Wicked Steps

Almost inevitably, likely due to all the stress and overwork, Emberlee awoke and found herself miserably sick. Her body felt parched and feverish, her bones didn't sit in her skin right, and her heartbeat raced to push sluggish blood around her veins. The only sign she had that this wasn't a simple illness was that her Fairy self felt just as sickly, so she was weakly wondering if it could be a reaction to enduring Méabh's power the day before instead of overworking. Regardless of the cause, when Helene, the maid sent by Empress Clara, found her in bed sick she decided it was a perfect opportunity to enact her Mistress' order. The older woman had no problem taking one of the pillows from Emberlee's bed and pushing it down to smother her while she was too weak to fight.

Emberlee's body was already so heavy and cumbersome, that the maid on top of her pushing the pillow down made it impossible to breathe. There was no Mirror in the room to save her with Fairy Magic, and she couldn't even swing Need to save herself. For the first time in too long, she was all but helpless. Except that Emberlee had been Blessed by the Beloved and there were tiny plants as decoration in the room.

The weight of the maid was suddenly gone, Emberlee weakly gasping for breath, pulling the pillow off her face even as horrified screaming started. Unlike listening to Deirdre's agony through a reflection, this was more immediate as Helene's fear and pain viscerally shrieked out. Vines the size of a ship's ropes had wrapped around the maid's body and limbs, the thorns shredding skin as they bound her fast. The door to her room slammed open, Sir Ludwig charging in to rescue her, only to stop in his tracks as the gore that had once been maid Helene splattered the room, her body pulled into six different pieces as torso and head were wrenched from limbs. Emberlee was as liberally coated as her Knight, and in the hallway, Sir Eloise's professional demeanour cracked as she stared in surprise. Behind the experienced Knight, Prince Damien looked furious that another assassination attempt had occurred and yet he watched in fascination as the bloodied vine extended itself towards Emberlee like a pet seeking affection for a job well done. As she stroked the bloodied coil of the massive vine, a small length wound itself around her and detached from the plant itself.

She felt the serpentine length of vine slither across her skin without tearing, and settle around her neck like a collar of thorns. Her body still felt weak and slow, but it also felt immensely better than it had moments ago as if using her Blessing helped restore her a little.

"Mistress?" Sir Ludwig's moment of hesitation was over and despite the gore on them both he carefully checked her for injury.

"Empress Clara's recommended maid just tried to smother me with a pillow," Emberlee's voice sounded hoarse still, "I'm sick; she saw an opportunity."

"Take her to my room, she can use the bath there," Prince Damien ordered, using the already filthy Knight to carry the equally unpleasantly wretched Emberlee. "Sir Eloise will guard her while you go clean yourself and inform Oberon of what has transpired, then return," he dismissed her Knight pre-emptively.

This was the second time she'd been attacked in her bedroom, though this time had clearly been an attempt of opportunity instead of carefully planned, it might still be better to select a female Knight who could sleep in her room until she married Prince Damien. She'd always intended to discard Sir Ludwig once it suited her, regardless of his easy obedience now. Even as the Knight carried her carefully into Prince Damien's room and gently set her down inside the bathroom she contemplated when he'd be expended.

"You may go," she didn't contradict Prince Damien's orders.

Now she stood alone with Prince Damien, in his bathroom covered in the gore from the assassin his stepmother had sent with her. Today he wore dark blue and it brought a golden glow to his hazel eyes, and he remained immaculate even as she desecrated the marble floors with filth. And if she wasn't trembling with fatigue still she'd chase him out, but both of them seemed to know that she was too weak to bathe herself and unsure how to ask for help,

"I have rule one firmly in mind," Prince Damien spoke first, "so get out of the robe and into the bath."

He wasn't making it awkward so she did as he instructed. It should have been embarrassing, she was too weak to step over the bath and into it on her own, but the fatigue and sickness took priority over pride. Damien's handling remained respectful, and she was quickly immersed in a hot bath with a clean eucalyptus scent in the air. It became immediately apparent that he'd have to do the entire process of cleansing for her, she could barely sit upright. And to be waited on by an Imperial Crown Prince was a true luxury. Having her fiancé bathe her was neither arousing nor shameful, but it was undeniably an intimate feeling. She was all but drowsing as Prince Damien helped her out and towelled her dry, and after he bundled her into an Adaban robe she actually did fall asleep in his bed.

It was not the simple sleep of the sick and recovering. She could feel the power of the Fairy Bound coming and going like waves trying to wash over and wear down the shore in a never-ending push and pull of the tide. But she couldn't wake. It wasn't like being a trapped observer in her skin, but more like a new sense was demanding attention and the rest of her body was endeavouring to adapt. While she endured metamorphosis, the others within Oberon's Palace dealt with the mess left behind. Titania arrived, accompanied by Oberon the Monolith, and Prince Damien was left to settle the matter of the negotiations alone. It was her duty as Ambassador and yet she was locked in slumber as the last lines between her and her Fairy self burned away, her human body having to rapidly accustom itself to the Magic of Cinderella's nature.

When she awoke just after midnight, the darkness in the room was no longer a barrier to seeing. Prince Damien slept in bed next to her, a gentleman who kept his distance even now, and she could see lines of worry lingering on his face. In the night air around them, she could see the metaphysical traces of Fairy Magic drifting, Air and Darkness cocooning her in their secure embrace. She wasn't certain if the latest change was in reaction to something, or simply a natural progression with unfortunate timing. Was it like using the assassin's death to anoint the Mirror in Xutia, or was it a reaction to Méabh? The serpentine necklace of thorns was a result of her Blessing, and an extra sense let her know a murder of crows stood alert outside in vigil. At least her Xutian Blessing didn't interfere with the Fairy Magic of Adaba. She still felt burned out of Magic, some instinct promising that she didn't want to face Méabh any time soon, and yet she still felt far better than she had the last time she awoke.

The slight movement she made was enough to rouse Prince Damien from his slumber. "Emberlee?" he mumbled her name in his drowsiness, trying to see if there was a threat.

"I'm alright," the more she woke, the greater the aching senses of newly formed Fairy Magic grew. "I feel like tempered steel," she couldn't explain it better; she felt like metal that had been heated and folded, over and over until it was shaped and strengthened to perfection. Yes, she still felt weak like a newborn kitten, but it would pass.

"You've been asleep for longer than you think," Prince Damien was properly awake now. He pressed a hand gently to her forehead, checking for fever, "you've been asleep for three days. Oberon confirmed it was something you had to endure after rejecting Méabh's power."

Some boundaries were drawn in the sand, others in blood. Hers was etched with whatever power she had.

"I survived," Her throat was dry, and her weakness made sense after three days of not eating.

"I'm going to send for a light broth for you, do you think you can sit up unaided?" He seemed happy to play caretaker and she found it strangely endearing.

She was careful in moving, "Thank you for taking over Envoy duties in my absence."

"I'm a useful plus one; and unlike Titanic's prediction I didn't just stand and watch," he was righteously pleased.

He left to go find a light meal she could eat and the moment she was alone Sir Ludwig stepped into the room. The Knight came to the side of the bed and once again dropped to his knees, removing his eye patch in eternally symbolic submission. "Mistress; although your illness was a trial from Adaba, I still failed to protect you from the assassin. I deserve to be punished."

In even her brief time here in Adaba, Emberlee had learned new, terrible tricks. She lifted his chin, seeing the desecration of his once handsome face and the desperation in his remaining eye as she forced eye contact and smothered him in her willpower, "How do you want to be punished?"

Whatever resistance he may have wanted to put up as a trained Imperial Knight had already been subjugated as her loyal dog; a role she felt truly settled on him as a shudder wrought through his body. Lacking Fairy Magic Sir Ludwig had no 'aura' but like Méabh's servants she could see a ribbon of power now wrapped around him; glittering in dark majesty, and entirely hers.

"Mark me, Mistress, so I may bear your wrath," He pleaded masochistically, and she smirked as it occurred to her that this was the true heart of the man. He'd been so obedient because he wanted so desperately to be claimed; Adaban culture suited him.

"When I am well, I will give you lashings to match the ones you helped make me bear," she promised and finally released him from her will before Damien could return to witness such a strangely intimate scene.

The Knight quickly regained his composure, but even as he returned to his post guarding her she knew all the Fairy Bound would see he was already marked as hers. Her loyal dog. Despite the effort she just extended, Emberlee felt enlivened and when Damien returned with a broth and restorative tea, she finished all of it. She'd slept for three days and awoken changed, and it was already having an impact on those around her. That meant she had less than a week to learn what she was now and how to use it before Méabh's coronation.

It took another day to recover and eat enough to let her move around without fear of tipping over, chewing the time she had to prepare down even more. Thankfully the spouses all seemed sympathetic to varying degrees, though Titania's was more of a 'this is what you deserve for rejecting Méabh'.

Oberon the Pretty had come to her first, alerted by Damien that she was awake. "Darling, you do seem to do things the hard way, but you certainly don't disappoint," Oberon came in, a nod of acknowledgement to Damien. He had to have seen Sir Ludwig's new aural dog collar but said nothing about it. She already suspected it wasn't something normally done, but it seemed Oberon had elected to not discuss it in front of the Magic blind Damien.

"If you wanted easy, I was never your girl," Oberon, being a cad, shot Prince Damien a querying look as if to verify the statement.

To his credit, Prince Damien met his eyes and answered with complete honesty, "She's never been your girl."

Now Oberon gave her a look and she shook her head no. Méabh's power was wrapped around them like a possessive lover's embrace, established in quite literally how it was named. Emberlee's mark on Sir Ludwig was the collar and leash their relationship required; not a lover's exchange but that of an owner and pet. She could step on him and he'd thank her for it. "Your beloved Prince drives a hard bargain, but it looks like there will be a mutually beneficial relationship growing between our Nations," Oberon was as cheeky as always, but his next words gave her pause, "Congratulations, you have successfully achieved the alliance your Mother helped initiate."

She'd known her Mother had carried a missive, but this was the first she'd heard that she'd been a part of the alliance. Suddenly several unrelated pieces of information fit into the puzzle, like how the Fairy had known her Mother's face to wear it in the beginning. Or why the Ortega March had built up the Trade road to the Peaks in Mother's time. With Father at war, Mother had gone looking for political allies. Emberlee was her Mother's legacy in more ways than she'd realized.

"Now I just need to survive Méabh's coronation and the trip home," she cheered with as much enthusiasm.

"Should we make him travel back with us to attend our wedding?" Prince Damien asked almost teasingly.

"He is our dear friend," she smiled at their turbulent seeming friendship.

"And he is, apparently, quite a good observer," Damien was enjoying himself at Oberon's expense.

"Are you asking me to witness the consummation of your union?" Oberon found a way to phrase it in the worse manner.

"The ceremony at least," Cinderella played along. "Méabh's rules for you might allow you to watch anything more intimate, but mine won't."

"Knowing how much it would pain you to be stuck only able to watch at not participate; I could be convinced," Prince Damien had an amusingly cruel streak. "How long do you think you'd last before begging to join us?"

"I would need three different sets of permission, but I'm not above begging," Oberon the Pretty wasn't, joking. Thankfully he was also here to help set her up for the coronation, "Titania has arranged to discuss with you how to attend a tea party so you are exposed to Adaban customs before Méabh's coronation. While you master that skill, Prince Damien and I have our task."

"You'll do what I asked?" Damien seemed intense.

"I can't say no now; it'd put you at a disadvantage," Oberon agreed cordially.

"What's this?" her curiosity was as undeterred as always.

"Something he and I have been discussing outside the terms of the alliance," Prince Damien admitted easily, "I asked if there was a way I could see what you see. My ancestral Curse means I cannot be Fairy Bound, but Oberon's been searching for another way."

"It's not fun but it is doable, and it's entirely up to the Prince," Oberon played humble.

Emberlee looked at Damien, knowing that if their roles were reversed she'd be doing the exact same thing. "I don't like making you carry the entire burden alone, so enjoy the tea party while I do my part," he encouraged; she would just have to trust him to be able to do what he said he could.

"And what is Oberon the Monolith preparing?" They all worked like cogs in the wheel of the machine performing Méabh's will.

"He won't say," Oberon the Pretty admitted with an artful shrug.

"When is Titania's lesson?" she switched to a productive topic.

"She'll be by later today," this was one of those necessary divisions of labour amongst the spouses then.

"Should I assume the Monolith will be by before sunset then?" She'd started to catch the pattern of three; birth-life-death, Oberon the Monolith-Titania-Oberon the Pretty, dawn-day-dusk, even Maiden-Lady-Crone; everything was in thirds.

If she'd thought about it a little more she'd have realized Méabh wasn't looking to add her as another Titania, that would have broken that pattern. Maybe it was more that right now Méabh was Crone, Emberlee Lady, and they still lacked the Maiden; at least that felt more right.

"Got it in one darling," Oberon confirmed the one hunch.

"Will you be back in time for supper or is your adventure today going to take all day?" She kept her theory quiet, to mull over privately.

"Uncertain," Oberon answered but it clarified nothing about what it was they were doing.

"Marvellous," her response was dry. It occurred to her as Oberon the Pretty left that he was overall less flirtatious than usual.

Emberlee wasn't as weak as she had been, so once Oberon and Damien left she prepared herself for the meeting with Titania. She could bathe and dress alone now thankfully, and dressed with meeting both Titania and the Monolith in mind. Like in Xutia, she chose to wear trousers but conceded to the heat and humidity by donning an Adaban-style vest. Black and gold suited her, and she saw Titania appraise her outfit once she arrived.

"Oh please step on me,"' Titania seemed to flirt like Oberon used to.

"Beg and I might consider it," she avoided eye contact to be able to keep lying.

"You do have a knack for it like Pretty says," Titania turned into a critical creature Emberlee almost didn't recognize. "But there are several fundamentals you need to know before your Adaban tea party. First of all, everyone at the tables will have years of experience over you, and yet they've never gotten a fraction of the attention Méabh has already given you. Despite that, you rejected being Hers and that makes you a target."

"How do I defend myself?" She'd expected no less, so it was easy to accept that fate now.

"In Adaba there is Fairy Magic, which everyone at the Tea party will be able to use, and spell work, which only a very few can master as it involves difficult-to-cast spells. And breaking those spells disrupts the spell caster, so it's not widely popular," Titania was different when she didn't have an Oberon to placate; less easy and sweet and Emberlee liked her more. Which only warned that Titania was once again moulding herself to her target's preferences.

"How do I recognize a spell and how I am to disrupt it?" Uncommon didn't mean impossible.

"You can't until it's activated," Titania set out a tea spread that was only passably similar to Xutia's culture.

At home, it would have been light sandwiches, savoury snacks, and a few sweets and desserts. The focus would be on the tea being served, and especially the design of the Teacups. In Adaba they didn't use milk or honey to temper a tea's bitterness but instead used spirits to suit it, and their spreads were all desserts and treats, with a few savouries.

"If you find yourself in a spell, your options are limited," Titania served a tea that smelled like cinnamon and poured in a spirit that was akin to Uncle's brandy but with a vanilla base, "easiest option is to kill the spell caster but it's not always feasible. You may be able to destroy the actual spell if the right conditions are met, but stronger spell casters won't make that an easy task."

It seemed Titania believed in teaching by example, Emberlee could feel something slam shut around them but it wasn't a door. If it had been Oberon the Monolith the room would have filled with fire, and with the Pretty, she'd have suffocated as all the air vanished, but Titania was more duplicitous. Her spell felt like Emberlee had all the time in the world to finally relax; an external sedation she had to resist or be powerless before. She looked around the room, seeing no easily identifiable shape of the spell to disrupt, not that she'd been told how to do so even if she could see it. Suspecting that she wouldn't break it by pure chance and that Titania didn't expect Emberlee to try and kill her, she instead looked for a different solution. Could she leave a spelled area? While Titania silently watched and drank her spirited tea, Emberlee strode to the door and failed to step out of the room.

"Break the spell, or break the caster..." Emberlee spoke out loud, trying to piece it all together.

She couldn't brute force her way out of eye contact, but a spell was less intimate. The spell existed to be used, it wasn't tailored to the individual being captured, so in a normal situation she could likely overwhelm it. But her Magic was still weak and recovering from whatever effect meeting Méabh had had on her, so right now she couldn't pour power into the spell to pop it like the flimsy bubble it was, so Emberlee looked at Titania and smiled. Her spell was out of Emberlee's ability to recognize or understand, but she'd already gotten a firm sense of her opponent. A powerful spell caster Titania might be, but she was also an admitted people pleaser. So Emberlee stood close to Titania, pulling the other woman to stand as she leaned into the smaller woman's space until they were breathing the same air. And like all the casual intimacy she'd seen demonstrated thus far, Titania allowed her far too close far too easily, "Don't think I won't pluck your eyes out to break this; so will you drop it satisfied that I understood the lesson?"

"You couldn't identify what the spell was doing," Titania pointed out, the air all but popping as she dropped the spell.

"What was it?" Even as she asked she realized the light was coming in the window at the wrong angle.

Hours had passed for what only felt like heartbeats. And Emberlee hadn't felt the spell at all. "How do I defend myself?"

"You don't have spell sense, or else you would have identified what it was before it fell," Titania dismissed, "so your best bet would be to overwhelm the caster like you implied doing to me."

"What're the consequences?" Nothing was done without consequence in this world.

"Depends on the caster, it's affected by too many variables to standardize a list of consequences. Forcibly breaking the spell could kill the caster, or unleash all the pent-up power of the spell on you directly. On rare occasions, you can meet the requirements of the spell and it'll fade without consequence but that's nearly impossible to do if you can't even sense the spell's purpose."

Her best bet would be to avoid altogether and if that fails, kill the caster, "Are you expecting others to try and use spells against me at the tea party, or sometime else?"

"Yes," that was maddeningly unhelpful and Titania's smug grin warned that she enjoyed it. Her attitude was a silent taunt to try and lock her in eye contact, and Emberlee had already lost too much time to Titania's games.

Emberlee also knew that only half of the demonstration was for her sake; for the other half, Titania had planned to deliberately manipulate the situation so she'd be late to meet with Oberon the Monolith. And they'd still done nothing to help prepare Emberlee for the Adaban etiquette she'd require for the impending tea party. What she wasn't certain of was whether or not Titania was doing this for her own sake or on Méabh's behalf, either way, the Adaban spouse was still treating Cinderella like she deserved all of this and more for daring to defy Méabh's desires.

"It's interesting to see you act like there won't also be consequences for how you've handled me," her smile may have a hint of friendliness, "While I work with Oberon the Monolith you should find and ask the Pretty to describe in detail for you what I did to the assassin that came for me." She still wore the serpentine thorns like a necklace, none of the barbs willing to hurt her as the plant seemed almost sentient at times. "And that was without a stroke of spell work while my Fairy Magic was entirely burnt out from Méabh." She was still close to Titania, not quite looming over the shorter woman but not giving her space either.

And Titania was used to being the more permissible one so she instinctively stayed rooted to the spot, looking up at her with interest, "He shared the details, I do have questions about how..."

Titania fell silent as Emberlee felt her smile turn wicked, "I'll tell you at the tea party. And keep in mind that if you ever steal my time from me like this again, I'll take something from you that you can ill afford to lose."

"I believe you," that was slightly gratifying to hear, "but more importantly this is the exact attitude you'll need to survive an Adaban tea patty. Strength is determined by more than just Magic or spells, which is good because you have lots of one and none of the other. You've played your Imperial Game in Xutia, so you'll hold up under their regard, but in Adaba we test each other endlessly. The only bonds you dare trust are the ones you forge yourself."

There was a wealth of warning in that statement. "What else do I need to prepare for the tea party, and what are Adaba's current fashion trends?" It seemed like her options were always limited by the machinations of others.

"I'll leave the details with the Pretty, you need to go meet the Monolith," Titania's sudden smugness was irritating but Emberlee suspected she was doing it deliberately. "He detests others being tardy and you've been late since the spell broke."

"I know," and she knew Titania had done it for the dual effect of further irritating Oberon the Monolith so he wouldn't befriend Emberlee thus allowing Titania to be his only confidant still, while also pushing a resource out of Emberlee's easy use and forcing her to turn to Titania for support instead. As she'd said; only the bonds she forged herself could be trusted. "Why do you think I'm still in here, with you, standing this close?" Emberlee could see the slight puzzlement on Titania's face but then the door to the room they were in slammed open and the irate Oberon in question stormed in.

To him it must have looked like quite the sight; the tea party spread all but untouched, Emberlee intimately close to Titania, an air of them having lost all track of time to more indiscreet adventures. Titania had wanted to make Emberlee scramble, knowing the nature of the Monolith meant no room for forgiveness. Emberlee had failed to detect Titania's spell but had successfully used the opportunity presented to counterbalance what she could. So now Titania could either admit to being the cause of Emberlee's tardiness or she could let him conclude Emberlee's tardiness was due to what he saw before him.

It was the fact that he'd rushed over so many times before that had given Emberlee the inspiration to use it now. "Oh, you are good," Titania's voice held a satisfied purr.

"In ways you'll never get to experience for yourself," she ignored Titania now to face Oberon the Monolith. "Let us not waste more time, what have you come to see me about?" Oberon's face was a dangerous scowl, the fiery red waves of his hair adding to the illusion that his temper literally burned. He was massive even compared to her height, the man was truly a Monolith so it was no mystery as to how he'd been Named, and he stayed silent as he processed the scene she'd presented and all it implied.

Emberlee had rejected the opportunity to be Méabh's lover, so that should have bought her some goodwill with him, but he hated her for having the strength to succeed where he had failed. Like Empress Clara, her simple existence was enough to ensure there'd be no peace between them, so she didn't waste time trying to build a friendship; she used her circumstances to firmly establish that she was the one with the power. He couldn't like her, but he better damn well respect her, or she'd take everything away from him and he didn't know if that was possible or not. That little kernel of doubt won the battle of wills for her. "Méabh requires that I coordinate the permanent Adaban Ambassador that is to move to Xutia," he held his temper, and opinion, in check.

"Then let us discuss your candidates," she'd been unconscious instead of performing her duties, this would be a beneficial opportunity to correct that. But the urge to remain slightly antagonistic lingered, "Titania, why not pour our Oberon here some tea? It'd be such a waste if not since you and I certainly got distracted."

"I'm not your anything," Oberon stomped closer to her in vehement denial.

So she flashed a smile at him, not intimidated by his mass or fury. Cinderella pressed a gentle hand to his chest, allowing eye contact to prove a point, "That's right, you're not anything to me. Not a lover, not a friend, not a threat. You are a resource to be used because that's what Méabh has sent you here to be, so if you can't do that it'll be her displeasure you can bear." It wasn't quite a lie but she was a little surprised to get away with it.

"Are all Xutian Nobles like you or are the rest easier to deal with?" Oberon stepped back first, all but growling through his teeth.

"No, one is like me, that's why Méabh wants me so much, haven't you been paying attention?" it was arrogant and the eye contact didn't let her hide from it. She finally looked away, sitting down to drink the spirited tea that had long gone cold. "Now, shall we winnow through your list of candidates, or do you need to go?" She addressed both Titania and Oberon with the implied dismissal.

Sir Ludwig had endured the entire ordeal in silence, standing in the corner and ready to act as needed, but obedient to Emberlee's command to stay put unless called on. Both Oberon and Titania had seen him, and more importantly, saw her power bond around him, but said nothing regarding it. Oberon the Pretty had been the same, though he'd at least subtly acknowledged having spotted it. Emberlee would ask her Knight his interpretation of the day's events after the others left, it'd be interesting if he had felt the spell circle or had spell sense.

But it would have to wait, both Oberon and Titania stayed, sitting down to the tea party spread. "If you're only here for the Ambassador selection, why couldn't you tell Oberon the Pretty the reason?"

The Monolith didn't look any less intimidatingly massive sitting down and holding a delicate teacup, "He'd been alone with Méabh, let him suffer in exclusion."

It was so simple and petty that Emberlee laughed. She'd been expecting there to be some social custom to not make the current Ambassador select their replacement, but no it was just one husband being jealous of the other. The lack of complex villainy was almost refreshing. Oberon the Pretty had dressed her and Prince Damien in his colours, and spent a day basking in Méabh's favour, and this alliance was being established by Ambassadors staying in his palace, even though his absence meant Oberon the Monolith had more of Méabh's attention, the Monolith was still jealous of the Pretty being the focus now.

"It's a shame his experiences in Xutia mean it'd be foolish to exclude him in these discussions," her voice was still dancing with laughter, "if you truly want to have the upper hand here, what you need to do is invite all of us to your palace to discuss the matter over dinner." she would normally have been far more subtle but it served her to be more direct now. "Just because it's been arranged that we stay at the palace doesn't mean we can't visit the others." She didn't know him well enough to discreetly manipulate him, and he distrusted her enough that she had to show him how it was mutually beneficial and not a trap. "I need the best candidate for Xutia's sake, if the only way I can get you to work with the Pretty is to go into your territory then I will do what I have to. All you need to do now is extend the invitation."

"I don't want you in my home," he admitted freely.

"We can do it in mine," Titania volunteered, once again playing compromise.

It was fascinating to watch her recreate herself endlessly to best suit and manipulate her target. "Neutral ground?" Emberlee managed not to sound sarcastic.

"I'm good at being between the Oberons," Titania liked being the beloved buffer, she was once again holding onto Oberon the Monolith like a lover. Méabh has tasked the Monolith but the Pretty has required information I need to help them come together." She wasn't certain if Titania was being deliberate in her wording or if she was reading too much into it.

Regardless, she'd figured out that Titania was the only spouse not given a direct role to play in this alliance so she was orchestrating a way to be needed. "Would that satisfy you Oberon the Monolith?" the implicative manner of speech seemed infectious.

"I will not disappoint Méabh," she took that as an affirmative.

It was too late in the day to arrange it for tonight, so Emberlee accepted that it'd be tomorrow's burden to bear. What she wasn't expecting was for today's travails to be far from over.

Oberon the Monolith and Titania had finally left, she was sitting at an outdoor dining table again, alone until Oberon the Pretty and Prince Damien finally returned from wherever they'd gone. They'd told her the goal was giving Prince Damien the ability to see the Fairy Magics like Emberlee could, but neither one said how they planned to do it so it was a terrible surprise to see Prince Damien return with one of his hazel eyes missing and a red one in its place. He didn't seem to be in pain, but his facial expression was strained.

"What happened?" She demanded from Oberon, surprise bringing her to her feet, meal forgotten.

"An eye for detail," Oberon cracked a pun but refused to answer directly, keeping his gaze off of hers.

"Are you alright Prince Damien?" she tried to keep her exasperation at Oberon from flooding onto the Prince.

"Marchioness," he ignored her concern, looking between her and Sir Ludwig and back, "would you like to explain?" He'd repeatedly reminded her about his territoriality, so it shouldn't have surprised her that seeing her power wrapped around Sir Ludwig like a dog collar would agitate that nature.

"I learned a new trick," she hadn't done it to show Sir Ludwig favour; it was less gentle than that, "Méabh wrapped her lovers like a gift only she can unwrap; my Hound knows who holds his leash."

It was strange to look in Damien's eyes and see the angry glow of Magic in the depths of the red one. Like his aura it wasn't a bright light, but the burn of an ember that had once been a flame. And as honesty settled on them both like a mantle, she wondered if he could See that now too. "You glimmer like a midnight sky Emberlee; he isn't worthy of having that splendour touch him, even as a leash."

"You're beautiful when you're jealous like this," it was poor timing to say all that in front of Oberon who would gleefully tease them for it later, but Fairy's honesty compelled them both.

"Rule one Marchioness," he reminded and she looked away to keep from giving Oberon any further ammunition.

"What are the consequences of this?" She understood the benefits, but knowing its abilities and limitations would be prudent.

"I didn't puke," now it was Prince Damien teasing her, "and the pain it caused to earn it was mine to endure." So it had hurt.

Did they alter his original eye, or pluck the old one out and replaced it with this one? Emberlee doubted that either one of them was willingly going to tell her about it after being so secretive thus far. "You match my Relic," she instead pointed out.

And now it was Oberon laughing almost hysterically, bowed over to try and catch his breath, "Right you are Cinderella. Your Need calls a sword, his Curiosity demands answers."

They'd replaced the Imperial Crown Prince of Xutia's eye with a Relic. It was undoubtedly risky and had been admittedly painful, and yet they were acting like this was a minor detail. It'd be on Damien to explain it to his Father the Emperor, but even if the explanation was never publicly released it would cause a bevy of rumours. "I've already had confrontational showdowns with Titania and then Oberon the Monolith today, and we'll be having a dinner party at Titania's palace tomorrow; be concise and tell me everything I missed." She sat back down at the table.

"Titania was only supposed to prepare you for the tea party," Oberon sounded so suspicious that it helped Emberlee feel better.

"I got to experience a spell firsthand hand and it stole hours of my day from me," how little she'd appreciated that stunt lent an icy edge to the words.

"Titania's the only spouse that can use spells, they're prohibitively difficult to utilize," it wasn't quite an apology and yet it came across as Oberon defending Titania, "over the years she's helped both the Monolith and I to learn to recognize the traces even we can detect, and given us a fighting chance to save ourselves from them."

"There are better ways to teach someone to swim than by throwing them into the water," Damien sat next to her, surprising her with a kiss on her cheek as he did.

"Says the man who just traded an eye to be able to See," Oberon's wit was derailing the conversation.

"Titania said that she'd leave the details of the tea party with you, is that true?" She carefully reigned in their conversation.

Oberon sat on her other side, "We're in Adaba's hottest months, so dress to spare yourself that discomfort." He gestured to the black trousers and vest she wore, the golden embroidery the only embellishments, "though I would say show off your singular attributes to their best effect so more colours like that fetching blue dress you wore before we left Xutia."

She smiled, knowing he referred deliberately; she'd worn the sky blue and silver of Ortega's family colours, and he was recommending she dress similarly now. Maybe not blue and silver, but something to showcase her black hair against, and Emberlee decided to go with the red dress that matched Damien's new eye. It'd be a simple manner to use her spiders to alter it to better suit Adaban fashion; she'd streamline the fit, and fasten it in the robe-like wrap style she'd seen. Adabans liked corsets and cut-outs in their formal wear, but their casual wear was almost more like Xutian negligees. In Xutia a tea party would call for floral dress designs, brighter colours, and pushing the lines of propriety by sneaking in short sleeves and shorter skirt lengths. From what she'd seen of Stussican fashion, she'd learned that they'd have donned translucent layers of gossamer covered in embroidery or hand-painted scenes, all while dripping jewelry. In Adaba she could actually wrap herself in Fairy Magic like a gown to attend the tea party, and it would likely blend in.

"What will you be wearing?" She'd seen so many of Oberon's suits since their friendship had started, but she knew he'd go all out to celebrate Méabh.

"Something formal," he winked but then immediately sobered up, "did Titania explain that you won't be seated at a table with anyone you know? Méabh wants to expose as many of her Court to the Xutian Ambassador as possible."

Of course, it made sense to help acclimatize the Adabans to a Xutian, but she suspected it had more to do with her being Cinderella than Envoy. "And what will you both be doing while I am made a spectacle?"

"Watching your back," Prince Damien promised even as Oberon remained implacably cheery.

"Watching the show," Oberon seemed ready to enjoy whatever misfortune the tea party and coronation might bring.

"Did you at least get the Alliance Treaty signed?" she ignored Oberon to address the Prince.

Damien smiled at her, the new red eye still catching her focus but she avoided Truthful eye contact, "I have the terms all written down and the signature of the Spouses, but we still require your and Méabh's."

"Then before anything ELSE can go wrong why don't we focus on that?" she'd said sarcastically, not realizing just how prophetic her words would come to seem.