Queen's Consort - Cutting In

Bee's Schnees (at the beginning of their relationship)

"You know," Yang started as she slid into the seat beside Blake. "I just couldn't take my eyes off you from across the room."

Blake sighed and glanced down at the drink in their hand. It was empty. They couldn't remember finishing it, although Blake wasn't entirely surprised. They did tend to drink a little more than normal during these sorts of events, and the arrival of Vale's princess and her entourage had only made the court balls and parties more frequent and unbearable.

"I didn't think I was that noticeable."

"You're one of about three people who haven't danced all evening," Yang drawled, bringing her own glass to her lips. "Tends to draw the eye."

Twirling the glass in their hand, Blake tried to decide if they wanted another drink. On the one hand, duty and responsibility demanded that she stop, to make sure she kept a level head until the various nobles and sycophants vanished into the night. Her Royal Highness, Queen Weiss of House Schnee, Monarch of Atlas, might have more guards and knights watching over her than a wild dog had fleas, but Blake would be a poor spymaster if they didn't keep a close eye on their monarch. Especially with this many foreigners and members of the old nobility in the room tonight. They didn't want to think about what would happen if the crown ended up in the hands of Prince Whitley.

On the other hand, Weiss' extensive and exquisite wine cellar was one of the only things that made these parties bearable.

As it turned out, the decision wasn't theirs to make. A thin glass stem bumped against their wrist, and Blake looked down to find Yang holding out an extra glass to her. With a nod just deep enough to show respect for visiting royalty, they accepted the glass and brought it to their lips – pleasantly surprised to find the wine full-bodied and smooth, tasting just barely of blackberries as their nose filled with the scent of the grapes and the oak barrels the wine had aged in.

Blessed by their Faunus heritage with an extraordinary sense of smell, it was rare to find a wine that was just strong enough without overwhelming their senses. And of course Yang manages to find one.

"So," the blonde said, smoothing her skirts. "I was wondering if maybe you'd finally take me up on that dance. You looked like you were enjoying yourself last time."

Blake tried to hide their grimace behind the wine glass. Yang wasn't wrong, not exactly. It had been fun, listening to the blonde's jokes and letting themselves be maneuvered across the dance floor. Even better had been finding someone they could actually talk to in a foreign princess from Vale who dressed like a member of the southern tribes. She was refreshing, after the rest of the court Blake dealt with, and by the end of the evening, they had genuinely been sorry to see Yang go.

But it didn't feel right.

Honestly, dancing with Yang might not be a bad idea. After Weiss had made them a peer of the realm, Blake had spent months as a pariah, ignored by a court that on the whole disapproved quite strongly of their young queen's decision to name the first Faunus noble to their court. But once the novelty had worn off, a few younger noblewomen had made short-lived attempts to draw Blake's interest. Most were acting on the interests of their families – once it was clear Blake wasn't about to lose the Queen's favor, that made them a possible target for the young women at court looking for a suitable marriage. No one with real prospects, of course. Marrying Atlas' first Faunus noble would be a scandal, but even then, there were daughters of declining or rising families who thought an alliance might put their interests that much closer to the Queen's ear.

But those women stuck to quiet invitations and the sort of conversation topics their families would find proper. Yang was far less subtle. Although, Blake thought, maybe 'honest' is the better word. They weren't even sure if the blonde was looking for a partner or was just enjoying the freedom that being a crown princess' desert-born half-sister earned her.

They did find Yang attractive. It would be impossible not to, not with the cascading waves of gold that ran down her shoulders and fell into sparkling lilac eyes. Even more impossible to ignore her low-necked gown, cut just conservatively enough to be acceptable while still paying homage to the clothing of her people. Yang caught the eye in a dozen different ways, and in any other time or in any other place, Blake had a feeling they would have been happy to entertain her.

But here, and now ... it wouldn't be fair. Not to Yang, not to herself ... not to anyone.

"I appreciate the attention, my lady, but I make a pretty poor partner."

Yang laughed, a short guileless sound, infectious enough to make the corners of Blake's mouth twitch. Still smiling, Yang leaned in, voice just low enough that only Blake could hear.

"And I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that you're in love with Weiss."

With those five final words, Blake's heart stopped.

"Gods, you look like I just walked over your tomb." Yang laid her hand on Blake's shoulder, looking concerned as she met Blake's eyes. "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me."

"I'm not—," Blake started, their mouth suddenly dry. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Please," Yang snorted, and leaned back in her chair. "I'm pretty good at reading people. Most probably wouldn't notice, but your eyes and your smile say you don't really have a problem with me flirting with you. Thing is, whenever you flirt back, or you stop yourself before you can, you just get this look on your face."

"What look?"

"Guilt. And longing. Like you feel that you're betraying someone by being attracted to me."

Blake fought the urge to cringe, holding tight to their drink as Yang spoke.

"I figured you'd lost someone. Hadn't gotten over the worst of it yet. But when I asked around, nobody knew anything. And then I saw you look at Weiss."

"I don't look at her that way."

"Not when anyone could see. Only when you're sure no one's watching, and never long enough to get caught. But I'll try to flirt with you, you'll get that guilty look on your face, and ten, fifteen minutes later, you look to her."

Setting the glass aside, Blake swallowed. Of all the bad things that could come out of having a foreign noblewoman flirting with them, this really was the worst. No one knew how they felt about Weiss. No one. They'd been very careful about that. No one knew about the kiss they'd shared after the attack that claimed the old king's life. Or the late night meetings as the two of them slowly worked their way through the aristocracy to find which nobles had been aiming for Weiss in that same attack. Blake had lost track of how many secret passages and back passages they used on a daily basis, not that it mattered.

Since Weiss' coronation, everything between them had been strictly professional. There was no future for them. Both of them knew it – the old guard would never accept a Faunus for the Queen's consort. Even a rumor of the two of them ... they didn't want to think of the kind of damage that could do. Maybe Blake had sent one too many looks Weiss' way, but they were her protector – it was their duty to watch her. And Weiss would never—

"She loves you back." Yang cut off Blake's train of thought as neatly as if she'd seen it coming. "She's almost as good at hiding it as you are. Wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't looked at me like she was planning my execution after I danced with you."

One hand came up and ran across Blake's face, using to gesture to find some outlet for the pressure slowly building inside their head. This was bad. If Yang had figured them out in under a week, how long would it be before someone in the palace started asking questions? Still, even knowing it helped to give them both away, Blake couldn't stop the rising feeling in their chest. They'd had more than a few unkind thoughts about the young men and women who paraded themselves past the young monarch, most of them unwarranted. But knowing Weiss hated this as much as they did, that Weiss could even be a bit jealous ...

"So why are the two of you not together?" Yang asked, resting her head on her palm. "You want to be. She wants to be. Everyone knows she's looking for a consort."

"And that consort can't be a Faunus." Blake finished for her, their voice barely more than a whisper. "We are just getting started with fixing the damage her father did. As much as I hate to admit it, if we want to make the reforms we need, we can't antagonize the entire aristocracy. And if she married me ..." Blake paused, allowing herself to entertain for one brief moment the image of themselves together with Weiss. "There'd be hell to pay."

Yang was quiet for a long time, her fingers drumming slowly on the arm of her chair. Then she stood, adjusted her skirts, and reached up to pat her hair back into place.

"What are you doing?" Blake asked, brow creased as they watched the blonde.

"I never liked tragic stories. The whole 'unrequited courtly love' thing just seems stupid to me." Yang looked back at them and grinned. "So if you two won't fix this, I will."

Ice in their veins, Blake watched as Yang made her way over to where the Queen of Atlas sat, taking a break after the last few courtly dances. She slipped through the courtiers and the hangers-on, waited until the Queen's ear was free and the music of the orchestra was just winding down from their last song, then said a few quiet words to the ruler of all of Atlas.

Blake didn't need to guess what it was Yang said. The brief flicker of surprise on Weiss' face and Yang's outreached hand made it clear, not to mention the much longer and much less well-hidden shock in the eyes of her suitors, followed by annoyance or spite or concern as they hurried to add the blonde noblewoman to their list of rivals. The shock only deepened when Weiss nodded and stood, allowing Yang to walk with her onto the dance floor. The orchestra, realizing what was happening, waited for the two of them to get into position among the rest of the dancers. Then, with a quick tap of the conductor's baton, the music started, Yang curtsied, and the dance began.

For the whole four minutes, every eye in the ballroom was on the Queen and her taller, blonde partner. Other couples danced with one eye to the people around them and the other on the regent. Those still seated eyed Yang, wondering at the intentions of this foreign princess, who hadn't shown much interest in the Queen's hand before tonight. Even over the music, Blake could hear the whispers moving about the room – the maybe Vale was planning some sort of marriage alliance. That perhaps Princess Ruby's visit was really just an excuse to bring her elder half-sister to the Atlesian court. A hundred voices judged Yang all at once, trying to decide if she was a threat, an opportunity, or even just if she was worthy to be one more competitor for her highness' hand. And all the while, Yang danced with Weiss in her arms, mouth just slightly moving as she whispered to the white-haired queen.

One thing was sure, by the end of the dance, not one noble in the room had any doubts about Yang Xiao Long's intentions.

When the music finally stopped, Yang stepped away, a smile on her lips, and swept her skirts aside in a deep curtsy. Weiss bowed back, her face impassive until her eyes met Blake's. For a split second, they could see the shock in Weiss' eyes, along with something that looked strangely like ... embarrassment? Her cheeks with just barely a tinge too red – anyone else would have put it down to the rigors of the dance, but Blake noticed the way her eyes darted away, the brief indent of her teeth biting at her bottom lip. Then she turned to retake her place by the throne ... only for another young woman to step forward and far more timidly ask for her royal highness' hand.

"She's as skittish as you are." Yang said, smiling as she returned. She lounged back against her chair, sipping something bright and bubbly from the crystal glass in her hand.

"What do you think you're doing?" Blake hissed, eyes flicking around to make sure no one was close enough to hear them.

"Finding you a third option," the blonde grinned and downed the rest of her drink. "I told her you wished you were the one dancing with her. Might have added a few ... little things. Like how beautiful you think she looks in that dress. That the scar makes her look dashing and regal. And I asked if there was anything she wanted me to tell you."

"... and?" Blake asked, impatient as the smirking blonde trailed off.

"She wants to talk to you later. Probably to panic over me knowing about you two." Yang's smile only grew, mischief and amusement in her eyes as she spoke. "And that your black doublet looks amazing on you. She appreciates the effort, even knowing how much you hate these things."

Ignoring the Faunus noble's stunned silence, Yang knocked back the rest of her wine, then rose back onto her feet. "I need another drink."

She made to leave, then stopped, a crooked smile flashing across ruby-red lips as she looked down at them. "When I get back, I'm asking you for that dance. And then, I'm going to ask her for another one after she gets through the rest of her suitors. In case there's anything you want me to tell her."


Author's Note: Hello everyone. Suppose I'm now officially 'back' after the holidays. Sorry it always takes me a little while to get back into the swing of things.

Anyway, please comment if you can spare the time. I read all of them, and it's great to hear people's insights and get constructive criticism from time to time. Also, I'll answer pretty much any question I can, so feel free to ask those here or on my tumblr - redsuitwriter.