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James stared down at the brand that decorated the back of his left hand, an elaborate design of a king’s crown surrounded by dark blue roses and vines, before he pulled his glove on to cover the mark. He turned to face Clover in time to see the man pull his own gloves on, hiding the vine covered book on the back of his right hand. Once both of them were ready he led the way out of their wing of the mansion, ignoring the emptiness of the other side by focusing on the day’s task. The council was demanding he use his power as King to silence a group of younger vampires who had come together to form their own clan with their own council. Both councils sought an audience with him today and he could already feel the tension building in his shoulders. Dealing with the council was always tiresome as they were resistant to the changes he had made to keep the human’s from discovering vampires but it was far more bearable with Clover and Hazel standing beside him. He was curious what the younger group were seeking though. Especially since they had so upset their elders that they wanted them silenced.
The trip to the meeting hall was quiet while Clover focused on driving and James tried to deduce what could potentially happen at the meetings so he could be fully prepared to deal with it now matter what it was. Hazel had already gone ahead of them to ensure the building was secure for James to enter as was his habit. The grand building that was their meeting hall was empty save for the staff that kept the place and the two men made it to what Clover jokingly called his “throne room” without being bothered, though James felt the term was a touch too accurate to be a proper joke. He sat down at the head of the large table with a heavy sigh, waiting for the representatives from the two councils to join them while Clover sat down on his left and Hazel to his right.
He wasn’t surprised when the three members of the elder council entered first, two men and a woman, taking the left side of the table as their own. He raised a hand to stop them when they tried to start the meeting, waiting for the younger ones to join them first. He noticed the frowns but ignored them, already used to the way these three tried to turn everything to their favor. It was easy enough to see that they’d come early to try to convince him before he’d even heard what the younger council had to say. By the time the three younger vampires had walked into the room they were nearly an hour late. The elders had already complained several times, wanting to start the meeting without them due to them being “unable to make such an important appointment” but by the annoyance in the eyes of the youths, he was willing to bet something had been done to stall them on purpose.
Now that they were all present he was willing to allow the meeting to start. He just had to make sure that the younger vampires had the chance to speak as well or the elders would overtake everything and try to shut them out before they had the chance. Hopefully the issues that were raised were ones he could deal with in this meeting but then, things were rarely ever so simple.
~*~
“I know where to find your Queen.”
James froze at the words, glancing over his shoulder at Robyn. He felt both Hazel and Clover shift nervously and tossed them a reassuring look before turning to face the fierce young woman. “Is that so?”
“Your Knight is with him.”
Him. So, his Queen was one of the few born with both sexs then. That was… Somewhat relieving to know actually. The King’s mark was always passed down the line but the other markings chose those that were best able to carry out the duties from that generation but he’d wondered if they took things like sexual preference into consideration, which felt strange given that it was power and therefore should not be sentient. But apparently it was on some level. It was something he’d have to consider later. “And you have only now decided to bring this to my attention…”
“Look, I wasn’t sure if you and your Queen were a good match honestly.” She glanced away. “He’s helping us out and I didn’t want you to pull rank and force him to stop…” That made sense actually. As King he could compel any lesser vampire to obey him and since he was King everyone was considered lesser to him. “But you aren’t like I thought you’d be, so… I can help you get in touch.”
He sensed Clover bristle, likely ready to defend his honor from the perceived slight, and reached back to gently touch his wrist. Hazel’s hand joined his and he was grateful for it. The three of them had been… more intimate than what a King normally would be with his Bishop and Rook but they made it work. Hopefully his Queen would be understanding. His Knight as well.
“Where do we go?”
~*~
The house was relatively large but modest and most of all, as James got out of the car, he thought it was welcoming. Far more than the manor he and the other’s were living in. He wondered, as he followed Clover up to the door with Hazel at his back, if it was the house that felt welcoming or if it was the people living there that made it so. James really hoped it was the people. It would be nice to not feel like he was living in a museum when they were comfortable enough to move into the Queen’s wing. It would be nice for the place to not feel quite so empty.
The door opened rather quickly when Clover knocked and a tense looking blond was standing on the other side. Sky blue looked over all of them, a wry smile twisting as he saw Hazel but the man stepped back, allowing them inside and Tipping his head to where a pale raven haired man was sitting walking in from a far room with a tray of drinks. There was a tenseness to the way they both moved as everyone took a seat and drinks were passed out, awkward greetings being shared between them. James waited while Clover and the blond, his knight, Tai, valiantly tried to carry-on a friendly conversation in the strained atmosphere, watched for the little things that would tell him how best to proceed. He smiled when he noticed it, the small nearly hidden touches against his Queen’s, Qrow’s, wrist and knee. The way the two of them leaned just the slightest bit towards each other.
James waited until things had quieted some, until the two were struggling to find something to talk about before he finally spoke. “Qrow…” Soft red eyes jumped to him, fingers nervously twisting together. “I want you to know that I will welcome you at the manor when you are both ready to join us there. Until then I see no problem with you continuing to live here as long as we keep up with our duties.” The pale man’s mouth parted slightly in surprise and the tanned man let out a breath of relief. James was pleased that he had put them at ease for that much, though he knew his next words would probably make them nervous and reassure them at the same time. “Also… While I understand that there are… certain expectations of us as a couple, I have no intention of forcing you to stop what you both have as long as you allow me the same courtesy.”
Qrow’s eyes flicked from him to where Hazel and Clover had taken each of his hands, one brow arched. A small smirk curved his lips. “Yea, sounds fair enough to me.”
~*~
James smiled down as Clover and Hazel moved the furniture to where Qrow wanted it. It had taken time for the other two men to feel comfortable moving in, though learning the Queen would have his own wing had helped, but he had to admit that in just the few weeks they’d been around the place looked more lived in, more like a home, than it had since the three of them had first moved in. As he watched Clover throw a wink at a blushing Qrow, Hazel placing a guiding hand to the Queen’s back, he thought that maybe the five of them could become more than they’d hoped. He felt Tai come up beside him, playfully bumping their shoulder together before he was dragged down the stairs.
There was still a lot to sort out. The vampires wanted a proper royal wedding between the King and Queen and the two of them would eventually have to discuss having a child, but for now they were settling into their new dynamics just fine. He expected there to be small things that came with living with someone for the first time, on top of this tangled dance they were doing around each other and their feelings, but he was confident that they would be fine. They had time to work it out after all, there was no need to rush what they had, what they were building. They could let it grow and blossom, become what it was really meant to be. For now, he stood by Qrow, the two of them laughing as Tai and Clover tried and failed to tackle Hazel though they didn’t give up. For now, they would just live.