Her Royal Majesty Queen Safaa found her brother, His Excellency Prince Shwaan of the Luminous Realms, standing flush against the armrest of the royal throne, one leg wrapped around the thigh of her Chief of Guard, General Shehzaa, who seemed intent on tearing off his collar with her teeth, while the Minister of Treasury and Revenue, His Lordship Qwaan, had his tongue lodged somewhere firmly down her brother’s throat, one of his hands stroking Shehzaa’s waist as he nipped playfully at the prince’s lips. Shwaan giggled.
If Safaa had had a last straw when it came to her brother in particular and her subjects in general, the universe would have heard it snapping under the untenable strain of sheer frustration centuries ago. Aeriels could be, at once, the sweetest and the most infuriating race to rule over. And at moments like these, Safaa was reminded why she would rather take the constant threat of rebellion and decapitation with extreme prejudice faced by the erstwhile human monarchs any day, over the unique vexations of the Aeriel throne.
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“Shwaan!” she thundered, striding purposefully into the dazzling heart of the Vaan Court.
Minister Qwaan, a vankrai like herself, flushed impossibly crimson and jerked back, trying to untangle himself from the compromising scene in a testament to the human blood flowing through his veins. With slightly unsteady hands, he pushed his long, dark hair, much like Safaa’s own, back and out of his eyes, bowing rather meekly to the Queen. In sharp contrast, her feather-born, silver-haired brother showed no such remorse, leaning in shamelessly to kiss the equally pure-blooded and silver Shehzaa, who giggled before capturing the prince’s mouth for one last, extended snog. Finally, she too managed to disentangle herself from her partner and with an impish grin, bowed to Safaa and disappeared in a flare of outstretched wings and silvery feathers. Flustered and slightly off-balance, Minister Qwaan too unfurled his wings and took flight after the Chief of Guard, leaving the siblings alone in the throne room; Shwaan looking content, if dishevelled and Safaa looking murderous.