmation of that timing, and she nodded slightly, though she still seemed furious at all of this.
She scoffed faintly. "Yes. Forty two years." her gaze moved back to WIll, still cold and angry.
"Forty-two," Will nods at the number. Hell, his mother had been born forty-two years prior. "And how did you meet?" At this point, he doesn't even care about the answers. Without a book or garden to entertain, Will needs at least some sort of background noise. Or at least something to try and break the tension. He looks over to the queen again as he sips from his stolen teacup.
"I married her to secure an alliance with her family." Kaz answered. A beat later, Marie answered as well.
"Political alliance of convenience." she cast Kaz a look, eyes narrowed and clearly not liking something about what he had said.
All Will can do is nod at the new information. "So there are multiple Fae kingdoms?" He inquires, his interest genuinely piqued. The diplomatic marriages all make sense, Will's seen them before in his storybooks and overheard the brief gossip of nobles.
Marie rolled her eyes, shaking her head faintly at Will's idiocy. Or, at least, what she interpreted as such.
"Yes." Kaz replied. "Ours is the largest now." the smile that pulled at his mouth was sharp and not all too pleasant, his red eyes glittering faintly as he thought about everything that had led to his empire becoming what it was.
"Congratulations?" Will raises an eyebrow, unsure of really how to tackle Kaz's near devilish joy towards his kingdom. "If you don't mind me, I'm going to the restroom. I'll be back." As he speaks, Will rises from the table and exits the room. He ducks into the first room he sees–which happens to be a broom closet–and shuts the door behind him.
Kaz blinked. "Alright." he replied, watching Will go and then looking over at Marie. "You have been well, I trust?"
"Fine." she snapped, voice still full of barely contained fury. "And this new concubine of yours?"
He took a bite of food. "Will. He will be joining us at mealtimes from now on." he said calmly, taking a sip of his drink as if this news wouldn't piss Marie off even further.
As soon as he locks himself in the closet, Will screams. It's been a while since he last allowed himself to be loud. Maybe it could help alleviate tension. Maybe he'll just look like a fool all over again. Excusing himself from the closet, Will pops his head into the dining room. "I'm going to be in the library," he informs. No way in hell is he going to sit in the quiet room longer.
Kaz stood quickly when he heard the scream, then realized it didn't mean anything. It wasn't indicative of an attack. Just of frustration. When Will came back, he cleared his throat. "I…alright. I'll come find you later." he said, unaware of the daggers Marie was glaring at him now.
Now Will really doesn't want to hold anything against Marie. She seems like a nice enough woman who obviously had Kaz before him in this life. It's not the first time the Snake has been married before his arrival. It's also not the first time Will's felt guilty for seizing another person's love. (The whole reincarnation fate thing usually trumps the established relationship, but Will's point still stands.) Will pauses at an intersection in the halls, looking to his right, left and then straight in front. Where is the library- "Excuse me-" He quickly halts a passing servant. "Which way to the library?"
The servant squinted at him for a moment, clearly questioning the presence of a human in the palace, then shrugged. "Down that hall, then to the right." they replied, then started walking away again.
Marie turned ot Kaz with a venomous look in her eyes. "Why are you so attached to this one?" she demanded. "Not with any of the others you've had?"
Kaz blinked at her, brows twitching as he considered the question. "He's…pretty." he replied, knowing he couldn't explain the whole reincarnation thing. It would be too much for Marie, and could cause too many problems.
Will enters the library like it's a breath of fresh air. (It smells of old paper, which is practically oxygen to Will.) He passes a young woman in a soft blue tea dress who looks fairly surprised at his sudden entrance. He feels jittery, in need of rapid unwinding before he snaps like a rubber band. He scales the spiral staircase up to the horticulture and biology section, leaning against the back railing to take in the titles once again.
(wait do you want me to be the young woman?)
Marie scoffed. "Pretty? Kazimir, he is the ugliest concubine you have ever had." she retorted. "He's just some human you dragged in from gods know where. Your last concubine was stunning. This one?" she shook her head, leaning forward to stare directly at Kaz. "Why do you like him so much?"
He cleared his throat, shaking his head. "He's not ugly." he replied.