Okay, so I have been gone for three months. My bad. But I promise I will keep trying to keep this thing going. This chapter is short, but things are starting to steamroll...

Unfortunately, Knowledge Bear was unable to proof read this chapter, but he should still be around for the others!

Enjoy :)

~

"I mean, dearest Amalia, you have always been the queen of hashed out plans. But hiding in my territory?" Sophie opened her mouth to defend herself but stopped when Arsinoe let slip, "Without even a single letter."

Sophie's eyes widened, "What?"

Arsinoe glanced up from her tea, swallowing it down slowly, and enunciated her next words carefully, "You have hidden in my territory for four years. The territory that used to be protected by you and your hidden ones due to an alliance between two of the most powerful women in the Vatarian world. And for the past four years I have been wondering where my closest ally in this mess of a war has been. And she has been hiding in my own damn territory! Mere minutes away from my home- my capital! And the best part," Arsinoe leaned forward, her kohl-rimmed eyes making the whites of her eyes seem like freshly polished glass and her turquoise eyes like the flourishing feather of a peacock. She spat with no sympathy, "She didn't even bother to send a letter."

Sophie was more confused than scared now. Was Arsinoe upset Sophie didn't bother to tell her she was alive? That she was hiding away in the valley so close to Arsinoe?

"I didn't know it was of importance. Secrecy seemed to matter more over diplomacy. " Sophie whimpered.

Sophie heard the distinct sound of her Aunt Maria slapping her forehead in exasperation. A sound she had grown used to.

Arsinoe gaped at her in disbelief. A scoff came from the Egypitnat queen and then followed by boisterous laughter. Sophie squeaked as the queen doubled over in laughter, wiping tears from her eyes.

"W-What?!" Sophie stammered.

"Oh, they are going to eat you alive." Queen Arsinoe chuckled before bursting out into the second round of laughter.

"Who?" Sophie insisted.

Arsinoe gathered herself from her rather unqueenly outburst and smiled, "You are a queen now, hm? The courts, my dear. They are going to chew you up and spit you out like the child you are."

Sophie glared, "I'm 23, hardly a child. And I have had my fair share of manipulating politics, your highness-"

"Don't bother with the your highness nonsense. You are a queen now. You can speak to me like the equal you are not." Arsinoe snapped her fingers, and one of the smaller medjay surrounding the tent surged forward and yanked the bag from Sophie's shoulder. Sophie immediately stirs into action, her blades shooting out from her gauntlets and ready to attack, but Maria grips her shoulder while muttering words of restraint. The Medjay quickly shuffles through her bag of papers, meek healing salves, and trinkets to retrieve the dinner place-sized bundle wrapped in cloth. He unwrapped it and presented the crown of Inalia to Arsinoe with eyes turned away. Arsinoe plucks the crown from him in wonder and examines the golden laurel leaves wrapped around the pearls and the delicate dangling chains.

"Simply breathtaking. This is what that old queen had tucked away for so long?"

Sophie resisted the urge to snatch the laurel leaf circlet from her. But the vicious glare from all the Medjay surrounding her made her toes curl in her boots. She instead gripped the hems of her sleeves, "That's mine. Give it back."

Arsinoe glanced up at the new queen and smirked and her childish tone, "See? A child."

Sophie gave a short, curt sigh through her nose, her loopy brain trying to pinpoint when her already shitty day worsened.

Arsinoe straightened, her eyes cutting Sophie to pieces so she could read the bits inside. And Sophie didn't bother putting up her walls. She didn't try to read the queen as well. Sophie heard the small pattering of feet followed by Darius running into the room, giggling at a panicked Lilac rushing after him. Arsinoe opened her arms wide, and her son ran to her, giggling when she rose with him in her arms.

"I want you in my throne room by sun down tomorrow. We will discuss this more thoroughly. Don't think you can sneak your way out of this one, Amalia." Arsinoe gave her a curt but strained smile. The Medjay opened the tent's flap, and the queen left in an elegant yet rushed stride.

Sophie watched as Arsinoe and her men left the valley from a small watch tower north a few paces from her tent. She also noticed Alexios entering the valley at the same time and instantly felt the need to take a nap.

Sophie jumped down from the watch tower, giving her brother a sharp stare as she entered the tent.

"What the hell is she talking about, Amalia?! What happened? Where is Kassandra?" Maria insisted, one question flurrying after the next as she exited the tent. Sophie felt Alexios's eyes on her, and she pointed her thumb at him.

"Ask him. He's the reason this all happened anyway." Sophie spat.

Maria's eyes widened, and she turned to her son, who clenched his jaw, "That is unfair, Amalia. That isn't what happened and you know it." Alexios sighed.

Sophie rolled her eyes and entered her small sectioned-off room, tying the ropes together in her new equivalent of slamming her bedroom door.

"Son?" Maria started.

"We should talk about this outside, Mater." Alexios whispered.

Silence fell over the small tent, the heat matting Sophie's hair and making her skin unbearably sticky. But she couldn't move from her spot on her cot, staring at the pitched ceiling above her in a mindless fog.

It was moments like these where she missed her life in the Lost Cities. Fitz baked her some silly elven cookie, Keefe made her laugh, Biana and Linh would talk about boys, and her parents would give her a tight hug. Granted, she was pretty a child soldier and a prisoner while she was there. But it was easier than this.

Sophie's blade had a small notch she needed to get filed out. Every time she used them, they kept snagging on the burlap of the training dummy. Her smooth slashes kept tugging apart the dummy that was sticks and matted hay after four years, but Sophie refused to waste materials to build herself another. But her blades catching on every little thing is going to be inconvenient. Her white hair was only a few strands on the side of her head, behind her ear, and beneath her long blond locks, and it was surprisingly easy to get used to. Her body was mutilated with scars, stories, and the taunting tattoo on her back. It's been years, and Sophie still has no clue what Kynareth has inked on her back. Only Maha and Ruy had seen it.

With the mere thought of his name, her blade froze.

Ruy. How was he doing now? Was he happy? He should be, as Sophie avoided dragging him further into her mess. He should be living happily ever after with his father, watching over Alvar and Mansi and their little family. Sophie wondered what Mansi and Alvar's little boy looked like. Or was it a girl? Sophie had a gut feeling it was a boy, but it was impossible to tell until the darn thing was out.

Sweat trickled down her back and forehead, her clothing and hair clinging and making her uncomfortably aware of her surroundings. She is still not used to Egypitnat heat. It got somewhat cold in Inalia, but only to the point of a little snow every few days, and the rest all rain throughout the colder seasons. Inalia was hot but damn, not this hot. Sophie peered at the sun through her fingers, mapping it right before midday.

"Amalia, quit procrastinating!" Maria called from inside. Sophie kicked a small rock like a moody teenager, walking into her tent and grabbing an old shirt to wipe off her sweat. She hoped it was Alexios' shirt.

Maria peeked into the small tent and threw Sophie a small paddle brush.

"The water is out back!" Maria answered Sophie's question before she could answer it and left Sophie to get ready. It only took Sophie 30 minutes to bathe, tie back her hair, and secure her robes and weapons. Ricin was outside awkwardly poking a claw into the bath water, watching it ripple. He perked up a bit when he saw her but whimpered at her still downtrodden expression.

"Let's go." Sophie said weakly, mounting onto Ricin and setting off into the sky. It was a miracle Ricin could turn invisible, even if it were just for a few minutes. 

(Screen grab from Assassins Creed Origins, credits at the bottom of the picture)

Sophie arrived at Egypitnat's glittering castle exactly at sun down, her anxiety never allowing anything later. Ricin could remain glittered out of view on the ride over but shimmered back into existence as they landed in the courtyard. Sophie straightened on his back, glaring at the palace. First, the conference, then the battle to give Arsinoe back her kingdom. That were two life-altering events that took place where she was standing. And she kept coming back.

"Stay here and stay out of the kitchens," Sophie murmured to Ricin, watching as Medjay piled out of the grandiose doors and filed towards her. Catching her foot on Ricin's stirrups, Sophie damn near face-planted onto the marble, flinging her arms out to catch herself. All of it happened right in front of Arsinoe.

"Wow, bowing so low you are practically kissing the floor. Get up. We just had the marble waxed." The queen snarked in a greeting. Sophie shook her foot out of the stirrup at long last, her face burning in embarrassment. Years of training in climbing and careful footwork, and she was still such a clutz sometimes.

Sophie rose to her full height, giving the medjay a quick nod before realizing the other reason medjay was coming out of the wazoo.

The Inalian Senate, surrounded by their guards, not only Medjay, scowled at her.

Sophie held onto one of Ricin's horns and debated flinging herself over his back and riding into a volcano.

"I see you're angled towards your, uh, mount. There is no need to escape." Senator Fausta started. Ricin growled at the senate, his teeth radiating his putrid breath, which did well to force everyone to step back.

"I highly disagree." Sophie's eyes narrowed towards the Queen, "If you think you can go behind my back and turn me into the Senate, I swear to you-"

"No need to act like a barbarian. We know of your alliance with Queen Arsinoe. We have for years." Senator Ginevra snapped, stepping forward and standing a tad straighter when Sophie's gaze whipped to her, "We are here to bring you a proposal." 

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I love ya'll to bits! I ain't promising that I'm going to come back to my weekly update schedule, but I will try to return to a somewhat regular update schedule. 

_Sibylline_