Mishal heard nothing but whispers of an unfamiliar language. His curiosity was unbearable. He didn’t give in. Instead, he lead the Princess onward through the palace, but never once stopped wondering what the pair were discussing.
Eventually, the two stopped walking, focusing instead on their discussion.
"I do hope nothing is wrong." Amira said, her brows drawing together in concern. The warm brown of her eyes, so different from Zarya's ocean blue, showcased her worry even more. "It's so odd. Commander Nazari isn't very fond of Zarya."
“Is that so?” Mishal responded. By now, his curiosity was treating to become it’s own sentient force. How he wished to hear their discussion. Zarya would likely tell Amira, but Amira seemed like the kind of person that would keep a tight lip with her friends secrets. What a shame. But one could hope… “Tell me about the Commander, if you please, Princess.”
"Oh, he is a great man, really." Amira said, pursing her lips for a moment. "If a bit…traditional. Incredible on the battlefield, Zarya says. Like he was born with a sword in hand. But, as I said, he is traditional. And Zarya most definitely is the complete opposite, from her background, to her mode of Magic, to the rules she lives by. And he absolutely cannot stand that." She huffed a soft laugh, shaking her head. "He has served my father since he was old enough to walk."
“I see,” Mishal nodded. “So they do not often get along. Then I do wonder: whatever could they be discussing?” A small voice in his head warned Mishal against such prompting, but he did not give it the satisfaction of being heard.
Amira, lucky for Mishal, was fairly loose-lipped in casual conversation. And since she had no clue what the other two were talking about, nothing she said would cause much issue. Well, hopefully. "The most likely option would be the Commander complaining about something Zarya did, likely to do with how she greeted you and your family."
“Ah, that seems like a likely enough explanation.” Mishal finally decided to let it go, but only on the account that he doubted he would get any real answers, just speculations. “Shall we continue, Princess, or do wish to wait for her?”
"We should probably continue on." Amira said, casting a glance back at the Commander and the Sorceress. "Zarya will catch up when they are done, I'm guessing. I would love to see more of your home, if you don't mind showing me around a bit."
“Of course. Right this way.” He guided her as the walked onward, away from Zarya and the Commander. “Is there anywhere you want to see?”
"More specifically than all of it?" She asked, a small and almost playful smile on her face. "What are the best places to hide out from overbearing Advisers?"
“Alas, there is virtually no place that is not accessible to those pesky advisers; however, the library is likely the quietest room.” Mishal suggested.
"Oh, perfect." Amira nodded, tendrils of brown hair brushing her cheeks, prompting her to tilt her head somewhat to put them out of the way. "I have a few books I've been meaning to look for, on suggestion, so that…how do you say that, kills two birds with a single stone? Though, I'm not too happy about the killing of birds in any sense."
Mishal chuckled, “I would imagine. Luckily, it is only an expression.” He turned and began guiding Amira to the Library.
"It would really be horrible if your people actually killed two birds with one stone." Amira said, letting out a small laugh at the, at least in her opinion, absurdity of the phrase, as she followed him.
“I agree. Birds are important to the balance of the ecosystem. It would be a shame if the country went to ruins before I had a chance to govern it, would it not?” Mishal commented. Even if ruling wasn’t what he truly wanted, he was already resigned to it. He’d come this far in preparation. It was simply the promise of the future, his destiny as one might say.
"Indeed. You would have so much more to fix and change. And while change is a very good thing, it would not be in that circumstance." Amira said, shaking her head. Despite her usually fairly shy demeanor, she was actually…looking forward to ruling. She had so many things she wanted to fix and change and make better, not to mention, the step up in terms of freedom when it came to travel. When she was younger, she hadn't been as eager, but Zarya had somehow managed to convince her that it wasn't an opportunity to be wasted.
Mishal nodded. He turned the corner, causing Amria’s company to be completely out of sight. “The library is very close. We are nearly there. That door.” He pointed to an ornate door, black with gold. It might seem silly to say, but that was his favorite door.
"Oh, good." Amira said, her smile brightening at the sight of the library door. She loved libraries. Loved the peace and quiet, and the air of knowledge and the smell of old books. A happy place for her. "How much time do you spend in there?"
“Whenever I have the time.” Mishal replied. The door opened as they approached. It was opened from the inside by the two library attendants. Yes, there only job was to maintain the library and fetch requested books.
Amira nodded gratefully to the attendants as she followed Mishal into the library, hands clasped neatly in front of her as she gazed around the room, eyes lighting up. Her love of libraries was obvious, written plainly on her face and in the eagerness of her stance.
Mishal smiled, “You seem excited.” He leaned in, whispering to only her, “For the record, you can drop the proper postures and delicate words around me. We’re just people here.”
"Oh, alright then." Amira nodded, letting her shoulders drop from the perfect posture she'd had them in, allowing a full smile to reach her lips. "I am excited. So many books, and I'm guessing your library has plenty of books that my own doesn't."
“There’s only one way to find out.” He gestured out to the great expanse of the library, inviting her to explore the shelves. He stepped forwards to encourage her.
She clapped her hands together with a bright smile, wasting no time in hurrying forward towards the nearest shelf. "And here I am, already finding books I've never even heard of.
((Do we want to skip, or continue here?))
(I figured Zarya would bust in all dramatic and then Mishal would be suspicious and that would be the launching point for the central conflict, and then we’d time skip after that. But we could also just skip now, I’m flexible.)