Imitation
Why is the King of Attolia not popular with the Queen of Sounis?
One-shot; post ACoK.
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"You're not popular in Sounis," says the Queen of Attolia, looking up from her letter. The latest diplomatic pouch has just arrived, and the king and queen of Attolia are meant to be looking over the contents together. True to form, however, Eugenides is sprawled in a chair, idly fiddling with three pens and occasionally juggling them.
"Was I ever?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.
"With the current queen, I think you once were," Irene points out.
"Only because the rest of her cousins were morons."
Brave and martial morons, at any rate. For a moment, Attolia loses the thread of her thoughts in wondering just what those cousins, Gen's as much as Helen's, would think of the new arrangement between Eddis and Attolia. Or between Eddis and Sounis, for that matter – which brings her back to matter in hand as the three pens fall with a clatter onto the desk.
"Whoops," says the king.
He never drops things accidentally, even with only one hand. She eyes him narrowly.
"You were telling me why I wasn't popular in Sounis," he prompts innocently.
Probably because he is about the most infuriating and annoying thing the gods ever created, but Irene declines to be further sidetracked by telling him that. She looks back at the letter. It isn't the official one, it's a private letter from Helen to herself, which is why the Queen of Eddis and Sounis can complain about the Annuxus of Eddis and Sounis.
As if he would care, anyway. That's why she's reading it to him.
"They've started the building work for the new university," she says. "The outer walls."
Eugenides flops back in his chair again, eyes half-closed. "Oh...?"
"The king is now perpetually late for breakfast, and keeps sprouting the most terrible grazes and callouses on his hands. Nobody can account for it and Sounis declines to explain, but Helen feels it might," Irene pointed the letter at him, "be something to do with you!"
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