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Post by Boadicea Ó Donnchadha on Dec 1, 2015 6:50:20 GMT
Sometimes it's better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission. Bo hadn't yet been Queen for all that long, but already she found herself having to fight off servants at almost every turn that she took. They seemed to be completely ignorant of the fact that she'd grown up without servants, and were acting like she was incapable of doing anything for herself. The biggest shock had come earlier that morning when she'd been getting ready to take a bath. Having grown up as a commoner, Bo hadn't realized that servants apparently assist nobles and royals with their baths. When the women that were considered her 'ladies' now had come into her bedchambers with her stark naked she'd let out a shriek loud enough to raise the dead. This, of course, had startled the ladies, and it had taken several moments of sputtering and screaming for her to understand what exactly was going on. When someone had finally explained that they were there to help her bathe she had balked at the idea and very sharply commanded them to leave.
She hadn't intended to be rude, but even as a soldier bathing had been a solitary thing for her. The idea of being stark naked in front of other people wasn't appealing to her, and the idea of being stark naked with other people touching her was even less appealing. That said, intended or not, she hadn't seen any of those ladies since commanding them from her bed chambers that morning, so it was likely that they were still upset by her reaction. She shrugged those thoughts away as she pushed open the door to the palace's audience chamber. A servant had told her a few moments ago that some noble or other was here to speak to her about the war. She hadn't really paid close attention to what the servant had said, so when her gaze landed on none other than Zephan Bayn the shock on her face wasn't exaggerated. "Well holy shit," she said as her shock faded and her face split into a grin. "Fancy seein' you here, Bayn," she added as that grin widened. MEL @ ADOXOGRAPHY
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Post by Zephan Bayn on Dec 1, 2015 7:49:35 GMT
Zephan had managed to significantly shorten the two day's ride to the royal palace into a little less than a day. He'd convinced his mother to let him leave behind the guards and various noblemen that she wanted him to bring along, and had set out by himself. He felt a little bad for his horse, as he hadn't given it much time to rest, but he didn't mind causing a bit of discomfort in order to cut the time this trip would take him in half. Thankfully, he had the good sense to stop a mile or so short of the palace and change into his military uniform, or he might have appeared rugged and unkempt before the new Queen. He had heard a little bit about the woman, but he hadn't actually had the chance to meet her yet. He wasn't even sure that he remembered her name, though he certainly couldn't be at fault for that. Right? He was a busy person, and the ruling monarchs seemed to be traded out every other day, lately. He might have been upset that his mother's right to the throne hadn't been acknowledged, but he knew that she wasn't upset over it, nor was she particularly eager to advance her position. Which was definitely good, or else Idritis would be fighting two wars.
He was pondering that idea with an amused smirk on his face as he was led through the palace and into its audience chamber, the servant who escorted him informing him that his royal highness would greet him shortly. He'd never actually spoken to a member of the royal family, so he wasn't exactly sure what he was in for. Sure, his mother had told him to mind his p's and q's, but that wasn't exactly helpful. Especially because it wasn't easy for him to warm up to new people. Nor did he really know how to suck up to people. Yes, he'd obeyed orders from higher command in the army, but it was different. There was no sucking up or hand holding, it was more of a "do as I tell you" environment than a "make me feel good about myself". He was standing at ease in the audience chamber, his hands folded behind his back and his feet shoulder-width apart, when the door opened to reveal a woman. He gazed at her for a brief moment before recognition flew across his face, causing a broad grin to settle across his lips, "I'll be damned," he laughs. "Never in a million years would I have thought..." he trails off, shaking his head, "Damn, you did good, Bo!" He'd completely forgotten that he was supposed to treat this woman as if she was royalty, instead of a person that he had served in the army with.
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Post by Boadicea Ó Donnchadha on Dec 1, 2015 8:20:05 GMT
Sometimes it's better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission. Her grin broadened even more at his response to her presence. "Hell yes I did," she said with a laugh. "Never would have thought I was royalty until mom fessed up to having slept with Risteard nine months prior to my birth," she admitted with that same grin still plastered to her face. Quite honestly she probably looked a bit different than she had the last time she'd been around Zephan. Sure she was still dressed in clothes "unbefitting a lady," but she'd finally caved to the servants demanding that she at least do something with her hair, and had even allowed them to put a bit of 'color' on her face. Her clothes consisted of a fitted green tunic embroidered with the royal crest in golden thread, and a pair of fitted britches that, while practical, left little to the imagination as far as her figure was concerned. She actually looked more lady like now than she used to, but somehow managed to retain the appearance of a warrior.
Part of that was likely thanks to the fact that she had a sword belt; complete with a sword, fastened around her waist. Her hair was twisted in a single plait that fell down her back in a 'pretty,' yet; again, still practical fashion. She had; however, drawn the line at wearing a crown around the palace all day. The damned thing was far too uncomfortable, and considering the clothing she wore she definitely stood out in a crowd. "It's still a bit much to wrap my head around, but here it is anyway," she said with a shrug. "I take it your here on business, though," she added when she remembered that he was supposed to be here to talk to her about the war. Much as a part of her would rather catch up with an old acquaintance, she knew that business always came first now that she was a queen. Battle she could do; as a soldier she'd seen a decent amount of it during the crusades, but it was this queenly business that she was uncertain about. She hadn't been raised as royalty, so she was struggling a bit in that area. Fortunately when her ladies weren't upset with her for screaming like a banshee over them trying to help her bathe, they did offer as much help as possible. MEL @ ADOXOGRAPHY
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Post by Zephan Bayn on Dec 1, 2015 8:35:20 GMT
He laughed when she agreed, though when she mentioned her mother having slept with Risteard, he would reach up to run his fingers through his hair, feeling a little awkward about the direction of the conversation. He felt almost as if whatever he said in response could be taken as an insult, and thus remained quiet. He just didn't know how she felt about either parent, and he didn't want to give some flippant answer that would result in her anger; it would not be a good thing for the Queen to be at odds with the heir to her Grand Duchy. He settled back into a more comfortable posture as the greetings seemed to be over; standing "at ease" once again. It wasn't that he thought that he needed to be formal in front of Bo, it was because he was most comfortable in this stance. Besides, it had been one of the stances that were drilled into him since the first day he joined Keld's army.
When she said that it was still a bit much to wrap her head around, he would scoff, "Doubtful. You understand it fully well, you're just not comfortable with all of the servants and ladies waiting on you," he smirks. He'd had the same issue with servants and such when he'd come back home from being with the army for so many years. He'd forgotten what it was like to be of a higher social standing. He couldn't really say that he liked it, but he did understand it, and he was forced to behave just as any other nobleman would. He sighed softly when she mentioned that he was likely here on business; despite loving his time in the army and being a great soldier, he didn't particularly enjoy war, and everything that it entailed. "Unfortunately, yes. I am. My mother, Amena, sent me to speak with you. She regrets that we haven't made contact sooner, but she felt that she should get our men prepared before reporting to you. Honestly, I don't think she'd been expecting another war while she was still Grand Duchess. But then...nobody really expects war, right?" he asks rhetorically.
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Post by Boadicea Ó Donnchadha on Dec 1, 2015 16:23:03 GMT
Sometimes it's better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission. When she noted his silence after her mention of her mother having slept with the king she had to hide a smirk. "You can say something, you know. Personally I thought it highly disturbing that my mother would have ever lowered her standards enough to sleep with a man like that," she pointed out with a laugh. Then again, some rumors claimed that Risteard had been attractive in his younger days, and some people were that shallow. Of course she liked to think that she got her mother's good looks, but according to her mom she actually got a few of her looks from her father. The thought was almost enough to make her shudder, but somehow she managed to repress the urge. Quite frankly she would rather have never inherited anything from her father; considering the things that she'd learned about him long before ever learning that he was her own flesh and blood. It was half the reason that Whelan had been so quick to support her becoming the queen. So long as he didn't have to be on a throne and the person replacing him was at least halfway decent compared to Risteard O'Maoduin, he'd been happy to give up the position.
Shame, too, she thought. It probably could've been cool to have a king who was an ex-bounty-hunter. Not that a lot of people had known that about Aodh Whelan, but Bo had a knack for learning things that people didn't want her to. Aodh had said it was part of what would make her a good queen, and she'd laughed at the suggestion. "Oh man, Bayn, I don't understand this servants and ladies thing," she said when he pointed out her discomfort and she actually cringed a bit. "I didn't know you noble people had servants to help you bathe," she added with a slight note of betrayal in her voice. Like he was the one to blame for the fiasco that had happened that morning, and like she wasn't now one of the people she had just categorized him as. And then she remembered that; for the most part, he didn't enjoy being grouped into the nobility categorization. He was a bit too much of a soldier for that. "Er. Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," she added quickly; like as soon as she had that realization. However when his mood turned from one of general teasing to one of business; marked by his slip into soldier mode, she allowed the expressions to fall from her face and slipped into her own version of soldier mode.
This was why it was easier for her to interact with other soldiers; they tended to mimic one another's actions and be more understanding. Had either of them done this around a 'normal' person, said person likely would have reacted poorly. "I understand her reasoning perfectly well, and am glad that she took the time to organize her men before she sent you here," she said in a tone that was both reasonable and slightly relaxed. Tactics and preparations were familiar territory to her, after all. Although; while she might not realize it, she had actually sounded rather queen like in the diplomatic way that she had worded that phrase. His comment about Amena not expecting another war while she was the Grand Duchess made her face fall a little. "No, I don't suppose we do," she remarked in response. While there was a part of her that tried to put on a brave face when it came to battle, the truth of it was that battle left permanent scars on a person's mental state; if not their physical, and even she couldn't deny that. Certainly she preferred the activity of it to the stillness of every day life. She preferred the rare sense of camaraderie that she got to experience when on the battle field. But she was perfectly fine doing without those things in comparison to watching people she knew and cared about be slaughtered before her eyes.
She shook her head as if to clear it of such dark thoughts and returned her attention to Zephan. "What are Keld's numbers these days? And more to the point; as the heir to the Grand-Duchy and a soldier, where do you feel Keld's men would do best in defense of Ireland and Idritis," she asked, her tone showing little of the emotion that had seeped into it a moment or two before. Now she was all business again; soldier mode if you like. TAG: Zephan Bayn | WORDS: 757 | NOTES: Awkward mood swings. She's still a teenager. Lol. MEL @ ADOXOGRAPHY
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Post by Zephan Bayn on Dec 2, 2015 2:22:39 GMT
He laughed when she said that she didn't understand the whole servants and ladies thing. To be honest, he didn't quite understand the ladies thing himself, but he did see how it was useful to have a few servants hanging around. He only laughed harder when she said that she hadn't known that "you nobles" had people to help them bathe. He was gasping for air and clutching his sides, his amusement was so profound. He hadn't had a person help him bathe since he was a child, so it was rather amusing to him. "Oh gods," he gasps, his laughter beginning to subside, "Sorry, but uh...only ladies have help," he grins, still rather amused. "Could you imagine? Another guy rubbing me down with soap?" he laughs, the thought rather absurd to him. Perhaps it was only within his own family that men didn't receive help bathing, but regardless, the idea seemed ridiculous to him. He was a grown man, he didn't need somebody to wash him. He understood why a lady might need help with her hair or whatever, but it was just lazy for a perfectly healthy man to ask for somebody's help to bathe. He ignored her apology, seeing as how he hadn't been offended by it.
All of the laughter and such was left behind when she addressed his reasons for being here. He was happy to get back into a more comfortable topic; he was equally as afraid of offending her as she was of offending him, so talking about the war seemed to be an easier conversation. Well, it would be if it wasn't so depressing. When she asked how many men Keld had, and what he suggested doing with them, he would reach up to rub the back of his neck. He hadn't actually talked with his mother about a strategy to present to the Queen, but he figured that his own personal opinions wouldn't hurt anything. "Our army is ten thousand men strong, and our soldiers are trained equally well in offensive and defensive measures," he says, "I thought it might be beneficial to send three thousand to cover the coast; I don't think we need to worry about Idritis being attacked from any other direction. I would keep two thousand in Keld - we'll only send them out if they're desperately needed; wars have been won by sending a thousand or so fresh men into battle. I would send another thousand here to protect the capital in case the enemy should get past the shore. They would work with members from your own army, of course. The rest of the men should be used to help our allies, the remaining four thousand from Keld's army, along with troops from other armies, should be enough to hold our alliance with the other Kingdoms."
Once he was finished talking he would clasp his hands together, gazing intently at her as he tried to gauge her reaction. This was the first plan that he'd actually come up with by himself, so he was hopeful that it at least made sense. After a moment he would tack on, "I'm sure my mother has her own ideas, which I haven't yet heard. You'll probably want to consider those as well," he says, though his tone was rather awkward. He felt almost as if he was speaking out of turn. Why was he here talking to the Queen if he didn't even know his mother's plans? Perhaps that's why she allowed him to come by himself. So that he would learn to always make sure he was prepared for conversations like these.
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Post by Boadicea Ó Donnchadha on Dec 2, 2015 2:54:04 GMT
Sometimes it's better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission. She wrinkled her nose at his laughter, even if it was a bit contagious. When he said that only ladies had help she opened her mouth, prepared to argue that she wasn't a lady, but shut it when she realized that she was supposed to be one now. His words about imagining another man rubbing him down with soap gave her the childish urge to stick her tongue out at him, but she managed to resist doing so. "I can't imagine it being much more pleasant than allowing another woman to rub me down with soap," she said rather than give into that childish urge. "Last time I checked I wasn't an infant incapable of bathing myself," she pointed out rather bluntly. To her the idea that a woman might need help bathing was as foreign as the idea that a man might need help bathing to him. But then much of that was a product of her having been raised as a commoner and turned into a soldier. The lifestyles of nobles and royals were simply foreign to her, and she couldn't really help that fact until she'd spent more time as a queen.
When the conversation shifted and he gave her the run down of what he would do with Keld's men she nodded along to his words. He spoke with an authority that was rare for someone who had never made calls like that before. It gave her a confidence in his potential as the heir of Idritis's Grand Duchy that she hadn't had before. Not that she hadn't trusted him, but it was always easier to trust those who had confidence in themselves. When he finished his explanation of what he believed would be the best course of action with Keld's men she gave him a nod and faint smile of approval. Not because she believed that he needed it. Gods knew she was younger than him and he likely didn't think her capable of strategizing in the same way, but because it made her feel better for whatever reason. When he admitted that he hadn't heard his mother's ideas for Keld's men yet she couldn't help but smirk. "Well, having watched and listened to Commander Forrester before, I'm pretty confident in saying that you would have just made him proud with the way you delivered that strategy," she offered. "As well I will take the Duchess's strategies into consideration when she has the time to either voice them to me or send them via messenger. My only recommendation is to make sure that you and the Grand Duchess are on the same page. I understand her reason for sending you here without first voicing her strategies to you, but I would like for us all to work together as closely as possible," she added in a very business-like tone.
"On another note. Is there anything that the Duchess requires of me or my men," she asked. Quite frankly she felt a bit awkward having said what she did about making sure Zephan and his mother were on the same page. Unfortunately she'd felt the need to say it, and all she could do was hope that he didn't take too much offense to her words. She hadn't meant to be offensive, but she also knew that there were people who were sensitive to things like that. As far as she could remember he had never seemed to be one of those people, but she hadn't always had the time to pay attention to his reactions in situations like this. She'd spent a lot of time learning and covering her own ass when they'd been on crusade, and that hadn't left a lot of time for people watching. For the most part, though, she knew that Zephan had looked up to Commander Forrester a lot in the past, and since she'd actually heard the Commander use words similar to the ones she just had, she felt that she was likely in the clear. Then again, the Commander was older than Zephan, where she was younger. TAG: Zephan Bayn | WORDS: 667 | NOTES: Yay for the awkwardness of being younger than the person you out rank! MEL @ ADOXOGRAPHY
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Post by Zephan Bayn on Dec 3, 2015 4:29:33 GMT
He grinned when she said that he would have made Kavan proud, warmth spreading in his chest. It was always something he was worried about; whether he was able to make the people he loved the most proud of him. Unfortunately, the mood quickly dissipated when she mentioned making sure that he and his mother were on the same page, and that she wanted them all to work together as closely as possible. He would shake his head quickly, not wanting her to think that his mother was inept, "This...was not my mother's fault at all. I was simply supposed to meet with you and inform you that you have our full support and cooperation, and that we would be honored to help in the war effort in any way possible," he says. "I want you to know that if my mother knew that I was making such a fool of myself..." he trails off for a moment, reaching up to run his fingers through his hair, "Well...I don't think she'd let me step foot outside of Keld for a year," he laughs, trying to inject more humor into the conversation. "I assure you, if my mother had known that I would mention anything relating to Keld's strategy with the war, she would have been sure to fill me in on her ideas. Truthfully, if I had been home I'm sure she would have filled me in anyways, but I've been busy preparing my men for war," he says, though he could feel himself growing more and more frustrated with his efforts to save face. He sighed, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose as he took a moment to think. After he dropped his hand he would force a smile onto his face, "Honestly, my mother is a brilliant woman, and the only person you could possibly want to be handling Keld and our army," he says, figuring that would be the last thing he would say on that matter. He felt as if he was making things worse with every word that he spoke, so he figured that he should just stop talking.
When she asked if there was anything that his mother required of her, he would shake his head, "No, I don't believe so. She's managed Keld through several wars without any outside help, she's pretty much got it down by now," he assures the woman standing opposite him. "But, is there anything else that we can do for you?" he asks, trying to get past the awkwardness of making sure that she knew that his mother was an amazing grand duchess. "I know that supplying trained men is the biggest thing you could need, but...and I mean no offense to you whatsoever, this is your first time leading Idritis through a war. There would be no shame in asking for help if you did need it," he says, his tone sincere. He felt awkward speaking so personally to her, and he felt almost as if he was still making things worse. It was much easier speaking to people that didn't have the power to turn his entire life upside down if they got upset with him. Not that he thought that Bo would do anything of the sort; from what he'd seen of her she seemed to have outstanding morals. But...he didn't actually know her, and he hadn't been around her enough to be absolutely certain. He wondered if this was why his mother had sent him; if she wanted him to experience how awkward and difficult it was to speak with somebody who literally held your life in their hands, so that he would have empathy when dealing with the people of Keld when he took the reins. Whatever the reason she had for sending him by himself, he would be sure to mention how cruel and inhumane it had been.
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Post by Boadicea Ó Donnchadha on Dec 3, 2015 5:10:24 GMT
Sometimes it's better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission. She couldn't help the amusement that tugged at her lips with how quickly he was to jump to his mother's defense. She let him say everything that he had to say in order to defend his mother before she responded at all, however. When she did she leaned forward and lightly punched his arm in a friendly manner. "Relax, Bayn. I wasn't calling anyone's competence into question. I'm just trying to make sure that I have my ass covered as well as everyone else's in this kingdom," she assured him with amusement clear in her tone. "Believe it or not I did grow up hearing stories of your mother's accomplishments," she added in a further attempt to make him feel better about the whole thing. "It's as much my fault for not asking if she had sent you with any official strategies before I asked your opinion on the matter. That said I still think that both the Duchess and Commander Forrester would be proud of how you strategized like that on the spot," she said with a shrug. He might feel awkward for having potentially done something that he shouldn't have, but she didn't mind it. As a soldier she'd learned that it was a good thing to have as many strategies as possible laid out on the table before deciding what was best.
His assurance that there wasn't anything that they needed from her made her feel significantly better. Especially considering she knew so little about this whole being royalty thing. It was a pain in her ass, quite frankly. "Off the top of my head? I could deal with getting shit faced drunk and/or someone magically turning me into a person who was groomed to be a Queen their whole life," she responded with a laugh. She had a bad habit of using sarcasm in situations where it really shouldn't be used, yet another strike against the whole Queen thing. What she needed was someone for moral support, but she couldn't admit that to someone that she didn't know all that well. Sure, her mother was doing what she could to offer her support, but she needed a fellow soldier who could remind her that the asshole naysayers who bitched about her age and gender didn't make her less of a soldier or leader. The people of Idritis weren't going to look to her as a leader until she proved that she was one. Hopefully that wouldn't take too long, but until then she was going to need someone or something to lean on. She felt lost without her mentor, and a part of her wanted to ask Bayn for that kind of help, but at the same time he didn't strike her as the type to offer moral support. "I appreciate the offer, but at the moment there is nothing more that I require of Keld. If, however, I do need something should I trust that I can call on her," she asked, referring to the Grand Duchy, not the Duchess herself. TAG: Zephan Bayn | WORDS: 507 | NOTES: Aww. I actually feel bad for Bo, now. ;-; MEL @ ADOXOGRAPHY
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Post by Zephan Bayn on Dec 3, 2015 6:15:50 GMT
When she said that she could deal with getting shit-faced drunk, a smirk would develop across his face. That was certainly something that he could help her with. However, he would keep silent on the matter until after they had finished talking business. When she said that she couldn't think of anything that she needed, he would nod, clasping his hands behind his back, "Of course, if there's ever anything that you need, Keld is the place to go," he assures her. "I'm going to advise my mother and Kavan to make a trip here, if you would accept their audience? I'm sure that they would like to go over strategies with you, themselves, they just needed some extra time to tie up loose ends before coming themselves," he says. Honestly, he had only included Kavan in that sentence because he was genuinely worried about the man going off to war and he hoped to delay him joining any battles for as long as possible. Not that he doubted his abilities as a soldier, but somebody in the Commander's position would be a high value target and that really wasn't a good thing. Especially because the man was so well known. He might have been worried about his brother going off to war as well, but nobody generally thought of him; he hadn't been chosen as heir and while he was a damn good soldier, he wasn't overly ambitious so he hadn't really advanced to a rank that would make it easy for him to be picked out in a crowd. Kavan, on the other hand, would be far too easy to single out.
He allowed himself to forget about that worry for now, though. There were others things that needed his focus. Now that they had finished saying everything that they needed to, he would glance briefly around the audience chamber before taking a step towards the door, "Now, I'm going to go find some alcohol, care to join me?" he asks, a grin developing over his face. He generally wasn't the type to offer invitations like this, but she seemed rather stressed out about this whole Queen situation, not to mention the fact that she had mentioned the want to go get drunk. There obviously wasn't anything else he could do to help her, but he was rather good at listened and drinking. Well...in this case he probably actually wouldn't be drinking. If she accepted the invitation, he didn't want to end up in a situation where they were both drunk off their asses and somebody decided to start something. Not that she wasn't capable of handling situations while inebriated, but it was always better to have somebody sober around to have your back. Besides, she was a fellow soldier. He hoped that if he was ever in a position like hers, that he would have another soldier around with enough common sense to take him out and help him forget about his troubles for a few hours. However, he wasn't going to be overly disappointed if she turned down his offer. He knew that she was likely very busy, not to mention the fact that she was still trying to find her footing as a Queen.
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Post by Boadicea Ó Donnchadha on Dec 3, 2015 7:19:46 GMT
Sometimes it's better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission. She felt relief when he assured her that she could turn to Keld if there was anything that she needed. While she had technically been a part of their army as a soldier, and considered Keld as close to a home as she had, she hadn't been certain if she would find an actual ally in them or not. Especially when one considered the fact that by all rights the Grand Duchess could have claimed the throne; even if Bo was blood to the late king. His next words about advising his mother and Commander Forrester to make a trip to the palace made her stomach knot with anxiety. If she thought this meeting had been awkward, one with the Grand Duchess and her Commander would be even more so. Bo didn't really know how to act around people in positions of power, and even less so around people who were older than her. It had been bad enough going from being a soldier without much of a rank to speak of and below Zephan in status to someone who technically out ranked him. But for that situation to present itself with the Grand Duchess and her Commander? That would be exceedingly more awkward, especially because she could find ways to crack jokes around Zephan as a way to ease the tension. But she sincerely doubted that his mother and Commander Forrester would appreciate her crass sense of humor.
That said, she couldn't deny an audience with them simply because she was scared shitless. "I would be happy to take an audience with the Grand Duchess and Commander Forrester if they would like one," she said and cringed inwardly. This was so awkward and uncomfortable to her. Who was she to be accepting audiences from a Grand Duchess and her Commander? Yes, she bore the title of Queen and even the crown to go with it, but she'd been born and raised a commoner. Accepting an audience with them rather than requesting one seemed completely wrong to her. Then again, the idea of requesting an audience with either of them had never crossed her mind when she'd been a commoner. She'd only ever seen, been awed by, and respected them from a distance. She had no idea what either of them thought of her; a commoner and a soldier instead of a lady, being crowned as the new Queen. Gods it probably would have been better to simply let Whelan retain the title and position. Quite frankly she hadn't actually come to the palace; after learning she was the bastard daughter of the late king, with the intention of attempting to become anything. But Whelan had been far too eager to get out of the situation that he'd found himself thrown into. When he had learned the truth of who she was, and been given the proof that he needed of both her lineage and character, he'd all but thrown the crown at her.
Zephan's invitation to find alcohol startled her from her thoughts and she felt a grin spread across her face. "I should probably say no, but after the last couple of months my response is going to be a loud and resounding hell yes," she said with a laugh. While there was a lot that she still had to do, she had also learned quickly that a lot of the business around the palace was conducted by other people. Apparently Risteard had been too busy with things that he found interesting to do much in the way of running things, so the palace ran pretty smoothly on its own. Once she'd found her footing as the new Queen she would make sure she got in on more things, but for now she needed those people who knew what they were doing, or she would surely drown. She followed him out of the audience chamber as those thoughts swirled through her head. Honestly getting shit faced sounded like a great idea, but she also knew that it probably wasn't. She was the Queen now and needed to present herself as a respectable person; not run around getting drunk. That thought in mind she determined that she would only have a few drinks. Which would probably be for the best, considering she knew that she tended to talk too much when she had alcohol in her system. TAG: Zephan Bayn | WORDS: 728 | NOTES: Yay for drinking buddies! MEL @ ADOXOGRAPHY
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