The air in the royal dining hall was filled only with the faint clink of cutlery against porcelain. The queen, currently in one of her famously foul moods, applied more force than was strictly necessary as she carved her food into bite-sized portions. She wore a cream colored gown that gleamed under the warm light of the chandelier, the fabric pooling elegantly around her chair. Her long blonde hair had been braided into a single, immaculate plait that trailed down her back, but even the perfect neatness of her appearance couldn't hide her brimming irritation.
The silent aggression rolling off her was almost tangible, thick enough to poison the very air around them. It was so potent that the serving girl, who was in the middle of refilling the queen's goblet, could barely keep her hands from trembling. Nheera was unpredictable in times like these when one moment she might be laughing at a joke, the next she could be ordering someone to be dragged away in chains.
