Queen Maeve walked with her head held high, the natural arrogance of royalty etched into every step, totally ignoring Azula, who dipped her head in greeting, at least until she took her place beside her husband.
"You may sit before you break that weak human neck of yours," Queen Maeve said unapologetically, mocking her fragility as a human.
The audacity of that red-haired, slippery witch of a Fae! Azula was pissed off even though she was technically not human. But then she—the Queen—did not know that; none of them knew that. Hence, that insult was ant for her.
Azula straightened up, her eyes subtly connecting with Maxi’s, who shook her head. She was not to engage with the Queen.
This simple eting was testing her patience and self-control. At this point, Azula was tempted to roast the Queen’s hair. She might be a queen of fla, but she supposed the Queen’s fla couldn’t be more potent than that of hell’s.
But then Azula decided to be the bigger person. Just one glance at the Queen, and she understood: it must take a special kind of talent for the Sumr Queen to manage that wild mane of red hair and still have ti left over to ddle so expertly in other people’s affairs. She supposed one couldn’t expect much wisdom when one’s crown was more tangled than one’s thoughts.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, the Queen," Azula said with a smile that didn’t touch her eyes.
Queen Maeve said, "For an ordinary human, we have t more tis than even the average Fae have the opportunity to. However, I’m most curious about my husband’s fascination with you, so I decided to co see what’s so special about you." She turned to her husband Oberon with a sweetly sick smile, "I hope that I am not interrupting anything. I just assud that you would need your Queen by your side to navigate this eting. After all, rumors are beginning to arise that a certain human has caught the king’s interest and that there are possibilities of him taking another wife."
King Oberon turned to her, "Isn’t that what you’re supposed to take care of as the Queen?"
"What?" Queen Maeve was confused.
King Oberon said, "If rumors abound about your husband, you should squash it, shouldn’t you?"
"Huh?" Queen Maeve was taken aback by her husband’s response such that she lost her composure. She had not seen that coming at all.
Azula tried all she could, but she couldn’t stifle the laughter that erupted from her lips. Maxi nearly had a heart attack at that mont. That damn demon! However, Azula had the sense to cover it up with a cough imdiately.
"Apologies, Your Majesty," she said, supposedly using a glass of water to hide her amusent.
Queen Maeve’s eyes narrowed, her face flushing with barely contained anger. "Do you find sothing amusing?"
Maxi’s heart began to pound. She glanced nervously between Azula and the Queen, silently praying that this exchange wouldn’t escalate.
Azula looked up, eyes wide with feigned innocence. "Oh no, Your Majesty. I rely had a tickle in my throat. It seems the playful banter between you and his majesty is just too much for a small human like to comprehend and it does inspire reactions," she said, her voice dripping with hidden mirth.
"Oh really?" Queen Maeve was still not convinced by the act Azula was putting and it pissed her off for so many reasons. How dare a lowly human like her laugh at her?
"Dear Maeve, Islinda was just about to tell us about her life in the human realm and her first encounter with Aldric," King Oberon said, smoothly redirecting the conversation. "Unless, of course, you are not interested. In that case, I suggest you keep still, or better yet, leave." Though he spoke casually, the threat in his tone was unmistakable.
Queen Maeve’s mouth twitched, evidence of her struggle with her anger. Azula watched the scene play out with a bit of twisted satisfaction. So far, it seems she was liking this king of the Fae. Azula wondered if she ca clean and told him that she was the demon who helped him wipe the dark Faeries, would he applaud her? Welco her like he did Islinda?
Or kill her.
Azula decided not to take such risks. Moreover, she was here to uphold her side of her deal. That was more than enough for now.
"Very well then, amuse , human." Queen Maeve said, putting back on her cold facade.
And yes, Azula did feel like a circus animal at that mont. Like their source of amusent. She was their toy that you would enjoy til all of her tricks don’t work anymore and then they’d probably get tired of her.
"You flatter , your majesty, but there isn’t anything special about . I’m only but a young maiden who unfortunately got entangled with the Fae."
"And yet, you’re special enough to get the attention of two of my sons," He added at the last minute with a wry smile, "If not three."
Queen Maeve’s brows lifted in interest this ti. For all she knew, it was her stupid son Valerie and the monster Aldric. Who was the third? It couldn’t be what she was thinking, right?
"If you say so then, your majesty."
Good thing Azula was well aware of how Islinda’s unfortunate fate began with Aldric.
"My life in the human realm was... uneventful," Azula began, choosing her words carefully. "I lived in a small village, far from the intrigues and complexities of court life. My first encounter with Aldric was quite accidental. He had glamoured himself to be a child whom I stumbled upon in the forest and thus our fate began. I had no idea he ca after because of my previous relationship with Prince Valerie...." Azula stated purposely, crossing glances with Queen Maeve, whose expression was inscrutable, but Azula could sense her underlying hostility.
"You could say that he was very much the villain then and his actions nearly cost my life."
"And now?"
"What?" she stumbled on her words, "I an, your majesty?"
"And what did you think of him?" King Oberon rephrased his words, his voice gentle but probing.
"Well... I find him... intriguing." Azula was not pretending this ti, but spoke out of her honest opinion, "Aldric’s views and actions might be unorthodox, but he’s strong, courageous, and fiercely protective. But more than that, he is quite hot as hell..." Azula trailed off when she realized what she just said.
An awkward silence fell over the hell.
Azula sighed, this is why even she didn’t trust her demon mouth.
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