~Serana⚜️

Sunlight struck my eyes forcing me awake. Scrunching up my nose in distaste I roll onto my back, stretching my spine as I did. A moan worked its way past my lips as I settled back down, turning my head away from the intrusive daylight.

The pale arm slung over my waist pulled back, out from under my wing, before sliding up to rest against my secondary pectorals and the wing across my hips slid up in its place across my waist.

Peaking one eye open I hazily watch Mira's slowly waking form as she snuggles the side of her face into the pillow. A smile pulls at the corners of my lips. For the first time in over a week my first thought didn't revolve around the war or the convoy, just Mira.

Mira seemed to settle back down and started drifting back off after a second.

A chuckle rumbled it's way out of my chest as I heard her purring start up again. The smile that pulled at the edge of her mouth betrayed the queen, letting me know she was more awake than she seemed. Not fully functioning, but at least aware of her surroundings.

Turning all the way over I lightly bump my nose against hers. "Good morning, my love." I greet the dozing monarch.

A slightly deeper purr meets my words. "Good mornin'." She half mumbles in reply.

I couldn't help but to roll my eyes. If there was anything more ridiculously adorable than the queen half awake in the mornings, I'd doubt its existence. "You're a mess." I chuckle in a low half whisper, mostly to myself.

Mira half hummed half purred happily. "I'm your mess now." She responds.

A grin takes over my features. "Yeah, I guess you are." I confirm. "Good thing you're a hot mess or I'd have to trade you back." I teased, pushing forward to press my nose into her cheek.

I felt her grin underneath me as she turned into me. "Hmm, what'd you trade for me in the first place?" She inquiries, playing along.

My heart did a little leap at the opportunity to tease her more. "Well at first I thought it was my pride." I started, pulling back to look down into half open bright blue eyes looking up at me almost dreamily. "But now I fear it to be my heart." I finish, putting as much sincerity into my voice and expression as I could.

She hummed quietly as she stared up into my eyes for a long moment before replying. "That is the cheesiest way to say I love you, that I've ever heard." Mira declares as she pushes herself up onto her elbow and leans over me, pressing a sweet and gentle kiss to my lips.

I couldn't quite kiss her back for the smile on my face. "I just feel like an 'I love you' doesn't quite catch the scope. You know what I mean?" I question, properly rolling onto my back so I wasn't in such an awkward position.

"Aye." Mira breathes before pressing another lingering kiss to my parched lips. When she pulled back I nearly whined before hearing her voice start speaking. "You need to brush your teeth." She informs me, still hovering over me with her weight on her arm.

A huff of laughter escapes me at her statement. "I just woke up. And you can't say anything after the amount of times you've deliberately blown your morning breath in my face." I forewarn, pointing a finger in her face. "Not. One. Word." I emphasize when she opens her mouth.

Her jaw snaps shut with a half hearted pout. The other woman let out a soft humph as she settled her weight on me and laid her jutted chin against my sternum, sporting a halfhearted pout.

Rolling my eyes I slip my arms under her wings and pull up on her to draw the pale woman closer. "Baby." I halfheartedly teased.

A smile tugged at the edge of her pouting lips as she shuffled up closer to my face. "Yes darling?" She half hums, her breath ghosting against my chin.

Rolling my eyes I poked her in the side, fighting to keep a smile off my face. "Let me up so I can go brush my teeth." A laugh managed to make its way into my voice as I tried to prod the monarch into rolling off me.

"Fine." She concedes, leaning up to press a chaste kiss to my lips. Without further ado she hopped up letting the blanket slide off her frame as she stood from the bed. A scowl started to form on her face as she looked over to the chair. "Ovah, stop plucking." She chastises the gryph grooming himself on the chair, getting feathers and fur everywhere.

A chuckle rumbles in my chest as I stand up and make my way to the bathroom while Mira deals with Ovah's mess.

~💠~

Thunk

Thunk

The sound of arrows hitting the target distracted me, allowing me to lose track of my surrounding and my feathers to lay flat and relax. That didn't however allow my mind to stop playing over the looks I'd been getting all morning.

In the dinning room this morning the lycans kept sniffing the air curiously around Mira and I. Fyko had nearly tripped over himself when he got close enough to smell the change between us. Half the staff seemed to startle after either of us passed. All of it was saying the same thing.

Pulling the string back I let loose and listen for the satisfying thunk of the arrow hitting the target.

"Nice shot." A voice calls from behind me.

Whirling around I nock and draw an arrow back before fully looking towards the door to find Katal walking toward me. "Uh- thanks." I reply after a moment, loosening my stance. "Sorry, I was a little lost in thought." I apologize for nearly shooting her.

The elder woman waved it off. "It happens to all of us." She dismisses assuringly.

My shoulders and wings relaxed a margin as I resheathed my bow and arrow. "Did you want anything?" I question, equally curious as I was cautious. It wasn't often the general sought me out, come to think of it I wasn't sure she ever had.

Before she can start to answer I turn to head down range and retrieve my arrows, flicking my wing to indicate I wanted her to follow.

"I was simply passing by when I heard you. There is no training scheduled for this time so I figured I would come to investigate." She explains.

I hummed in response as we reached the target.

It wasn't until I started working on gathering the arrows that the general decided to fill the silence. "If you don't mind my asking..." the older woman trailed off waiting for consent.

Mulling it over for a second I flick my gaze over my wing and give her a sharp nod to continue.

"What has you in such a contemplative mood?" Her voice was soft and sincere, kinder than I'd ever heard her before.

Yanking another arrow from the target I lift it up as if to gesture with it before letting my arm fall limp. "It's nothing." I sigh, collapsing the arrow before clipping it back into the quiver on my wing.

It was Katal's turn to hum. I could see the unbelieving stare as she continued to bore her gaze into the side of my head.

Letting out a frustrating sigh I pull the last arrow from the target. Dropping my gaze I watch the shaft twirl in my hands as I debated whether to ask her the question that'd been bothering me since breakfast.

The general stood by silently, waiting for me to make my choice.

Chewing on my lip I take a deep breath, eyes still locked on the arrow in my hands, and speak. "Do I-" I had to stop and clear my through from the sudden lump that had risen up. "Do I smell... off, to you?" My voice was hesitant but clear.

When the General didn't immediately answer I looked up to gauge her reaction to my question. She didn't seem fazed by the inquiry, not even surprised, which did plenty to answer my question in itself.

I saw the slight rise of her shoulders and wings giving me a small moment to brace for what she was going to say next. "You've always had Mirandiona's scent on you from the moment the two of you began sharing a room." She begins, the intensity of her stare enough to still my fidgeting hands and listen with baited breath. "That has not changed." She affirms with a slight nod. "But your scent," she nods at me in indication, "has been changing from the same moment you started to smell of Mirandiona. It is not my place to know what you were doing last night, though I can guess, but I will tell you that today is the first time I've stood by you and knew without a doubt that you won't be going anywhere for quite some time." She tells me with a sure set to her jaw and a kind gleam in her eyes.

Swallowing the lump in my throat for the second time I drop my gaze to the ground for a moment. A huff of laughter escapes me as the corners of my lips ghost up into a short lived smile. "How in the name of the Drace am I so relieved and so terrified at the same time?" I was half asking the general half asking the air, either could answer at this point.

A quiet chuckle shakes the general's chest, "There is no greater elation than the knowledge that you are loved, and no greater fear than the knowledge that you can lose it, Amarie Klevton: The Longest Nights." She quotes.

The title sounded like a book and I had a vague association with the name to a book cover so I assumed that was what she was quoting. I couldn't help but laugh as a thought came unbidden toward me and I had to share. "Now I know where Mira gets it from." I laughed, finding more amusement in the observation than was probably warranted.

A quiet laugh sounded from beside me causing me to look up at the other woman. Her head was ducked down but I could still see a sadness to the small smile on her face. "Actually she probably gets that from Arialsta. We used to try and one up each other by having the better quote." She laughed a bit more fully this time. "We used to drive Selina and Lykanio nuts with it. Of course that only egged us on more." The smile on Katal's face was reminiscent of times past and shadowed by an underlying grief.

"I take it you and the former queen were close?" I venture tentatively.

A huff escaped the older woman's lips, not quite a laugh, not quite a sob, but something in between. "She was my best friend." She informs with a sad smile and a slight sheen over her eyes betraying the tears that rose from the memories. "And I had to watch her daughter grow up and take on far too much far too soon without her. Mirandiona might be strong, and skies know she's as stubborn as they come, but she's spent nearly her entire life shutting people out and shoving her way forward, refusing help at nearly every turn." She continues after a moment.

My heart twisted in my chest at the look on the general's face and the outcome of a tragedy from a point of view I hadn't yet heard. "What changed?" I asked taking in what Katal said and comparing it to the woman I knew now. "From what I've witnessed Mira seems more than willing to accept help from the right people, maybe a little begrudging at time," I laughed softly, "but as long as I've known her she's been asking for help in one way or another. So what changed?" I asked eager to know more about the queen's past, wanting to learn what helped to shape the woman I had fallen madly in love with.

An actual full laugh shook the general's shoulders and wings as she dropped her head before throwing her gaze up towards the sky. "An equally as stubborn, loud mouthed, insubordination woman came crashing into the castle and tripped her up at nearly ever turn. Fascinated her into paying more attention, goaded her into cooperating with others, showed her what could happen when there was someone else beside her, and how much more she could take with someone else to help her bare the weight." Katal's eyes were gleaming in the lantern lights with unshed tears as she starred me down. "She met you, and I haven't seen her this happy since her parents died. And I've been scenting it off of you for a while but today it was made concrete, that you've settled here and that you're going to stay with her."

The conviction in Katal's voice was enough to have tears starting to form in my own eyes as she barreled on. "Am I right to assume you're official? Because that's what it seems like to me." Katal finally asked the greatest question, the one I'd been worrying over all morning.

I opened my mouth to reply but couldn't manage to make a sound past the tears in my throat. Looking away from the deep shining brown eyes of the general I take a deep breath to steady myself before I can manage an answer. "We haven't talked about it, but I'm certain there is no one in this world I'd rather spend the next fourteen hundred years with." I confess finally able to look back into the unnervingly intent brown eyes of the general.

The other woman watched me for several long moments, her gaze seeming to look at me soul deep and judging me at my core. Note to self: never look Katal in the eye again. After an eternity which could only have lasted a few minutes, the general finally broke her stare and turned to walk back downrange. "The queen is in her study if you wish to speak with her." She calls over her shoulder.

Though it was said as just a casual suggestion as if to inform her of the queen's whereabouts, I had no doubt that it was meant as an order to go speak to the queen.

Sucking in a shaky breath I collapse the last arrow and follow the general out of the training room. Sheathing the arrow, I turn the opposite way of the other woman once I've hit the hall and head out of the barracks.

As soon as I'm over the threshold I spread my wings and leap into the sky, not bothering with a platform. Climbing into the sky I cut through the still frigid air and make a direct path toward Mira's office.

Diving between the towering walls I bounce of the railing and land with a dull thump. My entrance draws the attention of Mira who was sitting at her desk and Fyko who was sitting on the farthest corner of her desk.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting anything." I apologize stepping through the balcony doors.

Fyko was the first to respond by jumping up off the edge of the desk with a broad smile and outstretched arms. "Not at all. I was just leaving." He declared with the grandeur that was typical of his over zealous personality.

The man made for the balcony door as I stepped farther into the room. A small smile played at the corners of my mouth at his exuberant display. "You're cheerier than usual." I note, giving him a curious look as he neared.

A laugh bounces around the room as he throws out his arms again with a flare of his wings. "I am happier than usual." He retorts.

I couldn't help but to roll my eyes at his comment, but the smile that had been playing at the edges of my lip took hold.

The older man wrapped his arm nearest to me around my shoulders from the front and leaned in to plant a scruffy kiss to my temple. I could feel the corse hairs of his stubble as he pulled back just far enough to mumble into my ear. "Honestly, I am happy for the both of you." He punctuates his statement with a tight squeeze to my shoulder before letting his hand drop and moving past me to leave the room.

After he's let go I reach up and rub my temple to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling of his scratchy beard. So itchy. Turning back to the other occupant in the room I see Mira leaning back in her chair with an amused smile.

"I'm so glad you can't grow a beard." I comment as I walk over to lean against the desk next to the monarch.

A quiet laugh fills the space between us as Mira shifts in her chair. "Not very pleasant are they?" She musses jokingly. Her expression grows more serious while still holding a soft smile. "Is there something on your mind?" She asks, tilting her head just so with a curious look in her eyes.

I take a deep breath and hold it for several long moments. When I don't find the words to start the conversation I shrug and duck my head. "It's nothing I don't guess." I dismiss hoping to steal the conversation away from my own worries.

Pale fingers tap against my knee. "That's a double negative, so you just said that it is something and I concur because you've had this look about you all morning as if somethings eating at your mind." The other woman retorts swiftly.

I glance up as Mira leans forward in her chair, her hand coming up to rest on my exposed thigh. I meet her blue gaze as her thumb rubs back and forth across the tiny feathers blanketing my skin in a soothing manner. "Please tell me. I can't help if I don't know what's wrong." She pleads, the look of concern pulling at her brow and the frown tugging the corners of her lips down makes my heart twist.

"Nothing's wrong." I assure her, placing my hand over hers. "I've just been thinking." My shoulders and wings come up in a shrug causing the one folded on her desk to shift a few of the papers it was laying on.

Mira's gaze didn't waver as her brows pinched closer together. "Thinking about what?" She prods, her voice was soft and gentle but I could tell by the tone she wasn't going to let this go so easily.

Letting out a shaky breath I glance to the side before looking back to deep blue pools. "You know, someone could have warned me not to look Katal in the eye when she strikes up a conversation with you." I start hoping for a lighter topic to start the conversation with.

A laugh comes unbidden from Mira's lips, bubbling up from deep within her chest. "Aye, she's not the best person to have a heart-to-heart with if you don't feel like crying at the end of it." She nods emphatically but the smile on her face remained regardless. "What'd she goad you into talking about?" The queen pressed tilting her head again.

She does that every time she listening to me. I note absentmindedly. "Well it started with me being a little bothered about how the castle staff seems to be- uh, shifty- I suppose is the word I'm looking for, but everyone is sniffing out the air more than usual and they keep giving me looks and I just-" I cut off my own rambling and take a deep breath. Shooting my gaze around the room before bringing it back to the woman sitting in front of me.

My hand trembled in her grasp as she turned the one on my thigh over and gently squeezed my fingers. "Yeah, I noticed that too." She admits. Her expression turns a bit hesitant as she seems to search my eyes. "Does... it bother you?" She asks quietly. "Their reactions? The- implications associated with them?"

My heart twisted at the slight edge of vulnerability I saw in her eyes and the hesitance coloring her voice.

My eyes dropped to the floor, unable to hold the monarch's gaze. "No, but it does make me wonder what exactly we're doing." I answer honestly.

"What do you mean?" I could hear her confusion. Looking up I was met with a scrunched brow and the beginnings of a frown pulling at the edges of her lips.

My mouth opens and shuts as I try to find a way to put my thoughts into words. "It's just, we've never talked about this. Us." I elaborate, gesturing between us with my free hand. "I need to know what we're doing, and that we're on the same page."

Her brow smooths out a bit and the look of confusion morphs into one of hesitance and even a little guilt. "I guess we never did formally discuss what this is did we?" The question seemed more rhetorical but I shook my head anyways.

Mira was searching my eyes and I could see it in the slight pinch around her own that she was scared to start the conversation.