DISCLAIMER: All characters engaging in sexual conduct are 18 years or older, and legally permitted to engage in such activities, irrespective of pet names used for each other. *And thousands of years in the future.
Kingdoms:
Queen Amice-- Capital Morroco -- Home - Cegramond
Queen Hollis -- Capital Djamena - Velho southern island-
Queen Isabella -- Capital Tripoli
Queen Gilfa -- Capital Cairo
The Twins Weave
The light is dimmer in here for dancing and the dress Denae was wearing almost glowed with its pearl white with sky blue trim, she is practically glowing. "My goodness Denae." Sitting in the middle of a very long table near the dancefloor that had the regular round tables and decorations around the room.
"Psssh, don't look at me like that here," She whispers back, everyone in her family, friends, other leaders and he looked smitten, dashing, but he'll have everyone talking about them and not her daughter.
"I doubt anyone can even see me," I whisper back, "I forgot there were other people here for a moment."
"James, stop, we have to sit here for hours." Denae's face flushes and she turns away and towards Cassandra.
"You do look yummy." Cassandra whispers and we both chuckle as Denae hushes her also.
"Honey, go dance with Serena, you and Denae have been staring at each other for a while." Cassandra whispers, though it didn't seem all that long to me. "We talked about this," Cassandra whispers to Denae, "Your face is just as bad as his, you're not hiding anything."
"Ugh, really? I think a few decades should help." Denae whispers back, "We should change seats, he's going to pick on me all night."
Serena takes my hand and we walk onto a huge dancefloor, the song is a follow along, everyone moving around the edges, not a fan of this with the conversation I want to have, reaching out to the music box and moving it to the next one and then the next until a slower song comes on.
"Cassandra said you were going to change the song to a slow one for me." Serena says as the new song started.
"Easier to talk this way." taking her hand and hip, keeping the normal respectable distance.
"You are a free spirit." Serena leads us next to Catalina and Harold.
"Have some wasted past, I'd rather be doing this."
"Me too," Harold says as he is right next to us, he smiles at Serena, we dance for a moment and then head back towards the edge of the floor.
"I'm sure Denae has filled you in on everything, do you have any questions?" I figure we might as well get this out of the way, I'm positive she knows and has seemed pleased with the entire evening so far.
"Yeah, one impossible story followed up with another even more impossible story, yet here we are."
"Your daughter was brilliant with the restructure of Velho and the kingdoms."
"It is good to see her and Cat get out and do real things." She looks over at Catalina, "she has grown quite a bit in so little time."
"She has a lot on her plate, going to need to get her some help so we can visit for dinners."
"The dinners sound wonderful, I'll talk to her about what's needed, I can only imagine."
The music changed. "Leave it alone James." I hear Amice say from the table, looking up she is looking at me and a few people laugh.
"Well, Catalina volunteered to..," I run Serena through Mazarine opening up clinics, Bella and Catalina volunteering, but there are two other Kingdoms and I don't want her to handle all three.
"You should be a bard, the stories you tell." she laughs, "That is such a nice idea, I can help her figure it out."
"Any question I want?" She asks after a moment.
"Yep."
"Are you sleeping with both of them?"
"Yes, it's part of the process to get them to their full potential."
"Well, I've never seen those two so happy, so I'll reserve judgement."
"Thanks, I'm pretty happy everything worked out as it has."
"I bet! Good grief, how do you find all the time, does it hurt anyone's feeling when they get left out?"
"They make the vast majority of the decisions both for the realms and with me. I wasn't kidding when I said I just follow them around and carry stuff, heat water, make food."
"I doubt that, but it's good they decide amongst themselves, I noticed they seem to group together whenever possible, they seem to get along well?"
"Catalina was worried about not fitting in, I didn't want her to do too much, I'm kinda greedy when it comes to them."
"What if Denae or Catalina want to leave?"
"I'm sure over the next few hundred years, we are going to have issues, being able to read minds helps in catching things early and not letting them fester, they are free to do as they wish."
"Oh, that's right, it sounds terrifying and good at the same time."
"Ehh, Abi has known my every thought since we were born, I don't do it myself, on them, when Abi does it like without thought like breathing, there is no need. They have their own group chat that I'm not allowed in, it's where all my work comes from."
"I'm from the old days when the amount of power meant everything, what you are doing is so far above and beyond it isn't even measurable. I love that my daughter and granddaughters are going to be secure in their future, you have no idea how much hope that gives me."
"These days aren't all that different considering what we had to put down recently. All of this has happened so fast," I leave off and stop talking for a moment.
"What is it really like, no humble answers like earlier." She looks up at me and I laugh.
"It saved my life, freed me from being under a tyrants thumb, allowed me to experience what I've never been allowed, do things that protect those that I love, give them the same gifts, and, meet people like you when that would never have happened. We are hiding in Tahareesa's home, but it's a home of wonders, smells, food and surrounded by lovely ladies that spoil me rotten, better answer?"
"Much better," She kisses my cheek.
The music stops and we head back to the table.
"Can I sit with Denae?" Serena asks on the way along the table.
"I'll go find something to drink." Pulling out and sliding her up to the table, the guard that normally does it doesn't seem put out.
"Thank you for the dancing, it was wonderful, now we have to gossip about you." Serena smiles and waves me away.
Walking the other way down the table to Amice, "Hey, the guards and staff, can you give them a song to dance?"
Amice looked up surprised and then nods and stands up turning around, "Sai, would you let everyone not too busy know the next two dances are for them?"
"Your Highness what about.."
"Seriously Sai? We have Lady Abigale and James with us, what could anyone possibly do? Go, and tell your wife it's an order, when was the last time she had a dance?"
"Yes, of course." He talks to the guard at the end of the table and they head off in different directions.
"Can you stop the music at the end of this song?" She leans in whispering, "Is this part of the deal we had before?"
"Most of the work is done, they've been dressed up and busting their butts all day making all of this happen." I reply," Her eyebrow raises just a little and her mouth twitches, "Maybe." I answer and get a kiss on the cheek just like her grandmothers.
"Excuse me," Everyone is talking so I amplify her voice a bit, "Excuse me, she says and it reaches the entire hall and she glances at me briefly. "As a thank you to everyone that helped make all of this happen today, the next two dances are for the guards, cooks, and design staff, please take your seats, thank you." Everyone obeyed of course but I'm sure the conversations changed considering most present are elite and would never have thought to do something like this.
"You know him and his wife?" I ask as we watch together.
"Of course, Catalina and I made amends for previous slights as you asked, and to be honest, their experiences and stories are so much more interesting than our lives and they make the time go by much faster than sitting in our rooms."
"What is this about?" Harold asks from her side.
"We ugh, got called out by James for poor choices," she glances at me, "During our first dinner with Father when everything went wrong and we left in shame." Harold nods remembering the scene but not the reasoning.
"Ah, I remember some of that."
"I think most of that was more for me," Catalina answers walking up to us, knowing the conversation going on sitting a few feet away.
"And this is part of that?" He looks between us and the dance floor as the people started to fill it in, faces smiling and the awkwardness of some that were trying to match up for a medium fast dance. The laughter of some of the guards as they had only seen others dance. "This will definitely spread through the city."
"And it cost nothing." I reply, "they have a good time after busting butt all day."
"Ahh, this has to do with your time, ugh, spent with the servants in the keep?" Harold looks over at father, "He was surprised you let him live you know, he, well, don't want to spoil the evening. So how do you do this?"
"Start a conversation and listen, it was quite a bit easier than you'd think." Catalina replies, "Once word gets out the rest are less wary that you have alternative motives. The first few were difficult due to my reputation that I didn't know I'd had."
"What?" Harold asks.
"Oh, that I was a bitch that bothered them for even the slightest thing that I could have done myself." Catalina
smiled at the end shaking her head, "I was a demandingly lazy child."
"They told you that!?" Harold asks surprised at Catalina candor.
