— * 𝘱𝘪𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘢 .

love had never been a virtue quite taught to haspira, certainly not by blood nor marriage, but instead found within the realm of secrets && shadow. in this realm is where laws defied existence, and life felt worth living; in this realm, existed afet. lowing her chin in matched respect, haspira couldn't deny the thrill that shivered down her spine at the mere closeness of the sultana. with calculated movements, her own hand went to adjust her silken skirts, brushing the back of her fingers against afet's own in such a discreet touch, it shouldn't have sent warmth crawling over her body. " not in the slightest, quite to my delightful, in fact. " she answered cheerfully. " in fact, i was just thinking of a stroll to the outer gazebos, if you were in the mind for some light exercise. " and a chance to slip away, out of sight...

the brush of haspira's fingers against her own was enough to cause goosebumps to crawl upon her forearm ; the hair on the back of her neck standing on end . despite the butterflies that decorated the ethiopian gardens , haspira's beauty was the only thing that could captivate afet's attention . . . the world blurring around them . swallowing , the sultana turned her body ever so slightly to face her sister - in - law lover . " you know what else we could see at the outer gazebos ? the butterflies coming in . or at least , those are the murmurings i've been hearing . besides , the gardens would be way to crowded . . . it would be nice to view them privately . "

BUTTERFLIES . . . they were everywhere . landing on the princess , staring at her with their little . . . beady eyes . the woman had an issue with all insects — no matter how beautiful they were , they were still BUGS . but , nonetheless , they were still delicate creatures & priya would treat them as such . pressing her lips together , the princess bared her teeth to her sister — a tilt of her head following as she spoke through her baring . " yes , very . . . very beautiful . " she twitched slightly , feeling a tickle at her leg . " i — i think one has fluttered up my dress & i do know the . . . consquence of smashing one of God's innocent creatures . . . "

location: base of simien mountains

not quite strange that simpler garb could allow her camouflage. when one could keep their head bowed and walk with purpose, the noise of the every day provided deflection. and when an event as grand as this gathering occurred --- even better.

şenay takes one deep breath after another. the mountain range looms somewhere past her sight; all she sees before her is the path curling ahead. solace from the festivities; an escape from her family.

and yet, they look behind. always, always looking behind. and their eyes lock on another's, gaze widening. a soft "oh" drops from her lips, hands clenching at her sides.

priya had no idea how far she had run . the laughter that escaped from her lips echoed through the base of the mountains . the princess had managed to swipe a feathered hat from one of the many nobles milling about the castle . plopping the hat atop her own head , priya's giggles calmed ; face falling the moment she saw the other . " oh — forgive me . i hadn't the slightest idea this area was already occupied . didn't mean to frighten you if i did . "

"I am not fond of them." Elena answers back with a crinkle of her nose. Honestly, they smelled foul. Depositing herself on a nearby bench with a liquored goblet in hand, she squints at her older sister. "Is it wise to stand so close given your... Condition?" She supplements, with a touch of concern. Smirking, she adjusts her hair. "You know I am adaptable. I all but made Maria Ortiz weep." At least, that's how she'll choose to remember it. "Made a few allies. Broke a few hearts. The usual." Elena boasts, oversharing to keep from speaking of Maceon's return.

blanca , despite what she may tell people , thought very little of her elder brother after his . . . passing . as she held her sister as she cried over maceon , there was a stoic expression on the woman's face — the immense hate she felt for him to leave the two of them to fend in their position . but such hatred fueled her rise to the top — determined to bring the bonaparte name back into its rightful place in the light . how can one be loyal to a man whom abandoned them ?

a chuckle fell from the queen's lips as she ushered the handler along . only in the presence of her sister did she feel comfortable enough to cradle her growing stomach . " the giraffe is one of the more gentle animals here . " the woman hummed , a slight shake of her head before taking a seat next to her sister . " made an ortiz weep & breaking hearts ? how diabolical of you , my dear . " there was sarcasm in her response . " i hope with this allies you've made , they pose as a resource for our cause . " blanca's eyes stayed honed in on elena , reaching over to remove the goblet from her grasp ; gently , eyes still on every inch of her face . " anything else you'd like to disclose ? " she asked swishing the liquor back & forth .

" quite . i would expect nothing less from the ethiopian royal family . besides , they have their menageries to protect . " the woman hummed , only to bow out of respect once she realized whom she was directly speaking toward . " pardon my . . . improper greeting , your majesty . take the lady out of court , suddenly she forgets all her manners . " an awkward string of laughter . that was . . . a wildly poor attempt at a joke on amara's part . clearing her throat , amara's eyes squinted as she looked up at the sun . " as sweltering as thailand can be , i have never had to deal with direct sunlight in this manner . perhaps it shall do something for my pale complexion . "

& shantipriya along with the rest of the bhati clan had been the den of venomous snakes that had been released upon the grounds of ethiopia's beloved fasil ghebbi . but , why bare fangs so soon ? there was plenty to see & plenty of alliances to create . . . or destroy — repair perhaps ? the queen was in conversation with another nobleman before being approached by queen malaika . a courteous bow before a forced smile made its way across the woman's features . " queen malaika , might i say it is an absolute honor to be in the presence of your beautiful home . " shanti began , clearing her throat as she stood up straight . " everything has been well above standard . you do know how to make even the smallest of nations feel welcomed . "

Where: Fasil Ghebbi Gardens

Hisashi was frozen in place, standing in awe of the sights in front of him. Blocking the pathways he could not force his feet to move, could not maintain the careful facade he had carefully built up.

Maybe it was ok to let his mask slip. Just for a small while.

“Three years ago I had never left the shores of Japan.” Hisashi said in explanation. He was terrified of appearing too green, too naïve to the wonders of the world around him. “Now I live in Europe, I have spent significant time in South Asia, and I stand on East African soil. I cannot help but feel blown away by it all.”

He considers a moment, “This is how I know that who ever did this is one of…” you “us. There is a grandness to it all. A wastefulness, that those who do not exist within our bubble would never undertake.”

how many side eyes can one give before their sockets begin to strain ? just listening to the french makes the woman's head begin to pound . " one of us ? " amara responded in a droll tone . " as beautiful as east africa is , i will find great pleasure to when i am back in thailand . " spoken like a true homesick hermit . she stopped for a second , tilting her head in curiosity . " now . . . exactly what did you mean by one of US ? for all you know , i could be a lowly wet nurse whom has overstepped a boundary . " she narrowed her eyes on the man , leaning a bit closer . " wouldn't that be a turn of the tide . . . "

Where: Fasil Ghebbi Gardens (the night before the Grand Breakfast)

Kekoa and his family had arrived late the night before. In the past Kekoa would have been the one settling arrangement, arriving ahead to scout locations, ensure safety, plan to maximize the impact of the royal family’s arrival. Now he was the one being shepparded around. A prized possession without all the information he needed.

An unwilling King.

He knew the day ahead would be chaotic. Events and mingling. Familiar and unfamiliar faces all melding together. He should be resetting in preparation. Instead it was 2am and he was wandering the grounds. The sound of footsteps behind him broke him out of his musings.

“I have always struggled to sleep in new places. As a child, I think I was just too excited for what lay ahead. Now, I suspect, it is more that my body yearns for home.”

whatever genes this child was already beginning to formulate , she could only pray that her heir would not inherit her severe case of insomnia . she could not blame the heat — for spain had sweltering summers as well . & she could not blame homesickness . . . but she could blame the churn in her lower abdomen keeping her up til the wee hours of the night . wrapping her shawl around her shoulders , she slowly snuck out of the northern spanish quarters ; opting to walk guard-less through the sleepy gardens .

her free hand fell to her stomach , rubbing back & forth to soothe the churn . how long can she hide the consequence of her philandering ? her eyes squinted as she finally found that she was not alone . . . keeping her distance , careful not to alarm . only until kekoa invited her in for conversation , she would respond . " yearns for home . . . " she repeated , a slight chuckle . " are the southern spaniard flags not enough ? "