Solar Reign

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"IF YOU can hear me, I'm fine." Andorra tried, for what felt like the hundredth time, to contact Pyatt. He remained, however, unreachable. Or, he remained silent on his end. Andorra wasn't sure which bothered her more.

She tried not to let her unease show as she sat at the large dining table. She was the Queen; she should have felt at ease. Instead, she felt the trickle of anxiety slip down her throat as she stared at the plate of fish that sat in front of her. It wasn't that she disliked fish, but her appetite was non-existent.

She glanced at Eiriae, who was not bothered at all by being trapped under the ocean. She was chatting with an Asrai next to her, waving her fork as though it were part of the conversation she was having. Andorra forced herself to take a bite when she noticed Nekili eying her with interest. And Andorra wasn't about to cause a rift between herself and the Asrai by refusing to eat their food.

"Excuse Nekili's behavior earlier," Madam Pela said from the other end of the table. She looked the part of a Royal with the gorgeous gown she wore. A cape was fastened at her neck, and she let her long hair flow freely, falling inches past the bottom of her chair. She smiled around a mouthful of fish. "We are unused to seeing the Queen of Anlithamy swim freely in our waters. Nekili should have handled you better."

Andorra expected Nekili to bow her head in shame, or at the very least avert her gaze, but she did neither. Nekili continued to watch Andorra, tracking every movement as though she did not trust the Queen.

Andorra gave Madam Pela a gracious smile. "Please, don't worry about it."

"I do worry. You know, my people have lived in these waters for centuries upon centuries. We have served the Summer Court, have known many of the citizens throughout time. Some have even spent time here, under the ocean."

Andorra nodded, unsure of where Madam Pela was about to go with this. She continued to eat the fish, but she didn't really taste anything. Couldn't seem to shake the unease that sat behind her, trailed an icy finger against the back of her neck, whispered warnings in her ear. Something was wrong, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was.

"My dear, you have been here before. In that very chair."

This caught Andorra's attention. She sat up a little straighter. "Really?"

Madam Pela waved her hand. "Yes. I believe it would have been, well, not your last lifetime. Perhaps the one before that. You were like yourself and unlike yourself. Interesting, how personality follows a soul like that."

Learning about past lives was interesting to Andorra. She wanted to know everything about who she once was, and what she had done in those lives. Had she lived similarly? Had she lost her parents in every lifetime? What was similar, and what was different?

She kept the questions to herself. Kept her interest watered down. "Does it get confusing? Getting to know people in their different lives?"

Madam Pela took another bite of fish and hummed. "It is not common that we do. Moribund calls us when we pass, and keeps us for many, many centuries. The reasoning is for that alone. But, some of us live a very, very long time. Not myself, of course, but beings like the Prophet. Beings like the Deathwringer, and the Rattislon, and the Rumplewren. And of course, that oaf of a fae, Vulara. They would have met your past lives. But I did not know you then."

This made sense to Andorra. But still, it was an interesting concept. She itched to know more, but she forced herself to keep eating. To make herself look normal, regal, like a Queen enjoying a meal in her Court.

Polite conversation was what a Queen would do. So Andorra plastered on another smile. "Tell me more about the ocean. It's gorgeous down here. I would love to know more about the Asrai."