Tugging Maria along on a leash, Melicia walked into the princesses' room once more. With a smile, she darted her gaze at Tia–the scorned daughter of the queen. Noticing the gaze, Tia took a few steps away from Raven who seemed to be addressing her directly.
Turning to Maria, her eyes widened–even more than they already were, but after everything that she'd been told; from the planned coup by her mother and her insatiable hunger for more and more, she couldn't even protest against her harsh treatment.
"We should get the preparations ready," said Melicia to Raven, wearing the same mocking smile.
Glancing over to her as well, the mage let down his hands and began walking towards his party member. He'd wasted enough time in the castle, it was nearly halfway through the afternoon, and his plans to spend some time with his ladies had been squashed by the mess created by royals and royalty.
Now focused more on this revenge by proxy, Raven decided to push other plans for a later time–especially the visit to the maze with Lana, and preparations to move out of Athenia and into the ocean dark.
'Linkle–I need to check on her too when I get the chance.' With so many moving parts, even Raven who was usually strategically astute and efficient needed some time to let the information settle inside his head before he could do anything with it.
"We should catch up with the others, and tell them what's happening," Raven advised, and Melicia quickly followed with Maria being dragged along in tow.
However, telling the elf to let go of the collar, Raven kept the queen's dethroning a secret for now as it would only be revealed once the wedding night was going on. Masking Maria with some plain clothes they could find with Viola's help in the castle, the duo made their way out of the palace with Maria looking like a maid following them around.
"Ughh...this is so," looking down at her dusty clothes, an unappealing shade of brown and black, Maria was far from pleased but she no longer had a choice. "So embarrassing...I'd rather be dead than seen like this."
"ENOUGHHHH!!" With voice came footsteps, hefty enough to shake the very structure of the building. Like a giant moving mountain, Dune Boartooth arrived from the kitchen–knife in hand and his body blood-soaked from having just butchered a pigling for meat.
As tall as an orc, and even more burly, there was nobody in that hall more menacing, especially with his silver fur soaked in fresh blood.
"ANOTHER WORD FROM YOU HONKERS AND I'LL SKEWER YOUR LIVES AND FEED THEM TO THE OTHERS!" And his threat was the end of it, nobody dared to piss him off more than he already was.
However, when Dune's eyes lay on Maria himself, they expected him to freak out just like them, but instead, the man turned his gaze to Raven.
"IS SHE WITH YOU!?" Although not as intimidated as the rest, Raven responded only with a nod. Leaning closer, Dune growled like a wolf threatening an opponent, but then slowly backed off, he kept glaring at Raven. "My daughter likes you, or else you'd be mince for bringing a royal in here!"
Turning around, the menace left, leaving everyone behind him in an awkward looming silence.
"Ca-can we get a room already?" Maria begged, her hand squeezing Raven's arm.
She knew she wasn't liked, and the fear from it was enough to give her a heart attack.
"We probably should get to our room, yeah..." Raven replied and the trio made their way directly to their room.
Although things might seem to have settled, as the group would arrive in Raven's room, a surprise was already waiting for them. Erika and Asmodia, both were waiting inside with Tanya laying on the bed–since neither wanted to leave her at her house after everything that had happened.