War Of Men

Emilee

Everything was noisier than usual in the palace. Yesterday's celebrations had ended on a highlight thanks to light snowfall. Foreign guests who seldomly saw any had gasped in excitement. That and the lasting effects of the champagne had caused eager whispers to ripple through the sea of visitors until they had finally cleared out. The next morning, the snow was not as welcome. Overnight, things had escalated to a blizzard, leaving travellers stranded in the palace. The squeeze to fit everybody into the living quarters was prolonged, leaving guests grumpy and homesick.

Unfortunately, it wasn't just bedrooms that were crowded. Every hallway was filled with Cinean courtiers as well as politicians from various countries. The Thestian queen strolled through one of the many grand halls like a fairy caught in a mortal court, surrounded by politicians shivering beneath blankets and furs. Reptiles from Kraspos wore togas and searched for space in rooms close to kitchens where it was nice and warm. The Vie Barons wore blood-red coats, carried tall staffs and marched through the corridors as if they owned the place.

'I hear they perform live sacrifices by impaling bodies with their staffs,' whispered Ela. 'Typical blasphemers.'

'Surely not,' responded Emilee, slightly scandalised by the suggestion. 'That sounds more like a rumour to me.'

'Most rumours contain a trickle of truth,' her twin pointed out with a devious smile.

Emilee frowned. 'I hope they at least washed the sticks before coming...'

Even the courtiers were struggling with the chill. The Sato twins wore layer upon layer, then furs over blankets over shawls. The Voire had compared them to caricatures of Cineans when she'd seen them.

Fortunately, all the chaos meant Emilee could disappear for an hour or so without being missed. She and Ela had been meant to be attending a religious group's meeting, but Ela had steered her away from the room. That had surprised Emilee for her sister was a devout Esprian, but she couldn't turn down an opportunity to catch up with Ela. It was strange, she felt like she didn't really do much, yet she never seemed to have an hour to spare for her own whims.

Without much effort, they'd managed to make it feel like old times. Ela filled her in on the gossip about the castle and all the juicy secrets. Somehow, the dark haired woman managed to spot things others overlooked and that which she didn't notice was often shared with her. Apparently Lavia's twin, Flynn was well filled in and a decent source of information.

They didn't just gossip. They debated religious tales, filling in the gaps in each other's knowledge. They mused about what life would have been like had Lili Sato not taken them in, joking about being industrial workers. Of course, they would have still had their education and a shot in life. Ela joked about working in a factory, while Emilee assumed she would have gone into service.

'That is, until a visiting lord was bewitched by your beauty and begged you to marry him,' Ela teased.

Emilee's face crinkled. 'I'd turn him down, of course. I couldn't marry somebody I don't love.'

'Not even for a life of wealth and comfort?'

'Never. I'd rather have a nice little wife and live in a cosy cottage with her, surrounded by orphans we'd adopted off the street.'

'Sounds like a lot of work to me,' said Elanora.

'Well, don't you dream of romance? Your own little happily ever after?'

Ela cracked her knuckles. 'Of course I dream. Ideally a wealthy baroness falls in love with me and showers me in riches.'

Emilee was unable to hide her smugness. Until then, Ela had never come out as being into girls, but Emilee had been theorising for a while. Over the years, the lingering gazes and blushes in addition to a disinterest in men had built up until they were hard to ignore.