Over My Dead Body (Closed)

Corym was almost smiling as he danced. He still couldn't believe that he was dancing with Cleopatra of all people and how well they were dancing together. It was surprisingly nice.

He let himself smirk again at her request and gave a nod. After waiting a moment so she would be ready, he dipped her, keeping his hold on her firm enough that she wouldn't fall.

Cleopatra noted the smirk, and even if she didn't see his nod, the smirk was telling enough. She held her breath, waiting, then he did it. His arms supported her as she went down, and she was surprised by the simultaneous grace and power of the movement.

As Corym showed off his firmness and strength, Cleopatra showed off her flexibility and elegance. She let herself bend back at an incredible angle and even lifted one of her legs into the air. The stares at the couple's display practically seared into her skin, but the queen couldn't care less. She was grinning wildly as she straightened herself back up and continued dancing.

"Impressive," she breathed.

Corym actually smiled as he pulled her back up and went back to dancing. “So were you.” he said, returning the compliment. Though he was more impressed by the amount of trust Cleopatra showed in him just now. “How would you feel about a lift?” he asked.

Cleopatra grinned. Few knew how flexible she was. Her own training included relentless stretching and bending her body to near-contortion levels of flexibility. “Thank you, Corym darling,” she purred.

Her eyes sparkled at his ask. “How do you think they would feel?” she asked, subtly glancing at the crowd around them, which was apparently gathering to watch. She winked knowingly, signaling she was ready.

“Let them stare.” Corym chuckled softly, for once actually looking like he didn't care about the crowd, and just focusing on her and the dance. He gently slid his hand from hers, down her arm, then her side until he had a good grip on her waist. He nodded at her wink and lifted her clean off her feet and spun her around in the air before carefully bringing her back down.

“Obviously,” Cleopatra purred in response. As Corym trailed his touch down her arm and her body, Cleopatra fed into the movement. She arched herself backwards and let her head roll back before straightening with Corym’s hands on either side of her waist.

She then forced herself to hold a breath as he lifted her up, and when he set her back down, the queen gave a twirl that flared her golden gown out around her. It was quite obvious why this woman was the object of so many people’s desires. She was stunning, but for this moment, she was Corym’s.

Cleopatra twirled around again, imagining a sharpened blade in her hands, before reuniting with Corym and clinging to him as they spun together.

Corym couldn't help but stare himself as she spun out her skirt before catching her back in his arms and twirled with her. “Remind me why you hate dancing?” he asked with a raised brow, not missing a step.

Cleopatra tossed her head back and laughed as Corym send her into another dizzying twirl, this time with him holding her. “Because,” she began, but she stopped as the music did, bringing herself and Corym to a halt. Quieter, she said, “Because I have never danced like that before.”

It wasn’t until Cleopatra took a step back and headed for the door that she realized she and Corym were the only pair remaining on the dance floor. She pushed the door open at the end of the ballroom and left, Charmion hurrying behind her at a respectful distance.

Corym was surprised by her laughter, finding it actually pleasant, but smiled as the song ended. He stood still for a moment as she whispered her answer before she quickly left the room.

It took him a moment to walk off the dance floor, grabbing a drink as he caught his breath. He couldn't believe that that had just happened. He had just danced with Cleopatra in front of… practically everyone and his heart was not slowing back down!

Cleopatra was still trying to catch her breath as she hurried through the halls. Her face was flushed, and her eyes had a new light in them. Damn… that dance had been incredible.

“Your Majesty?” Charmion called, practically sprinting to keep up with Cleopatra’s pace. “To your rooms?”

“No,” Cleopatra called flippantly over her shoulder. “To the courtyard.” She was too wired to think of retiring for the night. That dance… it felt too perfect. Like they had been made for that dance to dance it with each other.

“Well, that was a sight.” Tetra commented as she approached her brother. “And here Cleopatra told me she wasn't going to dance.”

Corym sighed at her presence and shook his head. “Tetra, please. Not now.”

“Are you alright?” the princess asked in concern, taking a step closer.

“Honestly… I don't know.” he all but whispered.

Cleopatra made her way to a blossoming courtyard and immediately fell into a fit of shock and disbelief. The adrenaline that had carried her through the halls began to fade, and as a result, her legs faltered. She would have fallen if Charmion hadn't been there to scoop the queen into her arms and guide her to an intricately carved bench.

"Your Majesty?" she murmured worriedly as Cleopatra sagged against her. "Queen Cleopatra?"

Cleopatra forced herself to sit up without the help of her handmaiden. "Charmion… I don't know what came over me," she moaned, holding her head in her hands.

Charmion frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked tentatively.

"I mean is that I have no idea what just happened," Cleopatra retorted sharply. She sighed and shook her head. "I didn't mean to bite at you. I just don't understand it."

"Your dance with King Corym?" Charmion pressed.

"Yes," Cleopatra mumbled. "It was like… nothing else mattered. He was the only thing I could see."

Charmion's eyes widened slightly, but she didn't say anything back. The handmaiden knew her queen well enough that if she explained what Cleopatra had experienced, she would either laugh it off as nothing or deny it with anger rising. But if Charmion was right, she didn't want Cleopatra doing either.

Tetra raised a brow at her brother’s strange reaction. She knew him better than anyone else, with perhaps the exception of Monroe, and this was very strange. “Cor… What happened?” she asked in an unusually firm tone of voice as she guided him away from the main crowd.

“I don't know. We were just talking, she critiqued how I relax, we talked about dancing… Then she asked me to dance.” he explained, still trying to wrap his head around everything that happened. “It seemed like a challenge or something and…”

“Wow.” Tetra laughed softly. “Cor, she told me that she doesn't dance. The fact that she asked you… I’m proud of you.”

Corym shot her a slight glare. “It doesn't mean anything. That was Cleopatra and that was just a dance. It was not the dance.” he reminded before walking away.

“You could have fooled me, dear brother.”

An unsettling silence fell over the queen and her handmaiden before the latter woman spoke into the cool night air.

"I must ask," Charmion mused innocently. "How did Corym manage to get you on the dance floor? I know your opinions on dancing very well, and I must say I was deeply surprised to see you in his arms."

Cleopatra shook her head. "He didn't ask," she replied plainly. "I did."

That was clearly not the answer Charmion was expecting. The handmaiden's jaw dropped open, and her eyes searched her queen's face for any sign of a lie. She was even more shocked when she didn't find one. "You're… serious?"

"Yes," the queen replied tiredly. Cleopatra rose to her feet and began a journey back down the halls. The adrenaline had worn off, her heart rate was back to normal, and exhaustion was beginning to sink in. "Go back to the party," she said with a dismissing wave of her hand. "Enjoy yourself. I'm turning in for the night."

(Want to time skip to the next morning with Cleopatra and Tetra at the library? Just implying that Monroe left the serum for her, or do you want to do a quick blurb of that? Idrk, it's up to you, my brain is so scattered right now lmao)

(sure, time skip is fine with me)

Tetra was pacing around in the library, still thinking about what happened to her brother and Queen Cleopatra last night. Practically the whole castle was talking about it but she wouldn't be surprised if the surrounding part of the kingdom knew about it too. Though a part of her almost hoped that this meant either a chance for peace between the two or even held a hope for the traditional dance coming up.

Cleopatra knew she'd be late, but for a moment, she didn't care. She was busy admiring her neck in the mirror, completely shocked at the sight of it. The blossoming bruises and red marks that had been there last night were almost entirely gone, thanks to the salve Monroe delivered to her door last night. And thank the goddess she answered. As soon as she found her way back to her private chambers, Cleopatra had collapsed onto her bed, stirring only to answer the door and find the jar on the ground waiting for her.

Now she was following Annabeth, Tetra's handmaiden, through the halls. Charmion had tagged along behind them at Cleopatra's command. As they began to near the library, Charmion inclined her head slightly as if realizing something.

"My Queen," she murmured. "I was under the impression we were here to be on our own. Why do we need an escort here?"

Cleopatra hid her smirk before glancing over her shoulder at Charmion. "You'll see, darling," she remarked simply.

Tetra did have to smile a little to herself as she remembered that Cleopatra was bringing her handmaiden with her this morning. It was certainly going to be an interesting experiance, but one that she was looking forward to.

"I was told to make sure none of our guests get lost." Annabeth explained, using the rehersed words her princess had given her beforehand even though she knew the other half of the plan as well. But she was only going to stay long enough to see the reaction, then leave the three of them alone in the library. Surely princess Tetra would be a more than suitable guide for them.

(Sorry for lacking on responses. I fell asleep way earlier than I thought I would last night and today I was at my brother’s graduation party the entire afternoon after getting ready for it all morning, so…)

Charmion hummed quietly to herself, finding enough satisfaction in the answer that she didn’t speak up again.

Cleopatra couldn’t help the brief smirk that crossed her face, and she was glad Charmion was keeping pace behind her so she wouldn’t see.

Ever since Cleopatra had first known her, Charmion had believed some sort of religion based on fae and the magic surrounding them. She continued to revere them, even though pure fae bloodlines were gone. Only decentants of fae remained, and she was about to meet one up close and personal.

(No worries. I hope you had a good time. Just don't forget our other rps 😉)

Annabeth was doing her absolute best to keep from smirking but she was grateful that the two guests were behind her for most of the walk. It would give away the surprise. "Here is the library, your Majesty." she bowed politely beside the open doors.

Tetra had deliberately been close to the doorway so she could hear the little announcement and took the opportunity to make herself more visible at that moment. “Ah, Queen Cleopatra, I'm so glad to see you today.” she greeted.

(It was fun! I got to see some family friends I haven’t seen in a while, so that was cool. Also yeah, I’m totally not hyper fixating on half our rps and forgetting the other half… that would be crazy… nervous laugh)

Cleopatra smiled briefly at the other handmaiden before entering the library. “Thank you, Annabeth. And Princess Tetra, it’s lovely to see you as well, darling. I don’t believe you’ve met my handmaiden, Charmion.”

Saying her name, Cleopatra motioned to where Charmion stood just off her shoulder. But the naturally sweet, mild-mannered woman was gaping at the princess of Sarratin. After a few seconds, she realized what she was doing and blushed vibrantly before falling into a curtsy. “Your Highness.”

(I’m glad! It's ok, I get that. Just didn't want to lose those.)

Tetra smiled as Cleopatra returned the greeting before they both turned to the Queen’s stunned handmaiden. “No, I have not had the pleasure. Hello, Charmion. I've heard so much about you.” she nodded slightly, watching for her reaction.

(I got you ;))

Charmion’s normally flawless curtsy wavered. She looked up at Tetra in surprise, nearly toppling over. “You have?!” she asked incredulously, rising back up and looking at Cleopatra intently.

The thrice-crowned queen was observing her nails and trying not to smirk.

“I mean,” Charmion said, trying to fix her blurted question. “You have, Your Highness? All- All good things, I should hope.”

Tetra’s ear twitched in amusement at Charmion’s surprise but simply nodded. “Of course. Cleopatra had nothing but good things to say about you.” she smiled.

Annabeth was still standing in the doorway but had to cover her mouth at the scene.

Charmion blinked heavily, still not able to comprehend the conversation she was having. With a princess who was descended from fae. She watched as Tetra's ear twitched, and her jaw dropped. "I'm glad," she whispered, shooting a quick glance over at her queen.

Cleopatra noticed the ear twitch too and look in the opposite direction as Charmion while biting her lip.

Charmion frowned in confusion at the action, but she looked back at Tetra. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness," she enthused. "It's an honor, really. Your ears…" Her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth while blushing furiously. "I'm sorry, that was… I… um…"

Tetra gave Charmion a knowing smile and deliberately perked her ears up, showing off the slightly pointed ends. “It is very nice to meet you too. I understand you will be joining Cleopatra and myself as we look at some of this kingdom’s history books?” she half asked, half offered. She playfully raised a brow at the way she trailed off. “Yes, what about my ears?”

Charmion’s eyes only widened at the offer. She needed to get a hold of herself, she was acting a fool! But she couldn’t help it. This moment was unreal. “Oh, yes!” she enthused. “I’d love to, if you don’t mind having me along!”

Her eyes caught on the pointed tips of Tetra’s ears, and Charmion gaped. “Your ears… they’re pointed as the fae’s were. And they’re beautiful.”

A bright red flush flooded her face as Charmion realized what she’d just said. She buried her face in her hands, and Cleopatra couldn’t hold it in any longer. She started laughing hysterically, much to Charmion’s confusion as she lifted her face up again.

“What’s going on?” she asked, eying her queen suspiciously.

Tetra nodded as Charmion accepted, though she felt a blush rise at the compliment of her ears. “I am aware of their shape but thank you.”

When Cleopatra dropped the pretense, she and Annabeth started giggling as well. “I apologize. But Cleopatra told me how much you wanted to meet someone with fae blood.” she admitted.

“Obviously,” Charmion said quickly. “I just… they… I…” The queen’s handmaiden folded her hands together shyly and ducked her head at the giggles. Though Tetra’s comment made Charmion give her queen a rather sharp look.

“Charmion, darling,” Cleopatra cooed once she finally got herself back under control. “I thought you would enjoy meeting Princess Tetra since I know how much you revere the fae and their descendants. Don’t be mad.”

Charmion crossed her arms and frowned in Cleopatra’s direction. “This was all to make a fool out of me?” she accused.

“No,” Cleopatra replied, taking on a gentler tone. Placating. “I only suggested to a meeting between us to Tetra because I thought you would enjoy the company.”

"And I was curious as to why you think of me and my ancestors the way you do." Tetra added, having gotten over her giggle fit. "Most people have only reacted in a similar way because I am a Princess here." she explained. Though, as she thought about it, her inherited title was just as closely tied to her Fae blood. Perhaps that was something else to look into while they were here.

It was impossible for Charmion’s complexion to turn more red than it was now. She looked at Cleopatra with shock in her eyes. “You told her?” she demanded.

Cleopatra was taken aback by the way her handmaiden spoke to her. “Yes, but I thought—”

“No, you didn’t think!” Charmion countered, a new kind of sharpness in her tone. “You never think! Gods forbid you would ever think about someone else. All you care about is yourself! I won’t let myself be made a fool of so that you can have a lovely conversation about me afterward.”

With that, Charmion turned and headed for the doors of the library. Cleopatra was stunned for a moment, but she regained herself and spat out her handmaiden’s name with a sharpness of her own. Charmion wisely froze. She’d heard Cleopatra use that tone before… and it never ended well for the person on the receiving end.

Cleopatra leveled a cold stare at the back of Charmion’s head and ordered, “I suggest you return to your chambers and cool down. We will talk about this later.”

Charmion swallowed heavily and replied in the most even voice she could summon, “Yes, Your Majesty.” Then she fled.

The second she was out of sight, Cleopatra’s shoulders dropped and she turned to Tetra. “I’m sorry you had to witness that,” she apologized. “I didn’t realize Charmion would get so upset.”