So this was the prince, her future- She let that thought die right there and then, she did not want to be thinking about the future at this very moment. She needed to be focused on the current moment. Cicada responded curtly as she sat in the cage, "You're going to move me whether I want to or not, so I don't know what you're waiting for."
“Just an answer, princess. Any answer.” David nodded to the guards, and they hefted the cage and moved it as he began walking put of the room. As he stepped out of the doorway, he looked like he was going to fall… until he transformed into a red kite. The guards that were human transformed as well, and together they took Cicada up into the higher levels of the Nidum.
Cicada was startled and almost let out a yelp, before pursing her lips tight in order to not let the sound escape, as they hefted the cage up and then began flying with the cage. Her hands gripped the bars unfamiliar and uncomfortable flying around without using her own wings. She stayed silent in the cage focusing on the path they were taking so when she made her escape she would know how to get out of her next location.
Eventually, they stopped at a certain height, and began moving forward down a few hallways. They went up a staircase, which opened up to a circular balcony with a few doors on the curved wall. In the middle of the doors was another hallway, with more doors on either side. Prince David and his guards brought the cage into this hallway and in front of the first door, just beyond the corner leading to the balcony.
“Alright, here we are,” David sang once he shifted back into a human. But before he could let his guards open the door and unlock the cage, there was a flash of movement around the corner.
Rowena emerged. “David?” She called, her eyes landing on her brother, his guards, and the cage with Cicada inside. Her muscles tensed, and a deep frown pulled at her lips. “What the hell are you doing?”
Cicada had been keeping note of the way there and also noted how maze like the palace was. She scowled that David had chosen to sing upon arrival, but that dropped the moment she saw the guards going to open her cage. However that was all cut off when the Day Queen appeared. She could see how tense the Day Queen was and put two and two together that David had moved Cicada of his own accord. Cicada tensed up in response hoping the Day Queen wouldn't think Cicada had anything to do with this, she was just as unwilling of a participant as the queen was in this moment.
David blinked, eyes wide. Then he laughed, approaching the Day Queen and casually putting an arm around her shoulder.
“Your Majesty!” He greeted. “Why, just showing your fiancée to her room. You can thank me later.”
Rowena pushed him away, her gaze dark. “You didn’t need to do that. I would have had my own guards bring her here. And don’t call her my fiancée, for the love of the gods.”
David still wore an amused look on his face. “Well, when I heard you were getting married to the Demon Princess, I just had to see her for myself. Besides, your guards looked glad to leave the job to me.”
Rowena scowled. “David, you are so annoying. I do not want your commentary on this, I really don’t. Just shut up. Please.”
“Aww, don’t be like that, Ro,” he pouted, “Besides, how can I not commentate? The queen who swore she would never marry is actually getting married, and to a demon no less!”
“Shut. Up.” She grabbed his collar and dragged him to the other corner and lowered her voice. “And don’t call me Ro. Does Edward know about this engagement, too?”
David rolled his eyes. “He does. Mother told both of us a few days ago. Something about how it was for the good of the kingdom and that we should be supportive, all that. You should probably get back to the Demon Princess in that cage, hm?”
(I’m gonna be inactive for a couple of days, fyi)
The Day Queen's name was Ro, or that was a nickname perhaps. Then the Day Queen, Ro, told David not to call her Ro, so Cicada was only going to call Ro that from this point on. In fact, this entire conversation was giving Cicada a lot of information about her "soon-to-be" wife. At the very least it didn't seem like Cicada was going to be blamed for what happened, and that alone caused her to relax ever so slightly. With that off her conscious, she could focus on gathering the information just being handed to her on a silver platter. The Night Queen was the Day Queen's mother and the Day Queen seems to have two brothers, David, the one who got her in this situation in the first place, and Edward. Somone Cicada knew nothing about, which scared her ever so slightly.
(Lol yes, that is the point. Also hi I’m back)
(Lol, also you happen to disappear the same time I got a very large task my brain decided to do)
(Oh wow, timing indeed)
(Timing indeed, also not done with said task just taking a break for today. So if I don't respond in a timely manner that's why.)
(That’s fine, I will not likely respond in a timely manner either. School is starting for me soon.)
(School, isn't it just a wonderful thing. So glad I'm starting late(r) this year)
(I’ll just leave this here https://pin.it/6dwUz06)
(I didn't even realize they had made a little ship drawing for that lol)
(Lol yes it is an official ship dynamic djidijdj)
(Hey mom! Guess what?! We have an official ship dynamic!)
(Djidsjideij wheeze-)
The Day Queen's name was Ro, or that was a nickname perhaps. Then the Day Queen, Ro, told David not to call her Ro, so Cicada was only going to call Ro that from this point on. In fact, this entire conversation was giving Cicada a lot of information about her "soon-to-be" wife. At the very least it didn't seem like Cicada was going to be blamed for what happened, and that alone caused her to relax ever so slightly. With that off her conscious, she could focus on gathering the information just being handed to her on a silver platter. The Night Queen was the Day Queen's mother and the Day Queen seems to have two brothers, David, the one who got her in this situation in the first place, and Edward. Somone Cicada knew nothing about, which scared her ever so slightly.
(So sorry! School and poor mental health are not a good mix ^^;)
The Day Queen glared at her brother. “I should let you take her place inside it.” David only laughed, and she let him go to turn her attention to the Demon Princess.
Letting out a sigh, she approached the cage. The guards stood at attention. “Princess.” She nodded to her. “I’m sure my brother has explained to you that that this will be your new room. I would say make yourself at home, but… well.” She gestured for a guard to unlock and open the door. The cage was moved inside, and Rowena followed behind. David attempt to follow too, but his sister sent him away with another glare.
The room was much larger than either of the previous rooms Cicada had stayed in. It looked plain and simple though, merely a spare room that hadn’t been used much. The bed was a circular nest, with a soft mattress and white sheets and pillows. There was a desk in one corner, and a high ceiling to fly around in. However, the room was windowless.
The Day Queen nodded to a guard again. The guard moved forward, unlocking the door to the cage and swinging it open.
(Don't worry about it! I like to live by the law of as long as you respond eventually, it's all good.)
Cicada stepped out of the cage once unlocked and scanned her surroundings quietly. She noted that it was bigger than the last room and it seemed like she wasn't going to be stuck in a cage, which were all on the plus side for her. All those plus sides could not eliminate the one major downside, there were no windows and it felt like it was closer to a bird's nest than an actual room. At the very least Cicada could spread her wings in her new prison. She glanced over at the Day Queen, "This is only until after the wedding I presume?"
The guards were nervous, Rowena could tell. Some were still, as if ready to shift into their bird forms at any moment. Others held their hands ready to grab the swords at their hilts, and those who were in bird form had their wings partially unfurled or quivering, as if readying to take flight. But Rowena was still, just keeping an eye on the Demon Princess.
“Yes, unless you would like to stay here after the wedding,” she shrugged. “I would not blame you if you decided too.”
Cicada could sense the tension around her coming from the guards. She had to hide her smirk as she flexed her wings a little just to startle them even further. While Cicada never wanted anyone to fear her, she could relish that in this moment, surrounded by the people who took over her kingdom, they were afraid of her. Cicada looked back over to the Day Queen, "We will have to see what happens between then and now. So what now Ro? We play twenty questions forced betrothal edition?"
(Twenty questions forced betrothal edition I-)
The Day Queen just seemed to watch her like before, as if she were a specimen in need of examination. Some of the guards, meanwhile, seemed to flinch. The queen simply shook her head and gestured for a few of the guards to take the cage away while the rest waited outside the room.
Then a deep frown pulled over her face. “Don’t call me that. If you must call me at all, please use Your Majesty, Your Diurnal Majesty, or Rowena.” She sighed. “I leave you now to get settled in, Princess Cicada.”
She turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.
:)
Cicada still didn't like the way the Day Queen, Rowena, watched her. But the reactions of the other guards were worth the slight amount of pain flexing her wings caused. And the reaction of Rowena when Cicada called her Ro, yeah, she was only going to call her Ro from this point on. Right before Rowena left, Cicada gave a mocking salute and curtsey, "Farewell Ro."
Cicada was now left on her own to begin planning her escape. It was much easier to break out of a room, than to break out of a cage then a room.
(Lowkey might have her come back to actually do it-)
(Dooo it)
(Ehehehehe)
The Day Queen didn’t know why the nickname was the one thing that got her riled up, but it was. She scowled, even in her sparrowhawk form, all the way to the dining room where she and her brothers shared their meals together.
Prince David was already there, of course, sitting at the rounded table and filling his plate. Rowena flew in and perched at the top of her chair, her yellow eyes inspecting both her brother and the food.
“Hey sis,” David greeted in that casual manner of his. “Edward is coming soon, you know how he is. Always buried in research and scholarly literature.”
Rowena just chittered her beak, not in the mood to shift into a human to talk.
“Awww, is the poor Day Queen having a bad day?” Her brother teased. “Does the Day Queen need some solitude, an escape from the harsh realities of the world?”
Immediately, she turned her piercing gaze on him, ire curdling in her eyes. She stared and stared and stared until David gulped his food down. “Fine, fine,” he backed down.
Cicada had a decent escape plan started, but a large part of it required her wings to be at full strength. At this moment they weren't from the holes that had been pinned through them and the days of disuse. She decided the best thing to do while she was semi-unsupervised was to practice flying. Something she hadn't done since she was a young demoness and hadn't taught anyone how to fly since the hostile take-over. Her eyes scanned the walls trying to find any good footholds so she could practice gliding finding a few, but not many. Cicada stretched her wings as far as she could wincing at the slight pain it brought but took a deep breath and kept moving her wings to full and then back to her back.