Luella moved to sit beside Princess Sorill, hands clenched in her gown, wings drooping over her shoulders like wilted flower petals.
Princess Sorill attempted to make conversation with Luella, who gave quiet, one-word answers, as if unused to anyone showing any interest in her at all.
What finally made her break was when the babe on Princess Sorill’s lap reached for Luella, tiny fingers waving in the air as she teetered on the Fallen Princess’s lap, trying to grab Luella’s wings.
Luella covered her mouth, laughing quietly. The sound drew their rapt focus, where the four of them watched the two Princesses.
Vale still watched from the archway. Tharen met his eyes from a distance and thought,Okay?
Instead of replying, the King shoved away from his spot and disappeared into the crowd. He didn’t reappear again until he stood right before them, green eyes no longer slitted as he said, "All is well. I needed a moment." His words drifted off as he looked to Luella, who had scooted closer to the Princess and Jili, letting the babe brush chubby fingers over the tips of her white feathers.
All the composure the King seemed to have found standing near the opened doorway left him in an instant as smoke huffed in the air on a harsh exhale. "That is…"
Tharen didn’t even try to hide his smirk. He knew the bastard would be riled by the sight of Luella with a babe. Even Tharen felt strange at the sight. He hadn’t realized Luella could be so gentle in that way; her laughter rang like little bells as she played with Jili, who kept running her fingers over Luella’s wings.
After a while—the five of them were silent as they watched the two Princesses talk lowly, Luella telling Princess Sorill to disregard her title, and the other Princess doing the same—their strange haze of peace was disrupted by the arrival of the last two Damaris siblings. Twins.
Sora and Soro—if Tharen remembered correctly. He’d never met them, but the resemblance was undeniable.
Sora, with a swelling belly, walked right up to her sister. "Why would you bring my daughter into the presence of these interlopers?"
Sorill’s hands tightened around Jili. "They aren’t interlopers. These are our brother’s friends."
"Sorrenleft, Sorill. He forgot about us. These are no friends of ours," Soro spat. The winged male wasn’t quite as tall as Graves, but the anger in his eyes spoke much about his feelings on their arrival.
Will they be a problem?Vale spoke in their minds.
Graves answered.Soro and Sora are angry at me, but they would never intentionally hurt me. Or anyone.
Sorill carefully bundled the babe up and lifted her to her mother, who clutched Jili to her chest like she was in danger of being snatched away.
Tharen resisted the urge to snort.
Princess Sora perched Jili on her hip, the babe’s arms curling over the Princess’s rounded belly.
Luella’s hands folded in her lap, looking so small. "I’m sorry," she whispered.
"What?" Sora snapped.
"I am sorry for being the cause of strife here. It was not my intention—" Luella started.
Soro cut her off with a sharp wave of his hand. "Enough. Your apologies mean nothing,angel," he spat.
Azgorath grumbled.
"Our brother left us for the promise of you. I see nothing worthy of taking him away from us." Sora crinkled her nose at Luella, turned on her heel, and left, Jili’s cheek on her mother’s shoulder as she stared at them, her wide green eyes filled with innocence.
Soro stayed. "Sorill, come. You don’t need to be around them. Sorren made his choice, make a better one."
Sorill placed a hand on Luella’s shoulder. "I am staying, brother."
Soro made to speak again, but Graves stopped him with a hand on his shoulder as he said, "Leave, Soro. I don’t mind threats toward myself, but never to her." Graves stared at Luella, and as Soro followed his gaze, Tharen wanted to skewer a dagger through his eyes for daring to stare at his Vincire with such loathing.
Soro threw one last look toward his sister, then left.
"Ignore them, sweetheart," Graves said to Luella.
Sorill’s eyes sparked with interest at the endearment. "He’s right, you know. Ignore them. I love my siblings, but love and like are different. After what happened, the entirety of the Isles views visitors with wary intent."
