Chapter Fifty-Five
Queens' Choices
(OMG! I finally hit 300K in the Word Count!)
We were early, I think – there were many mirrors in the Council Chambers, but no other people.
Looking around, I was in awe. This must have been in Moon-Breach – the light purple and black stones making purple moon shapes in the black 'background'. The room was round – and tall.
There was a table near one… 'Side' of the room – with 6 seats, though one was a throne made of a purple wood and carved with moons upon it; I suppose that was my seat. To one side of that throne were a red chair and a yellow one – for my fire and air mates. To the other side was a green and blue chair – Water and Earth mates. The final chair was pulled away from the table – apparently it could be placed on either side of the table. It was white – because a secondary mate in the royal court wasn't assigned to any specific element.
That table was facing 5 other tables – each with 5 seats. One seat in the middle of each table was Silver (For the 'head' person of… something) and then the other 4 were darker grey (For the… minions?).
Each of the 5 tables also had a sigil – one for each; Fire, Water, Earth, and Air… the fifth one had a moon. The moon table was closest to me. On a platform behind it was Fire on one side and Earth on the other. On the final platform – behind Earth and Fire – were the tables for Air and Water.
Magma informed me that there were 5 major 'provinces' and in those major areas were 5 main cities. Past that, each of the cities collected reports from 8-12 other towns. I had to break that down for Alistair, "So there are 5 Teyrnirs. In those Teyrnirs, there are 5 Arlings who collect reports from 8-12 Banns each."
Understanding lit his eyes, "That… what are the official titles?"
Magma – leading us to our respective seats – said, "The ones you would identify as 'Teyrns' are Dukes or Duchesses. I know the Duchess from the Provence of Fire was hoping one of hers might be your Secondary Mate. The next title is Viscount or Viscountess – they oversee the Cities. After that comes 'Lord' or 'Lady' and they oversee the Towns. Only the Cities and Province leaders get council seats – because they see to most of the people. In the past, it was only the Duke or Duchess that attended, but they had a hard time with all the peoples' needs."
"What are the Provinces?" I asked.
Magma gave me a smirk, "Fire, Water, Air, Earth and Moon – it was… clever. Back when we still heavily worshiped the Goddess, the four main areas argued for the temples to be in their area. The Queen back then decreed that since the Goddess did not favor one element over the others, there would be a fifth area – one dedicated to the Moon and the Goddess. In the Moon Province the cities are named for things in the sky – Cloud, Heaven, Moon-Breach, and Sun or some such. Having people also named after such things doesn't really help, but people continue the trend of naming their children after their birth element – though some do use other names. My Pod has decided to name our child… or children, should we be so lucky; through different means."
"You'll have twins; but unless you all want to know the genders, I won't be saying." I smiled.
He looked blissful as people began arriving.
Most in the room were male – likely due to the 6-1 birth rate.
Three of the Province Leaders were female though. The woman at the Water Table had black hair – I'd learned that was Earth or Fire. But since her eyes were pink, I was going to say she got the Black hair from Fire and her skin was lightly blue. She was introduced as Duchess Brooke.
From the Air Table, there was Duke Ray – a man with darker sandalwood colored hair, blue eyes, and pale skin.
Fire was introduced as Duchess Ember. She was pretty – her Auburn Hair contrasted with her dark skin and white eyes.
The man at the Earth Table was Duke Cedar – with Deep Blue hair, red eyes, and dark skin.
And finally, there was Duchess River. She was perhaps the most unique person here in terms of coloring. She had darker blue skin than any I'd seen – and her hair was white and blue; like a moonstone… that was a very rare color in the Earth Fae. Her eyes showed her air color though – they were a cloudy white. This woman was all blue and white – and it wasn't hard to see why she'd been chosen for the Moon Province.
Magma acted as my Herald, "This session of the Fae Council is now in order."
River spoke first, "My Queen – where are your other mates?"
"I uh… so far I only have one mate. I've met two others, but Alistair is the only one I'm actually mated to."
I swore I heard crickets. Duke Cedar said, "You… haven't met all of your mates? This is unheard of…"
Ember nodded, "No Queen has ever ascended without all of her mates before…"
"Look – I already got that speech from Magma. How about we just get down to actual buissness instead of speculating why the Gods plans have changed? I find it isn't wise to question celestial deities. We're here to set the date for the Coronation, Ball and Feast – let's focus on what we can do rather than what can't be changed."
Ray laughed, "Well said, my Queen."
Bear came in at that moment, "Ara – sorry I'm late."
I motioned to the Chair usually reserved for my Secondary Mate and said, "It's no trouble Bear – I understand you're grieving. Please, have a seat."
He looked hesitant, "If I sit there, everyone will expect me to be your Secondary Mate."
"We all know I've circumvented that law – and that I won't be taking a Secondary Mate – so that is just a chair during my reign. I see no other chair here for you to take and you've been through quite a bit."
"H-He… called her by her name," I heard one of the Viscounts say. I snorted, "Any of you can call me by my name – I don't much care for titles to begin with."
River looked amused, "Very well – a date for the Coronation. We usually do the Coronation one year after the Queen Ascends – mostly due to it being a formality, not a necessity."
Bear hesitantly sat in the chair – and no one looked at him funny after my words. Bear said, "And it gives the new Queen time to settle into her role and do what needs to be done."
I nodded, "Awesome – so a year from today, we'll do the coronation. The Ball and feast can be held on the following day."
They all exchanged glances. Magma sniggered, "I believe you are the first Queen not to argue that."
"Why would I? I have so much shit to do in the next year that hearing that is actually a relief. I have to go on an Expedition – and due to the enemies we'll face there, I can't take you or the other Honor Guard. I'll have to take Obsidian instead. I need to go to Val Royeaux to get those tests done. I need to do a lot of little things – I have a shop to open, stock to make, papers to push and blah, blah, blah. So no – I'm not going to argue for a closer Coronation date because I have enough to do already. I can't fit a Coronation into my already busy schedule without moving some plans around. And if I want to marry Alistair in the ways of his people then I can't move things around. I didn't have time to pass out in pain the other day – and to make matters worse that happened in front of all the mates that I've met. Do you have any idea how embarrassing that is?"
Brooke finally spoke, "This could have been a Fairy Mirror call – we all chose to show up only because we thought we'd have to convince you to wait the year… most of us were here when The Elemental Court arrived – Queen Storm took 2 days to convince."
I liked her, "I completely agree – I wouldn't have shown up in person at all… except I did wish to meet the council. And I came all dressed up because… well; it's fun to dress in costume sometimes."
One of the Vicountesses said, "Costume?"
"I'm dressed like an Angel – Alistair is wearing Dragon Armor. We dressed as our roles in the Court of Beings."
"So that's what an Angel looks like?" another Viscount asked.
I nodded, "Somewhat – usually prettier or very handsome… and with a more narrow dress or robe. But generally, they have feathered wings, a plain white robe and shine with an ethereal light."
"Well… this could have been a call," Brooke repeated. I sniggered, "Agreed."
Alistair tilted his head back and laughed, "Oh, come now, love – you're so good at the diplomatic stuff; I thought you liked it."
"… Fuck off," I sighed.
Several people gave surprised laughs – no I wasn't very 'Queenly'. Bear gave a booming laugh, "Nice – real quick; what do you want me to do? Run a place, send a message or…?"
I shook my head, "Honey, don't you need more time to grieve? It took me months to not get withdrawn when we mentioned Alex or my son – I still burst into tears the other day just remembering my baby boy. You're a living being – and living people need time. I know some people grieve by throwing themselves into their work – would it help to have an assignment?"
He nodded – looking abashed, "I… I think it would help, yes."
I thought for a minute and was almost thrown off guard when the vision hit me in force. A bright smile lifted my lips, "This is… a new age in the Fae of Danu – from here on, unless a queen is barren, there will be no Heir Marks appearing on random Fairies and the Ritual will not be needed; because we will now be more… linear in our ways. The throne will pass to chosen successors – but only if the daughter of the Queen isn't a Fairy. This is a new age – and needs a new base; so Bear – the Earth Prince of Old – I charge you with the overseeing of building a Palace on the edge of Moon-Breach. It will be a place where the Royal Family and their heirs and predecessors live. Every Queen from this rule forward will birth at least one daughter if they are able to birth children; if that child is not a fairy and the Queen is past 250 years old, then an heir will be named from other fairies. If the Queen later births a Fairy Daughter, then the Heir stays as the Heir."
Alistair gaped at me, "You had a vision… telling you all of this?"
I nodded, "I was taken to a time past my life – for the first time ever – to see these laws in action."
A whisper went through the room – all of them happy, excited and accepting of my proclamation.
This gave hope that the population would have more children – because the Queens had always been Barren and birth rates had been declining.
Bear nodded – his eyes shining – and said, "I will build a palace – do you have any specifications?"
"The family wing should be 20 bedrooms – with such long lives, many children or adoptions may occur. The Predecessor wing should be at least that too – one family stepping aside for the next… and the guest wing should be 60-80 or if you only make it 20-40 then you need to build a separate building like a fancy hotel for if balls are held with visiting royals and ambassadors and such. The throne should have dominance in the throne room, and the four Prince/Princess thrones should look only slightly less ornate. If we are going to show Thedas that we are not to be messed with then we need to have such a show of force… the palace should be elaborate – or Tevinter at the very least will look down on us. I don't know past that… gems that match the element in the thrones? Uh… showers and toilets in every room since you never know when a human will need…"
"What are showers and Toilets?" Someone asked – I didn't turn.
I blinked, "Right – Bear you should come to my home to see those in action. Galaxia, Magma and Drake set that up for me so they can supply the needed specs. In fact, my home is completely modern, so looking around will give you an idea for what to do with the Kitchen and the bathrooms and such."
He stood and nodded, "Right – I can do that." I knew Bear was a builder – he'd mentioned it at the Vigil.
I also knew just from seeing this one room that Fairy was already well built – it reminded me of the Blood Elves structures in World of Warcraft – aside from the lack of palace, we would be treated with reserved 'respect'. Orlesians wouldn't be able to criticize it about being 'dirty' or 'backwater' like they did with Ferelden.
I looked to the council, "Are there any other matters or can I go snuggle with my bed?"
Alistair sniggered – he loved how unprofessional I was being. I was setting a tone for the Fae Council Meetings in the future. If I was relaxed in the first one, they might loosen up in the second or such. Maybe they'd even call me Ara after today.
Brooke smiled, "What are showers?"
"Upright baths – like standing in warm rain while you get clean. Bear, aside from my Lions' Den scent of soap, people who aid in construction of the palace my take their pick of any soaps, tea blends, or other items in my personal storage. They may take up to 30 items each; each month they work on it."
It was silent in the room – everyone knew the things in my storage were unique. The soap scents, the teas, the pottery items and glass items I had put in there were not allowed to be distributed due to the fact that I made my living with them. Some of the things, they didn't know how to recreate anyway – like certain styles of teapots and the like.
Not to mention the luxury items that weren't distributed because they weren't needed items. I had to give permission on the soda since it was a sweet treat – and thus a luxury. I didn't care if they made that since it was something I liked too. Other things in there were also luxury – spices from Earth (Lemon Pepper was an addiction of mine and the Fae had improved it to take out the chemicals), pens instead of Quills using hollowed bones from older birds that had died, books I had pulled out to read and then placed in my bag, and a few other things.
Brooke spoke, "I will personally aid in the construction, Earth Lord Bear." Right – an 'old' prince or princess was called by their title then lord and their name. It was the way to differentiate between active court and previous.
Apparently, my personal storage had become somewhat legendary. Now; I felt like I should have added more to the number since this was a palace, but seeing how Brooke had reacted, maybe I said too many. I shrugged and considered the cost of all the unique items if sold in Thedas.
If anyone asked for more, then I would approve it. I just wasn't really sure what was acceptable in Danu – but it seemed I was overpaying… again. That was good enough for me.
Bear sniggered, "Duchess Brooke, I will be in contact once I return from the Queens' Home."
We called an end to the meeting after that – this was really just a meeting where we met each other and agreed on one date. Now it was done… this could have been an email.
I gave Bear a full tour and then sent him with Galaxia and Magma for a look and explanation on the Water Purification area. They would also show him how to make showers and toilets – though Drake would also answer some things, but it was his day to pamper Celeste.
I wanted to soak in the bath… I padded into my bathroom and froze before turning and closing the door behind me with a red face.
Well… it was one thing when we were sleeping that he trusted me enough to sleep naked… but walking in on him in the shower…
I had finally taken a look at Fenris; something I never did while we were in bed because we were just sleeping and…
Alistair came into the room after a while and saw me sitting on the edge of my bed – wearing only my small clothes – with my head in my hands. He coughed, "Love – are you alright?"
I looked up at him, "I-I… I was going to… but the bathroom is occupied…"
He looked confused and glanced at the door, "Only Fenris and I use that bathroom other than you – but your face… you sleep with the man naked; why are you embarrassed?"
"I never really… looked before, Alistair. It was always just to keep my nightmares away – and it would be rude of me to look. Oh, Goddess – I…"
Those tattoos went all the way down. They were even on his most intimate member. I wanted to cry that he had endured such pain – but I had also gotten a glimpse of his length. He had been… He was sizable for an Elf – 7 inches in length.
Had I known that those tattoos extended so much then I would have…? I wished at that moment for the Gift of Healing – Fenris didn't need to be in pain if he ever missed a shower. But would Fenris allow someone with that gift to help him?
Alistair chuckled – not knowing my inner turmoil – and said, "Well… if things work out, then you should get more than a look."
Speaking of – Fenris came out of the bathroom. I flushed and looked away. He looked confused, "Did I miss something?"
"She may have finally looked you over when she walked into the bathroom and saw you in the shower. Apparently, she wasn't looking you over before because she didn't have permission or something."
The way he phrased that… had Fenris said something to Alistair? Fenris inclined his head, "It is merely flesh – flesh that you do not seem to covet in the way my former master did. I do not mind you looking."
"Bela will never guess the color, will she?" popped out of my mouth before I had a chance to stop it.
He chuckled deeply, "You cannot guess the color of something that is not there."
"She'd never guess with me either – I only wear underwear when I have something fancy on."
Alistair sniggered – he had first-hand experience with my reluctance to wear undergarments. I was a nudist at heart.
Fenris – still only in a towel as he headed for his closet – motioned to the bathroom, "It is open now."
I nodded like a dumb bitch and made my escape.
Alistair followed me in and watched while I set up a bubble bath using Fairy Song; all my soap scents doubled as bubble bath.
I coughed, "Did uh… I mean; did Fenris ask you why I didn't…? I mean… the way you… you told him why I was…"
Alistair nodded, "He was confused. You call him your mate, but don't look at him sexually like others would in your situation. He thought that perhaps you didn't really like him that way. Not that he seemed upset or anything – just… confused about it. I don't think anyone has shown him such respect as to not look him over like a piece of meat for the market when they want him in one way or another."
I almost deflated when he said Fenris had only been confused. I didn't want to make too much of a move without at least some sign that he wanted me. This wasn't a game where I was playing Hawke and he was a companion that I had to woo first. This wasn't a game at all anymore – not since I showed up here anyway.
I felt like Fenris had to make some sort of move if I was to pursue this bond between us – because, like me, Fenris was a former slave. I knew what that could do – and I knew Hadriana and Denarius had used him sexually so I was less inclined to push in any way. Besides, I had Magic – and Fenris… he hated Magic.
I sighed and leaned my head against the edge of the large tub – it was separate from the shower, so I could have had a bath while Fenris showered if I'd wanted too.
I wasn't sure why I was depressed about this – I had known that Fenris wouldn't be… receptive for at least three years. Perhaps I was just worried that it wouldn't be me he wanted. He'd want someone else.
And this wasn't even taking into hand that I hadn't told him or Cullen how mates 'married' when they were Primary Mates. I'm sure Cullen assumed I only had mates because he thought I was mated to the Princess… I mean, the Queen now. But the fact was that this needed to be addressed before I bedded either man.
With Alistair, I hadn't known – so I couldn't warn him that we'd be married if we slept together. We had only decided to give things a try and then… but I knew better now. I couldn't trap the next mates I took to my bed like that – not if I could help it. But at the same time, was there any point in telling them if they didn't want me? I couldn't see any reason to tell them if it wouldn't happen.
If they had other mates among the Fae and they wanted those mates… that would be up to them, I suppose.
"Hey – what's running through your head that you look so sad?" Alistair asked.
I shook my head and gave him a smile, "It's nothing you need to concern yourself with – just the stress of being me."
He shook his head, "You are my concern, Ara – if something is wrong, I'd like to know… wait… this isn't about you feeling undeserving of your mates is it?"
I blinked, "No – why?" it wasn't – it was about me feeling like I wouldn't be wanted – it had nothing to do with worth or deserving.
"Oh… good; I thought you might have gone back to thinking you were unattractive just because you're like any Fairy and have a bit of weight."
Actually, knowing that it was normal for the Fairies to be on the heavier side had helped with my image issues more than a little… but it didn't help with my feeling inadequate next to men like Alistair, Cullen and Fenris. Even Hawke was muscular and good looking… in fact, other than Oghren; I hadn't traveled with anyone who hadn't been less than attractive in the last year and a half. Oghren had been okay, but he was… he looked strange. Not in a bad way – more that it was just…
He had Drunken Uncle vibes more than anything else; even in his appearance. He'd had a stroke before we met – the left side of his face had been drooped and unmoving; though his body was just fine.
I shook my head at Alistair, "No – this isn't about me being undeserving; though you are rather close to the issue. I feel like Fenris will never actually want me is all. I expected it – you know that – but it doesn't hurt any less to think that. What if I'm not his type? I'm a person who uses a type of Magic – and he hates magic. I mean… there is also the issue of looks – what if he doesn't like the way I look?"
"Where in the Makers' Name did you come up with that idea? Have you seen the way he looks at you?" Alistair looked completely bewildered – but he still moved to wash my hair for me.
I shrugged, "He looks at me like he looks at any of us, Alistair – he's cautious and feeling me out. And you said he was only curious about my reaction. Look, this relationship with him… it needs to be his choice – and his move. I can't explain it more than that because these aren't my secrets to give; they're his. He was like me – you know he was a slave. When you found out about me, you backed off faster than if someone had stung you – you tried to give me space to make those choices for myself. I didn't need you to back off – and I told you that – but Fenris… I don't know what he needs from me; if he needs anything. I refuse to use my Visions to pry into his life like that. And like I said… he hates magic. If Hawke had been an Ass when helping him before, Fenris would have left Kirkwall for the next place and I wouldn't have gotten to meet him for another decade. I'd have had to hunt him down just to meet him and likely get my heart shattered in the process."
"You really don't see it? He doesn't look at you like the rest – I mean, yes, he's feeling you out, but it's different. It's like he doesn't know what to feel and he can't trust what he thinks he's feeling for you. The love between us showed up rather fast – I'm sure I loved you at first sight. If the same is happening to him… he's falling in love with a woman he doesn't know and isn't sure of his instincts in the matter because of his past. Give him time – I'm sure he'll come around."
I felt differently, but rather than continue to talk about Fenris behind his back, I rinsed my hair and invited Alistair to make the most of the warm water with me.
After the bath, we headed down for an early dinner – Bear looked completely stunned at the food on the table and the fact that Celeste was eating it.
I chortled and explained, "It isn't real meat, Bear – it's a substitute made using plants. It taste like real meat, but it's good for both vegetarians and vegans. I plan to release a cookbook with how to make these fake meats – as well as selling a fruit that tastes like meat if done right."
His aw worked and no sound came out. Celeste giggled, "I was the same when I first heard of such things. The first time she made Fake Chicken was for a spicy meat dish served alongside a vegetable stir-fry. I almost cried because I could make the fake meats into dishes that I could eat with my mates – we no longer had to make separate dishes."
I never told her that the recipes didn't taste like real meat when I first started making them. They were so bland and… the only real thing I could eat that was Vegan when I started making those things was Oreo Cookies. I had worked hard to improve those recipes until I got it just so.
Bear finally spoke, "This will greatly improve your reputation – with the Fae who can't consume meat and their mates too. Being so… social, we like to be completely included with our mates – and it's hard when something like this separates us. Being able to consume the same meals for the first time will… go a long way."
I shrugged, "Everyone has a right food in my opinion."
That's why once every few days, we cooked a large amount of food and fed the people in Darktown. I also had boxes full of necessities and non-perishable foods in Anders' clinic for anyone who needed it. The boxes included cloth rags for 'that time of the month', things of inexpensive soap, jars of random foods like beans, cereal/granola bars, and trail mix, tooth cleaners and brushes, floss, jars of water, socks, jerky, a small first aid kit so they didn't come to Anders' for every scrape, hair brushes, and a blanket.
Bear nodded, "About your shops that you plan to open – we know not to touch the soap scents, tea blends, and jewelry, glass or pottery items for distribution since Magma informed us that you would be making your livelihood with them. Do you plan to open similar shops in Danu?"
I blanked, "I… hadn't thought of that. I could, but I wouldn't be sure what to do there – since Danu uses trade for currency rather than an actual Currency."
"Actually, once we heard of the currency system here, we dug up a lot of gold, copper and silver to trade for coinage from Thedas so they could make more coins using them or… anything. The Dragon King has been accommodating in liquidating the assets for us and since we were able to see the coins, we were able to make them too. Danu now operates on coinage and trade with Trade being the more preferable form of currency. The Council Building was remodeled on our trip across the sea so we have a treasury now."
"Oh – then I could open a shop or two easily. If you build a shop area in the palace, I can have the shops operating there. If you do that, make it close to the entry area so that visitors aren't all over the Palace. Also, I'd need a place big enough to have all the different things in it – or it'd need to be a multi-shop area."
"Do you have design preferences for the shops?" Bear asked. He seemed really into the topic.
I pulled out the sketches I had made of the designs for the shops here. He looked the over wide-eyed, "These look amazing. The tea shop having chairs and tables… you plan to sell more than the tea leaves?"
I nodded, "It will be both a shop to buy the loose leaves from and a place to go to imbibe it. I'll also have coffee and soda available for drinking – soda will be limited the way it is in Danu; no more than 2 12 ounce glasses in a day; that way, they get an idea for how unhealthy it is and how it would be if they visited Danu. I'll have baristas and a full working menu for it too. I'm having trouble deciding on if I should sell little snacks to go with – maybe cookies and little cakes – but if I do that, I may change the whole design to reflect that."
Yeah, the De Launcet family was looking at the two biggest buildings in the Market District they were both Two-Leveled buildings with a joined basement and I was going to have the tea shop on the bottom floor with Jewelry on the second floor. With the other building, it would be glass and ceramic on the bottom floor since they were heavier, then soap on the second floor and storage in the basement. The family was already in negotiation for the building.
I was told that negotiations were going well so far.
"What would the design look like if it were a shop that sold pastries as well as the drinks?" Fenris asked smoothly.
I hummed and took out a blank paper and pencil before I began drawing – it turned out nice enough. Grey walls accented a tile floor with little white swirling designs; the long counter had glass display cases with pasties on the two shelves within; the opposite wall held shelves upon shelves of the tea blends in square glass cases with scoops; there was a door to a small kitchen with 6 two-door ovens for the pastries to be cooked and the places where all the ingredients would go; at the end of the pastry counter was the 'till' – where my worker would collect the money and it would drop down into a safe that would need to be emptied often; and of course – customer bathrooms (those were in each of the four shops).
I put the two tea shop designs side by side and slid them to Fenris – sitting on my left – for them to be passed around. When they got back around to Alistair (sitting on my right) the majority had voted for the sweet shop.
I nodded, "Okay so this one."
"Do you have names for the shops?" Hawke asked.
I smiled – I had been waiting for someone to ask! "Yes – the tea and pastry shop is going to be called The Mix-Up; the soap shop will be The Soft Touch; The Jewelry shop will be Palace Jewelry; and the Dish Shop will be The Cabinet. I know they aren't the best names, but…"
"I like the pastry shop name," Isabela interrupted – yeah; the whole crew usually stopped in for dinner. Aveline was the only one who didn't come over every night; since she worked many nights now that she was going to be Guard-Captain.
I chuckled, "You would."
She shot me an exaggerated wink – she really wanted to bed Alistair and me but I had told her we would get to that closer to when he would leave since it would be a one-time thing. She'd be far too tempted to try and get approval for a second time if we did it early on – Alistair was that good.
"Right then… what's next on the agenda?" Varric looked around the table.
