Her Royal Majesty, 51st Viridescent Monarch Julianna Drusilla Rylan Maxillion of House Darkwillow, Queen of Veridian, woke before the sun. As she always did.
There was some small part of her that wanted to burrow beneath the blankets, fall back asleep and ignore the day, but there was a larger part forcing her awake and reminding her that she had things to do. As if to compromise these conflicting feelings, she rolled over and stared up at apex of the canopy that cascaded heavy drapes around her large bed. Eyes the felt heavy with the remaining vestiges of sleep easily adjusted to the darkness, her sight sharpened until she could almost make out the patterned filigree of the fabric. A high-pitched noise sounded in her throat as she complained to no one. Crickets and night birds still sang a chorus outside the open doors of her balcony, she knew the sounds would fade with the oncoming dawn.
Julianna sighed, limbs shifted across cool silken sheets as she lengthened her body in a stretch. Hands pushed above her head, pressing against the ornately carved wood of the headboard. Her feet encountered a large, warm lump at the foot of her bed that rolled over onto her toes. A protest from her dog, Starling, who seemed no more eager to wake than she.
Another sigh as she pulled her arms and legs back to her body. Starling wiggled closer, snuggling against her side for attention. She laughed lightly, drawing fingers lazily over his head. Not long after, silver furred feline ears twitched atop her head to the sound of heavy chamber doors being pushed open and gently closed again. Muted footsteps drew closer to the side of the bed, stopping just outside of the barrier of drapes. Julianna’s eyes rolled to the side just in time to see a pale hand peek through the part in the curtains. Slender fingers curled around the forest green linen and they pushed to the side and the face of her handmaiden, Maeve, was revealed. Strong and lovely Eskran features were illuminated by the candle she held with the opposite hand.
“Good morning, your majesty,” she said, pleasantly, not bothering to check if her charge was actually awake. Julianna pushed herself up on her elbows, and watched as the other woman moved around the bed, and opened the rest of the curtains. Starling rolled back over and lifted his head as well, observing in much the same manner.
“Good morning, Maeve,” she mumbled, eyes still tracking the blonde curls that fell down Maeve’s back as she attended to the rest of her morning ritual. Lanterns were lit, lighting the rest of the room with a yellow glow.
Maeve had been attending to Julianna for years now, and admittedly she did not know much about her. Liberated from the slave trade, and voluntary placed into Julianna’s service, the queen didn’t even know if she had a last name. In the lantern light, Julianna could see the slave brands on Maeve’s left arm, revealed by the short sleeves of her gauzy green gown. Different symbols to indicate different details that might interest a slave trader.
“Breakfast, your majesty?”
Maeve’s words drew green eyes back to her face, and Julianna hummed as if she had not heard her. “Not today, thank you.” She threw back the covers and let her legs hang over the edge of the bed. She stood, another whining complaint as her feet met cold marble. Maeve moved in front of her, kneeling to gather the fabric of the nightgown that fell to her feet. In a swift movement, it was lifted above her head revealing caramel skin and darker spots, reminiscent of a jaguar or some large jungle cat, the color coffee that trailed down her left side. The dress was deposited on the bed.
“How do you feel about the green Sorenson gown, your grace?”
“I would prefer my leathers please. I will be leaving the estate today.”
Maeve frowned, but moved across the room to fulfill the quest nonetheless. “Are you sure that’s wise? You’re expecting visitors.”
“The staff is prepared for them.”
“Yes, but imagine how it will look if you are not here to greet them personally.” Maeve returned with beige breeches and a white blouse. She dropped the shirt over Julianna’s head without much ceremony, leaving her to adjust it for herself. She handed off the breeches.
“Imagine how it will look if I appear to be waiting eagerly at the gates for a man who intends to be my suitor.” Her voice wavered as she danced and wiggled into the tight pants until they settled on her hips. Her tail twitched in a frenzy behind her knees. Tossing black waves over her shoulder, Julianna tugged and tightened the leather cords. As soon as she finished, Maeve was wrapping a cincher around her waist, forcing Julianna to lift her arms and wait as she was imprisoned within the tight corset.
“Are we in a hurry?” Jules mused, wincing as Maeve pulled at the laces. She laughed, and Maeve tugged again to silence her. “Seriously, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” A tight-lipped reply at her back.
Julianna didn’t pry, she allowed the silence that fell between them as Maeve continued to help her dress in heavy wool socks that would protect her feet from the leather boots that climbed upward towards her knees.
She sat at the vanity, watching as Maeve brushed her hair. They were opposites in the mirror. Maeve was very Eskran, tall and pale with a build that conveyed her strength. Julianna, herself, was the picture of a Veridian woman. Cat-like features aside, she was darker in skin and hair. Noticeably shorter, curved and somehow softer looking than her companion. Maeve tied her hair into a complicated looking braid, that she wrapped into an even more complicated looking bun at the base of her neck, that she secured with an ungodly amount of pins.
“I will have Sairus and Coltrane prepare for your leave, and I must implore that you have some breakfast before your ride.”
“Thank you, Maeve.”
When Julianna reached the stables the sun was just beginning to peak. The sky was cast in reds and oranges and dotted with heavy pink cloud. With Starling obediently at her heels, she was begrudgingly nibbling at half of a mango, when She found her guard captain, Sairus, and his lieutenant, Col, waiting for her. They’d prepared their horses as well as her own. Julianna tossed the remains of the fruit and shook the juice off of her hand before moving to pet the sturdy stallion. All black from mane to tail and appropriately name Onyx.
“Good morning, gentleman,” she cooed, as if she were talking to the stallion and not the two guards standing nearby. They bowed and voiced their own pleasantries, simultaneously. Her hand moved along the horse and she came to its side. Lifting a foot she hooked it into a stirrup and easily lifted herself up and onto the horse.
“Are you sure you want to ride, your majesty? Your guests-”
“I see you’ve already spoken to Maeve,” she interrupted Sairus with a sharp retort. Her green eyes narrowed as they dropped to look at him where he still stood next to Col.
The guards exchanged guilty glances, armor pieces scraping as they shifted uncomfortably. Julianna pulled the reins, leading Onyx in a tight half circle and directing him towards the stable exit. Clearly, she was not interested in further discussion on whether she should or should not leave the estate. The guards were forced to quickly mount and follow after her, under the threat of being left behind.
Julianna was not usually so impatient. Her heels dug into Onyx’s side as she urged him into a gallop. She could just barely make out the sound of hoof beats and Starling excited barking behind her with the wind rushing past her ears. Her rides were usually more casual, controlled, but today she felt an inexplicable urgency. A need to escape. She wanted to get away from the estate, and she vaguely felt like she was running from something.
And she was. Fleeing from the pressure that came with the arrival of her visitor. A prince from Delanveaux, a small nation to the west. A potential suitor. There were expectations that she would have to navigate in the coming weeks that set her pulse to racing and turned her blood to ice in her veins. For now, she just wanted to be able to breathe. While she had the chance.
There was some small part of her that wanted to burrow beneath the blankets, fall back asleep and ignore the day, but there was a larger part forcing her awake and reminding her that she had things to do. As if to compromise these conflicting feelings, she rolled over and stared up at apex of the canopy that cascaded heavy drapes around her large bed. Eyes the felt heavy with the remaining vestiges of sleep easily adjusted to the darkness, her sight sharpened until she could almost make out the patterned filigree of the fabric. A high-pitched noise sounded in her throat as she complained to no one. Crickets and night birds still sang a chorus outside the open doors of her balcony, she knew the sounds would fade with the oncoming dawn.
Julianna sighed, limbs shifted across cool silken sheets as she lengthened her body in a stretch. Hands pushed above her head, pressing against the ornately carved wood of the headboard. Her feet encountered a large, warm lump at the foot of her bed that rolled over onto her toes. A protest from her dog, Starling, who seemed no more eager to wake than she.
Another sigh as she pulled her arms and legs back to her body. Starling wiggled closer, snuggling against her side for attention. She laughed lightly, drawing fingers lazily over his head. Not long after, silver furred feline ears twitched atop her head to the sound of heavy chamber doors being pushed open and gently closed again. Muted footsteps drew closer to the side of the bed, stopping just outside of the barrier of drapes. Julianna’s eyes rolled to the side just in time to see a pale hand peek through the part in the curtains. Slender fingers curled around the forest green linen and they pushed to the side and the face of her handmaiden, Maeve, was revealed. Strong and lovely Eskran features were illuminated by the candle she held with the opposite hand.
“Good morning, your majesty,” she said, pleasantly, not bothering to check if her charge was actually awake. Julianna pushed herself up on her elbows, and watched as the other woman moved around the bed, and opened the rest of the curtains. Starling rolled back over and lifted his head as well, observing in much the same manner.
“Good morning, Maeve,” she mumbled, eyes still tracking the blonde curls that fell down Maeve’s back as she attended to the rest of her morning ritual. Lanterns were lit, lighting the rest of the room with a yellow glow.
Maeve had been attending to Julianna for years now, and admittedly she did not know much about her. Liberated from the slave trade, and voluntary placed into Julianna’s service, the queen didn’t even know if she had a last name. In the lantern light, Julianna could see the slave brands on Maeve’s left arm, revealed by the short sleeves of her gauzy green gown. Different symbols to indicate different details that might interest a slave trader.
“Breakfast, your majesty?”
Maeve’s words drew green eyes back to her face, and Julianna hummed as if she had not heard her. “Not today, thank you.” She threw back the covers and let her legs hang over the edge of the bed. She stood, another whining complaint as her feet met cold marble. Maeve moved in front of her, kneeling to gather the fabric of the nightgown that fell to her feet. In a swift movement, it was lifted above her head revealing caramel skin and darker spots, reminiscent of a jaguar or some large jungle cat, the color coffee that trailed down her left side. The dress was deposited on the bed.
“How do you feel about the green Sorenson gown, your grace?”
“I would prefer my leathers please. I will be leaving the estate today.”
Maeve frowned, but moved across the room to fulfill the quest nonetheless. “Are you sure that’s wise? You’re expecting visitors.”
“The staff is prepared for them.”
“Yes, but imagine how it will look if you are not here to greet them personally.” Maeve returned with beige breeches and a white blouse. She dropped the shirt over Julianna’s head without much ceremony, leaving her to adjust it for herself. She handed off the breeches.
“Imagine how it will look if I appear to be waiting eagerly at the gates for a man who intends to be my suitor.” Her voice wavered as she danced and wiggled into the tight pants until they settled on her hips. Her tail twitched in a frenzy behind her knees. Tossing black waves over her shoulder, Julianna tugged and tightened the leather cords. As soon as she finished, Maeve was wrapping a cincher around her waist, forcing Julianna to lift her arms and wait as she was imprisoned within the tight corset.
“Are we in a hurry?” Jules mused, wincing as Maeve pulled at the laces. She laughed, and Maeve tugged again to silence her. “Seriously, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” A tight-lipped reply at her back.
Julianna didn’t pry, she allowed the silence that fell between them as Maeve continued to help her dress in heavy wool socks that would protect her feet from the leather boots that climbed upward towards her knees.
She sat at the vanity, watching as Maeve brushed her hair. They were opposites in the mirror. Maeve was very Eskran, tall and pale with a build that conveyed her strength. Julianna, herself, was the picture of a Veridian woman. Cat-like features aside, she was darker in skin and hair. Noticeably shorter, curved and somehow softer looking than her companion. Maeve tied her hair into a complicated looking braid, that she wrapped into an even more complicated looking bun at the base of her neck, that she secured with an ungodly amount of pins.
“I will have Sairus and Coltrane prepare for your leave, and I must implore that you have some breakfast before your ride.”
“Thank you, Maeve.”
✥
When Julianna reached the stables the sun was just beginning to peak. The sky was cast in reds and oranges and dotted with heavy pink cloud. With Starling obediently at her heels, she was begrudgingly nibbling at half of a mango, when She found her guard captain, Sairus, and his lieutenant, Col, waiting for her. They’d prepared their horses as well as her own. Julianna tossed the remains of the fruit and shook the juice off of her hand before moving to pet the sturdy stallion. All black from mane to tail and appropriately name Onyx.
“Good morning, gentleman,” she cooed, as if she were talking to the stallion and not the two guards standing nearby. They bowed and voiced their own pleasantries, simultaneously. Her hand moved along the horse and she came to its side. Lifting a foot she hooked it into a stirrup and easily lifted herself up and onto the horse.
“Are you sure you want to ride, your majesty? Your guests-”
“I see you’ve already spoken to Maeve,” she interrupted Sairus with a sharp retort. Her green eyes narrowed as they dropped to look at him where he still stood next to Col.
The guards exchanged guilty glances, armor pieces scraping as they shifted uncomfortably. Julianna pulled the reins, leading Onyx in a tight half circle and directing him towards the stable exit. Clearly, she was not interested in further discussion on whether she should or should not leave the estate. The guards were forced to quickly mount and follow after her, under the threat of being left behind.
Julianna was not usually so impatient. Her heels dug into Onyx’s side as she urged him into a gallop. She could just barely make out the sound of hoof beats and Starling excited barking behind her with the wind rushing past her ears. Her rides were usually more casual, controlled, but today she felt an inexplicable urgency. A need to escape. She wanted to get away from the estate, and she vaguely felt like she was running from something.
And she was. Fleeing from the pressure that came with the arrival of her visitor. A prince from Delanveaux, a small nation to the west. A potential suitor. There were expectations that she would have to navigate in the coming weeks that set her pulse to racing and turned her blood to ice in her veins. For now, she just wanted to be able to breathe. While she had the chance.
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