Mary is more of a cuddler than you'd have thought

Waking up with a nose full of red hair and not sneezing is remarkable difficult. You think if Mary had awoken to see your face contorting in an attempt to not sneeze she would have instantly reconsidered her willingness to marry you. The itch subsides as you crane your head away, the thankful sigh you let out wakes Mary who looks at you crane your head away from her.

The both of you stare at each other for a moment, you craning your head away, her face mostly covered by her hair. She really does looking like an older Ana. Her face was a bit thinner, her hair a bit less cared for, but the sisterly resemblance hit you. "It is weird that Ana and I have, been together?"

Mary frowns at you. "No," she wipes some hair out of her face. "Weird for you?" She leans up onto her elbow combing her hair into some level of order.

You reach over to her help with some of the more unruly strands when the look she is giving you makes you stop. You'd gotten used to doing that for Ana. "A little." You answered getting up from the bed.

You grabbed your uniform and pulled the pants and tunic on, the underwear, you thought better than to rewear, Mary lay in bed admiring the view. "We'll need to go the palace to get changed. I doubt Ana will have an armour here."

"Armour? I thought we were meeting an ambassador." You looked at her as she got out of bed and pulled on her pants and tunic.

"No, mum's meeting the ambassador, we're there to look strong." She said walking to the door. "Well I'm there to look strong, you're there to be distracting."

"Distracting?" You ask walking after her. You follow after her. As you went you passed some of the staff going about their morning duties. They bowed at Mary and smiled at you. Mary looked over her shoulder at you. "Oh." Well, you find that kinda offensive, though only a little, you were kinda used to this by now.

You reach the front door only for Clare to be standing by it. "Christopher we gotta go." Mary looked at her. "Good morning your Highness."

"Christopher will be attending the palace with myself, I'm sure you whatever," she looks Clare up and down noting the very plain clothes she was wearing, "you have planned can wait."

Clare looked Mary up and down and you could see her considering just how worth fucking with Mary would be. "Your invitee will be at the dock."

Invitee? It takes a second, and seeing the quirked eyebrow from Clare for you to recall who she was referring to. The possible champion you were supposed to convince to support you. "Oh," you look at Mary then at Clare, "that's, right." Clare puts her hand at chest height then raises it above her head. "Right. I will need to meet you at the palace."

Mary doesn't say anything but her withering stare indicated she'd been taking lessons on it from her mother. "Christopher, are you really suggesting disobeying myself and my mother, to meet someone at the docks?"

You looked at Clare who gave you a hurry up gesture. "When is the ambassador arriving? Surely it won't be this early. Beside it's not like I'm going to be saying anything at the meeting, just standing there distractingly." Mary pursed her lips and you saw her thinking about forcing the issue, and how that could end up.

"You'll have to be there before midday, and if you're late." She tired to think of a punishment and was clearly struggling before inspiration struck. "I'll make sure Ana stays at the capital for the next month.

That ... ok that's actually not that bad of a threat. "I'll be there." You don't actually know if you'll be able to make it but capitulation seemed safer than inspiring further ideas of punishment.

Mary looked between the two of you. "When we get married you'll have to stop being mysterious."

She left and you called out after her. "IF!"

"Really?" Clare asked with a bemused smirk.

"I don't want her thinking it's a concluded possibility." You see the look she is giving you. "At some point we are going to find someone who is completely opposed to our non-monogamous life style."

"Ah I'm surely one of us will fuck the slut into them. Come on her ships docking soon."

"Can you tell me anything about her."

"She's spent her life researching way to use magic to travel to other realities. That should tell you everything you need to know."

She wants to go home? "What's her name at least?"

Clare smirks at you. "You're a charming fellow if you can't even get her name out of her I'll be disappointed."

"Well I need to change first."

Clare looks at your disheveled clothing. "Might be more familiar to her like this. But fine, it's a quick run anyway."

You go to your room, kiss Edin good morning, who stirred in the bed but didn't wake up, throw on the least offense outfit you have while Clare plucked one of the four Koilio flower. "Surprised you haven't used those yet." You say as she tucked the aphrodisiac into a pocket. "Also really, you're bring that."

"Everyone is a lot easier than I'd have expected. And this isn't for the champion." She had a mysterious glint in her eye which meant she was planning some elaborate sexual encounter. "Come on, quick run there." She spread her magic through her body and ran off. You gave Edin one more kiss who woke up at that smiled at you then fell back to sleep. You let out a breath to make sure you are calm and not stressed about this meeting and spread your magic to your limbs.

Clare was waiting outside the academy gates for you and together you ran to the docks. Clare told you the ship name and after a bit of asking around ended up together looking at a rather large sail boat off-load a mass of people and cargo. "Are you going to point her out for me at least."

"If you don't know her when you see her we're both screwed." Clare said playfully.

You sighed at her obfuscation and scanned through the crowd.