Silverclaw

Meeting of the Two Queens

Fiona stared at the sign on Sir Garin's door. It was late, and she was tired, but she knew she still had to answer the summons that had been delivered to the door of her rooms. With a sigh, she knocked on the door, and waited.

 When it finally opened, the last face she had expected greeted her with a grin.

 'Fiona!' Anya threw herself on her older sister, hugging her tightly as Fiona's eyes widened in shock. It took a moment before she hugged her sister back, tears pouring down her cheeks as she sobbed in relief. Anya was home. She was safe. Everything just might work out, now that her sister was back. Their Mother would have something to smile for again.

 Anya pulled away from her slightly, smiling as she tugged a handkerchief out of the sleeve of her dress and held it out. Accepting it, Fiona wiped at her now even redder eyes as she smiled back at her.

 'You've grown! You're almost as tall as me, now!'

 'Of course I've grown! Oh, Fiona, I've missed you!' Anya hugged her again, and now tears poured down her own face, tears of happiness. 'How is Mother and Jasmine?'

 That stopped Fiona's tears in an instant, the smile disappearing from her face. 'Mother... Mother isn't good, Anya. And Jasmine is even worse.'

 Anya's face turned serious as well, and she stepped back to let Fiona into the crowded room. Her jaw dropped when she saw that most of the people there were elves. 'Anya...? What is this...?'

 'Oh, um, well, I have some news of my own...' Anya grinned ruefully. 'I'm not a Princess anymore, Fiona.'

 'What do you mean? Of course you're a Princess, how can you be anything else?' Fiona stared at her, at the circlet on her brow, the matching jewellery and sword. She swayed. 'Anya...? Please, tell me what's going on.'

 'I was made Queen, Fiona. Queen of the Elves.'

 Fiona gaped at her, uncomprehending for a moment, and then she began to laugh. Her laughter died away when she realized that no one else was laughing. Her face paled even more, the colour leaching out of her skin so that she looked even more like a ghost than before.

 'You... you're serious?'

 'As serious as my having four Elf names, Fiona. And that, apparrently, has never happened before.'

 Fiona swallowed. 'Oh.' She sat down on the chair one of the elf men pulled out for her, accepting a glass of water from another. She drank for a moment, gathering her thoughts together, before speaking again. 'How... how did this happen, Anya?'

 So Anya told her. By the time she had finished, Ariadne had landed on Fiona's shoulder and tucked her head under her wing for a nap and Princess was curled up with Marita, Marisol and Aros. Fiona smiled.

 'Anya, what is it about you that lands you in such trouble? Even as a babe you were getting into places where you shouldn't have been.'

 Her sister shrugged. 'I don't go looking for it, Fiona. Trouble has a habit of finding me.'

 Fiona was forced to agree with this statement. Trouble did have an uncanny knack of finding its way to Anya. 'Anya, our Mother has been struggling to cope this last year because of everything that has been happening lately. Add in Jasmine's condition, and Mother has too much to worry her and not enough to smile about.'

 'Tell us, Fiona. Tell us everything. The elves that I brought with me are all completely trustworthy. They are also my generals, and will be able to use the information that you can give us.' Anya smiled at her sister, encouraging her to tell them.