No change in expression. “I did not.”
She was certain Daleina didn’t have it in her, but if she did...Let me see if I can prod her into revealing anything.“Last time I saw you, you’d had my sister killed. It’s logical to assume I’m next.”
“I think you misremember your history. Your sister was my dear friend,” Daleina said, “and she died in an assassination attempt that you ordered. But is this truly what you wish to discuss? It’s certainly not why I called you here.”
“Invited me,” Merecot corrected.
Daleina inclined her head. “Invited.”
“I’ll bite,” Merecot said. “Why am I here?” She braced herself for a litany of demands. They’d need to negotiate a peace treaty, and Daleina would surely expect to have the upper hand, given that she’d sacrificed her co-queen to aid Semo. It was possible she’d want to reexamine the border between their countries, or set laws in place that would ensure the protection of those borders. Frankly, Merecot didn’t care if—
“I wanted to see if we’re still friends,” Daleina said.
Merecot stared.
She blinked.
She cleaned out one ear.
Then the other, deliberately and sarcastically slowly.
“Really?” Merecot asked.
If her theatrics affected the other queen, Daleina didn’t show it. She just nodded and held out her hand, infuriatingly serene. “Truly. We were friends once, remember? I want to be friends again, somehow, if we can rebuild whatever trust and affection we once had—”
“I can’t decide if you’re naïve or stupid.”
Daleina’s hand didn’t waver, and she was looking at Merecot as intently as Merecot looked at a spirit she wanted to subdue, as if her eyes could bore directly into her brain. “Maybe both. But either way, for the sake of both of our people, I want your friendship back.”
By the spirits, I think she’s serious.That was... unexpected. “So I take your hand, and then what? We swap stories late in the night? Sneak into the palace kitchen for a snack? Giggle? Because I don’t giggle.”
“We secure the safety of both of our peoples.” Hand still out. Eyes still earnest. Still ignoring Merecot’s attempts at humor.
“You’re absurd,” Merecot said.
“Perhaps. But I was once your friend,” Daleina said. “I want to be again.”
Merecot stepped backward, and her back bumped into the rail of the balcony. There had to be a trick here, some kind of ploy to get Merecot to lower her guard. Merecot wasn’t naïve enough to believe Daleina meant it. Queens didn’t have friendships, least of all with each other. And who talked like this anyway? You didn’t ask someone “be my friend” unless you were six years old. You became friends in a natural progression that didn’t involve grandiose statements on a palace balcony. “That’s... nice?”
“Merecot.”
“Daleina?”
Daleina lowered her hand.
“You’re withdrawing the offer of friendship?” Merecot asked.
“I’m resting my arm,” Daleina said. She lifted her hand again, held it out toward Merecot, and waited, a completely placid expression on her face as if she intended to keep this up as long as it took.Maybe she did.Daleina was known to have a stubborn streak.
“I tried to kill you,” Merecot said, trying to shock Daleina out of this exasperating serenity. She didn’t mention she’d come with that purpose again.
“All friendships have bumps.”
Still the hand. Still the stare. It was beginning to get more than a little unsettling. Merecot didn’t like feeling that she wasn’t in control of the conversation.
“I also invaded your country,” Merecot pointed out.
“I am prepared to forgive you.”
