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“-And then he made me an entire bouquet with them!” Anna declared, gushing at her tale. The merchant queen gave a dreamy sigh before donning her signature smirk. “And of course, that also gave way to another business opportunity.”
As Charlotte marveled at her in-laws’ money making ideas, Azura could only hold back a roll of her eyes. She opted to sip on her tea, watching her fellow queens and sisters by marriage discuss business- or rather, gold. While she liked her in-laws, Azura’s taste for shiny metal could only go so far.
If it was up to her, she would be back in her room with Ryoma, probably taking a nap. But as for the moment, she’d stay, if only to give her husband some privacy and a space to relax. Trade negotiations were on, and at the moment, all the monarchs were taking a moment away from the proceedings.
As per the unfortunate norm, Xander and Ryoma had gotten into a spat, setting the whole thing into a tense, walking on eggshells debacle. Only twenty minutes in, her nephew Siegbert had fled the room, the air chilling greatly. They had only carried on for a bit longer when Corrin suggested a break, and thus, that was where they were.
“Do you take me for a fool?! Then again, perhaps I shouldn’t expect anything less from a Hoshidan.” Xander snarled, elevating his chin at the opposing king. Ryoma had just offered his percentage of trade, a number that the Nohrian king thought was too little.
“Oh? And what if I do?” Ryoma countered, daring Xander to tread further. Seeing as his wife was half Nohrian, Ryoma made no curt comment to match Xander’s, but Azura could see the wheels turning in his brain.
Azura watched as her older brother’s lip curled, Charlotte clamping down on his forearm as if to hold him back. From the side of her eye, the Hoshidan queen observed as Ryoma’s pupils slitted, the king shifting his weight from one foot to the other. His hands opened and closed, reflexively searching for Raijinto. Like always, the Nohrian and Hoshidan kings sized each other up- even in times of peace, both men watched each other like feral dogs.
“-And what if I propose we break!” Corrin stated, trying to place a wedge between his peers before one of them snapped. The Vallite king set his hands on the table, extending his palm out to his older brother.
“Xander, how about we go have tea, huh? Yeah, that sounds good.” Corrin grabbed Xander’s wrist, escorting the two of them out of the room hastily. Before exiting, the royals watched as Xander sent one last shriveling glare in Ryoma’s direction before the door clicked shut.
A momentary silence enveloped the remaining king and the queens of the realms. Charlotte coughed, breaking the quiet.
“Excuse him, Lord Ryoma. He’s just…passionate about this project.” The Nohrian queen offered, to which the Hoshidan king gave an arched brow.
“That’s one word for it…” Azura heard him mutter, among some rather crude titles in Hoshidan. Underneath the table, the songstress gave her husband a warning kick. She loved her husband, truly, but the last thing she needed was his adding to the fire.
Inspired by her husband, Queen Anna put forth another idea, eyeing the other two ladies. “How about we all go have tea, too? Some time away from all this?” She gave Ryoma a glance. “You can come too, Lord Ryoma if you wish.”
Azura placed a hand on her husband’s bicep as he sighed. “Or perhaps you should go take a moment to unwind?” Azura offered quietly to which Ryoma nodded.
“Yes, I’ll take that offer.” Ryoma replied, his answer escaping on a huff. He leaned to the side, planting a kiss to Azura’s forehead before heading off. As she watched her husband’s form disappear, Anna grabbed Azura’s wrist, pulling both her and Charlotte forwards.
Azura’s attention was snapped back to the present as Charlotte called her name.
“Yoo-hoo? Azura? Anyone home?” The Nohrian queen asked, waving her digits in Azura’s face. Leaning back at Charlotte’s proximity, Azura blinked.
“Ah, yes. Sorry, I was just thinking.”
“Still stuck on our hubbies, huh?” The berserker tried, giving an annoyed but amused laugh. It was plain to see that the songstress was still caught up- after all, two of the kings were her brothers, while the remaining lord was her husband. Watching such displays again and again must be tiring.
“Y…Yes.” Azura admitted, eyes darting away. While it was apparent and expected the Nohrian and Hoshidan kings would never exactly see eye to eye, much less get along, it was still exhausting having to prevent the two of them from launching at each other’s throats.
“Hey, I don’t like it as much as you do.” Charlotte said. “While I like good drama, having to restrain Xander from throwing his fist into Ryoma’s face is getting old.”
“Yeah, and watching Corrin try not to get accidentally throttled is nerve-wracking.” Anna added, shuddering a little. There had been a few times the Vallite royal had tried to come between the two senior kings, only to almost get hurt himself.
All three queens agreed solemnly, a silence settling over them. Leaning back in her chair, Charlotte gave a sharp snort, as if suddenly amused by the notion. If Azura envied her sister in anything, it was the way Charlotte could shoulder through.
“Y’know, I bet when one of them kicks it, the other is going to be ectatic.” Charlotte joked darkly, earning a surprised look from her peers. After a moment of shock, Anna gave a little chortle herself. Processing what she just heard, Azura felt a wry smile ghost over her face.
While she didn’t like the tenseness and conflict, the Hoshidan queen could take assurance that her fellow ladies felt the same. Even if her tongue was not as sharp as Charlotte’s, or as enduring as Anna’s, just being able to find common ground with her sisters-in-law was comforting.
Grinning at the fact she’d lightened the mood, Charlotte continued. “We’ll keep ‘em in line, don’t you worry. And hey, at least our kids get along.”
“It’s gonna be us who secures this peace- they just sign the paperwork!” Anna giggled, giving a wink. “The best type of profit! After holiday sales, of course.” Her companions gave small grins, the mood continuing to lift.
“Indeed…” Azura trailed, an actual smile etching across her mouth. What both other women said was true. Working towards peace was well worth it, even if their husbands could be unruly about it. And their children were good cousins- even if Siegbert and Shiro shared some moments of their fathers’ feud with each other, at the end of the day they got along better than what anyone could have hoped for.
The conversation continued to flow, the afternoon wasting away quickly. With the sundial reading a few hours later, the three queens knew it was time to collect their husbands and try again.
“Round two, ladies! We got this.” Charlotte affirmed before heading down the corridor with Anna, the two searching for their husbands.
Going in the opposite direction, Azura came across her and Ryoma’s shared guest room, slipping inside. As she quietly closed the door behind her, Azura’s eyes landed on the king in question.
He sat impressively still, eyes closed in contemplation as he meditated. His royal regalia sat off to the side- no doubt to separate himself from the events prior. The quiet, isolated concentration seemed to have done him some good- Azura could see how his shoulders and brow had loosened. Hearing her steps forwards, Ryoma pried open his eyes.
“Ah, Azura.” He rumbled warmly, giving her the smile he only reserved for his wife. Azura gave a small smile of her own.
“Looks like someone is in a better mood.” She teased, watching as he rolled his eyes, getting off the floor to embrace her. She pecked his lips, bringing her fingers to his jaw. Letting the digits linger there, her smile dimmed a little as she had to address the Faceless in the room.
“Ryoma…it’s about time we have to go back…” She watched him stiffen, feeling his mandible grind in annoyance.
“I, ah, yes, I suppose.” Ryoma offered lamely. It was clear the man couldn’t say more, least if he didn’t want to rile himself up. He let his head roll deeper into the heel of Azura’s hand, pouting a little. If it weren’t for the situation, Azura would’ve laughed. In private, Ryoma was much easier to read.
“Before we go, I just have to ask something of you.” She watched as his eyes flashed in understanding, but exhaustion. He would do anything for her at the drop of a hat, but he also knew what she was about to say.
“I understand that you and my older brother won’t ever like each other, see eye to eye, what have you. While I wish you would, I know you’ll never really agree, and that’s okay. Just the fact you two are trying to work together means a great deal to me.” And that was the truth- a few months back, they’d even made the leap of leaving the swords outside. “But, I ask that you also try a little on your temper. Me and the other queens are tired of having to watch you three go at it everytime.” At her declaration, a look of guilt covered Ryoma’s face.
“I…you’re right. I apologize. I should have considered what this all must feel to you. I promise, I’ll do better and try to leave my personal qualms aside.” At least when in person, went unsaid, but Azura would take it. She smiled once more, reaching behind his ears to massage Ryoma’s scalp. He gave a low noise of contentment, and Azura felt warm.
“Hm, now…let’s go.” Azura said softly, bringing down her hand to take Ryoma’s. She gave a small tug forwards, indicating her request to walk. Complying, the Hoshidan monarchs began their trek back to the negotiations room.
As they walked hand in hand, a thought sprang to Azura’s mind. With the aid of their queens (and a little prodding), the kings of the realms would surely cement the peace they all had fought for.
And when they got off course, they’d always have their wives to reign them back in.