Lawali wore clothing that commoners, albeit the wealthier ones, wore. Her robes were of high quality, but the patterns weren't exceptional. There was vibrancy and color, but for a royal, even for a noble, it was muted. The two brothers, who shared their own concerns through blinking and tilted heads or even an overt nod, noted that this might not bode well for them.
"Do you think the Empress can still look at our omega father in the same way?" Hu'en's mouth didn't move, but Xiaotzi could read his eye flickers only as nervous.
Xiaotzi pondered whether an alpha could handle such a thing as sharing their omega. And being forced to sleep with an omega you've never met. Arguably, the same can be said of the Eastern Emperor. What must it feel to see the reminder of that very failure?
Nothing good. He knew nothing else but that.
Things that could signal their execution under an Imperial leader's whim. Removing the two brothers would do well to fix those feelings, but it would also be a political nightmare for the court.
Thankfully.
He replied with pointed eyes, "She gains too much political security and leverage with us alive."
Hu'en began speaking with Lawali as Xiaotzi's eyes trailed the palace gardens. Servants abound. Guards posted. The palace had three floors with various corridors and lattice screens that he could see in the distance.
"Have you enjoyed your married life?"
"I have been married too long to complain."
He heard his brother laugh as Lawali questioned what kind of life he'd lived.
"If you don't like him," Lawali said humorously and tapped at her chest. "I'll take care of it. Whether it be his clan or wealth, I won't let any brother of mine be stomped on."
"Our great Empress made our match," Hu'en politely said. "I have no misgivings."
"Well, I certainly do."
The two brothers shared a look and packed those words away for another time. Whether it was sincere or not, it was still nice to hear. And frighteningly dangerous. Either the Empress was soft-hearted or their sister was ignorant of politics.
She led the three through the opposite pathway, leading in from the westward end instead of the east like the Matriarch and the consorts had gone. Guards were stationed at the gates but greeted them and Princess Lawali without issue.
The pathway opened up into an expansive statue garden with the figures of previous dynasty pharaohs and kings whose bloodline created the present one—four Emperors prior. Empress Mũmbi, Empress Fariou, Empress Ethaga , and Empress Kirao.
The El Mahdy clan directly descended from Empress Fariou, and the present Emperor Consort descended from Empress Ethaga. The infamous Mu clan descended from Empress Mũmbi, and the ever-neutral party of the Mawaddah clan descended from Empress Kirao. The Mawaddah clan sent representatives but rarely attended court, allowing whoever was the prime minister at the time to hold their vote for them.
"Where are you taking us?" He finally asked as the winding paths started to dwindle into a courted-off area of the palace.
Lawali smiled. "You'll see."
Flowering bushes abound, ranging in color from bright orange to mellow pink to sparkling yellow, appeared into view. Large and beautifully red trees with thick trunks and branches stood high above them, swinging their willowy leaves in the breeze, with statues of their gods overseeing them from beneath.
But beyond the trees, within the statue garden, it buzzed with voices that hushed as soon as they entered this royal courtyard. Those of varying ages and gazes looked at them as Lawali pulled them through.
She explained, "Here are my siblings. Even if by political agreement, they're also, by extension, your siblings."
They had already set themselves in a small group, to one side: the twins, children of the Emperor consort, Khaemwaset and Meketaten, with their young sibling Hurulari, barely fourteen years old.
The Emperor Consort's labor was an easy birth and gave the first heirs to this recovering dynasty. Unlike Hu'en and Xiaotzi, they were considered auspicious luck bringers. They had been spoiled and drenched in gifts, jewelry, and clothing since the days they opened their eyes. In turn, their younger sister was quiet and contemplative. She merely watched them and then turned back to the stack of papyrus paper she held in her hands—reading.
The second group was, of course, Jata Niara, daughter of Imperial Consort Malik, who had just had her coming-of-age ceremony. She was, unlike Hurulari, assessing them fully. Her eyes trailed their entrance, their clothing, and even as he watched her, he could see she was planning how to respond their entrance. Her clothing was far more extravagant than Lawali's but also structured. She wore her clothing like it was a separate but necessary aspect of herself. He likened her appearance to that of the rind of fruit.
In that, Xiaotzi couldn't help but wonder about her intentions of staying here, knowing that her mother had tried to cut them off earlier.
Alongside Jata Niara, though, was someone who looked very much like Lawali but with mellow dark eyes and hooded eyelids. They wore extravagant blues in their jewelry, clothing, and hair. The only one left was Sylas, their younger brother. Not even thirteen years and was dressed better than Xiaotzi had ever been in his life.
The story goes that he was named by a Western Empire general, Joseina Rouya, who had sacrificed his life for the cause of Sonhrai's freedom, ultimately executed for betrayal in the western empire. It was rare for the Empress to request or allow such a convention.
Sylas was even more infamous as a young child than any of his other siblings. His eyes peered up at them and then scoffed.
"Everyone! Look!" Lawali excitedly said as she yanked the two brothers over. As if they hadn't lived a decent length of life already. "They're here!"
Only Lawali was older than them and not by much.
"Why are you so loud?"
"People who speak loud lack in sight and heart."
"Of course they can't think much either."
The twins laughed as if it were an inside joke.
Xiaotzi frowned and motioned to speak before a soft-spoken voice was heard. An omega turned into the courtyard with a young girl dressed in garb that mirrored Hurulari's. A princess who hadn't carried the coming of age ceremony motions.
"Sometimes, the ears do fall in love before the eyes," the soft-spoken omega said. "And a foolish man may be known by six things. Who has ever heard of three senses failing a person?"
Hu'en tapped his lips to cover up his chuckling when Xiaotzi caught him twisting around to cover his face.
"Love of my heart," Lawali said as her omega, wearing a decorated wig encrusted with gold, gems, and craftsmanship, glided over and kissed her hands. She, in turn, kissed her omega's hands in a similar fashion. "I thought Heirut was too sleepy to go to court."
"Your father said that she's old enough to participate," Lawali's omega spouse replied before turning to the two brothers. "I am glad to have met you both. Call me Éliphas, I am of the northern tribes, cousin to the Mu clan, and husband of Crown Princess Lawali of Molokhiyya."
"Your daughter is already allowed in court?" Hu'en questioned. "I can't imagine the ministers finding that appropriate."
Lawali laughed. "Heirut is my sister, or our sister, I should say. And this court session will be a bit more involved than usual. It's good for her."
Xiaotzi watched as the other siblings shifted with varying gazes of meanness, boredom, and even jealousy, except for Jata Niara, who merely watched for a moment and then pulled her gaze away.
It was disconcerting how heavy that gaze was and yet lacked much but reproach. This wasn't a gaze of hatred but disappointment.
The game appeared to be set with more sides than Xiaotzi had expected. As the shouts of ministers from the meeting hall called into session, the siblings stood up and followed the eastward paths out the courtyard.
These two brothers slowed their footsteps as the others sped ahead or stepped forward in distraction.
"This is far more complicated than we expected it to be," Hu'en sighed with furrowed brows tightening. "There's at least five factions, including the consorts and their heirs, the ministers, the Empress, and then there's us."
"Matriarch El Mahdy said it simply," Xiaotzi pointed out as the palace opened up wide into a space of well-groomed ministers flourishing in robes ranging from noble to common, entering up the grand stairs leading through stone-tough palace arches. There were handfuls of people in every which way direction. "We follow our plan to completion and everyone gets what they want."
"And for those who don't?"
Imperial Consort Malik, those ministers who support him, the clans who stand neutral, and that look in Jata Niara's eyes--
"We defend our position."
Hu'en sighed. "You were always better at these kinds of things. I'll let you do all the talking."
The older brother nodded. War games were always his favorite. Before he knew what being an omega meant, he had briefly wanted to be a soldier.
A tactician is just as good.
"And if need be, we use our last hope."
Hu'en shifts his robe around and dusts off invisible sand. He admits, "No worries. I'll do what needs to be done."
"Good, I'll depend on you if the need arises."
The two brothers watched as the ever-looming archways shrunk and became nothing more than another door to enter.