Chapter 49. Forgotten but Never Forgiven
Location: The Raven Kingdom
While the Peacock court schemed to restore the honour and dignity of the Peacock Valley, which suffered the greatest casualty of Prince Chaitav's idiocy, so too had the Raven Kingdom not sat idle.
The Raven court had been kept tight-lipped about the matter, but whispered leaks of such audacious and terrible news always found their way through cracks in stone.
Prince Chaitav's crime had sent a ripple through the Raven Kingdom — not a wave, for Queen Nox had crushed it before it could swell — but the faint, persistent kind of ripple that still reached every noble and common ear alike. Even the wingless, those relegated to the worst punishments, had heard about what had been done... although no one knew the name of the servant it had happened to. They all knew it had occurred to one of the female staff in the castle.
In another time, or under another peacock queen, the punishment that the Raven Queen would have decreed would have been bloody in its simplicity: the Peacock prince's head on a block, the blood spilled as a warning. A well-known fact, that diplomacy between the harpy clans was never able to be so neat and clean cut.
The Rajdevans had chosen gold over blood, and Nox had accepted it — not because she wished to, but because she understood how rare such certainty could be. A million tonnes of gold. Enough to enrich Aurora Greytalon's family for generations, to pay for every indignity they would otherwise suffer in silence.
Having wept when told by the Queen Nox herself, Aurora had fallen to her knees as tears raked her face. Not from joy, not truly, but from exhaustion. Her family, though uneasy about the entire predicament, could not complain: few noble daughters who suffered such crimes were ever given reparations beyond silencing the culprit.
Still, it was not always enough justice... and Queen Nox knew it.
Should Prince Chaitav ever attempt to set foot in their kingdom again, she would be powerless to stop the nobles' rage in tearing him apart themselves.
Not that she would dare try to stop them, she preferred solutions that resulted in problems never finding a way to crawl back.
Their rage and grudges would suit her well. Dissuading the Peacocks from visiting again any time too soon, so long as none of them were foolish enough to try.
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A week or so after the peacock royals had taken their leave, drinks were shared one evening between the Raven Queen and an old associate - Nox could never be seen to have favourites... in some ways she did. To most, this would be seen as business, and that is what she needed it to look like. The raven queen sat across from Lady Veyra Blackmere in one of the castle's smaller sitting rooms.
A shared bottle of finely aged Blackmere Raven Bloodwine was shared between them, all black candles guttered in iron sconces rather than the usual grey fire, as this room had never been modernised. The candles were welcome and, though not magical in the slightest, threw a low glow over velvet and marble. Ladt Veyra wore her house colours proudly — black streaked with faint veins of gold — and her sharp eyes glittered as she leaned forward.
"You have done well to contain the scandal, my Queen," Lady Blackmere said smoothly. "But the court still hungers. There is unease. Whispers. They must see that the blood of Ravens runs untainted."
Taking in the candle flicker against Lady Veyra's own crystal-cut wine glass, on which she brought specially - the Blackmere's only ever drank from their own cup. A fickle thing many regarded as unnecessary faff. However, for a wealthy family like theirs, it was an assured way to not get poisoned when socialising.
In silence, Queen Nox regarded her in silence, fingertips steepled, "This bloodwine is some of the finest - how long has it been aging?" She queried. The talk of pure bloodlines was never a comfortable one for Queen Nox
"It was bottled when my father was still alive, so quite some time. Only a few remain, and they are usually reserved for select occasions, but at your behest, I could not refuse." Lady Veyra was no fool, and any opportunity to advance her son as a candidate was going to be taken with glee veiled as business. Her family's mines filled their coffers to overflowing, but she knew gold alone could not buy prestige. This suggestion would not be free of self-interest.
"And what remedy do you propose, Lady Blackmere?" Nox asked at last, her voice calm, clipped.
Veyra's painted lips curved. "A ball. At our manor. With our family hosting, but with your daughters the centerpiece - should they wish. Not outsiders this time — only Raven suitors. No Peacocks, no Owls, no distractions. Let us work together to assure the nobility of our kind, reaffirm itself. Let the whispers be drowned in music, laughter, and the promise of future unions."
The queen's eyes narrowed, considering. The suggestion was not without merit. It would redirect the court's attention, provide a stage for Seraphina's growing brilliance, and remind all that the Raven Kingdom was self-sufficient. A return to normalcy — orchestrated under Nox's hand with the assistance of Lady Veyra's hands filled with gold. The Rajdevans' would be forgotten but never forgiven; the nobility had too long a memory.
"And your son - Keal?," Nox said evenly. "He will dance, I presume?"
As she inclined her head Veyra, though she did not bother to hide the small smile that followed. "Keal will be most attentive, but of course, I do not presume. I merely… provide the stage, should your daughters wish to perform upon it with him, or... without."
The queen allowed herself the faintest trace of a smile. She saw the play clearly: the Blackmeres wished to showcase their heir among the highest nobility, draping him in borrowed radiance from the crown. She could use that — and so long as she remained in control of how the evening was presented, it could serve her purposes as well.
"Very well," Nox said at last. "Plan your ball. I will allow my daughters to attend. If the selection of wine is as good as this, I myself may even attend."
She rose, the conversation finished. As Lady Veyra dipped her head in triumph, but the queen was already elsewhere in her mind, weighing suitors, measuring futures.
Normalcy would return, yes. Not because Lady Blackmere wished it. Because Queen Nox commanded and orchestrated it carefully, ensuring families with.... more dangerous ideals did not take advantage of the nobilities uproad.
For those families were already trying.