The early autumn sun painted the glade in gold, and the hunting pavilion stood like a rose-streaked crown amidst the velvet woods of Archaum. Silk pennants fluttered lazily from high poles, each bearing the sigils of the Big Houses invited—wheat, dragon, falcons, and wolves. Beneath the ornate canopies, cushions of damask and velvet were arranged like blooms in a bouquet, and the scent of jasmine tea mingled with crisp leaves and the faint metallic tang of the hunting spears being polished in the distance.
It was, ostensibly, a tea party.
She stepped down from the royal carriage with the sun catching on her pearl white gown, its threads shimmering like the moon. Alek walked behind her, attired in a customized well-cut hunting leathers. His hair tied in a knot, no one would point it out but he was carrying his role with a regal confidence. She internally smiled knowing Alek was trying his best to act out of his usual appearance. And he's been really good at it.
