Chapter 114: Meeting other beast women.
Claws were retracted and positions were assigned. The beast lords slammed their hands together with the force of storms. Roars, shrieks, barks and all sounds of threatening sounds filled the air.
Elias dragged a chair on the stage and parked his ass down next to Sienna. "This is not how you pictured this going, did you?"
She nodded. "I thought they would treat it like fun, but they are going all out."
A table snapped in half, arousing a gasp from her just before the bear chieftain roared victoriously.
"Do you want to challenge anyone?" She asked him.
He raised a brow, his cold gaze roaming over the other lords. "I am the host. There is no way I am joining them. Any game I win, someone will cry foul and claim I cheated."
After arm wrestling came the chair dance. Music filled the air, drums and flutes weaving a playful rhythm. Beast lords circled chairs set in sand, their massive forms moving awkwardly to the beat. Many of them looked very embarrassed, and yet the spirit of competition did not allow them to stop.
When the music stopped, chaos erupted-lords lunged for seats. The eagle lord squawked in outrage as the wolf lord kicked him aside. Sienna and Ali laughed so hard at the sight.
"This is humiliating." Elias said, lips curved in a joyous smile.
Sienna had to nod. They are behaving like children!" she squealed.
"Well, the games are children’s games." Elias muttered.
The games which were meant to be play were treated like war and strategy. Alliances were being formed, but the joy was kept in the game. Every stumble, every shove, every victory was met with cheers and jeers.
In the crowd, Mrs. Abernathy and Lady Cadelaria sighed. Only Sienna could arrange such ridiculous games. The other Ladies-proper beast women, would not have done something like this. But at least, laughter was heavy in the air, and the beast lords were getting along. No punch had been thrown yet. In comparison the the summit held in eagle territory last year, this was a relief.
After the lords played their games, children were invited from the crowd to play as well. Some of the lords and their guests went to shower and change. Others went swimming, and others went into the town for shopping.
For dinner tonight, the queen invited Sienna to eat with some of the noble beast women that had accompanied their husbands, fathers and brothers. The dinner was in the hotel, in the gardens outside. Long tables stretched on the grass, laden with roasted meats, spiced vegetables, soups, fruits. Bright lights cast a golden light over the sitting area.
Sienna had never met the other women--at least, not according to her memory. They were all strangers, who did not seem to welcome her to their inner circles.
"Sienna," the queen called her warmly, beckoning her forward.
Naturally, Sienna approached her. The queen took her hand, "It is time to meet some of the noble beast women of our tribes. They will be your allies or your critics, depending on the circumstances."
Sienna inclined her head. Would that be a public or private critiquing? She smiled through the introductions to beast women in expensive clothes, shiny heels and jeweled hairpins.
The lion beast women were polite, but distant.
"Your courage is admirable." One said. "Making the King of all beasts dance around a chair! You need to have ten hearts to risk."
Sienna laughed, and they did the same.
Introductions continued, to a panther beast woman that was more interested in hearing about Elias more than anything else.
There was a beast woman from a golden serpent tribe that was openly snobbish. She hissed, her jeweled bracelets clinking as she waved a hand. "I am surprised that the fox lord settled for you, a human!" she said, her voice dripping with condescension. "You are different, because you are resilient. But resilience is not refinement."
"Right..." Sienna replied. "Thank you, for your opinion."
Queen Serenya dragged Sienna away quickly. "Ignore Kelly, she is the most snobbish beast woman in existence. Not just her, but most golden snakes. They believe that they are half beast men-half gods. If their population was not small, they would be vying for the Beast throne."
Sienna didn’t really care, she just wanted the night to end. Other women followed, some polite, some aloof, some curious. Sienna endured them all with grace, her smile unwavering, her mind cataloguing each subtle insult and hidden compliment.
Then came the beast woman everyone praised, including the queen: Lady Arana, of the Eagle tribe.
"She is the ex wife of the first son of the Eagle lord," The queen whispered to Sienna. "He divorced her for a human whose looks and guts are nothing like yours. I mean look at her. Who divorces a woman with such beauty, kindness and generosity. She founded a company that sponsors the education of beast women from impoverished tribes."
Lady Arana came over with a smile and open arms. "Lady Veythar," she said, "I have heard mush of you. Your strength, your wit, your devotion to your family. Truly admirable."
Sienna felt a flicker of relief to finally meet a beast woman that was genuine. One who didn’t care about her humanity.
"What’s it like to ride a bee?" Lady Arana asked.
Sienna replied animatedly, "Thrilling. I would say everyone should do it before they die, but not everyone can tame a queen bee like me."
Lady Arana laughed.
The queen left them together, and they sat close to enjoy dinner. Conversation between them flowed like water.But as their talk deepened, Lady Arana’s kindness revealed itself as something else entirely.
"It is noble to endure hardship without complaint." she said.
"No." Sienna disagreed.
But Lady Arana went on to use herself as an example. She spoke of virtue, of duty, of sacrifice, of blind forgiveness. She used the other beast women as lacking examples. Her words were honeyed, but to Sienna, they tasted bitter.
Sienna had come this far by fighting, by wielding her pan, by arguing, by mocking, by demanding respect. Lady Arana’s moral purity was suffocating.
Perhaps, that was why the other beast women did not engage with Arana for so long. In fact, Sienna was sure that she had just discovered why the beast woman’s husband chose to divorce.
When Sienna caught the queen’s eyes, she noticed the sharpness with which Serenya was watching them. She understood: this was another test. But what exactly was the queen searching for?
"A traditional beast woman should....." Lady Arana went on, but Sienna blocked her out. She wondered who was going to save her from the claws of Miss Morality police! She was not even a beast woman, so why was she being subjected to this torture?