Edited on July 8, 2015. I'm currently working through this story and making slight adjustments to the story in order to fix certain inaccuracies that started popping up later in the story.
I own nothing of the Black Jewels Trilogy or any following novels. All rights go to Anne Bishop. Thanks for reading!
BJT:ANW
Chapter 13
Arina woke up slowly the next morning, smiling softly. Dark golden sunlight spilled over her face and the bed, warming her entire body. It was such a difference from waking up in Glacia, where the pale light was nice but not warm, and she never wanted to get out of bed. Opening her eyes, Arina found that she was laying on her front on the bed, with her wings stretched out on either side of her and her tail pressed to her side. The blankets on the bed were light and soft, made of some kind of linin that didn't rub against her and didn't weigh down on her wings. There were subtle warming spells on the blankets to keep her warm, because they were so light. Arina giggled quietly when she realized that the bed had to be eighteen feet wide, and her wing tips both had another foot to the edge of the bed. It was an absolutely massive creation, and the girl found herself wondering where they would have found a mattress that was apparently eighteen feet by what looked like eighteen feet. That led to wondering what kind of beds the Eyriens had, to accommodate their wings.
Shaking her head to pull her thoughts back, Arina began to painstakingly stretch out her limbs, extending her arms out above her head, fingers barely brushing the headboard. Flexing her legs and pointing her toes to the foot of the mattress, the Queen was pleased to note that the movement was less painful than it had been yesterday. In her arms, there was only a lingering soreness in her fingers, where her claws rested. Her legs still ached with pain, but then they had changed and lengthened somewhat, while her arms had not otherwise changed. Still, she could at least move her legs at will now, even if it did still hurt a lot, and her arms weren't even sore anymore. She had certainly not enjoyed being helpless to move, despite recognizing that there was no danger, and hoped that the (slowly) fading pain meant that she was healing. Sadly, it was obvious that she wasn't up for walking yet, but maybe tomorrow or Thursday at the latest she would be up and moving on her own.
A quiet knock at the door interrupted the girl's thoughts, and Arina turned her head towards the door. Extending a probe after a moment's hesitation—she wasn't sure she was up to facing Lucien yet—a strangely shifting Jewel appeared on the other side of the door. One moment it was a Rose, then the presence became a Green, then Red. Arina blinked. She knew about the Twilight's Dawn, but it was a strange thing to sense without seeing Jaenelle herself. "Come in please, Jaenelle," Arina called out.
"I'm glad to see that you are using your Jewel more," Jaenelle said as she entered the large room. Laboriously, Arina shifted around so that she was sitting on the bed rather than laying on her stomach. Leaning forward, Arina put her elbows on her knees to brace herself as she watched Jaenelle move through her room. The older Queen went to the foot of the huge bed, and studied the Web that was resting on the large chest there. Arina blinked.
"That was not there when I went to sleep," she muttered, frowning.
"No," Jaenelle agreed. Arina breathed a sigh of relief. It was good to know that she wasn't quite that unobservant. "I came in at midnight to set the Web up. You were already asleep when I came in, and I made sure not to wake you up."
"Oh." Arina looked doubtfully at the blackened strands of silk crisscrossing the polished frame. "That's a good thing, right?" she asked, motioning to the fragile threads.
"Yes, that means that the power placed in the Web was used. Although some might say that it isn't such a good thing, considering that you have to be hurt for it to work," Jaenelle mused. Arina grimaced slightly. "How are you feeling right now?" Jaenelle asked, sitting down on air to face Arina. "Physically, and mentally."
"I'm tired of not being able to move," Arina muttered, then raised her voice a little to speak more clearly. "I'm sore, but I can move my arms without pain and I can pick up the blanket with minimal discomfort. I can stretch out my legs and they're sore and still hurt but not as much, and I can't put any weight on them. My back is where I still really hurt, though." Arina's ears flicked back and forth for a moment.
"What about your wings?" Jaenelle asked gently. "And your tail?"
"My wings feel almost disconnected," Arina admitted. "I don't really feel them yet. I can move them when I really try, but only a little bit. My tail is fine, but sore where it connects to my back," Arina muttered. Jaenelle nodded thoughtfully. Arina shook her head and flicked her ears again to pull herself out of her black mood. It would do her no good to be gloomy. "So, what's the verdict, doc?" she asked, deliberately cheerful.
Jaenelle smiled back at her. "I'd much rather you stay in bed today, if you can tolerate it, laying down as much as possible to take the pressure and weight off of your back and give it a rest," Jaenelle confessed. "I know that it's hard and boring for you to stay still for that long, but it would help you heal if you don't strain yourself."
Arina burst out laughing. "Honestly, Jaenelle, I would do almost anything in order to heal faster. If laying down and lazing the day away is the best way to make sure that it happens, I am willing to do nothing all day today and the rest of the week, even if I don't like it. Boring as it will be, short term disadvantages lead to long term advantages. It all works out. I will laze happily." The girl nodded to the piles of bags against the north wall of her room. "Is that everything that I had brought to the Keep?" she asked.
"Yes, I had everything brought down here. I would suggest going through everything and separating it into three sections: what you plan to send to the Keep to stay, what to leave here at the Hall, and what to take with you to Starfire Manor, when you move there. That way you will have something comforting at every place that you can call home."
Arina nodded once in agreement. "Right," she agreed. Then she fidgeted slightly, looking a little embarrassed. "Um…how long should it be before I can start walking on my own again?" she asked nervously, afraid of the answer.
Jaenelle looked at her sympathetically, understanding her desperation. Then the Healer studied Arina's legs intently, seeing more than just long tanned skin. After a long moment of silence, she nodded slowly to herself. Arina almost vibrated with impatience. "Thursday afternoon," The Healer decided. "You can practice walking for a little while. But," she added quickly and warningly when Arina's face lit up, "only when I am with you. Absolutely no practicing on your own, do you understand?"
Reluctantly, Arina agreed, knowing that it would be dangerous for her to try walking on her own. She was likely to trip and fall, and without anyone there she could get seriously injured and no one would know. Not that it wasn't tempting to try it on her own, but Arina wasn't foolish enough to endanger her healing for personal pride. She wasn't a male.
"I don't want to wait three days," Arina muttered. Wincing slightly, she pushed herself up and shifted so that her legs were stretched out behind her and lowered herself onto her stomach with a sigh, resting her chin on her folded hands as she met Jaenelle's eyes.
The woman laid her hand on Arina's head for a moment, amused. "We'll bring in another Web at noon, so that so long as you are staying still we can have something useful going to help heal you more quickly."
Arina blinked, and then turned her head to see out her huge window. "What time is it now?" she asked, eyeing the bright warm glow spread over her entire room.
Jaenelle smirked at her. "Eleven," she drawled. Arina's jaw dropped in surprise—she had never slept in later than nine before in her life. "You needed the sleep, so your body forced it on you," Jaenelle explained, seeing the look of confusion. "Now," Jaenelle continued blithely, "Before you get too comfortable, I am going to give you a bath." She easily ignored Arina's horrified noises, and her equally disgusted expression. "Then you can freshen up and eat brunch."
Jaenelle vanished through the door at the foot of the bed while Arina sputtered furiously. The pipes rattled for a moment when the woman turned the water on for the bath, but she didn't return for about ten minutes. Arina felt only slightly guilty that she hoped that something had happened to Jaenelle so she couldn't come back in.
No such luck.
"Alright, come on," the woman said with obscene cheerfulness as she reentered the bedroom. Arina simply glared at her.
"You'll feel better when you are clean," Jaenelle chided, using Craft to pick the girl up and float her into the bathroom. Arina was determined not to answer the woman, but seeing the bathroom was enough to make her jaw drop in open shock. No wonder it took Jaenelle ten minutes to fill up the bathtub. It had to be 20 feet across. She could swim laps in the thing! Arina considered this thoughtfully. Bouyancy in the water would mean less pressure on her body, while the swimming would still help her tone her new body. Hmm…
Meanwhile, Jaenelle chuckled at Arina's amazement. "I made sure all the baths were large after I realized that the Kindred were apt to join any human they could in the baths. Or at least, the wolves and the scelties would jump in. The cats aren't so fond of water that they would willingly get into a bath." Arina just shook her head in silence, before grinning.
"I'd best keep Janos out, then. Wait, where is he? I'm surprised I haven't seen him yet." Arina groaned in bliss as she was set down in the steaming water. Then she turns expectantly back to Jaenelle, who settled next to her on the edge of the bath.
"Janos has been adopted into the wolf pack," Jaenelle explained. "He is so much more like a wolf than the scelties, after all."
"Of course," Arina drawled. "He's a German Shepard, not a poodle."
Jaenelle raised an eyebrow, but said only, "The pack is due back tomorrow, so you don't have to worry about him 'til then."
Arina nodded hazily, dropping her head back onto the padded corner of the bath. The ensuing moment of quiet was interrupted when Jaenelle reached for the bottle of shampoo. Arina snarled, baring her fangs instinctively. "No," she snapped. "I can wash myself. My hands don't hurt that much."
Handing the girl the bottle, Jaenelle stood up and stretched out. "Alright," she said easily.
Arina sighed. "Sorry," she mumbled, dunking her head under the water to wet her hair. "I just can't stand the idea of someone else giving me a bath. I'm sure you did it while I was unconscious, and I appreciate it, but when I'm awake, I need to do it on my own. I'm not going to be a damsel in distress."
Jaenelle laughed at the idea. "Damsel in distress?" she asked, smirking.
"You know," Arina said, waving a hand around. "Weak, pretty females who are only good for sitting around while their men come to save them. Please. They would probably get lost," she muttered to herself.
"Lost?"
"It's a long standing joke on Earth," Arina explained. "Whenever people go on trips, the males insist that they know how to get there and refuse to ask directions no matter how lost they get, while women are smart enough to ask for help when they need it." She paused. "I don't need help now," she added.
"I can take a hint," Jaenelle said dryly, heading back for the door. "Do you want me to grab any clothes for you to change into when you are finished?"
"There should be a pair of black stretch pants in the big pink bag, and just grab one of the tank tops in it as well, please," Arina requested. After bringing the pants and a white tank, along with underwear, Jaenelle left the room, promising to send up some food in about a half hour. Arina groaned in relief once the women had left her rooms, relaxing back and almost slipping completely underwater.
"Finally," she muttered to herself.
BJT:ANW
Exactly thirty minutes after Jaenelle had left; there was a knock on the door. Arina looked up from the bed that she had managed to float herself onto, smiling brightly in excitement. "Come in, Lucien," she called. The male walked through the door rather than opening it, carrying a tray stuffed full of food. Arina spared a split second to hope that she wasn't drooling as she focused on the food. Lucien laughed at the expression on her face as he set the tray down on the bed in front of her and perched on the edge. Arina attacked the food. Very reluctantly, she let him have a few bites of her omelet, but he didn't push, somewhat concerned she would actually try to kill him if he tried to eat anything else.
"Ok, I'm full," she announced finally, wiggling backwards and laying her head down on her arms.
"I should think so," Lucien said. "Fifteen minutes, and you completely destroyed that tray. I don't think Uncle Lucivar could do that."
"I scared Farostel last night," she confessed. "I think he was afraid I was going to start eating him." Lucien frowned at the wording, and Arina snickered at him. "Don't worry, I'm not planning to eat him or anyone else," she assured him, nudging his leg. Lucien vanished the tray and looked at her for a long moment as she closed her eyes and hummed in contentment. The top and pants both clung to her body, revealing both her curves and the weight she had lost during her transformation. Her long silky multi-colored but still black hair was braided back tightly, making her face stand out sharply, and his eyes traced over her cheekbones and lips. "Quit staring at me," she murmured. He met her silver eyes with his gold, seeing a challenge in hers.
"What do you want me to do, then?" he asked softly.
"Come here," she ordered in reply, rolling over onto her back.
"This bed is even bigger than my Mom's," Lucien muttered as he crawled over to Arina.
"Wings," she reminded as he reached her. Straddling her hesitantly, Lucien hovered over her for a moment. Rolling her eyes, Arina reached up and hooked her claws his shirt to pull him down. "Honestly, I'm not that breakable," she growled. Then any and all further words were impossible as he pressed his mouth to hers, covering her completely. Her hands moved to fist in his hair, claws safely sheathed. Lucien almost fell on top of her as his arms gave out and he just caught himself on his elbows, pressing down on top of her.
One of Arina's wings started curling up and curving around their bodies, and the other one came up more slowly to join the other, restricting his range of motion. Lucien growled softly, wrapping his arms around her and undoing her braid somewhat haltingly. He kept getting distracted by kisses and the tugging on his shirt, which made it hard for him to coordinate his hands. Finally he managed to get it all loose, and the damp locks spread out around her head and created a dark pool around her. Just doing that softened her face and made her look somehow both younger and more innocent as well as sexier.
"Woah, I did not need to see that!"
Arina yelped, jerking her head up and craning her head to see around Lucien and her wings, which promptly collapsed down onto the bed again. The male in question snarled and hurled a heavy pillow in the direction of the door. "Rose!" he snarled.
"Whoops, sorry," his sister smirked. Arina glared at her.
"No you aren't," she muttered, draping her arm over her face even as Lucien turned more fully to face the door and his sister, shielding Arina from sight. Briefly, Arina glanced down to see the remains of his shirt—apparently her claws had come back out when trying to get it off of him—and blushed hotly, averting her eyes.
"No, I'm not," Rose agreed. "We waited for you to finish eating and come out, but you seemed to forget that we were out here," she added, glaring at her brother, who glared back unrepentantly.
"Jaenelle said I was supposed to stay in bed," Arina said quickly.
"So she did," Gabrielle said from the doorway. The Dea al Mon Queen walked in carrying a Web identical to the one that Jaenelle had removed that morning, only the strands of this web were a creamy white. Smiling, Gabrielle took Arina's hand, pricked her finger and let three drops of blood fall to the Web, activating it. "The Web should work over the next eight hours, but one of us will be checking on your progress every couple of hours to be safe." Catching Arina's exasperated expression, Gabrielle added more softly, "We all care about you. But more than that, you are important to the Realm, and we will take care of you for them, and for our children. Let us."
Arina smiled. "Thank you," she called as Gabrielle turned towards the door. The older woman smiled back at her and nodded before closing the door softly. Arina started shifting herself so that she was leaning propped up against the headboard, so her back still had support but she was in a seated position and could see everyone clearly.
The rest of the group had spread out over the room, calling in various chairs or just sitting on the rugs covering the floor. The room in itself was simply decorated with pale cream walls, hardwood floors covered with dark forest-brown rugs, the massive four poster bed, a desk, three towering but empty bookshelves, and a set of comfortable chairs by two of the book cases just below the bed. It was obviously a sort of blank room, though still comforting and pleasant, waiting for Arina's personal touch to make it her own. Idly, Arina wondered how much time she would really spend here, though. She had her own home now, after all. Did it even make any sense that she have an entire suite here as well? Everyone else seemed to find nothing amiss with it, though, so it was probably acceptable for her to make adjustments in here.
*Have you told them yet?* Rose asked on a distaff thread.
*No. I'm going to now, so shush.*
*Can we leave first?*
*No. Suck it up.*
"So, do you like your room?" Yaslana was asking. "Or were you too busy to see it?" he added. The males laughed. Lucien dropped back on the bed with a groan. "Put a shirt on brother," Yaslana continued teasing.
"My room is nice," Arina interrupted, putting her hand down on Lucien's chest to keep him still and prevent him from launching at his younger brother. "I like it. The bathtub in particular is to die for," she added almost dreamily. Daemonar burst out laughing at her expression, and everyone else was highly amused.
"I have something I need to tell you guys," Arina said quietly. "The girls know this already, because I made the arrangements while I was still in Glacia. I haven't told you yet because—well, circumstances conspired against me, and last night I was too tired. So I'm telling you now."
She had the entire room's undivided attention, and the girls were looking nervous, while the boys were definitely picking up on that, making them wary.
"I think that this room is very nice," she said slowly, groping for the right words. "I'm sure that I will enjoy visiting it."
There was a long pause as the boys processed this statement. Lucien stiffened beside her, and the other boys went still as well.
"You don't plan to stay here," Farostel said at last, and that seemed to be enough to set the others off.
"Why don't you want to live here?" Yaslana demanded.
"Where are you planning to go, if not here?" Leon snapped.
"What is wrong with the Hall?" Jasper growled.
Arina let the shouts and growls roll over her without saying anything. She looked down at the very tense body of the Warlord Prince laying down beside her. Lucien refused to meet her eyes, opting to stare out the porch doors instead, but he wasn't arguing with her either. When the males finally stopped talking, she looked back up. "Are you going to listen to me, now?" she asked. She got a lot of steely looks, but the males nodded all the same. "Good."
Arina had been sitting up and leaning against the headboard of the bed, but now she straightened up to face them more formally. "No, I don't plan on living here at the Hall. This has nothing to do with what the Hall is, or if I like the Hall or not. There is nothing wrong with the Hall. There is something wrong with living under someone else's charity, and something worse about living under the same roof as my boyfriend's parents. Not ok," she added, hoping to lighten things up a little. There were a couple of wry smiles, but there was still quite a bit of tension in the room. The only reason that the boys weren't completely flipping out was because the girls were all so calm, Arina suspected.
"I want to have my own house. I want somewhere that I know is mine, somewhere I know that I will always have. I am grateful to Jaenelle and Daemon for allowing me to stay here, but this is their home, and the center of their power. I am not going to be comfortable with having the same center. Queens, we're like wolves—we need to have our own territories. I'm no exception. Is it so wrong that I want my own home?" she asked the boys, spreading her hands out.
"No, of course not," Daemonar snapped. "But what about us?"
"You want your own house, and doesn't that mean that you want to be on your own as well?" Farostel asked.
Arina stared at him for a moment before scanning the rest of the room. "Really, that's how you feel?" she asked, stunned.
"Is that not what you mean?" Dmitri asked hopefully.
"No," Arina cried. "That's not what I mean at all. I'm not leaving you behind, idiots," she snapped, smacking Lucien on the arm. "Really? I just…have any of you heard of Starfire Manor?"
There was a round of shaking heads.
"Alright. Starfire Manor is a huge, gigantic mansion out in the Hayllian jungle. It's only a little bit smaller than the Hall. That's the 'house' I bought. And before you ask, you already have the right to choose your own rooms there. I'm not abandoning you all. Really, I promise. I'm just setting up my own sphere of power. And really? I am not going to suffer under the same roof as your mother," she added to Lucien. "That is simply too horrible to contemplate."
"They won't care," he muttered.
"I care," she snapped.
Rose looked between the two of them on the bed and stood up rather hastily. "Okay, I think it's time for most of us to clear out. Let us know when we can come back in, but right now I think you need to work some things out between you." She started pushing the other teens out the door, some of them moving faster than the others. The room was clear within a couple of minutes, and Arina looked down at Lucien again.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" he asked, pained.
"I forgot. I was a bit distracted at the time. Lucien, does it really matter that I told all of you at the same time?"
He looked away for a moment. Arina swallowed hard. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.
"Don't be. I just—I could have helped you, defended you from them. But I couldn't, because I was so stunned."
"Lucien, does me wanting my own house really mean something in this world? Does it mean that I don't like the people I'm with, and that I want a new start away from them?"
He nodded reluctantly. "Most of the time, yes. If they are given their own homes as a gift, like Grandpa gave Mom her cabin, then it's different, but if someone goes to the effort of getting their own house, and doesn't want help or anything, then yes. It's usually because they want to get away from the people they are with."
"Then I am doubly sorry," Arina sighed. "As far as I knew, buying a house was just that—buying your own house so you don't live with your parents anymore. Most people get their own places to show that they are adults. It goes to show that I don't know as much about this world as I thought I did. Lucien, it doesn't matter to me how well meant it is—I can't live on someone else's charity. That's been my entire life so far, and I hate it. I just can't."
"I'm sorry, I overreacted as well," Lucien said, finally relaxing and sitting up. "I should have realized that you wouldn't mean it like that, and that it's important to you. And I believe that this is the point where we make up." She blinked at him in surprise at what seemed like an abrupt change, and he kissed her again. All train of thought quickly flew out the window, and she responded eagerly. Lucien quickly threw a Black shield around the room to prevent any interruptions this time, and turned his full attention back on Arina. He needed to convince himself that she was still interested in him, and that she really wasn't walking away. Time to use his father's lessons.
BJT:ANW
"They've been in there for a while," Lillian said.
"Two and a half hours, but who's counting?" Daemonar muttered, staring hard at the bedroom door. They were all gathered in Arina's sitting room, waiting to go back into her room.
"I don't think we are going to be getting back in there," Rose remarked.
"And I think that they've had long enough," Farostel snapped, getting to his feet. He stalked across the room and pounded on the door violently. There was no response, and after a moment he tried to force the door open. "Black shield," he announced in disgust.
"No one ever said that Lucien was stupid," Jonathon pointed out dryly. "He won't want to be interrupted like he was earlier. Of course he locked the door so that no one could get in."
"Well, there is someone who can still get in," Farostel growled, changing direction and heading for the door to the hallway. "I'll be back soon," he called over his shoulder.
"I have a really bad feeling about this," Alexandra muttered.
It didn't take long for Farostel to reappear at the door. He was followed by the massive white furred Acerian Warlord Prince, and his two sons.
"Mother Night," Astira breathed. Farostel was serious about this.
*Cub and mate in room?* Kaelas asked.
"Ah, yes," Yaslana stammered, eyeing the cats warily.
Kaelas nodded and turned towards the door. Farostel curled his fingers in Kaelas' fur and let the Kindred pull him through the door and the Black shield.
*Hello, cub* Kaelas announced. Farostel fought to keep a straight face as Lucien jerked upright to stare wildly at the cat. *Cub mate?* the cat asked, padding forward to sniff Arina's hair and ears. The girl, laying on her back with her head near the edge of the bed, tipped her face back to look at Kaelas. She smiled, flashing fangs.
"Hello," she replied. "Aren't we handsome?" Flipping over slowly and carefully, she met Kaelas' eyes from the right direction, and her tail flicked slowly side to side above her.
*Cub mate?* Kaelas asked again. Lucien and Farostel both looked curious as to the answer, though Lucien was much more invested in the answer.
Arina tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. "Yes," she eventually agreed. "Mate." Lucien closed his eyes in relief.
"Anyway," Farostel interrupted. "You've been in here for over two hours, I think you've had time to work things out."
Lucien gave him a terrifying and downright hateful stare, which Farostel ignored. Arina laughed quietly. "He's right," she told the fuming Warlord Prince. "Drop the shield, let them in. Besides, I'm not really capable of going much further right now, nor am I ready."
Farostel raised an eyebrow. "How far did you go?" he asked mildly, over Lucien's mutters of how he knew what he was doing and he wasn't stupid, of course they weren't going to go any further.
She ignored the question. As Lucien dropped the shield, she asked, "Do me a favor, Farostel, and grab me that blue sweatshirt?" Arina nodded toward a white bag, where a blue sleeve was poking out of the top. The male grabbed it and walked over to hand it to Arina, who used craft to slip it on before sitting up. She made a face, flushing slightly. "Let's just say that we went far enough that I needed a new shirt."
Lucien chuckled as he lay back down on the bed, tugging Arina over to lean into him. Her tail wrapped absently around his wrist, and Farostel took a seat next to her on the bed as well. Lucien glowered at the Dea al Mon, but sighed in defeat when Arina smiled at the other male before turning back to Kaelas. "Thank you for interrupting us," she told him gravely. "I'm not ready to make cubs yet."
The cat nodded. *Feline under skin, out of skin,* he said. She took a minute to puzzle over this.
"Yes, I'm part cat," she said.
*We will hunt together when you are not sick,* Kaelas proclaimed before leaving the room as abruptly as he had entered it.
Arina stared after him in bemusement as the group came in once again and settled all over the room. "Hunting," she finally said.
"You're lucky," Dmitri said, flexing the claws he had inherited from his father, so like her own. "You'll like it, I think. There is certainly enough predator in you."
"Right." Arina cleared her throat and shook her head, sending her hair everywhere. Sighing, she reached back to braid it back again. "So, everyone has recovered from my announcement, and everyone is fine with me getting my own home?" she asked.
"Sure," Yaslana said. "It'll be fun, to be away from everything. What about your training as a Queen, though?"
"Hayll has Queens, and Courts," Arina returned, rolling her eyes. "I can apprentice with them. That way no one will claim that I was favored, because none of Hayll's Queens are part of Jaenelle's Court."
"You wouldn't be favored," Rillian protested.
"All right then, that I'm not favoring anyone in particular by choosing a certain queen to work with," Arina insisted.
"When are you going to move, then?" Farostel asked, trying to break the tension.
"When I'm healed, and when Jaenelle, Gabrielle and Karla let me leave their tender mercies, I suppose. I need to write a letter to the Territory Queen," she muttered to herself.
"And when are we going to move in?" Jasper asked pointedly. Everyone looked at Arina expectantly, even the girls. They hadn't thought about that part of things.
She looked back at them evenly. "You are welcome to visit, and even choose rooms fairly soon, but none of you will move in permanently until I turn twenty, make the Offering, and form my Court."
BJT:ANW
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