18. Stone and Azure: In the Time of Indigo Cloud's Eastern Colony

(Note:I realized finally that I made some timeline errors in the first story about when Indigo Cloud left the Reaches.  I'll correct them at some point and repost it as an extra.)

     To make it worse, Stone woke up that morning missing the old colony in the Reaches so intensely it was like he couldn't breathe.  The mentors told him this happened sometimes, there was nothing to be done about it. 

     It would just make the whole day that much more miserable.

     He wished he could have hated the three consorts from Wind Sun and Mist Silver. But as they spent the day in the consorts quarters, Stone had to admit that they seemed all right, and maybe not entirely bad choices for Azure.  Cloud had been right that young consorts being delicate and useless wasn't emphasized as much in the eastern colonies.  All three talked about learning to hunt, flying out with the warriors, and exploring around their courts with their queen clutchmates.  All three politely admired the consorts' quarters of the Indigo Cloud colony, which to Stone's eyes still seemed inadequate.  And they seemed just as encouraging as Cloud about Stone's prospects for finding a queen.

     It was awful.

     They were even nice about his eye.  "It's a scar," Cloud explained overtea.  "Made in the womb."

     Stone corrected, "It's probably a scar."

     Gem, the older taken consort from Wind Sun who was here to help chaperone, said, "It looks like a scar.  One of my clutchmates has a bad wing join from an accident when he was a fledgling." It was an oblique way of saying these things happen, it isn't the end of the world.  At any other time, Stone would have appreciated it in the spirit in which it was meant.

     Cloud expressed sympathy for Gem's clutchmate, and asked, "Can he still fly?"

     Gem admitted, "Not long distances."

     "That's why he didn't come with you."

     "No, he was taken by Iris, a queen we were fostering from another court." Gem smiled at Stone.

     "Lucky him," Stone said bleakly, and Cloud told him to go make more tea.

     When Stone finished serving the tea, it hadn't gotten any better.  Cloud was asking about Cascade, one of the unattached queens who had come with the group. It wasn't until Stone took a seat on his cushion near the hearth that he realized Gem was actually eyeing him speculatively.

     The matchmaking was unexpected, but only because this was the first time Stone had been considered old enough to be there when it took place.  Queens were supposed to choose their own consorts based on their own desires and the needs of the court, but everybody knew the older consorts often had strong opinions on who would make the best pairs.  Stone rubbed the bridge of his nose and managed not to growl while Cloud and Gem began a subtle, extremely delicate conversation about the possibility of him and Cascade.

     They probably thought they were doing him a favor.  But Stone knew his own temper and he knew he couldn't settle with another queen. Especially a queen who would condescend to take him in spite of his defect.  And he knew he was being unreasonable, but he couldn't help it.

     He waited until Cloud was distracted, then deflected Gem's attention onto the consorts of Ruby and Cinnabar's last clutch,who were just mature enough to be taken and who Cascade might want to meet.

***

     They had the meal that night in the open space in the bottom of the pyramid.  It was one of the few spaces in the structure large enough for the whole court,and had multiple stone platforms, and was open to the shallow river that ran below the structure.

     This was the Arbora's opportunity to showoff, and they had made the most of it. Everyone wore their best jewelry and clothing.  The arrays of carefully presented food and the quality of the pottery and the furs and woven mats on the platforms did a good job of concealing how new the colony still was.  "It'll look much better once we get the vines to grow through here," Willow, leader of the teachers' caste, had said about ten times.  They wouldn't be staying longer than a season or two, so Stone didn't think it mattered.

     Stone sat with the other unattached consorts, forcing himself to eat so the Arbora wouldn't glare at him from across the room.  He knew he needed to get over this and get used to the situation. This would be a great test of his ability to be polite under stress.

     He still wasn't sure which consort Azure was interested in.  She had met them all on visits to Wind Sun and Mist Silver, but this was their first visit here.  And of course there would be some competition from the other unattached queens. 

     It was near the end of the meal and he had mostly given up pretending to participate in the conversation.  He was so wrapped up in his own depressed thoughts that he flinched when Azure came over and sat next to him.  "What?" he asked her,startled.  She wasn't supposed to be over here.  Unless...  His heart sunk all the way past his stomach.  She had chosen one of the consorts and meant to signal her interest in front of the court.

     Azure set a bracelet on the fur between them.  It was gold, figured with the intertwined shapes of Aeriat.  The design was determined by the individual artisan, but this was Indigo Cloud's traditional consort's gift.  Stone steeled himself, reminded himself he was her friend, and leaned forward to pretend to admire it.  "It's perfect," he said.  "Is it Pepper's work?"  He didn't need to ask, since Pepper was his favorite artisan and he would know her interpretation of this design anywhere.

     Azure said, "Yes."

     He managed to meet her gaze, waiting for her to pick it up and take it to whichever consort she had chosen.  She stared back.  Then her eyes narrowed and she looked toward the platform across the river where Indigo was sitting with Cloud and the Wind Sun and Mist Silver sister queens.  Indigo's spines were starting to flick in exasperation. Cloud looked amused.

     This is not funny, Stone thought,wounded and outraged.  He said, "Cloud's being an ass tonight."

     Azure barred her teeth briefly.  "Are you just going to leave me sitting here?"

     That was when it dawned on Stone that all the noisy talk in the big chamber was dying away, that everyone, especially the nearby royal Aeriat, were turning to watch them in anticipation.  His throat went dry, as part of his body realized what was happening.  His brain refused to catch up.  He croaked out, "They think you're giving it to me."

     Her golden brow furrowed.  "Indigo said you'd be this stupid, and I didn't believe her."  Her head tilted, and she said, with emphasis, "I am giving it to you."

     The whole chamber was silent now.  Having what he had always wanted suddenly handed to him was more than Stone could take. It was too overwhelming, too confusing, and he didn't deserve it.  He was cranky and angry and she deserved someone much better.  "You can't.  For the good of the court--"

     Azure leaned forward, her voice turning soft.  "We will be good for the court.  I have a feeling we might be the best thing to ever happen to it."

     Stone felt the knot in his chest loosen and melt.  He reached out and took the bracelet.