Chapter 9 #4
“And we’ll be by your side the whole time,” Tanell added.
“Okay, is this appropriate or whatever?” Yori asked.
Her question drew our attention, and we all looked over at my dark-haired queen.
The first thing I noticed was that she was wearing a dress instead of her usual choice of pants. The dress was simple and made of soft cotton like Serra’s, but it was in a deep, muted shade of green that made me think of pine trees.
It was a square neckline instead of scooped, and it showed off the smooth skin at the tops of her breasts without being too provocative.
The dress didn’t have any lacing, so Miriam must have tailored it perfectly because it fit Yori’s body like a glove.
Her long dark hair was pinned up in a simple bun at the nape of her neck, and a few loose strands hung around to frame her pretty face.
“Wow,” Serra breathed.
“That bad, huh?” Yori grimaced. “Do I have time to change? I can–”
Yori started to move to her trunk in a sudden panic, but I walked over and took her hands to soothe her.
“I think I speak for all of us when I say this…” I gazed into her warm, brown eyes. “You look beautiful.”
“Yes,” Serra said with sincerity all over her face. “You look every bit the queen that you are.”
Yori’s eyes filled with tears, but she smiled and fanned them away.
“Thank you,” Yori said, and she looked back at me. “Can we eat now? I’m so hungry!”
“Yes,” I laughed. “Come on.”
I walked over and reached out to grab the tent flaps, and Roald quickly gripped it from the other side to hold it open completely for us. Once my women and I had walked into the front section of the tent, he let the flap swing closed behind us.
The table was covered in a wide spread of breakfast options, and I was delighted to see fried eggs, bacon, and sausages among the rest of the buffet-style options.
A warm breeze came through the tent and brought in the scent of woodfires.
I couldn’t see any firepits in the center area of our campground, so I assumed they’d been positioned beyond the hundreds of soldiers’ tents to protect the gathering from potential fires.
“Good morning, Your Majesties,” Roald greeted the four of us. “Lady Carissa should be arriving any moment.”
“And here I am,” Carissa announced herself as she walked around the corner of the tent. “Good morning, everyone.”
“Good morning.” Tanell smiled.
“Morning,” Yori said as she parked herself at the table.
She didn’t waste a second before she grabbed a plate and started piling food onto it.
Serra arched an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. She turned to greet Carissa, and we all sat down to begin the day.
Adelyn loaded up a plate for me before I could make any moves to do it for myself, and Serra, Tanell, and Carissa waited patiently for two more maids to do the same for them. In short order, we all had full plates in front of us and hot cups of coffee or tea for us to enjoy.
The food was delicious, as always, but it had a pleasant, smoky flavor this morning thanks to being cooked over open campfires. The bacon and sausages were especially improved by the hint of smokiness. The eggs didn’t benefit as much, but they were perfectly seasoned, so I wasn’t about to complain.
None of us spoke much, and when Carissa finished her plate, she leaned back in her seat with her coffee cupped in both hands.
“Big day,” she remarked.
“Don’t remind me,” Yori sighed, and she stuffed another bite of bacon into her mouth.
“Oh, come on,” Tanell chuckled. “It won’t be that bad.”
“Do we have to interact with Queen High-and-Mighty?” Yori asked in a deadpan tone.
“Yes,” I said with only a little laughter in my voice.
Yori rolled her eyes so hard, I worried they’d get stuck in the back of her skull, but she didn’t say anything.
“You’ll be fine,” I assured her. “You probably won’t have to talk at all.”
“And you can sit right beside me.” Tanell reached over and patted Yori’s hand in a comforting gesture before she looked at Serra. “Both of you.”
“Thank you,” Serra sighed.
I smiled warmly at my women, but the nervous tension in Carissa’s shoulders caught my attention from the corner of my eye, and I turned to look at her.
“Are you alright?” I asked.
Carissa gave me a smile that was more grimace than anything else.
“Where do you want me today?” she asked. “I can sit this one out–”
“You’ll be with Tanell, Serra, and Yori,” I interrupted her. “You’re a member of my retinue, right?”
Carissa nodded, and a sparkle of hope flared in her green eyes.
“Then you belong with them,” I said. “My masters will be there as well. Palchur, Vannesh, and Gelm.”
“War, Spies, and…” Carissa ticked them off on her fingers as she tested her knowledge. “Publicity! Right?”
“Right.” I smiled at her.
Carissa grinned proudly back at me.
We discussed what we thought might happen during the initial meeting later in the day, and none of us was very certain about what was going to happen. It was a lot of unfounded speculation as we finished our hot drinks.
“Your Majesty.” Anders appeared at the edge of the tent. “The Kestran Royals are arriving.”