20: Trial of loyalty

                                    

                                          

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Ensi must admit, she has kissed a lot of women before, but she has never really been kissed in the same way.
Now she knows how it feels.
A bit fluttery and strange whenever she thinks about it. And she can't stop thinking about it. It pops up in her memory every other minute, whether it's from the sudden imagined tingle in her lips or from any mention of the new princess regent. They kissed and that was it. There was nothing romantic to it, there couldn't have been.
Delyth reaching up to kiss her last night was about more than just the kiss itself. It was a way to prove herself, a way to show her level of commitment. It wasn't about anything else. They continued to pretend for a while longer, and then they went to sleep. It was extremely awkward and they both hated every moment of it, but the kiss was definitely the most respectable part of the whole wedding.
Ensi is rather surprised by Delyth's confidence. She can only hope that Delyth isn't lying to her, that Delyth isn't pretending to be on her side. If that ends up being the truth, Ensi is going to have to take her down, along with everyone else who stands against her.
The kiss was a short-lived surprise, and now it's time to focus on her reality. With Delyth on her side, she has one more seat in the Court. Alexander's, hers, Delyth's. That's four out of the current nine active members of the court, and she will only gather more support to her side from here on out. War has wasted her time. The dowager has managed to gather almost everyone to her side, but that will change.
Ensi will make sure of it.
It's with that determination in mind that she walks toward the morning court-meeting, through the large hallways of her own part of the palace, toward the political centre. She is followed by a couple of knights in heavy armour, and two of her handmaidens who stare down at the floor with every step that they take. Nobody dares to look at her as she passes by. Her presence, her heavy footsteps. To a palace who is used to their terrifying empress being on the battlefield, she is unfamiliar.
"I received your message, Your Majesty."
Ensi startles, and so do her guards, when the palace priestess suddenly appears from behind the corner. The guards draw their swords before they notice who she is, and Sindra immediately bows. Ensi sighs, relaxing once she lifts her head and shows the slight worried expression in her eyes. She turns to look at her knights and handmaidens.
"Stay here and give us some privacy."
Ensi leads her to a room right to their left, knowing the palace better than the back of her hand. She leaves the door for the priestess to close, and walks to the furthest edge of the room. The empress waits for Sindra to join her, seeing only her eyes through her heavy covering. "Do you think this might be final? Or will we change again?" Ensi gets straight to the point, the words tumbling out of her mouth. She had forgotten about the curse last night, but now it's on her mind again. The curse, and Zinnia.
"I have been in deep meditation the whole week, and I managed to receive an understanding of the dreams both you and Lady Zinnia had on the night you switched, as well as the night before." The priestess looks down at the floor and keeps her voice down, but it's clear that she is incredibly immersed into this new religious challenge that has presented itself in front of her. "I have also found similar texts in the ancient scripts of our most respected Emera, although I do not know if they correlate to this."
Ensi steps impatiently to the side.
"Alright so what is it that you found?"
"You will switch bodies every waning and waxing moon, until the curse is broken."