crown of thorns.

     “ the clave wronged my parabatai. ” while she wouldn’t go into details on this one, she proposed just enough to make her stand strong. “ and my loyalties lie within him before anyone or anything else. ”

      “then you would betray them ??” astrid inches closer, eyes level with the shadowhunter’s. “i require one of your kind to do so.”

HE WASN’T SURE what he thought of someone significantly shorter than him calling him little one repeatedly but that was not a hill he was going to die on. ❝ humans, ❞ he says with a nod. ❝ they’re interesting creatures – their customs, their ideas, the things they create. never dull with them around. ❞

    pearly whites press into the rosy flesh of her bottom lip before a slow sigh falls from between them. it was not quite the response she had hoped for. “you sound almost as if you are fond of the mundanes.” amber eyes take care to draw over his every feature. where had this one come from ?? 

THEY GLARED AT THE WOMAN. ❝ then you can fuck off ‘cause i gave you what i got. you’re choice. ❞

     “you would be wise to take more care with how speak to me.” the seelie levels them with a cool glare. “unless you would wish these words to be your last.”

     “ look- ” elena paused, letting out a sigh to calm herself. “ i don’t even know what kind of answers you might be looking for in me. ”

     “the clave.” she hisses, her voice low. “you choose not to side with the usurper - but you bear the angels markings. do you still follow their lead ??”

      she had heard many stories growing up, tales to both excite her and teach lessons. she knew she had learned other things than her brother would because he was not the heir. he was the second born, after adelina. she doesn’t know why astrid is telling her this now, but she listens intently. “you were not like that to us mother. not to me. you were queen and my mother. you were different.” she didn’t know why she felt the need to say it, to reassure her in some way. “your sister was treated differently just because she was born second.” there were parts of lucien’s life that was different than her own, she was aware of that much, but they had both been loved. adelina sighed and looked down at their joined hands, “why are you telling me this?”

     adelina has never been a fool. she knows that her mother would not simply share this story as a method of reminiscing. that with every word astrid speaks there is always intent. amber eyes soften as they look on her daughter, an ache in her chest at the worry clouding beautiful features. it was a great risk to reveal the truth to her daughter at this time. if adelina did not keep her word, astrid would have to take drastic measures. “because perhaps, if i tell you of the past, you might understand why i have done what i must in the present.” 

there was a beat of silence that filled the air around them as he looking at his mother, his gaze never waver. he knew there wasn’t much he could do, even more so given the glint in his eyes. ❝ fine. ❞ he let out a small huff. ❝ a certain merprincess might be staying with me. ❞ half truth, because it wasn’t just that, there was the pregnancy too but he knew it was a heavy topic both for him and dani, therefore he would only tell when she was ready.   

      a certain merprincess. then his romance with daniella was more than simply rekindled. he was bringing her back to court. “what wonderful news.” the queen says brightly, encouraging smile on her lips. even to her children, deceit was all too natural, all too easy. “will she be bringing her sisters to join us ??”

Vex hummed lightly at the small retort, a faint smile tugging at her lips. She knew it to be true, and she would not dream of it for the most part - Yet this? She could get used to this. “What exactly do you have against sleep? What did it ever do to you?” The knight teased lightly, before feeling the press of lips against her skin and begrudgingly opening her eyes. She knew this wasn’t a battle she was going to win, but the sight she came to find certainly made up for it. There were very few, if any, that got to see Astrid like this. Before the weight of her crown caught up with her and she could just - be. It was something to behold, and Vexalia doubted it would ever cease to feel like a privilege. “Breakfast sounds good.” She smiled, a hand curling into brunette tresses as she moved in for a kiss. Eventually forcing herself back, she shook her head faintly. “Right; up, now - or you’re not leaving.” The brunette smirked, before sitting up herself to shrug the remnants of sleep from her bones.  

       she finds the smile remains on her lips at vex’s words, this side of her knight one reserved only for her and her family. a woman that could be as soft, gentle, as she was ruthless. the lips that meet hers are so familiar that the kiss is as easy as taking a breath, comfortable enough that she might forget for just a moment that she has a realm to rule. and just as quickly as it was given, the kiss is drawn away - always leaving her wanting another. “as you wish.” the queen chuckles, stretching her limbs as she rises from the bed. without the blankets wrapped around her, her porcelain skin is bare in the stray sunbeams through the window. she makes a dance of it, gliding around the room, half teasing her love with the view as she locates her robe. drawing it tightly around her, she turns to await vex. “let’s go to our courtyard. it’ll be lovely out there at this time of day.”

“Sure, you keep telling yourself that, pintsize. Age is just a number right?” Bo joked in kind, before the woman’s face all but dropped, following her gaze just in time to watch the little show. “Cute.” She smiled faintly, taking her wrist back from Astrid’s grasp if only to examine it further. A flower bracelet, for lack of a better descriptor, seemed so out of place compared to the rest of her attire – But she kind of loved it still, tracing over the dainty petals as she spoke up once more. “Won’t they wilt though? Or is this a ‘one day only’ sort of deal?”

     she shakes her head in mock despair, brushing off bo’s teasing. the young mundane was aware that the seelie was much older - but quite how old had as yet escaped their conversations. “it is not cute-” she tuts, bemused smile curving across her lips. “it is natural magical in its very essence. pure; untarnished.” won’t they wilt ?? she truly had her hands full with this one - so naive when it came to the shadow world. “no, my dear. the enchantment binds them to the maker. they will not wilt unless i wish them to.”

Her grin didn’t fade, there were many things that Katerina had once been frightened of that she no longer allowed bother her, threats of death were just another one on the long list lately. A laugh escaped her as she shrugged, “How would I know? I don’t know the last time I spoke to anyone in the pack.”

    “don’t tell me you’ve fallen out of favor with the alpha.” astrid cants her head, flicker of intrigue in her amber eyes. did the mermaid intend to deceive her, believing the queen was not aware of her tryst with enzo ?? or had their useful tie been severed ?? “at such an opportune time.”

the warlock lets out a laugh at her words, head shaking a bit. ❝ i certainly can’t argue with that. ❞ he muses with a half shrug. there’s a slight ( alright, perhaps big, but he’s not willing to admit that ) possibility that he is indeed a fool, which is precisely why he laughed. ❝ her… consort. ❞ he repeats, pondering on the word. ❝ i’m not sure i would classify as such. ❞

     i’m not sure i would classify as such. ah yes, for those without the weight of a crown had a strange, perhaps enviably luxury, to allow themselves more. “what classification would you advise ??” the queen curves a raven brow. did he seek to deny their relationship ?? or perhaps, he was one of those overly sentimental types with a grander declaration of love in mind ??

          WEAKER. THE WORD RINGS IN his ears, unsettles his stomach. it’s such a… cliche? No, probably not, but something about it inspires disdain. ❝ but it’s fun here. ❞

    fun. that inspires something rare from the queen - a genuine smile. however brief, it is there drawn across rose lips. fun, when had she last had that ?? the age old satisfaction of toying with mundanes until they broke, just another ant crushed under her dainty boot. “what is it that you find fun, little one ??”

      adelina is reassured just a bit when she feels her mother’s hands squeeze back and in this moment she doesn’t want to let go. to keep holding her mother’s hands, to have this moment between them last as long as it can given the situation. her attention perks up when astrid speak of her mother, a woman the princess had never known. she had been long gone before adelina and lucien had been born. “i don’t think so.” at least she can’t remember such a story about astrid’s mother, about the woman who would have been her grandmother. “she hated you? just because you existed? because she knew that the realm wouldn’t be hers forever?” did that mean she had loved her crown and kingdom more than her own children. she couldn’t imagine growing up and having a mother who hated you. at least she hadn’t felt that from astrid.

        these are stories she withholds from her children; from her court. they are locked in the most private part of herself, kept protected from anyone that might choose to weaken her with them. but her daughter will one day take the throne. and she must know the cost of the crown. “my mother was queen. she was not a mother. she had only one identity and could never marry the idea of being both. my existence, while necessary to maintain the support of the realm, was a burden. and my life, as the firstborn, meant the theft of hers.” astrid says quietly, for once the honesty of sadness clouding her words. “but my sister was not a threat. my sister, could be loved.”

“  i  won’t  knock  it  till  i’ve tried it  .  ”  baby had found that the bat was useful in many situation  ,  usually every day mundane problems  ,  but a few downworld problems as well  .  rowdy werewolves  .  she took a second to inspect the younger girl  ,  frowning  .  “  you could benefit from one yourself  .  unless you’re some sort of SUPERHUMAN entity  .  ”

     superhuman entity. hardly would she consider herself superhuman - to do so would equate her remotely with the mundanes. “no-” she shakes her head, bemusement lining her expression. “i think i will leave the sporting practise to you.”

@thcrnthrcne

Vexalia was stirred to consciousness by a shift of movement, arms tightening instinctively, but almost frivolous in nature. Had it been another, she would have likely left them be, but she was comfy, and this was Astrid – and she wasn’t really thinking much past that yet. “Don’t you dare; it’s far too early.” The brunette muttered, lazy limbs attempting to keep the Queen close while her mind slowly caught up. In truth, Vex had no idea what time of day it was. “And a Saturday… I believe that’s meant to mean something in this realm.” 

      had it been any other arms to tighten around her, she would have pushed them aside without a moments thought. but these arms are home, they are an anchor, and instead she relaxes in to the embrace. “we do not do as the mundanes do, my croí.” astrid chides softly, turning on her side to take in the woman beside her. in this state, with the fog of sleep still clouding her features, vex looks as young as she did when they came together the first time. “a little moment longer-” she hums, pressing a light kiss to her forehead. “and then breakfast ??”