"What do you mean by all of that?" Fiona asked.
Phoenix looked at her steadily.
"I have given up more than you know for you," he said. "And I would give up more still. Without hesitation." He held her gaze. "You are the lady of my life Fiona. That does not change. I am willing to give up my happiness for you. What matters most to me right now is that you are safe and well." He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and let it linger for a moment. "Now go and enjoy the gathering. We will be seeing a great deal of each other from here."
Fiona looked at him a moment longer then turned and walked toward the royal section of the park.
The noise of the gathering grew around her as she walked. The music, the laughter, the soft sounds of an afternoon built for celebration.
Then she slowed.
Across the park a woman had approached Vangelis. She was heavily pregnant, her time clearly close, moving with the careful deliberateness of someone carrying a weight that had become everything. The way she spoke to him was different from how anyone else had approached him today. Something about it made Fiona stop walking entirely.
She watched from a distance.
There was an ease between them that could not be performed. The kind that only comes from years of knowing someone in the quiet ordinary moments of life.
Fiona turned to her lady in waiting.
"Who is that woman speaking with my Lord?"
The lady in waiting lowered her voice.
"That is His Lordship's former lover, my Queen. They grew up together. She is the daughter of one of the palace maids. An omega." She paused. "Despite everything that separated them in rank and power they stayed together for years and the people around them loved what they had."
Fiona said nothing. She kept watching.
"When Bloodmoon began experiencing shortages of blood and meat, Silvermoon proposed an agreement. Provisions in exchange for a royal marriage. The choice fell to Lord Vangelis." The lady in waiting spoke carefully. "It was not an easy decision for either of them. But they both understood what the kingdom needed. So they ended things. And to protect her from any uncertainty that might follow, His Lordship arranged a marriage for her with the Prince of the Leopard Beastman Land and sent her away."
The park continued around them, bright and unhurried.
"He sacrificed something real for the peace and safety this marriage brought, my Queen. He made someone else carry the weight of that so you would not have to." She paused. "It would break something in him to be disappointed by the one he chose to protect."
"He even had the option to keep her as a consort," the lady in waiting finished quietly. "He refused. To protect you and whatever future you would build together."
Fiona stood there and let it all move through her. Guilt. Fear. Something she had no name for yet that sat heavier than either of them.
Then she walked toward them.
Vangelis looked up as she approached, something briefly unreadable crossing his face before he smiled.
"My Queen, allow me to introduce Princess Seraphine of the Leopard Beastman Land." He paused for just a moment. "She was also my former lover."
Seraphine turned and bowed gracefully. "My Queen."
"How are you keeping?Why did you travel this far without your Prince."Fiona asked, her voice warm and steady, giving nothing of what she carried away.
"Very well, my Queen, thank you." Seraphine smiled, her hand resting on her belly. "We had planned to travel together but my husband was needed by his people. So I came alone." Her eyes brightened. "I want my cubs to be born here in Bloodmoon before we return. One must come home for something as important as this."
"That is a beautiful thing," Fiona said. "There is wisdom in remembering where you come from."
She smiled at Seraphine.
And felt absolutely nothing of the peace the words suggested.
Apart from that I want to extend my gratitude to My Lord," Seraphine said. "Because of his good heart a lowly omega like me is now a Princess of an entire land. I am very grateful."
She turned briefly to Vangelis. "My husband also extends his gratitude to you My Lord. After our marriage Bloodmoon has been nothing but a blessing to our land. We have received advanced war equipment and advanced education in healing." She smiled warmly. "When everything settles down he will walk up here himself to thank you personally."
She turned back to Fiona. "My Queen I will now retreat to my own place. It has been nothing but fun speaking with you."
"Why don't you stay and enjoy the rest of the event," Vangelis asked.
"No I cannot do that," Seraphine said gently. "This moment is for you, the Queen and the unborn child. I have no interest in meddling with it." She looked at Fiona one last time. "If we do not meet again then this is a goodbye." Her voice softened. "
. "Young Queen please take good care of My Lord. He can be quite troublesome when left to his own devices." A gentle laugh escaped her. "But if you do not attend to him properly he will find himself in a very devastating place. He needs more care than he will ever think to ask for."
Vangelis pulled her into a hug before she could take another step.
"I have been doing exactly what you told me," he said quietly against her shoulder. "I am making her happy. Just as you wanted me to."
Seraphine held on for a moment then drew back slowly, her eyes soft and full of something that had no bitterness in it.
Bittersweet memories," she said. "That is what I am taking with me today." She looked at him with complete honesty. "We both know I was never what you truly needed Vangy. And I have made peace with that a long time ago." A gentle smile crossed her face. "I am also very happy where I am. My husband is a good man, just as warm and jovial as you. He understands me completely." She squeezed his hand once. "Thank you. For everything. It has been an honour seeing you again. I pray life is kind to you and that everything you have wished for finds its way to you."
She broke the hug.
Straightened herself and bowed gracefully to them both.