terms you may need to know

pu'er
a variety of traditionally produced tea in the Yunnan Province of China

TEA TIME WAS FIKA.

Fika was a Swedish term. It meant "a moment to slow down and appreciate the good things in life", a time to share a cup of coffee or nibble a crumpet or two. Verine had found the word in a book one day while sweeping the upper shelves of the palace's library. She noted the Swedish term as a a concept, a state of mind, an attitude.

Every day, the princess took it upon herself to perform fika. She'd brush her hair back, put on her favourite pearl-laced jade fa zan and pour herself a delicious beverage.
Some days, she went for a cup of latte, often with a flavoured syrup stirred in.
On other days, she went for a simple cup of pu'er.

Whatever the day was, tea time was essential.
Especially when she had so much to be thankful for.

"And how are Tahani's marigolds adjusting in the garden?" Verine asked, gently lifting her arm to pour some pu'er into Clover's teacup, a small dark object with wild blue flowers detailed at its side. Clover's main duty in the castle was to upkeep its presentability, focusing mainly on the splendid greenery. Working with Verine, they kept the distinct building in tip top shape.

Unlike the light floral princess of the queendom, Clover had a completely different aesthetic in terms of her own outlook. With wavy pink hair that flowed long through luscious locks, defined eyebrows and bambi eyes, she stood out from the crowd. Yet, the princess was far from loud and brashful. She was shy, introverted and often awkward. Clover also held on to the belief of true love - soulmates, fate and the beyond.

Verine wasn't quite sure what to believe about love at all.

Raising a dark defined brow, Clover gave a repressed smile, "They're doing well, although I'm doing most of the work while Tahani simply marvels at the beauty of her babies."

Verine nodded, relating to the statement most immediately.

"And is everything set for the arrival of our honoured guests?"

Clover nodded once more, lips curling up slightly, "Yes, the Welcome Banquet is well on its way." Clearing her throat, the princess stood up, the silver rings curling past her fingers glinting through the hallway, "If you'll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to, sister. I'll see you later, perhaps?"

The older smiled reluctantly. Fika was meant for the well-being of her sisters. Yet, Clover never seemed to enjoy times like this. She scolded herself for letting work get to her head. After all, Fika was meant to be a time of self-reflection and relaxation. Pulling herself together, the royal pulled her head back up.

Verine gave her a glowing grin, finishing the last of her steaming pu'er and settling down her cup, "Of course, give Roxi, Chivi and Luna my regards, will you?"

A large smile appeared then. Verine always seemed to know the right things to say. Clover laughed, one that rang through the columns of angels, "I'm sure the little doggos will miss you."

And with that, she was off.

"You had Fika WITHOUT ME?"

Bawling, the young prince thrashed his head onto the wooden tabletop, a horrid wailing escaping his lips. Verine pouted, patting her dear friend's back unsteadily.

"I had it with Clover! We were talking about official works, it was sort of a meeting really."

Jackson huffed, pulling his head up, "And I suppose I don't get to know what this official business is?" he crinkled his nose, aggressively sipping at his cup of chai.

Verine sighed, waving her fingers above her cup as the dark liquid swirled in content, "I'm not too sure if I'm allowed to divulge any information without Tova's permission. You know that."

"I'm your best friend!" Jackson yelped out, not willing to settle, "C'mon, it wouldn't hurt to give out a little information. Please - please - please - pl-"

"Information?"

The man stopped right in his tracks, jaw hanging wide open in complete fear. His pupils shrunk as he limped over to Verine, positioning himself right behind her figure. It seemed as if he was attempting to hide himself from the newcomer but his large frame was still clear as day, hunched over in complete dismay. Verine gave a slight bow, jokingly striding over to the glowing tower of respect standing in front of her.

"Sister Tova, thank you for gracing us with your presence."

Alas, the crown princess stood with glorious grace, skin deep with melanin, a rich dark sea of umber and hickory. Her stance signalled a new era of power, a lioness of glittering gold. With wild curly locks and brown eyes swimming in warmth, Tova was the prime example of a royal - and a natural front-runner for the next leader of this queendom.

"Verine, is Jackson inquiring about something?"

The flower princess smiled cheekily, pulling her sister closer to whisper in her ear, "It's the Welcome Banquet. It also seems that Jackson feels left out about not being invited to Fika today." Her cheeks glowed pink mischievously as she pulled back, noticing that Tova was smirking back in amusement.

"Ah yes, important work. Good job, Verine. Keep it up - we'll talk about it during Fika tomorrow."

A shrill yell of anger escaped out of Jackson's throat as his hands flew to his hair, "That's not Fika! Fika isn't used for meetings! This is absolutely outrageous! I know you're lying to me!" With a heavy stomp, the prince was on his way, moving from the princesses into the other side of the castle.

Tova raised an eyebrow, "Aren't you going to stop him?" she asked, voice dripping with honey.

Verine shook her head, the fa-zan in her hair shaking with her, "He'll come back."

The princesses let out muffled laughs.

In a second, Tova composed herself. It was a trick she had learnt as the crown princess. Always be ready for a battle, a negotiation, an order.

"There is something I was meaning to talk to you about, Verine."

Sensing her sister's sudden shift in mood, the princess stood back, letting her hands fall by her sides, "What is it?"

"Some of our sisters have noticed your owl flying more frequently than usual. Is everything alright?" Tova asked, her golden glow absorbing the sunbeams above.

Verine smiled reassuringly, "Yes, no need to worry. Thank you for your concern, Tova."

Tova sighed, putting a hand on her sister's shoulder, "You know I'm always here for you, right?"

Verine lifted her eyes to meet her sister's, the rich darkness of their pupils matching each other for a moment as the light swirled past the palace halls in an effortless waltz.

"Of course."

EEK

first off, thank you for reading this story if you're still here!

and I love you all so so so much - daily reminder to stay hydrated and eat lots of good food and be positive! <3 don't be too hard on yourself, lovelies!

SECOND OFF, sorry for such a long wait! To be honest, I'm having a little bit of a writer's block so I'm sorry if this chapter was bad :') Jackson is honestly pulling me through ++ my beautiful sisters <3

Thank you for all the encouragement and love!

What do you guys think of the story so far?