Kaila stepped through the doors as they opened, the sound of conversation already filling the space ahead of her, voices overlapping just enough to blur into something steady and ongoing rather than distinct. She walked through the short hallway before it opened into a larger space. It felt as if she had been here before, or at least, Lailyra had. No one stopped when she entered. A few glances seemed to lift in her direction out of habit more than intent, then returned to the table as though her presence had always been accounted for.
Kaila lowered her gaze and watched her feet as she moved forward, the polished floor reflecting faint streaks of light that spilled in from the tall windows lining the room. The table stretched long before her, its surface set with careful precision, gold catching softly at the edges where the morning light touched it. The scent of food lingered faintly in the air, warm and rich, filling her nostrils. Her stomach growled.
"—we've already pulled back from two," a voice was saying, even and measured. "If it continues, the rest won't hold much longer."
"They were never meant to," another replied.
Kaila reached the end of the table, and a man in uniform drew her chair out for her before she sat, the movement quiet, controlled, her hands settling near the edge of the place set for her.
"Thank you," she said softly.
The servant stilled in response before bowing in her direction and departing. Kaila turned her attention back to the table, and her eyes took in what lay before her.
From here, the arrangement of the room became clearer without needing to be studied directly. The pale colored man at the head of the table faced her, his voice steady in a way that seemed to gather the rest of the conversation back toward him each time it drifted too far. The faint hue of his blue skin seemed to glitter beneath the sun's rays through the windows. To his right, a woman sat with composed stillness, her attention not fixed on any one speaker but never absent either, as though she followed everything without needing to insert herself into it. Her gaze drifted to the window, looking out into the garden below. Her beauty held a refined and elegant aura about it. Her long curly violet-colored hair contrasted with the man's short blond hair. Resting atop both their heads were ornate crowns of gold and jewels. The King and Queen, Kaila thought to herself.
She glanced to her left, where two girls sat pushing vegetables back and forth between their plates. They were dressed similarly, a mirror of one another. Their skin glowed pink, golden hair falling in curled waves from their temples. The only difference lay in the styling of their hair. One wore two braids pulled neatly back, while the other had one braid that fell into her hair, and a glittering hairpin held her hair away from her face. Thin gold chains adorned their heads, diamonds catching in the light, a single ruby joined the chains at the center.
Across from Kaila and to the Queen's left sat another man, younger than the first. Dark purple stubble decorated his jaw and upper lip. A ringed crown of gold circled his head. He leaned back in his seat, continuing the conversation without hesitation, his tone carrying the same certainty as before.
Kaila lowered her gaze, letting the pattern of voices settle into something she could follow without needing to look directly at any of them for long. Servants moved in quietly, placing dishes in front of each place setting with practiced precision. The plate set before her was warm, the surface of it layered with soft bread, cream, and fruit, the glaze catching faintly in the light.
"Yours was prepared separately," the man at the head of the table said.
Kaila inclined her head. "Thank you."
Her eyes drifted from her plate to the plates of others before she lifted her fork and pressed lightly into the bread. She hated bread.
To her left, one girl leaned slightly toward the other, her voice lowered but not enough to disappear entirely.
"You're chewing too loud." She said with a sneer.
"I am not." The other scoffed.
"You are too. I can hear it!"
"That sounds like your problem."
"It is my problem."
"Well, you snore! I am sure my chewing is not louder than that."
"I do not!"
"You do. I couldn't sleep."
"That wasn't me!"
"It was!"
"Aurelina."
The girl with two braids snapped her attention to the Queen. The voice drew Kaila's attention as well without her intending it. Across the table, the Queen had turned from the window, her focus settling back into the room, into them. The light fell across her then, catching along her skin in a soft shade of pink. The same color.
Kaila's gaze dipped briefly to her own hand, the same tone faint beneath the light, then lifted again toward the woman. The resemblance wasn't exact, but it didn't need to be.
"Laurelina," the Queen continued, her tone even. "That is enough. It is unbecoming to bicker so openly."
"Yes, Mother," the girls said together, their voices falling back into place just as easily as they had risen. For a moment, they sat still. Then Laurelina nudged her sister beneath the table. The other nudged back quickly before the Queen cleared her throat.
Neither of them looked up as they reached for their food.
Kaila lowered her gaze again, her fork still resting lightly against the surface of the bread, the conversation around her continuing without pause.
"…we should have reinforced the southern line weeks ago," the man, no, her brother said. His tone was unchanged, though the words themselves seemed to land more firmly now.
"They were never meant to hold," came the reply from the King, her father.
"They were holding."
"Temporarily."
"That was enough. It bought time."
"And with what force would you have done so?"
"The third division could have been repositioned."
"And leave the eastern border exposed?"
"They're not pressing the east."
"They weren't pressing the south either."
Kaila lifted the small piece of bread to her mouth.
The sweetness came first, stronger than she expected, settling against her tongue in a way that lingered longer than it should have. She swallowed carefully, reaching for her glass and taking a small sip of water, letting it sit for a second before swallowing again. Disgusting.
"…they're organizing," her brother continued. "That's the problem. This isn't scattered movement anymore."
"Vaelyn, my boy, you really believe shifting forces blindly is the answer?" came the reply.
Vaelyn scoffed, "It isn't blind if we're already behind."
The space between them constricted, not through sound but through the absence of it, the pause that followed holding just long enough to be noticed before—
"Enough, Enias."
Kaila's attention lifted again.
"There is time enough for talks of war," the Queen said, her voice steady, the edges of it softened but not weakened. "Not at breakfast."
No one spoke over her.
"Eat," she added, softer now. "While it is still warm."
"Yes, my dear Munera." The King lifted his wife's hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles
The moment stretched, then eased, the tension not disappearing so much as shifting aside, making room for something else to settle in its place. Vaelyn leaned back, reaching for his glass, while King Enias returned his attention to his plate.
Kaila lowered her gaze again and lifted another small piece of bread, smaller this time, swallowing it more carefully than before.
"You're not eating much, little Lai"
Kaila looked up at the familiarity of the name.
Her father was watching her now, not sharply, but with enough attention that ignoring it didn't feel like an option.
"I will," she said.
"You are quieter than usual. Is the food not to your liking?"
Kaila could feel all the eyes of the table on her. Her brother lifted his chin in agreement. She hadn't noticed him watching her, yet it seemed he had picked up on it too.
"No, it is. It's very good," she said quickly.
She took another small bite as if to match the answer, swallowing with a little more effort than she intended to show. The King nodded, as if satisfied. Across the table, her mother spoke again, her tone lighter now, carrying something warmer beneath it.
"Your 19th birthday approaches."
Her attention had settled fully on Kaila now, something brighter in her expression than before.
"We will be hosting a gathering," she continued. "Many will attend."
Kaila nodded once, fork twisting between her fingers.
"Among them, those with an interest in your future."
Kaila's hand stilled for just a moment before resuming its slow movement against the plate, shifting the food slightly without taking another bite.
"Prince Sylvaris from the Aear kingdom will be present," her father added.
The name settled into the space between. A small twinge Kaila didn't recognize fluttered in her chest.
Across from her, her brother leaned forward slightly, a faint exhale leaving him. "You made your interest in him clear enough."
Kaila lowered her gaze. A brief pause gave her enough time to choose her words.
"I may have," she said. She couldn't deny or confirm Lailyra's feelings; however, she also couldn't ignore the pang in her chest at the thought of this Sylvaris.
"And now?" Vaelyn watched her intently, and it made her uncomfortable.
Kaila shifted the food again, the motion small, controlled.
"I'm not certain."
Her mother's expression softened, something quietly pleased settling into it.
"That is only natural."
Her father kept his gaze trained on her before speaking, "It will need to become certain."
Kaila inclined her head slightly, her fingers still resting near the edge of her plate.
"I understand."
The words left her quietly, and once they did, there was nothing more expected of her. The conversation shifted again, not away from her entirely but around her, folding back into itself with a different weight than before.
"The invitations will need to be sent before the week's end," her mother said, her attention already turning toward the details. "If we delay, it will reflect poorly."
"They will be sent," her father replied. "The court will be notified by midday to begin the arrangements."
"And the fairy envoys?" her mother asked. "If the accord is to be acknowledged formally, they must be present."
"They have already been informed."
Her brother rested his arm along the table as he spoke. "If they attend, so will the others. It won't remain a simple celebration."
"It was never meant to be," her father said.
"No," her mother agreed, though there was something lighter in her tone still, something that hadn't quite dimmed since the mention of the gathering. "But it will be remembered that way."
Kaila lowered her gaze again, her fork pressing lightly into the bread, breaking it apart without purpose.
"Your gown will need to be prepared in advance," her mother continued. "Something appropriate for the occasion."
Kaila nodded once, though the motion felt slower than it should have. She had just died, and now she was to get...married?
"We will see to it," her King added. "Everything will be arranged."
Vaelyn's attention shifted briefly toward his sister, not lingering, just enough to acknowledge her presence within the discussion. "You'll have no shortage of attention."
Kaila gave a small, polite incline of her head, her gaze still lowered.
"I see." The words felt thick in her mouth and her stomach began to turn.
"More than that," her mother said gently. "You will have choices."
The word lingered longer than the others. Kaila's hand stilled.
Choice.
She shifted the food again, the sweetness rising faintly with the movement, heavier this time, clinging in a way that made her stomach lurch.
"The alliances will need to be considered carefully," her father continued. "Not all offers will be equal."
"They rarely are," her brother said.
"And Sylvaris?" her mother asked, her tone thoughtful now, though the earlier brightness remained just beneath it. "If he attends, it will not be without expectation."
"He will attend," her father said. "And he will expect an answer."
Kaila reached for her glass, taking a slower sip this time, letting the water settle before swallowing. It didn't sit right. The sweetness lingered still, pressing faintly upward now, as though it hadn't quite settled where it should have.
"You have shown interest before," her mother said, her gaze returning to Kaila. "It would not be unreasonable for him to assume that interest remains."
Kaila lowered her gaze further.
"I understand," she said quietly.
"You will have time before the evening concludes," her mother added, as though offering reassurance. "It need not be decided immediately."
"Not immediately," her father echoed, "but it will be decided."
Kaila nodded once more. Her stomach shifted again—not sharply, but enough that she noticed it this time, a slow turn that didn't settle when she adjusted her posture. She set her fork down, her fingers lingering against the edge of the plate. Across from her, the conversation continued.
"If the dragon court sends representation—"
"They will."
"—then the matter becomes more visible than intended."
"It already is."
Kaila drew in a small breath through her nose, steadying it before letting it out slowly. The room felt warmer now. Or perhaps it was just the weight of everything settling at once—the food, the conversation, the expectation threaded through it. She reached for her glass again, taking another sip. It didn't help this time.
The movement in her stomach deepened slightly, not enough to draw attention, but enough that sitting still required more effort than before. She shifted her hand from the table to her lap, pressing her fingers lightly against the fabric there as if that might steady it.
"…the southern reports will need to be reviewed again," Vaelyn was saying. "If this continues—"
"It will be addressed," the king replied.
The voices blurred slightly at the edges now, not disappearing, just harder to follow all at once. She swallowed again. The sweetness rose faintly again, heavier this time, settling uncomfortably. That was enough.
She drew her hands back to the edge of the table, grounding herself there for a brief moment before pushing her chair back.
"Excuse me."
Her voice was quieter than before, though steady. A pause followed, and her father's gaze lifted to her. Kaila inclined her head slightly, not offering an explanation, not waiting for permission.
He gave a small nod.
She stepped away from the table, her movements controlled as she carried herself the same way she had when she entered.
Only once she reached the small entryway did her pace shift, her steps quickening just slightly as the doors opened and she moved into the corridor beyond, the air there cooler, easier to breathe.