CHAPTER II #2
We’ll have to find somewhere new for you to perch, Storm, I think to him almost sadly, not knowing if he’ll be able to fit on my shoulder much longer.
The Bird of Ash caws in his half sleep, then moves his feet down my shoulder until he stands at the very edge, almost as if he’s trying to prove that he has ample enough room.
We’ll see, I chuckle. Remember when you fit in the palms of my hands?
Storm’s full body begins to purr, his talons gripping my shoulder as I lift a finger up to his sleeping chest. Alanna takes a small step away from us both, the move so casual that I would have missed it if not for the Bird of Ash extending his wing out softly to brush her.
“Princess Clair,” I wave my hand to the familiar maroon and black ensemble now walking towards us.
Clair smiles at our group with Alba bounding at her side.
She’s wearing a deep burgundy satin shirt without sleeves, allowing for the flames of summoning to be seen beautifully under her arms. The shirt is tucked into a nice pair of black riding pants with etchings of tarragon wings flowing down the sides.
She’s glowing, her pale skin shining with the morning sky that dips from the open vaulted ceilings above the Great Oak.
Her hair is twisted in the front before it pins to the back, the rest of the red length flowing in waves behind her.
“I trust you remember everyone,” I smile, noticing that she has two Pyrenese soldiers following behind her.
Clair beams at our small group and greets the Discerni twins first.
“Holis and Mana,” she nods at the men.
Holis bows his head. “Congratulations on the expected young one, Your Highness.”
“Thank you,” she beams, eyes sparkling as she turns to Cal. “And Cal, who I still suspect has some Pyrenese blood hiding somewhere in the family tree.”
Cal chuckles and takes her hand in greeting.
“And Alanna,” she smiles at the short Discerni woman next to me, the two of them near the same height but standing tall and proud in front of the other. “I’m glad to see all of your familiar faces.”
“Your Highness,” Alanna dips her head, eyeing Alba carefully at her side.
“So how do we do this?” Clair laughs joyfully, turning her gaze to the back of the castle. “We have to move up the mountain, yes? I’m curious to see what you all have come up with and if it matches our own cities in Pyre.”
“You’ll see,” I smile and take her arm in mine. “Though Holis, Mana and Alanna have their own method of traveling. I won’t recommend it for us.”
The three Discerni grin as we walk past the busy Grand Receiving Room.
We move deeper into the castle, into the small cave at the back that leads us to the bottom of the Southern Staircase.
It gets a bit dark for a moment, but eventually we spot the bottled moonslight in the dim of the mountain, the lights making their way up and up across the vast black before fading out of view.
“Once we settle on this stone stair,” I point to the mountain wall and the slab of greenstone that protrudes out of it, “it will move diagonal and up the mountain…”
I point higher to my right and show Clair the second stone slab a ways up. “We’ll hop off the first and onto the next, and so forth and so forth all the way up the mountain.”
Clair’s full gaze is tilted to the massive cave in front of us, her eyes widening as she shakes her head with a smile.
“Brilliant.”
“Yes,” I chuckle, releasing my arm from hers. “Are you ready?”
The Princess looks down to Alba at her side with a steady grin. “We’re ready.”
I lead the group onto the first step and watch as everyone situates themselves in a tight fashion.
It’s a large group, one that uses the full slab due to the added tiger and two Pyrenese soldiers, but we all find room before the stair begins to rumble and move slowly up the mountain.
Holis, Mana and Alanna already start to situate themselves on the edge, the three of them grinning before they leap onto the next step, their bodies flying over the open air.
“And that is their preferred method of traveling,” I grin, watching as Clair’s eyes widen once again.
“They’ll move quicker,” I smile, “and it’ll allow the rest of us some more space.”
“And our step just waits until the stone comes back down without them?” Clair turns to me in awe, watching as the three Discerni take a few steps back to get a running jump to the next stone.
“Exactly.”
Both of our eyes follow the three as their bodies fly through the air once again.
“I’ll need to find the creator of this magic,” Clair shakes her head in pure wonder. “Or at least his writings on the summoning. We could use this in Pyre.”
The soldiers behind the Princess openly nod their heads in agreement.
“I don’t know if the Discerni is still alive or how long these steps have been here,” I turn to Cal in question and watch him shrug in answer, “but I can certainly inquire. There’s a section in our library here that’s dedicated purely to information on the capitol.”
“If you can inquire, please do,” Clair nods in pure delight.
“Absolutely,” I smile.
The five of us continue our travel up the mountain, with Clair filling me in on her pregnancy and how she finally told the rest of her court.
As she suspected, the round of her belly started showing not long after we left Red Falls, so her and McQuoid officially announced to the Kingdom not five days later.
I watch her roll her eyes in genuine amusement when she tells us that the announcement resulted in two full days and nights of celebrations.
Apparently, the tarragon royalty was a big deal, so nearly everyone in Pyre was celebrating the heir to be.
“He was properly drunk all two days in Breccia,” Clair laughs.
Cal nods his head knowingly, as do the soldiers with us.
“His mates never let him go without a drink in his hand through the full of it, though they did promise me another two full days of celebration once the babe arrives.”
“Ancients,” I shake my head in amusement. “I think I should like to see Prince McQuoid drunk. He seems so reserved all the time.”
“Doesn’t he?” Clair laughs, hopping onto the next stone. “That’s what I thought when I first met him as well.”
“Are you telling me he’s not?” I laugh.
“Oh, he is,” she smiles, “at times. But there’s also a very a passionate man, with a temper, I might add, that I surprisingly fell in love with.”
“Have you gotten any sickness?”
“Here and there,” she shrugs, “but nothing that isn’t manageable…”
She leans towards me with a wicked smile, her voice a mere whisper.
“Though my breasts have begun to swell. I’ll need to get a new wardrobe within the next few months.”
“A new wardrobe is always fun,” I grin.
“And you?” she keeps her voice low as the three men converse amongst themselves. “You found your love, then?”
“You suspected,” I nod to the Princess, remembering her small comments on the balcony of Red Falls.
She smiles coyly, shrugging her shoulders. “Suspected at dinner, though knew in an instant the moment he brought you down from our heights. He also didn’t leave your side once when you were asleep.”
My full being flushes as she leans in again.
“And he couldn’t take his eyes off you all yesterday at the small meeting.”
Ancients.
“When will you two announce?” she whispers, eyes holding mine in genuine question.
I give her a small smile, not yet considering the answer. We’ve already had so much going on with his coronation and everything that’s to come after.
“I’m truly unsure,” I reply. “I guess that decision rests with Keane. He knows the etiquette of what needs to be done better than I do. He did move all of his belongings into my room when we came back to Bardot, though.”
“I’m sure that caused a stir,” she laughs.
“Oh yes. The castle has been talking, but we’ve let his coronation take precedent…”
“Naturally,” Clair nods. “Though I hope the announcement comes soon. I love weddings.”
Weddings.
Marriage…
Keane.
My full being comes alive just thinking about it, about him.
I smile back at the Princess and look up the mountain, grinning at the future that is to come.
“My love,” Mana’s hand rests on the back of his wife’s shoulder in affection. “Let me introduce you to Princess Clair de Fell McQuoid of Pyre. Princess Clair, my wife, Sera.”
Clair smiles at the beautiful Discerni woman now bowing her head.
“A pleasure, Sera. What a beautiful café you have up here.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Sera grins. Her curious eyes dart down to Alba, taking in the large white tiger before she glances up to me with a sly look. I raise my brows at her and give a knowing smile of my own.
“It means a lot that you would join our friends this morning,” Sera beams, turning around to the veranda as she motions to a large table in the corner for us. “Please, make yourself comfortable.”
Sera leads our group to the table outside, the beautiful spring morning shining around us in absolute warmth.
Many of the breakfast guests already seated watch our group and stare at the foreign black and red of their attire, their gazes moving over the Princess and noting the two royal soldiers and the large tiger that stand proudly at her side.
They also let their eyes roam to the Disce group that moves with her, staring at our collective crew as they all begin whispering behind their hands.
“Is this okay, Sera?” I ask quietly as our friends take their seats.
Sera notices my gaze and looks at all the silent chatter with me, nodding her head with another grin.
“They’re curious. And they know she’s a royal. This is more than okay, Alexis,” she beams, “and if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t care. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine.”
I lean in and give her a small hug. “Will you be able to join us?”
“I wish,” she pulls away with a shake of her head. “Perhaps when the morning rush dies down, though I don’t see that happening with you lot here.”
“I can help,” I take a step towards her, but the Discerni shakes her head.
“No, thank you. Enjoy your breakfast, Alexis. I’ll pull Mana away if things become too much.”