Kingdom in The Sand

Relief in Satin

"You can stay."

Zaafira almost went through the ceiling, which told Marie-Fey enough.

She shot her a glare over her shoulder and Marie-Fey just raised an eyebrow at her, arms folded as she leant her shoulder against the doorframe into Zaafira's room.

"Excuse me?" Zaafira snapped.

"We are returning in a couple of days. As soon as the ship and crew are ready, we are going home," Marie-Fey replied.

"Home?" Zaafira copied, raising her own eyebrow, her mouth twisting in a mocking curl at the term coming from Marie-Fey.

Marie-Fey shrugged at that. "I have no other way to refer to it in relation to you. You don't belong anywhere else."

The fire went out of Zaafira's eyes and Marie-Fey levelled her with a small smirk, before continuing like that minor tangent hadn't happened.

"But you may stay here if you wish."

Zaafira just looked confused. "Here? Where?"

"Here. In this house. With my family."

Zaafira looked even more confused. "Why in the world would I do that?"

"Because you don't want to go back there only to be forced to the capital."

Zaafira's whole body tensed.

"You don't know anything about what I do or don't want."

"Maybe, but I do know that receiving that letter scared you. I do know that being called to the capital is considered a bad thing. I know things are falling apart back in the palace. I know that you being called to the capital is significant."

Zaafira's eyes cut away before back to her. It was just as disturbing to see Zaafira trying to maintain her cold composure as it was to see Zaydan close to tears.

"You don't know anything," Zaafira muttered, her tone almost bitter.

"Someone is welcome to enlighten me any time now," Marie-Fey replied, absently examining her nails.

Zaafira looked away again. "Why?" she finally muttered.

"Why what?"

"Why would you let me stay? Why would you care?"

"Care? That's a strong word, I'd hardly go that far," Marie-Fey replied and Zaafira glowered at her. Marie-Fey straightened up, pushing a lock of her hair back over her shoulder. "But I have the ability to feel a sense of responsibility when things are going so wrong in my palace. Not to mention Zaydan will be unbearable should anything happen to you, I'm sure. And as I am unsure of exactly what might happen to you, it seems simpler to remove you entirely from the situation until I have a better understanding of things. At least here, you will be safe. You'll have the eccentrics that are my family, but I'm sure you'll survive. Rosalia and Antionette will take care of you. You can stay with one of them should you prefer seeing as only my father, Val and Con live here permanently now."

Zaafira quirked at eyebrow at that.

"I'm offering you a way out," Marie-Fey said, "You are allowed to take it."

"Zaydan offered you the same thing, didn't he?" Zaafira said. She took a seat at her vanity table and gestured to the chairs around the fireplace. Marie-Fey took a seat in one of the dainty armchairs, crossing her legs and nodded.

"He did, how do you know?"

"Because I know he's been considering it since he first saw you with your siblings," Zaafira replied, "It seems he's been stuck on your smile from that first day. It's partly why he was so determined to secure your status while here, so you could stay without fear of what people would say. So your anxiety wouldn't continue to cripple you. He couldn't bear watching you lose your composure over the petty snipes of these people when anything said to you back home bounced off."