Announcement

[royal_obligation]

Edarial makes a list of necessities for a wife. He has Zevros check it over, who promptly rips it up and throws it at him. He is of the opinion that if Edarial doesn't actually want to marry a specific person, he shouldn't, and Zevros will have nothing to do with any of it. Edarial sighs, rewrites it, and keeps it and a copy of it away from his twin in the future.

He makes the announcement to various interested people that he will be looking for a bride. Just saying it makes him feel sick. Edarial manages to keep it together long enough to give a list of the qualities he's looking for before he flees. He says he's busy, no one will look twice at him being curt and disappearing to get work done. So no one comes after him when he hides in his room and locks the door.

Face buried in his pillow, he realizes that there's no way he can be personable to his - whatever they are. Potential brides, suitors - whatever, he doesn't care. He'll hire someone to vet them, so he doesn't have to torture himself dealing with women trying to persuade him to marry them.

Comments

[come_midnight]

Iobel nods, still holding Cricket; he's purring in her ear.

[aestrix]

She leads her to a wing of the palace that seems to be set aside for servants - there are quite a lot of them, all around. Zephrys leads Iobel up to a woman who's currently barking orders at people while doing what looks like paperwork. She waits until a moment when she's not barking order to address her.

"Um. Mrs Lyre?" says Zephrys.

"Hmm?" asks the stern looking woman, not looking up from her paperwork.

[come_midnight]

"I am," says Iobel, "the queen, and currently don't have my own staff. I like Zephrys. Can she be spared?"

[aestrix]

Pause. Stare stare stare. "Um! Yes, of course, your majesty!"

[come_midnight]

"Thank you."

Iobel turns to Zephrys. "What all are you competent to do, besides what went on this morning?"

[aestrix]

"Um - cleaning, some cooking but I'd leave that to the professionals. I can do lots of fashion stuff, too - picking out clothes to wear for the right occasions so you give off the correct feeling."

[come_midnight]

"All right, I don't care what I wear so I'll leave you in charge of that, do you know how to get miscellaneous - things, from wherever the household source is? Paper and the like? Do you know how the palace interacts with the mail system?"

[aestrix]

Zephrys nods along to this. "I can get you things, and bring you letters and send them out, too."

[come_midnight]

"Okay. I think I'm going to go back to the room I was in the first time we met. Eventually I might want my things from home, but not just yet."

In case she runs after all and thinks she has time to stop home for a box or three.

"To start I want envelopes and stationery and the like, there are already pens up there - and more spellchart paper, and blank notebooks. Can you get me those, and something to sleep in - I've been in the clothes I arrived in for a week except today and this isn't sleepwear - and something to wear tomorrow, and then meet me back there? Mind anything I put on will get cat hair on it, so ideally it won't show too much or be hard to get off."

[aestrix]

"I'll go get all of those!" agrees Zephrys. "And find something that will work even covered in cat hair." She smiles at Iobel, brightly.

[come_midnight]

"Thank you," says Iobel. "What can you tell me about meals around here - where will the queen be expected to turn up for dinner?"

[aestrix]

Directions to where this is are given - there are sometimes larger official functions but the court fell apart under the delicate care of the previous queen. So Iobel will at least not to eat her meals with huge crowds of people.

[come_midnight]

"Thank you, Zephrys."

And Iobel goes back to her room, the one without any spilled wine.

[aestrix]

Zephrys goes off to do what Iobel asked! She retrieves all requested items (along with some chocolates, as a thank you) and delivers them to Iobel.

[come_midnight]

Iobel is startled into laughter by the chocolates. "Thank you."

Cricket purrs at Zephrys.

[aestrix]

Zephrys smiles at them both. "You're welcome!"

[come_midnight]

"That should be everything, at least until after dinner."

[aestrix]

She nods. "Okay! Let me know if you need anything, and um -" She shifts a little. "Please, please stay safe, okay? With the king and the - everything going on. I want you to be okay!"

[come_midnight]

"I'll do my best."

[aestrix]

Little happy smile. "Good!" Then, Zephrys bows, and departs.

[come_midnight]

Iobel writes a letter to each of her parents, and then one to her landlord, explaining what's happened (in more detail to the parents than the landlord; the landlord is only asked to make sure everything's locked up and forward her correspondence).

And then, when that's all done, she tucks them into envelopes to give to Zephrys later, and she goes to dinner still in her wedding dress.

[aestrix]

Edarial is not present.

[royal_pain]

But his brother is.

His feet are on the table, and he's spearing bits of food with a dagger. He's looking just as angry as Iobel saw him last, though not directed at anyone in particular.

[come_midnight]

Iobel gives him a noticeable berth anyway.

(Cricket hisses at him on principle, though.)

[royal_pain]

Zevros doesn't look up from his food-spearing, and wordlessly flips Cricket the bird.