The exotic beauty is the center of attention.

“Lord and Lady Hildebran of Orchardsview, and their daughter, Eloise,” started the chamberlain as the nobles entered the throne room with their daughters in tow. Once inside, the young noble ladies stepped away from their mothers and fathers, made their way to the foot of the royal thrones, and present themselves before the two princes. As the daughters stood before the princes, they let out a sigh of relief as their fears of being given to an ugly man were put to rest. Both princes were very handsome with charming young faces and strong upper bodies. The oldest, Stewart, had a well-sculpted chin and rough raven hair while the youngest, Duncan, had softer features and full golden hair.

“Viscount and Viscountess Wellmore of Narrowhaven, and their daughter Rose,” the chamberlain continued. As Xira watched the girls in front of her, she could help but feel a little underdressed. As mentioned before, while the noble ladies were dressed in full ball gowns, the amazon queen was dressed in sheer and revealing clothing. Suddenly a cool breeze blew by sending a shiver up Xira's spine. Rubbing her arms, Xira turned to Laoda and gave her a stern glare. Laoda was quick to notice her Queen's discomfort. “Oh, sorry I forgot to mention,” Laoda stated with a light giggled, “The mainland isn’t quite a topical as Accor, so it might be a little cool for my islander queen.”

“And yet you dressed me up like this anyway?!” she snapped.

"Oh relax," said Laoda roiling her eyes, "It's not like we are in the arctic north. Besides, men love it when beautiful women dress in revealing outfits. Even more so, exotic beauties dressed in revealing outfits."

Xira groaned and turned away from Laoda. The golden-skinned woman felt like a whore being put on display by a brothel owner, even more so as she looked around the room at the other men. Sure enough, both the guards and the male nobles were eyeing her golden skin like a piece of meat, something she was quick to fix with a few cold glares and a powerful clenched fist.

“The Duke and Duchess of Elkhorn, and their niece, Gabina,” the chamberlain continued. Xira was almost at the front of the line now and thankfully further away from the front door. The torches in the main hall, as well as the body heat of the large crowd, was starting to warm up Xira's exposed body, so the cold was no longer her first concern. Unfortunately, as the queen listened to the chamberlain continues his announcements, she started to feel uncomfortable, though for a completely different reason.

As Atheas and Laoda glanced down at their young Queen, they noticed the sad look on Xira’s face. It would have been hard to spot for anyone who didn’t know her. She tended to hind her sadness behind a stern gaze. It wasn't until they heard the chamberlain's next announcement that they why she looked so somber.

"King and Queen of Dinet and their Daughter Kiara."

Xira, noticing that the two women were looking at her, let out a long sigh. “The Orphaned Queen of Accor,” said Xira fighting back tears.

Atheas, a mother of three, gave the Queen a warm smile and lightly brushed her hand through her hair. “We all miss her, my Queen,” said Atheas as she tried to comfort her.

Laoda took out a cloth and lightly dried the tears from Xira's eyes before they could mess up her make up. “She was a strong and powerful ruler but was as kind as she was beautiful. You are a bit harder than she was, but I can honestly say that your mother would be proud to see how strong and beautiful you have become.” Xira smiled back at Laoda and lightly placed her brow against hears. Once Xira had calmed down, Laoda pulled her head back and looked her in the eyes. “Now remember what your mother taught you. Don’t let anyone see you bleed,” she then gave her a sly smirk, “And leave no mouth, unopened.”

Xira chuckled, "Fine, lest see just how effective this dress is." Now at the front of the line, Xira straightened herself out and stepped into the throne room. As she walked across the stone floor, she swayed her hips, making the red silk cloth flow around her feet, and looked at the crowd of nobles with an expression that showed off both her power and beauty. Placing a hand on her hip to show off her curves, she watched as the people in the room stopped and gasped at the sight of the exotic beauty standing before them, even the chamberlain stalled when he saw the young amazon.

Xira glanced over at the chamberlain, “Don’t you have a job to do?” she said simply.

He visibly gulped and did his best to regain his composure. Thought still flustered, he was able to announce Xira with little incident. “Her Majesty the Amazon Queen Xira of the Island of Accor.”

As Xira made her way to the throne, she could feel the jealous gazes of the ladies and the aroused stares of the men as they watched her seductive form glide across the floor. Finally, she arrived at the foot of the throne, where the King, Queen, and their two unmarried sons were waiting. The two princes blushed and gawked at her strong and beautiful woman as she presented herself, sliding a hand over one of her thighs and looking up at them with lidded eyes.

Duncan’s mouth was agape at the sight before him, and he had to readjust himself to his growing member, while Stewarts smiled at her slyly and ran his hungry eyes up and down her beautiful body.

As Xira took her place with the other noble ladies, the Crown Prince, Stewart leaned over to his father. “So, who is the island beauty?” he asked him.

King Malcolm chuckled and gave his oldest a sly smile, “I thought you boys might like her. That is Xira, Queen of the Amazons.”

“An Amazon?” asked Queen Caroline with a bit of concern in her voice. “If I remember correctly, the Amazons of Accor are cursed. They can only produce more Amazons. Why would you invite a Queen that will only provide female children?” Granted, Queen Caroline wouldn’t have stopped any of her sons from marrying a woman that could only provide females. It might even convince her husband to change the laws to where women can rule as well as men, but still, she knew her husband better than this. He was up to something.

Malcolm placed a hand on his wife’s wrist and gave her a warm smile. “I have my reason, my love. Accor has a very different culture from ours. Instead of marrying a single man, they seek men out and mate with the ones they find to be worthy.”

Caroline rolled her eyes, “So you invited her here just so one of our sons could bed her and not risk being chained down to her or her child.”

Malcolm let out a long groan, “That’s not the only reason why I invited her, my love. It is said that if a king or prince is able to mate with the Amazon Queen, then she and her hire would be honor-bound to protect the king’s land, meaning that if our son can bed her, our coastline’s security will be all but assured.”

“If we could prove ourselves worthy of her bed?” asked Prince Duncan, turning his attention to his father, “In what way?”

Malcolm turned Duncan and looked at him sternly, “It means that you will have not only to prove yourself to be an honorable man, but you will also have to hold your own in a fight with her as well. They are a race of warriors, after all. To that end, I would highly recommend that you keep your distance from her Duncan. You’ve only just started your advance swordsman training while your brother is one of the best swordsmen in the land.”

Duncan glared back at his father, “I can handle a sword well enough.”

Malcolm glared back at his youngest and was about to respond, but his wife butted in with her concerns before he could say anything.

“Yes, Stewart is one of our best swordsmen,” said Caroline with a worried look in her eyes, “But that is an Amazon, she was probably born with a blade in her hand. Would you risk one of our sons against that?”

Stewart, still eyeing the Amazon, responded with a smirk, “Well, Mother, if she is as good as you say she is, then I better brush up on my swordsmanship.”