Thalassic Queen

lucian  was  already  enjoying  the  wine  of  the  court  without  prompting,  without  needing  more  of  a  reason  than  what  they  were  all  dealing  with  as  is.  however,  when  the  vaelorian  queen  saunters  into  the  small  lounge  and  sits  across  from  him,  well,  the  right  hand  of  eryndor  takes  a  large  sip  and  plasters  on  a  simple  grin  on  his  lips.  "  good  evening,  your  highness.  "  simple,  pleasant  enough,  but  offering  little.  he's  been  at  this  game  too  long,  just  as  she  has.

“Good evening, High Lord Vorros,” she echoes, a nod following as her eyes fall on the glass of wine on his hand curiously. “How is the wine? I am aware Aurelion claims they have the best wines, but I do favor the liquors of Vaeloria myself.”

No thoughts, just Tati Gabrielle.

Lupita Nyong'o & her cat Yoyo – Glamour

there  had  been  a  million  and  one  questions  asked  when  the  disappearances  had  occurred  and  then  the  bodies  that  had  begun  to  be  found .  a  lack  of  blood  in  their  bodies ,  something  of  which  they  would  learn  was  because  of  vampires .  along  with  the  other  high  healers ,  jesinia  had  been  allowed  a  moment  to  investigate  the  body  to  understand  what  they  were  up  against .  nothing  would  bring  them  back  once  emptied  of  their  blood .  it  was  a  ghastly  thing  to  see ,  the  pale  hollowed  out  body  of  a  once  vibrant  fae  a  shock  to  them  all .  jesinia  turns  as  another  steps  up  to  the  railing  and  immediately  she  finds  the  need  to  speak .  " if  you're  going  to  ask  if  healing  magic  can  bring  back  blood ,  it  cannot .  when  one  has  lost  a  lot  of  blood  and  if  they  are  still  alive ,  then  it  simply  can  help  to  speed  up  a  body's  innate  healing . "  her  fingers  drum  against  the  stone  in  front  of  her ,  but  then  she  sees  it  is  not  another  one  of  the  healers .  " my  apologies ...  i  thought  you  were  one  the  assistant  healers .  you  likely  did  not  want  to  know  such  things . "

Vampires and fae are truly a bad match up, she sees. Not a surprise, considering how very different their species were, but it is rather frustrating to have to acknowledge that their healing magic will only help the rebels victims if they find them with enough blood on their body to survive, and not a fluid ounce less.

he  gives  his  mother  a  small  smile,  a  brow  slightly  raised  at  the  hesitance  in  her  voice  "  ask?  mother,  you  say  that  as  if  i'd  deny  any  of  your  requests."  he  understood  her  hesitance  in  these  graver  matters,  the  last  thing  she  wanted  to  go  was  to  place  her  children  in  the  forefront  of  this  unknown  chaos.  he  reached  out  to  squeeze  her  hand,  "i  was  speaking  to  lake  earlier  on  how  to  proceed,  before  I  did,  I  thought  i'd  see  if  something  of  use  could  be  found."  much  to  his  dismay  the  archives  little  to  no  information,  and  he  didn't  blame  the  court,  because  he  was  sure  none  of  the  courts  contain  any  relevant  information  on  these  creatures.  "i  think  it's  the  best  course  as  an  ambassador  and  with  our  spymaster,  i'll  see  what  my  gifts  can  uncover."  he  hands  the  book  he'd  been  reading,  "what  we're  looking  for  won't  be  found  in  these  archives  much  to  our  dismay.  have  you  and  father  spoken  with  the  aurelion  rulers,  what  do  they  think?"

“As much as your father and I said earlier,” she says. “Our wariness is warranted, but they seem to believe their guests, for now. They are still keeping an eye on them, of course, but having a few vampires in our side when hunting their kind is necessary.”

to  say  he  was  less  than  impressed  with  the  castle  itself  and  the  denizens  inside  of  it  was  largely  an  understatement .  in  all  that  he  had  heard  of  the  fae ,  their  use  of  magic  was  something  exceptional .  being  able  to  control  various  elements  and  their  more  rare  affinities  and  he  had  expected  more .  ronan  had  expected  them  to  be  able  to  handle  a  threat ,  even  an  unknown  one .  yet  they  were  entirely  clueless  and  in  more  danger  until  their  arrival .  such  as  what  was  happening  here  would  not  be  allowed  within  the  walls  of  the  blood  queen's  palace ,  no  not  at  all .  his  pace  is  lazy ,  slowed  as  he  strides  throughout  the  halls ,  passing  by  fae  and  vampires  alike  who  stand  mostly  at  a  distance  to  one  another .  he  does  not  blame  the  fae ,  but  they  cannot  stay  apart  for  long ,  especially  if  they  are  to  find  their  rebels .  " so  they  have  gathered  for  some  kind  of  competition ,  is  that  right ? "  he  asks  out  loud  and  if  it  draws  another  in  conversation  then  so  be  it .

“The ancient games, yes,” she answers with a nod. “There are a number of events of brawns and wits for people to try their hand on, and glory goes to the kingdom who is the home of most victors. Happens every year, and every year whichever city holds them ends up the temporary home of thousands.”

perched  incredibly  delicately  atop  a  thin  stone  half  wall,  vira  is  aware  she  might  draw  more  attention  that  normal  in  her  slick  black  leathers,  but  cares  not.  as  days  go  by  she  grows  less  irritated  by  the  gaze  of  fae  and  more  amused,  her  sister's  words  echoing  in  her  mind.  their  fear  is  palpable,  yet  not  all  seem  entirely  afraid  either.  the  princess  can't  decide  which  is  worse  –  those  who  fear  her  or  those  who  didn't.  when  a  fae  approaches,  vira  can't  help  but  instantly  put  her  guard  up  higher,  refusing  to  allow  them  to  treat  her  like  a  science  project.  "  can  i  help  you  ?  "  there  is  absolutely  nothing  in  her  voice  that  makes  it  seem  as  if  she  will.

“You can, indeed!” She responds with a radiant smile, hands clasped behind her back as her eyes twinkle with mischief. “I was wondering if you would be interested in a spar, milady. I have yet to see your kind in action, and I would love to see what I possibly must go against, since I am a competitor in the games and we seem to be the rebels' chosen prey.”

“Of course, I did make the decision to sit with the most interesting person here, since you look like an excellent conversation partner.”

" lord  martin ...  what  a  pleasant  surprise . "  the  spymaster  just  barely  hides  the  annoyance  in  her  voice  at  the  lesser  lord's  presence  once  more .  it  had  only  been  a  few  weeks  since  the  last  time  he  had  dared  to  demand  answers  from  her  and  now  with  their  new  guests  in  their  midst ,  it  seemed  he  had  decided  it  was  time  again .  " let  me  stop  you  before  you  even  start,  if  you  have  questions  or  concerns  regarding  our  new  guests ,  then  by  all  means  approach  them  yourself .  perhaps  you  will  find  one  that  is  more  than  willing  to  answer  your  questions . "  she  catches  sight  of  her  retreat  as  they  round  the  corner ,  " now  if  you'll  excuse  me ... "  she  barely  offers  a  bow  of  her  head  before  heading  to  the  one  whom  had  caught  her  attention ,  " good  afternoon ,  let  us  pretend  we  were  intending  to  meet  so  that  lord  martin  believes  i  am  busy . "  she  inclines  her  head  and  gestures  for  them  to  begin  to  walk  with  her .

In all honesty, she is rather bored and desperately trying to find ways to amuse herself that do not include plopping herself right in the middle of the vampire’s sitting room and asking their hunters for a spar or seven. Making friendships with other courts is a worthwhile distraction, and it will perhaps be useful to Lord Baran, who she is trying to silently apologize for her general behavior. Behavior that, well, is not likely to change anytime soon but well, she can only be so apologetic about it.

it  could  be  misconstrued  as  spying,  but  in  truth,  sitara  was  avoiding.  she'd  crawled  into  her  shell,  she'd  resorted  to  skulking  around…  she'd  walked  into  corridors  that  creatures  of  the  night  may  be  stalking  in  as  if  she  were  invincible.  toying  with  her  necklace,  sitara  doesn't  move  when  she  hears  steps,  breath  stilling  as  she  attempts  to  figure  out  if  this  is  someone  she  knows  or  not.  the  nymerion  princess  sighs  softly,  deciding  not  to  be  accused  of  lurking.  "  this  hallway  is  taken.  "  it  wasn't  her  castle,  the  lack  of  tiara  on  her  head  didn't  even  mark  her  as  a  princess  today.  sitara  pushes  off  the  wall  and  turns  to  face  the  echoing  steps,  brow  cocked  when  she  finds  the  source.

“Your guards must be skilled beyond reason if they can become invisible and fill the entire hallway,” she ends up saying, gesturing around as if to emphasize the great empty spaces around them. “Will I find myself skewered if I take two steps to the left, or do I get to keep my heart beating as it is?”

in  all  honesty  with  their  newly  arrived  guests ,  the  castle  had  begun  to  fell  a  bit  cramped  for  the  monarch .  she  needed  to  get  out ,  the  gardens  were  not  enough  anymore .  and  so  the  queen  had  decided  to  venture  out  into  the  city  a  bit ,  finding  herself  within  the  markets.  of  course  her  royal  guard  were  in  tow  ensuring  her  safety  above  all  things .  there  is  no  rush  in  her  step ,  gliding  through  the  various  stalls  and  with  the  energy  of  her  guards ,  most  leave  space  around  her  to  allow  her  to  pass  through .  the  commonfolk  may  not  know  her  name ,  but  they  recognize  she  is  someone  of  importance .  saranya  stops  at  a  stall  selling  trinkets ,  baubles ,  jewelry  as  it  catches  her  eye .  she  picks  up  a  necklace,  eyeing  the  ruby  pendant  upon  it ,  " i  usually  can  discern  if  something  is  real  or  fake ,  but  i  must  admit  i  am  a  bit  puzzled  on  this  one . "  she  says  lazily  to  the  one  already  at  the  stall ,  " may  i  ask  your  opinion ? "

Look, if he is angry at her for doing stupid shit, he can’t focus on being broody about the vampires, right?

ADELINE RUDOLPH & TATI GABRIELLE ph. Celeste Sloman Vestal Magazine, Spring 2026

Jade and Kitana in the Mortal Kombat 2 Movie

Lupita Nyong'o at the 2025 Met Gala