Elemental Witch: Court of Hearts ( Part III)

Diplomacy

Drakos moved through Vayana's spring court with more ease than he had expected to. There was still some animosity and a few Courtiers who would never be more than ice cold to him, but as he moved in the circles of the highest order, usually conversing with those who had the Queen's ears, and it became evident that he was eligible and intending to find a wife amongst them, there seemed to be more acceptance, more courtiers to contend with.

In truth, it wasn't much different from the Rulin Court, though there were more women here, almost an even divide between men and women, allowing for a dynamic he hadn't had complete experience with when he had arrived a month ago. Though the most eligible and powerful bachelor was preferred here as well, there was less competition for attention between the men, more women to contend with.

Throughout the winter, he had not stayed over extended periods of time in the court, letting most of the negotiations take place without his interference. Hoping that his coming and going allowed for a slow acceptance of his presence, and besides, he was a King of his own massive country, with his own Courts and requirements at home.

As often as he was in Vayana, Vasha graced his own country, though never as an official Crown visit. They were dancing around the finalizations of their treaties and alliances, and the official Vayan presence in Rulin had not yet been decided on. But they spoke at length and often shared flights across borders together, though there were weeks that Prince Vasha was in neither court and the Crown prince wasn't completely willing to elaborate. Not to Drakos, and not too many other Courtiers, if Drakos understood the rumours swirling through the Vayan Court.

Drakos didn't outright ask.

For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to query about Verana. She wasn't mentioned in their talks, though he had noticed a change in them through the winter. Gone were the lost, pained expressions.

He believed Byzan, believed the easy carriage of Vasha and his Brethren, as if everything was alright with the world. Drakos couldn't find a trace of the grief in those closest to the Queen, nor the Queen herself, and he let that soothe his impatience.

And in speaking with the other Courtiers, Drakos had been incredibly intrigued with the Vayan women. He had known they were warriors as well as Regents and Courtiers, that everything men did in Rulin, women also did here in Vayana. It had never effected their prowess in battle. But Drakos had only ever spoken to female Courtiers at arm's length, knowing the Rulin women weren't given the opportunity to do much more than stay safe and help build families.

In Vayana, he found some Courtiers content with the flirting and rumours, though equally women and men. And he had found a few intelligent and thought-provoking women, who were able to provide him with a steady conversation with no expectation of courtship, or even an ounce of flirtation.

Arriving into the Vayan a few days before, Drakos had resolved to broach the subject of Verana. He could only hope that the knowledge that Byzan had been the one to give her to Janzel, he could hopefully address his well-wishes for her recovery and perhaps find out more about how that was going.

He gritted his teeth in frustration, stopping the inner dialogue that insisted that he deserved to know when he wanted to know without excuse or any badgering or convincing. Sometimes he railed against the diplomacy he had created. The Rulin King did not need to kowtow to Vayan delicacy.

"Your Majesty?" The woman in front of him bowed, offering him a gentle smile.

She was one of those intelligent women, she was one of the few that he had settled into a comfortable routine of conversation and companionship with.

Drakos focused on her hazel eyes, offering her a grin. "Sorry, I still had other things on my mind. Good day, Lady Renla,"

Renla raised a brow before nodding, a mischievous smirk coming over her features. "In case you're wondering why there's so many people here tonight, apparently the Princess is back."

"Back?" Drakos asked innocently, giving her as casual a look as he could manage with his heart racing.

It was everything he could do to stop himself from searching for a flash of colour in the crowd. Byzan had mentioned the damage to her wings, the torn flesh that had been replaced by the healing pools of Rulin. But Drakos had seen Rulin wings fail to recover from damage like Byzan had described.

"I know you know she's alive." Renla said dryly before snorting, which not the most ladylike, although Renla had a friendship in the higher circles of the Vayan Courts, without seeming to care about protocol. "No one has seen her since they brought her back. She was in one of the Queen's private residences away from the court all winter. The Prince has said little, if you listen to the rumours here, she doesn't even have her wings anymore. But Vasha said nothing about that, though I'm sure we'll know soon enough."

Drakos shot her a sly look, nodding. "Never one for gossip, Renla, but look at you yammering like an old hen. But she's back here, today, in whatever condition?"

Renla let out a slow breath, looking sympathetic as she nodded. "So everyone is here, to see her. It sickens me though, most of them are more excited to see part of the Royal family a scarred, wingless mess. My mother being one of them, I'm sure. I apologize in advance. She seems to think that she can convince you to marry me... so that it would make my sister more attractive to the Prince."

"And who says I don't already want to marry you?" Drakos asked smoothly, quirking a brow. It drew a laugh from the girl. That would have bruised his ego if it hadn't been an ongoing joke between them.

"Oh, sure. But lucky for me, you don't." Renla rolled her eyes. "I couldn't stand being with a man as egotistical as you. I nearly want to murder the rest of the overly confident bunch most of the time."

She motioned vaguely towards where the Prince would most likely be standing with one or two of his brethren.

They had an understanding, the two of them. Her presence made it seem as if he was near to courting her and kept the more annoying of the Courtiers away, and his presence did the same for her. They never really discussed it, but they both used it to their advantage, and Drakos found himself wondering if there was a reason or person Renla was waiting for. He was about to contemplate if they were familiar enough with one another for him to ask, when his heart skipped a beat.

At that moment, there was a low growl across the room, followed by a soft, firm voice that caused his stomach to flip, murmuring a single word that shot straight to his heart. "Anzael."

Drakos didn't even check to see if Renla followed him, just turning and walking through the crowd to find Verana. He could smell her now that he was focused, his attention as straight as an arrow, and thankfully the sea of distracted Courtiers parted for him.

He stepped through the crowd in time to see her lift a courtier into the air with one hand and slam the man down to the ground, putting a knee to his throat, her wings spreading wide. Drakos found him frozen in place, seeing those stripes of blood red lacing through the beautifully coloured wings of hers. It symbolized so many things to him in that moment. Rulin, in a Vayan. The earth that had sheltered and raised his people had healed this woman and made her whole, then claimed her with those blood red stripes cutting through the Royal Vayana riot of colour.

Her wings were whole, and he saw how those slashes connected to the rest of her injuries. Drakos' eyes travelled to her back, bare of cloth in the Vayan fashion and showing the jagged scars down her spine. He barely registered the words she growled to the man she was choking out on the ground.

"You can say anything you want about me, but you will afford your Regent the proper respect due to her, or I'll rip your voice from your throat the next time you try to raise a disparaging word to make you feel better about your pathetic existence." Verana's words were thick with the accent of the Feysha, her tone a promise of violence that would make most people tremble with fear.

Drakos couldn't help but grinning, knowing that he would not be playing it coy with this woman anymore. If he accomplished nothing else, he was going to try to make her fall as madly in love with him as he suddenly realized he was with her. Verana was alive, and she was as much of a fighter as she always had been. 

Everything else could be figured out later.