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-Celestine POV-
Celestine eyed the long table that filled what had quickly become her war room and the large map carved deeply into it. Elven magic allowed the ancient map to show the continent in its entirety, without a single detail, no matter how small missed.
She leaned forward, idly fingering a wooden figurine, one of the many that littered the table indicating a platoon of her knights in the field. Almost overwhelmed by the idea that the carved piece of oak wood represented some men and women who would surely die before this war would end.
"Is something troubling you, my queen?" a voice asked, shacking the high elf out of whatever thoughts seemed to cloud her mind. It seemed to happen more and more by the day if Celestine was honest with herself.
Claudia stood regal and tall, her fingers tapping elegantly on the painted waves that lined the western coast. Despite being deep in thought herself, her knight's commander always allowed herself the energy to worry about others. It was a quality that both endeared herself to those around her and infuriated the same people whenever Claudia refused to let herself worry about her own well-being. The high elf smiled, but her smile did not seem to reach her eyes as she turned towards the taller woman.
"Just concerned how much this war seems more and more like a great board game, the more time goes on."
"Many believe chess and war go hand and hand, your grace," Claudia spoke, turning towards her seat as she joined her Queen at her table. "You would not be the first monarch to see such a parallel."
Perhaps if kings and queens stopped viewing war as a game to be won, wars would not start quickly.
Celestine took her seat at the head of the table, raising her hand as one of her servants offered to refill her goblet with a drink.
"No wine Clara," Celestine said with a smile as she refused the offered beverage, " lemon water will do fine. I fear we may be here for a while."
"Speak for yourself." Celestine turned towards her sister queen; her own goblet raised for Clara to fill with the same crimson liquid her maid had offered her. " I fear my inability to spend my mornings at the behest of human nobility without needing a strong drink afterward will soon be the death of me."
"Can't say I'm surprised," Claudia spoke with a small grin on her face." One must be absolutely parched after speaking down to so many men in such a short period."
"If they do not wish to be spoken to in such a manner, then perhaps, they should learn not to say such foolish things in my presence." Olga said as she took yet another sip of her wine. "one cannot truly blame a spider for the behavior of flies, now can we?"
"Perhaps if the spider didn't go out of her way to verbal wound so many flies on any given day, we wouldn't be shocked by how many of them find themselves stuck in her web."
The stoic priestess Kaguya said as she entered the room, the two handmaidens who accompanied her bowing their heads low at the sight of the three seated women. "I fear it will only be us four this meeting, Luu Luu is...indisposed at the moment, and neither Maia nor Chloe have returned."
"That might be for the best," Claudia said, scribbling down a note on parchment and handing it off to one of her officers," Luu-Luu is not the most pleasant of company when she is in the middle of one of her researches breakthrough, and that is the only thing that explains why she hasn't slept this past week."
"The last fortnight is more like it." the priestess said, taking the offered goblet of water from Celestine's maid, "though rare as it is to see her out of her workshop these days, I've seen enough of her to know she has ignored her bed chambers since Maia returned with news of enchanted shields and supermen."
Celestine stiffened a giggle as she thought of her small companions' reaction to one of the many stories that had flooded the countryside these past few weeks, a seemingly magical shield used by the mysterious Steve rogers. Specifically, the magical enchantment that allowed what Celestine assumed was a simple shield to be turned into a weapon powerful enough to slay an entire platoon's worth of warriors, men, and orc alike.
Maia certainly seemed to squash whatever festive talks that surrounded the shield when she first described it her first day back from the road. Despite admitting that the only weapon the man carried seemed so...alien to her, it wasn't the indestructible war machine many stories claimed it to be. While clearly metal, she claimed the shield seemed both lighter and stronger than anything she had come across before, almost humming like a bell with every blow it deflected. An interesting fact, to be sure, but not something one puts more than a passing thought towards.
"A fine piece of craftsmanship but nothing too exciting, I'm afraid.
But then the interrogations began
of the Kuroinu prisoners who survived their encounters on the battlefield, the overwhelming majority of them claimed the man, who had been the architect of their destruction was of another world, inhuman in all but physical form.
His shield shared this description.
She could actually remember seeing the small halfling vibrate in place as she listened intently to Hicks describe with horror how the metal shield moved with a mind of its own. Bouncing against walls like a rubber ball, slicing through armor like a blade forged by the gods yet holding no edge to it and of it almost always returned to its master as if by magic.
The halflings' grin growing even wilder as more stories filled her ears, as ideas and theories ran a mile a minute in her mind.
Luu-Luu, as was usual for her, threw herself into research and experimentation. She consulted numerous textbooks on every conceivable magical rune she could get her small hands-on. A mighty feat considering her own considerable library had been recently added too by Olga's own cache of books.
She performed countless alchemy experiments to understand how and why a simple shield could react in the ways described, ways that seemed to violate the laws the world governed themselves with.
No one seemed to have the heart to imply that the stories were just that, stories. Those told by the same liars and deceivers who would say anything to balm their wounded egos of being bested by a single man in open conflict. Luu-Luu always seemed to deflate whenever a secret or riddle was ripped out from under her.
Celestine certainly wouldn't do it.
"It boggles the mind how someone so small can have such a reservoir of energy," Claudia said with a shake of her head. "Like a hurricane given form."
"Enough pleasantries." Olga said, cutting her fellow women off with a rather curt tone of voice, "We were not summoned this day to pass our time with idle gossip. In case you have forgotten, we are at war."
Celestine looked away from the dark Queen, catching the frustrated Claudia tense her hands in frustration and annoyance. Only her years of military experience and trained stoicism stopping her from rebutting the elf out loud, for which Celestine was eternally grateful.
A verbal spar between trusted advisors was not the best way to conduct a war room, after all.
"As queen Olga said," Claudia said evenly, yet speaking the Queen's name with a slight tinge of venom, one that would only be known to those who knew her well.
"This morning, we have received reports from our scouts that the royal entourage from Feoh was spotted passing over the river lands."
"Excellent," Celestine said, grasping her hands together, "I assume this is where Maia and Chloe find themselves spending their morning?"
"That's correct, "Claudia answered," As Kaguya mentioned before, they have yet to return to the castle with their charge. But it seems the caravan is taking longer than expected to arrive."
"They should have arrived days ago," Olga said with a neutral tone. She spoke less like she was stating an opinion and more like repeating a non-disputed fact. "The less time spent on the road, the better after all."
Claudia nodded her head, agreeing with the dark elves estimate before adding," I'm sure I don't have to remind anyone just how strenuous riding on the road with a caravan can be. One can only travel as fast as their slowest cart after all, and with the amount of cargo weighing them down, it's not surprising to see they are taking longer than expected."
Ah yes, Celestine thought to herself, the gold road.
After the battle had ended and Feohs citizens were allowed to breathe a sigh of relief as the last remnants of the Kuroinu were forced from their city's gates, the conspirators, those who worked towards the cities downfall from within, were taken into custody. By the end of the following day, hundreds of merchants, lords, and politicians were stripped of their titles and lands and publicly tried for treason.
But while Alicia delt the Queen's justice, something that was previously hidden became unearthed.
Despite being a terrible and incompetent administrator and regent for Alicia's family, Beasly was still a relatively intelligent man. Shrewd in ways most men couldn't hope to be in a hundred lifetimes, and meticulous to an absolute fault. Like a fat rat hoarding every chunk of food it could get its grubby hands on while its fellow creatures starved, Beasly hoarded and stole money, information, and influence from and for the highest levels of Feoh society.
But like most things in his life, Beasly wanted more.
He had saved every scrap of correspondence he had ever made, personal and business alike, accounted for over hundreds of business dealings, every purchase and every transaction he had his fingers in, some going back decades. Categorized and ledgered, every copper accounted for, and proof of every fellow conspirator's guilt and actions encoded and locked away for future use. It was a godsend, to be sure, allowing Alicia to show mercy for those who helped Beasly's goal without the knowledge and those who were threatened and forced through violence to cooperate.
It also allowed Alicia to know just how much gold was being sent to Vaults forces off the backs of the citizens of Feoh.
Taxes taken from the countries' populace, poor and rich alike, under the guise of maintaining the kingdom's infrastructure. Tariffs of non-essential luxury items like spices from the south and foreign goods to help fund the army. Guild dues from its members used to initiate new commerce lines and training for apprentices, things desperately needed for the war. All used to line the pockets of those in Beasley's inner circle.
And all used to funnel money and supplies north to the kuroinu stronghold.
Hundreds of thousands of gold crowns had already been sent to Vault, money that was literally taken from the mouths of hundreds of thousands of starving men, women, and children. Ironically, however, it was because of Beaslys's shrewd business sense and his desire for future blackmail material on his partners in crime, which allowed Alicia to put an end to the issue.
By taking back every single copper that was stolen from her people by the traitors with interest.
Dozens of guilds and organizations folded overnight, its members ousting the leaders with little remorse. Once prosperous men who made their living and fortune benefitting Beasly's traitorous plans were left bankrupt and penniless as they were carted off to the dungeons. Their families, those left who were not aware of their patriarch's crimes, while not left destitute and on the streets, we're unable to continuing living as they once were, as their titles and standings were stripped.
Those with overwhelming evidence against them had their entire fortunes confiscated to use to repair the country and its people.
Surprisingly, however, many more families, those who remained who had seen the evil their fathers and grandfathers had committed and what they tried to commit against the city, willingly donated the ill-gotten gains to the crown, spiting on the name of their traitorous family members as they did so.
Perhaps, Celestine thought to herself, the evils from previous generations will die out as they are seen in the light by the newer generations.
"With many of his financial backers in chains and soon to be executed, Vault will soon have trouble keeping his men fed, let alone in battle-ready shape. "Kaguya said with a soft smile, finding hope in their recent fortunes.
"Unless he hopes to have his men farm the territories he currently controls, "Claudia answered with a concerned look slowly growing on her face.
Celestine scoffed to herself. Vault was not a man who would get his hands dirty to work farmland, and neither were the men under his employ. Why work for their food when they could simply take it from others. A thought that her fellow Queen shared.
"A man who fancies himself some warrior king will not debase himself by growing potatoes and grain when he can simply steal it from someone else. But rest assured, if you plan to wait out the war while vaults recourses waste away, then I have unfortunate news for you."
Kaguya moved to speak but was too slow before Olga cut her off.
"My fortress alone has enough supplies to last a year-long siege." Olga said, cutting off the priestess." let alone what has been given to him by some of my less loyal former subjects."
The information still stung the dark Queen, the knowledge that some of her vassals, some of which were considered her most staunch supporters in the dark elf's court, would so easily betray her in such a way hung heavily on her mind. Despite the mask of indifference Olga wore, Celestine had known her long enough to know she was not as cold and calculating as she presented herself.
"Even so," Kaguya said with a thoughtful look on her face. "We know the longer this war goes on, the more of a disadvantage Vaults forces will be at; I doubt his men are prepared to forage enough in the winter to survive a prolonged campaign."
"Then I suppose we know why Vault had chosen to attack Feoh first." Claudia said as she passed several documents to her knights, "they produce more crops than any other region on the continent, and with the level of corruption and backroom deals within the court during the best of times, he must have believed it was an easy target."
A misconception they were violently refuted only a few days prior.
"Thankfully, Lady Alicia has proven herself a rather adept commander during the siege, even securing the men belonging to Vaults conspiracy." Queen Olga spoke, looking at Celestine in an almost challenging tone of voice." you must be pleased."
Pleased didn't fully describe what she felt when news of the outcome of the battle of Feoh reached her ears. From the crack of dawn until Alicia's raven appeared overhead during the still hours of the night, Celestine had been a wreck of worry. Though she kept the emotionless queenly mask on her face, those of her inner circle were privy to her anxieties. She had not slept that night leading up to the attack, and she had not left her chambers the whole of the day out of fear she would miss the raven's arrival signaling the end of the battle and Alicia's victory.
Only then, when she had proof of her servant's safety as well as the safety of the city under her command, did Celestine allow herself to shed the tears that she had held onto the whole day.
"I couldn't be prouder of lady Alicia," Celestine said, her relief and happiness beaming off of her face as she did so." Her mother would have been proud of her if she was with us today."
"Unfortunately, despite Alicia's success, the northern half of Feoh is in complete disarray," Claudia said as she picked up the carved wooden dog that sat upon the dark fortress and placed it further down south onto the table." With stragglers from the army still posing some threat to the population, as well as dealing with the refilling key positions of her the city council. Alicia has her hands full these coming days."
"Is it possible for Alicia to leave the city as is to return to Ken?" Celestine asked
"She writes she won't leave her father's lands until, and this is a direct quote, "Every viper in the nest has had their heads removed from their bodies." Claudia said. "seems a bit on the nose, but it is Alicia we're talking about."
"A lovely image, I'm sure, "Olga said with a motion for her wine to be refilled. "but certainly, the misery of defeat has done quite a number on our enemies' moral, no?"
An understatement to be sure, Celestine thought with a satisfied smile gracing her features for a brief moment.
"Indeed." Claudia said as she stood from her chair, "Our scouts estimate nearly 15,000 men marched on Feoh, many of them Kuroinu regulars, and estimates claim only a fifth of those who entered the gate survived through the night. In all honesty, it was a complete massacre for our enemies."
Olga's smirk was all the evidence needed to show her approval of the situation. Even Kaguya, the stoic priestess whose entire religious sect was founded and guided by the principles of peace and harmony, allowed herself a brief moment of emotion to flash in her eyes before snuffing back out.
Despite trying desperately to find a way, Celestine herself could not help but feel a sense of relief wash over her at the news of the colossal failure, the Kuroinus invasion of Feoh had become.
Being happy for so much death. Does that make me a bad person?
" Their failure to capture Feoh will damage them, both by manpower and by reputation, but..."
"The damage against the countryside will further hamper us regardless of our victory in the region," the shrine maiden finished, turning towards the figure that represented Feoh on the great map." Alicia, as well as much of her armies, will remain busy trying to fix whatever issues persist in her father's lands after the battle."
"I'm assuming this is why Lady Prim will take Alicia's place on the council?" Celestine said, looking towards Claudia for confirmation. Prim was an interesting choice. While somewhat naive and ignorant of the world, no one alive could doubt the girl's heart. She was a woman of the people in ways that no one of the shield alliance was, except perhaps herself.
It would do us well to have someone at our side to remind us of the people we are fighting this war for.
"Have our scout reported any news from the frontline?" Kaguya said, her even tone cutting through the growing tension of the meeting.
They report no new movements as of yesterday, but that is likely to change soon." the knight commander said, gauging the reaction of the women around her, "I would also like to remind everyone that our scouts have reported that vault has yet to leave the dark fortress personally."
The fact that Vault, peerless warrior and commander of the Kuroinu forces, had yet to be seen in person during the war early battles was a surprise to many. While it wasn't uncommon for an army commander to send orders away from the battlefield, Vault was different. He commanded alongside his men fighting as he would as any other solder. It was one of the reasons why his men followed him with such vigor and passion.
Such loyal demands a high price.
"He must be planning something, "Olga said, her voice filled with disdain, imagining whatever was going on in the man's sick head. "One does not simply do nothing when an entire invasion of a city fails.
"Perhaps Vault has just been too busy acquiring more alliances, "Claudia said as she received a letter from a rather out of breath knight, who seemingly ran here from his position." it seems reports of yet another dark elven noble declaring for vaults have been proven true."
Celestine held her breath, looking worriedly at her fellow Queen for her reaction. Olga was a cold and distant Person by nature but could become a storm of anger if the right conditions were made.
One such condition was a betrayal.
"who?" Olga growled softly as she looked towards Claudia before she handed the parchment to her. The message burning to dust in Olga's hands after she read the short report.
"Ravenshore," Olga said, spitting the name like a poison out of her mouth as she clenched her long thin fingers against the table so hard the wood of the table seemed to moan from the strain.
A sigil of a raven perched upon two crossed keys on the field of deep green flashed in Celestine's mind as she heard the name, an ancient elven house founded by a great elven witch from the western shores, whose daughters and granddaughters had served as rune smiths for the elven kingdoms for thousands of years.
"The son who should have been left to the wolves has usurped his mother's seat, with the help of vault and his armies." Olga said as a look of unadulterated rage cracked through the cold visage she usually wore before her face relaxed into the cold mask again through a great effect on Olgas part." I fear the longer this war continues, the more I will find that elves and humans are not so dissimilar to one another."
" I have been told that elves take the matter of fealty to their monarchs seriously," Kaguya spoke again, her eyes darting between the three other women in the room.
"As was the case in the time of my foremothers." Queen Olga said, her voice somewhat more melancholy than her usual tone, "But it seems some will only remain loyal to those who may benefit them, and I can no longer do that."
Celestine stiffened at the implication, unsaid as it may be. Would her subjects become as fickle over time? She hopped those thoughts were wrong, but she couldn't fully push those dark thoughts away before a pit seemed to grow within her stomach.
"A traitor," Claudia spoke up, knowing enough of politics to be able to read between the lines of the dark Queen's statement." Or traitors more likely, I fear after Feoh we can no longer be naïve on this subject."
The pit in Celestine's stomach seemed to grow at the implication. She knew of the possibility, even viewing it as a certainty as evidence of Vaults connections seemed to grow by the day, but it was still not something she felt comfortable accepting.
To think that her people could even bring themselves to the level of depravity and horror vault and his men preached about disgusted her to her very core.
"Vault would not simply align himself with some simple merchant to take over ken," Kaguya spoke, her tone soft as if weighing the thought before finishing it." I fear he was more up his sleeve than simple allies throwing money at his cause."
It is rather...disheartening to hear of the number of allies. human and elf alike that seem to flock to Vaults side." The young Miko said, her face stoic as she stared at the dark elf before her. "To think Beasly would betray a king he has been friends since boyhood with for Vault is rather unsettling."
"He always was like that, "Claudia said, closing her eyes as if the act of giving Vault a compliment pained her in some physical way." the ability to make friends from his enemies was one of the main reasons the Kuroinu was able to absorb other mercenary bands into its folds so quickly."
Drinking and singing with men who had tried to kill him the previous day in battle, making lifelong friendships and honor-bound blood brothers with rivels under the fallen banners of their destroyed companies.
That was just one side of Vault. Able to make peace with mercenary captains, all the while, he was covered in the blood of their own soldiers.
"a man like that doesn't offer his friendship to just anyone, though." Celestine said, racking her brain for answers." he would barely pay anyone mind unless they had something he wanted."
" Which means someone, with power and influence, and most importantly, money is aiding Vault from the shadow and under our very noses. "Claudia said, standing up from her seat as she began to pace around the table to see the expression of the three other women in the room. "We know he held spies in Feoh since before this war broke. It's not much of a stretch to imagine he has eyes and ears in every city on the continent."
I could narrow it down." the dark Queen said, her tone as sharp and cutting as usual." we know for an absolute fact it's a man."
Despite her less than favorable opinions towards the male half of the population, Celestine supposed her fellow queens' barb made sense on the face of it. Vaults' entire movement and war were built on the foundation that women, no matter their class or station, human, elf or otherwise, were to be cast down and "Put in their place" by the men of the world.
The level of entitlement was not unknown to Celestine, as even the Queen had seen how some of the noble class had looked at her, like that she owed something to them for merely being a woman in their presence. Like she was an insect ruling her kingdom, not because of her skill as a ruler or the love of her people, but because they willed it.
The same entitlement that drove the entire movement of the Kuroinu.
, The idea those same men, those who viewed women as second class citizens and deserving of slavery, would willingly accept the help of a woman, no matter the reason, was as ludicrous as the idea of a woman willingly helping Vault, to begin with.
"So, we're down to only half the population of the continent." Claudia said with a roll of her eyes, "We should have the traitors in custody by morning if we keep this pace."
Celestine suppressed a laugh, surprised at the light joke on her counterparts' expense by the veteran knight.
"I'm sure I don't have to remind you all of the unreliability of men." the dark Queen scoffed as she sipped on her red wine." they are most...unimpressive creatures."
A sudden clatter of movement broke the four women from their thoughts as they turned towards the great charm engraved door that separated the war chamber from the rest of the world. It started low and faint but as the soft pitter-patter of two small feet moving in deliberate and practiced motions became the telltale signs of the incoming hurricane about to enter their meeting.
Luu-Luu had finally arrived.
"He's here, He's here, He's here, He's here," The halfling spoke in the high pitch tone of voice she only seemed to use when she was excited. She claimed once that since her body was so small, she needed to let out her excitement in controlled bursts, or she would explode due to the pent-up energy.
Celestine smiled at the explanation, never having heard such a thing from another halfling during the many centuries since her birth, but excepted the explanation just as well.
"What are you going on about, young lady, "Claudia said, a stern tone of voice leaving her mouth as she stared at the smaller, and ironically elder halfling like a mother towards a child.
If Luu-Luu realized she was, in fact, several decades older than the human woman speaking to her, she didn't show it. Going so far as to look rather bashful and embarrassed at the tone of voice that the knight commander was using on her.
Celestine couldn't help but laugh at the sight.
Olga groaned as she placed her head in her hands in exasperation.
Kaguya simply smiled, the same genuine smile on her face the few times the shrine maiden had allowed emotion to seep into her features.
The tiny figure continued bouncing from side to side, hoping one foot to another like child ready to leave the schoolhouse for the day, but to Luu-Luu's credit, her breathing calmed, and the redness on her face lessened until as she took deep breaths to calm herself down.
"Now that you're calm," Claudia said as she placed a hand on the halflings' tiny shoulder," Tell us what has you so riled up."
"Maia is back, and she brought the man from the village!" Luu-Luu shouted, her voice even more energetic and excited than before after she was allowed to take a breath of air. She must not have done something since deciding that she would be the one to inform the form of women of the news. "I thought you should know."
Celestine sat up, her shoulders squared and posture perfect as she listened to the discussion intently. Ah yes, the man whose name had been on their lips since he had led a small hamlet into battle to defeat the Kuroinu in open combat. Had that only been a month ago? It felt as if the war had dragged on for ages before that moment, and generations more had passed since Maia had returned with a caravan of caged and chained mercenaries.
The man, Steve Rogers, as the letter claimed, had undoubtedly been the topic of conversation these past few weeks. A man who had dealt the first blow against Vault and his forces was a man who she wanted to meet, and that was before the battle of Feoh.
"Took the woman long enough," Claudia said with a laugh, "I guess I should have expected Maia would parade him across the city before showing up here."
Celestine felt the need to question Claudia's words but chose against it. Why Maia felt the need not to bring the man to her chambers as soon as he arrived seemed to be lost on her, but if the look on Claudia's face was any indication, it wasn't something serious.
"So, the man finally makes his appearance." Olga said, her pensive voice quiet as she stood, "and here I feared he was nothing more than a phantom."
"It would do well to be able to put a face to the name," Claudia said as she stood up to join them. "Perhaps we can see if the rumors about him are any true."
Kaguya raised an eyebrow knowing full well of the well of stories that had spread about the man in such a short amount of time. While some undoubted grain of truth lay somewhere deep beneath so much gossip and exaggeration, she doubted it would amount to much.
Not that she would voice those concerns. In a time like this, one needs the ability to hope against all else.
-Steve POV-
The hallway was bare of any servant's or guards, save for the women currently accompanying him. It meant fewer locals gawking at him like he was a trained circus monkey, which was certainly a plus in Steve's book after the ordeal that occurred when he had first entered the city a little less than an hour ago. It allowed his mind to come to terms with just what he was going to do and how he had to do it.
This, however, quickly became a double-edged sword he noticed.
Because while there was nothing there to distract him, it also meant there was nothing to distract the women currently accompanying him. And These women were going to be the death of him...
A light giggle-filled his ear as yet another member of his escort pointed at a piece of his dress to another guardswoman, a deep red covering her face as she nodded weekly, too transfixed on whatever she was looking at for simple words of agreement.
There were a lot of things about this world steve was having trouble getting used to. This? This was definitely one of them.
Sure, He didn't think he'd ever get used to riding a horse, and if he were honest with himself, he'd kill for a hotdog or cheeseburger right about now, but those were easy enough to ignore. He was a soldier, after all.
But being around people, women, in particular, with, let's say, far more "open" rules regarding sensuality and attraction? He didn't want to admit to being a tad out of his depth, but he supposed he was still an old-fashioned type of guy even after all this time.
"Sorry, old-timer." Tonys' voice echoed in his head. "why don't you tell me about "kids these days not respecting their elders" over an excellent early bird special, then be in bed by 8."
"Copper for your thoughts?" Maia said, staring back at Steve as they walked along the richly decorated corridor, "You look like you got something on your mind."
"Am I really that transparent?" he replied, shaking the thoughts out of his head as he did so.
"Like a fine piece of artwork on display," Maia's reply was immediate, and her tone still held the playfulness as before.
"I had no idea you were an art lover Maia," Steve responded, ignoring the increased sway in Maia's hips as she talked to him. No way was that accidental. Was she flirting with him? "Didn't peg you for the type."
"I'm into a lot of things, Rogers." the redhead said with a smirk, her eyes shining with a glee that Steve often saw Thor have whenever he was introduced to new breakfast food. "Maybe I'll show you what I'm in into if we have the time."
Yep. She was definitely flirting with me. Steve thought to himself as he averted his eyes from the redheads. Giggling from either side of him indicated his situation was amusing to the other women accompanying him.
Beautiful women laughing to themselves over something Steve accidentally did. The more things change, the more they stay the same after all. The reaction seemed to please Maia as she seemed to sway her hips more exaggeratedly, even more so than before, if that was even possible.
But no, the one thing he hadn't gotten used to, and for the life of him, he may never fully get used to, was this worlds...he guessed you could call it fashion sense, but Steve wasn't entirely sure that was the right term to use.
Not that he knew much about that kind of thing anyway.
He was never the type of guy that could ever be called "fashionable."
Before the war, he was just a broke art student trying to get by with enough food in his belly to last until the next odd job was thrown his way. Which meant crudely patched trousers and hand me down shirts and jackets that were far too large in one way or another. In fact, he didn't own a pair of pants that fit him perfectly until after he joined the army.
According to Tony anyway, his taste in dress didn't improve much after being unfrozen, who would often remark that Steve would occasionally dress like his dad, Howard Stark. Which Steve had to admit was false, he had known Howards stark before being frozen, and he saw how he dressed. Say what you will about the man, but Howard Stark had more style in his pinky finger than steve had in his entire body, before and certainly after becoming a super-soldier.
But even for a layman like him, whose taste in fashion seemed to be outdated no matter what decade he found himself living in, the world he found himself seemed...particular.
Yeah, that's a nice way of putting it.
At first, he didn't notice, which made him think he really was dense and naive as Natasha said he was. He liked to think it was because he was too focused on rescuing hostages from the clutches of the renegade army terrorizing the countryside, but as time went on, he learned something that seemed to be staring right at his face. The women of this world wore...
Well, they didn't seem actually to wear anything...
It didn't mean they weren't attractive or that he found much to complain about, quite the opposite, in fact. Almost every woman he had met since arriving in this strange world had been beautiful, inside and out, in one way or another. Something about this world seemed to breed qualities that many men, and some women he reminded himself, would find utterly irresistible.
That didn't mean he wasn't utterly uncomfortable over the whole thing, quite the opposite, in fact.
Everywhere he looked, he seemed to see an amount of human skin and a level of modesty he had yet to ever see in his life. He thought waking up from being frozen for over 70 years was a culture shock. He remembered thinking a dressmaker ran out of the material halfway through the process the first time he saw an incredibly low-cut dress during one of his first outings into the modern world.
But this? this took the cake.
These women made some of the more scandalous bathing suits and outfits he had seen on modern-day New York city streets look like nun habits by comparison. He found himself curious about how little coverage someone needed to have to be still considered clothed at a certain point.
And no one seemed to take notice. Was this just how it was?
Even prim, the innocent, naive young woman who acted more like a character from a Disney picture than a real person, who gripped his arm tighter when she pointed out a particular statue on their walks through the gardens, seemed to prefer clothing allowing...inappropriate amount of her bust showing.
Was he crazy? Was this just how this world operated? Or was he just that old fashioned to get hung up on what other people choose to wear?
"So, what exactly Am I getting myself into," Steve said as he stared at the ornate doors in front of them. "I mean, it's not exactly every day I get to speak with a queen, let alone a goddess, right."
Maia took a step back to stand next to Steve, placing a hand onto his broad shoulder as she did so." Thankfully you have nothing to worry about when it comes to Celestine. She's not exactly up for the full royal treatment."
*cough*
Since even before, Steve had heard much about the elven Queen before throwing his first punch against the Kuroinu. A ruler loved by the people and who seemed to return the feelings towards her subjects. Alicia had sung the woman's praises every chance she could get and had demanded he be on his absolute best behavior in her presence to maintain his honor as a knight. This seemed to be Alicia's own way of saying that he would act like an adult in her presence.
Prim also held a high opinion of the woman, and even though Prim didn't seem to be able to say a bad word about anyone, Steve took her words seriously.
"just refer to her as her grace once or twice, maybe bow your head and throw in a smile, and you should be golden." the redhead said as she brushed a nonexistent dust particle off steves shoulder." Unless Queen Olga is present, then you should be worried."
*COUGH*
The louder cough brought steves attention away from the redhead and towards the platinum blond that accompanied them. Despite her courtlier demeanor ever since her speech at the city's gates, Chloe seemed to pay Steve little mind. She kept pace with the entourage but always seemed somewhat standoffish whenever he tried to start any form of conversation with her, polite and curt but slightly distant at the same time.
He got the distinct feeling he had done something to upset her but couldn't for the life of him imagine what.
Prim, however, seemed to get along with her well enough, which was quickly becoming the litmus test for how Steve seemed to view new people.
Maia had told him not to take it to heart, that Chloe had been a prime example of what the people of the continent thought of dark elves, proud and cold, like the concept of being in a room with a human they viewed as unworthy was enough to cause physical pain.
Steve was brave enough to admit he somewhat stopped paying attention to the explanation the second the word "elf" was used in regular conversation. He also almost slapped himself when he first noticed the long ears each member of Chloe's entourage bore. Was he that out of it to not notice that!?
"When one meets a queen," she started raising her nose as she did so." you should give her the respect her station deserves."
Steve seemed out of depth once again. Much like back when he first met Chloe, he appeared out of the loop on what pomp and circumstance the young woman considered normal. Whether or not this was a regular aspect of her personality or if the situation simply had her more on edge and desperate to go the extra mile, he wasn't sure. Honestly, he was a bit afraid to ask.
"You are about to stand before the rightful rulers of the north and south. Two elven queens who have ruled their respected kingdoms for hundreds of years, "Chloe said as she blocked the doorway to Celestine's throne room."I won't let you embarrass yourself."
Maia sighed before placing two fingers on the ridge of her nose, as Prim held back a light laugh at the image before her. Steve, which was quickly becoming his go-to in situations like this, kept quiet and simply waited for the opportune time to speak.
"Before I can, in good conscience, let you open these doors, I must confirm that you know the proper way to bow."
"You can't be serious." the redhead said, exasperated, the desire to complete the mission given to her Queen momentarily overriding the joy she received watching Chloe take her role as Olga's attendant too seriously. The knights with her, those who rarely interacted with the dark elf, simply stared, not knowing how to react to this rather animated display before them.
Prim simply smiled good-naturedly.
"Deadly," Chloe said, summoning as much seriousness as she could as she stared up at the stoic face of the only man in the hallway.
"I know how to bow," Steve said, looking off to the side towards Maia in an attempt to get her to help him out.
"Show me." Chloe crossed her arms across her chest as she spoke in an almost daring manner. As if challenging Steve to some sort of symbolic duel for reasons, Steve couldn't hope to guess. He wasn't a proper fan of bowing. It just struck him the wrong way. He didn't like the idea of prostrating himself to anyone without due reason, but he also understood one doesn't walk into another person's home without due respect.
And when in Rome...
He ducked his head as he lowered his neck, slightly curving his upper back as he did so. He maintained eye contact with Chloe as he did so. He thought he did quite well, all things considered. No one else seemed to take offense to his rather stiff but still respectful bow.
Everyone except Chloe that is.
"That is not how you bow to a queen," Chloe said, stomping her foot somewhat louder than perhaps she intended, "That is how you bow your head to a baker or maybe even a fishmonger if you're feeling generous."
"You do realize everyone is behind that door, right? "Maia said as she shook her head at the sight of Chloe" I assure you everyone is listening to this."
"Well," prim said, looking back and forth between Chloe and Steve as she stepped forward between them, "perhaps if you were so kind as to show us the proper way for him to bow, we could avoid such complications?"
Chloe nodded before straightening her back and tucking her chin to her chest, raising her left arm from her abdomen and raising it into the air, as her back arched forward with her lead leg switched her stance to the side, effectively cutting her height down to about a half and having each. Every one of her limbs pointed in a different direction, like some sort of sea creature convulsing on dry land.
It... certainly was a bow. Just not one, he was comfortable doing in public.
"That looks ridiculous."Maia said with a deadpan look on her face as she watched Chloe contort her body into a bow, "You look like a baby deer trying to stand up for the first time. You're going to make him look ridiculous in front of the rest of the alliance. Why would you do that to him."
"This is the traditional royal bow of the dark elves," Chloe said, her voice slightly softer then it was a moment ago, whether because she was making an effort to try and keep their conversation a secret from the main throne rooms occupants or if the Maias crude remark affected her, Steve couldn't be sure. "Our knights have been bowing this way for thousands of years."
"I hate to break it to you, Chloe, Maia said as she pointed towards Steve, gesturing his body as she did so," but do you want to compare steves...proportions to the average elven knight? He...isn't exactly built like your average man."
Once again, Steve felt himself shrink into himself for a brief moment but soon regained his composure. The women, elven and human alike, strangers and friends, Maia, Chloe, vera, and even to his surprise, Prim seemed to take in his appearance all at once.
Well...he was a super soldier after all.
He understood that the serum that gave him his abilities made him what many doctors referred to as a "perfect" physical specimen, a peak human in all ways. It was something he didn't put much stock in at first. What was perfect anyway? He certainly didn't know. Sure, he was tall and had muscles, but he had met men and even women during his career as a hero who were larger than him, both taller and broader by a fare margin. One doesn't stand next to the hulk for more than a moment before he stops thinking of himself as a particularly "big guy."
And besides that, everyone seemed to have their own personal opinion on what perfect meant. He supposed he was rather good-looking. He guessed anyway. But people had preferences on what they thought was attractive. Preferences that contradicted what other people thought. Steve was pretty sure perfect wasn't even an attribute that could apply to a person.
But while he never put much stock in his "perfect" appearance. He knew enough to know others certainly did.
Thor had once described his physique as Asgardian like, which he assumed was an exaggeration, until a few Valkyries made unveiled advances on him during his first visit to Asgard, let alone the somewhat awkward situations he found himself in Wakanda with several of T'challas female bodyguards. Tony had more than once described his facial features as perfect and chiseled, but that was just Tony being Tony. After an offhand comment, he had programmed Jarvis to codename him "Captain Dreamboat" in the avenger's database just to mess with him.
Natasha once joked that there wasn't a lesbian gay enough or a straight man straight enough not to find Steve at least a little attractive, he felt the urge to argue back until both Maria Hill, AND her wife flat out agreed with the Russian hitwoman.
Steve didn't know exactly how to feel about that.
And the less said about having "America's ass," the better.
"No, "Chloe said with a slight reddening of her cheeks, "You're right; he's a bit more..."
Muscular?" a dark elf, one who Steve noticed deliberately tried to keep behind him as he walked, spoke up as she fiddled with a necklace around her neck.
"Burly?" a young knight spoke, monotoned despite staring at him like he imagined a lioness would stare down an antelope. Her fellow knights nodding enthusiastically behind her.
"Rugged?" Vera said with a nod of her head, an ever-present smile radiating off her as she watched for Steve to react to the praise he was receiving, only smiling wider when steve remained stoic despite the situation unfolding.
Sturdy?" Prim said softly, clasping her hands to her mouth as she tried to find a word that was both a compliment towards the room's lone man but at the same time not nearly embarrassing as the other answers. Only blushing when the implications of her response really hit her.
"Strapping is more like it," Maia answered the way Maia always seemed to answer, bluntly and without shame, as she openly ogled him in a slightly exaggerated way.
"Don't get me started on those cheekbones..." vera whispered to one of her fellow Feoh knights, who nodded vigorously to her commander, not knowing Steve could hear everything.
"I was going to say, "Chloe said, regaining much of her previous volume as she tried to cut off more answers from being said, pausing as if struggling to find the proper word to differentiate Steve from her fellow dark elves in the least embarrassing way she could." ...taller, yes, he is slightly taller than an elf, so perhaps this would indeed look rather silly."
"Nice save. Maia said, her voice in a mock whisper, as she slapped the dark elf on her shoulder, causing the reddening on Chloe's cheek to become more exaggerated than it was before," See Steve, you're just too...tall for Chloe. However, will you get by?"
"I think I'll manage," Steve responded, smiling at the scene unfolding before him as Maia and Chloe continued to trade barbs towards one another before taking the initiative and walking towards the ornate doors that separated their location from the throne room within the main hall.
The enormous doors, ones seemingly made from a much heavier stone than the surrounding marble, were carved ornately in a language he wasn't aware of and gilded with gold. It showed not only the prosperity of the kingdom but that of the Queen who ruled it.
Each door must weigh as much as a car; he thought to himself as he placed his hand on the surfaced and began to push.
"Please wait a moment, Steve, those doors are far too heavy for a single man to..." Maia started before the sound of moaning ironwood filled her ears. To her shock, the grand entranceway, the same one that needed either the delicate and trained hand of a skilled magic user or the coordinated movement of four grown men to hope to open, was moved as quickly as it was a piece of plywood.
"How in the..." Maia started but found her words die in her mouth
The knights of Feoh who had traveled alongside Steve didn't seem surprised in the slightest, an emotion Maia wished she shared if the feeling of her wide-open mouth was any indication. Prim simply sauntered over to Steve before entering her own thin arm around one of the powerful limbs that did what she just saw.
Never before in her entire life had Maia felt the urge to scream.
"Allow me to escort you to the Queen, Sir Steven. "Prim said in her usual sing-song voice, that Maia for the life of her couldn't help but imagine held a level of smugness to it for some reason. "I'll introduce you to Celestine to avoid any unwanted attention if you'd like."
"I would greatly appreciate that, Prim. "Steve answered, allowing the small pinkette to guide him further into the main hall, the Feoh entourage following close behind, leaving Maia and the dark elves bewildered behind them.
"that." a dark elf swordswoman, one who Maia had never shared more than a few words with before today, said as she turned to her fellow guard. "was the most attractive thing I've ever seen."
And never before had Maia felt so much kinship with another living person.
there once was a guy who moved cross country during the middle of a pandemic. This same guy worked anywhere between 100 and 110 hours a week from the beginning of June until near the end of December. This guy felt like straight death. But this guy now is back to normal work hours and is back home from the most stressful six months of his life. This same dude would like to apologize for not updating all year and would like to say a happy new year to those who read this in a timely manner.
Let us hope that 2021 is better.
Because with Covid getting worse, and a mob of crazy people attempting to overthrow democracy, hope for a better tomorrow is something we all need right now.