Fun thing about being a slow ass writer who hops projects is that sometimes there's a convergence between the In-Story time passed between two characters seeing each other and Real-Life time since we last saw the characters get an update in the main fic.
7 years for Arthur. 7 years for us (or at least it Feels like 7 years)
Anyways, here she is! The first real look at Empress Frey!
From An Arrangement
He finally looked at his wife. The Empress. Frey.
Gods and Dragons, she was more beautiful now than she had been in his memories.
The last time Arthur had seen her, she’d looked small and uncertain on her throne. A simple circlet made from black iron had sat heavily on her brow. She seemed too small to be swathed in the regalia of her coronation. Uncomfortable and ill-suited for her station. Her voice had trembled when she spoke. Back then, Arthur had been given the impression of a fragile flower, a single bloom on a thin stem growing among inhospitable mountain crag. Meant to be elsewhere, but determined to grow where it sprouted.
That was not the same Empress before him now.
Her hair was shorter, the hip-length green tresses had been cut short enough so the thick braid barely fell over her shoulder. Her crown was a sparkling tiara. Amethysts and emeralds wound together into branching floral patterns. It complimented her dress, which was elegant without being ornate. The cut and color favored the summer warmth and the supposed joyful occasion of their reunion. Silvery floral detailing against lush green and pale pink, gauzy sleeves and skirts gave it an air of romance.
Her eyes were still the same brilliant, sparkling emerald. But they were colder now. Her face was the same, but her years as Empress made her less-inclined to smile. She sat straight-backed in her throne, comfortable with the rigidity. The throne sat on a raised dais. Her gaze was imperious and gave nothing away as she inclined her head to the new visitors.
“The Sechs Empire welcomes you, Princess Nicole and Prince Arthur. I look forward to the prosperity this union will bring both our nations.”
Gods, she didn’t even sound like herself. Her voice was flatter, emotionless, and it had picked up some of the native inflections of her Empire’s tongue.
