The Tributes (Sable)

Blood and Tones

"Repeat your name," the Empress ordered slowly, in a tone that was more serious and less mocking than the one she'd used before. And Sable could hear her scrutinizing her even in her voice.

She took a breath, her eyes never leaving the Queen's face. "Sss-Sable Zao," she enunciated slowly, her stutter minute this time and easily covered up. It was easier to tone the fear down a bit now, since she could finally watch the danger directly.

The Queen blinked when she answered. And while Sable noticed it, she had no idea why the Queen seemed a little bemused. She had been the one who'd asked Sable to repeat her name, after all. She couldn't have believed that Sable would actually refuse...?

Then, just as quickly, she saw the Queen blink once more and suddenly look more attentive. "Sable ... Zao?"

"Y-yes." Sable had no idea why, but something in the Queen's tone now set her on edge, and she suddenly wished that there was more distance between them.

On practiced instinct, Sable's eyes moved rapidly over the Queen's seated form before coming back to rest on her face ... And in that quick glance, she noticed how her fingers tightened somewhat on the armrests of her throne, the way her posture seemed to stiffen a bit as she leaned forward ever so slightly, and how her expression now sharpened as she looked at her.

Actually, the fact that the Queen was now quite plainly staring at her and sizing her up did not bode well for Sable at all.

"Raoul," the Queen finally intoned, after a minute that seemed far too long to Sable's nerves. "Which village was she brought from?" She never took her eyes off Sable even as she asked her question.

"Uh... One of the ... the northern villages in the kingdom ... small, worthless, uh ..." he rummaged through the scrolls in his hand nervously, wary of gaining the Queen's admonishment again.

But, he must have taken too long anyway, because she saw the Queen sharply turn to him after a moment. And, at the same time, Sable noticed from the corner of her eye that the dagger-guard was once again fingering the hilt of his dagger ... and that he was even drawing it out ever so slowly...

No. Just no. She couldn't take it. She couldn't take someone being killed right in front of her. The grubby man who'd tried to provoke the Queen earlier had at least been surrounded by guards. And Sable could have looked away if he'd been attacked (Plus, the Queen had looked strangely entertained rather than murderous or furious then).

But now, the Queen was definitely angry, or at least irritated. And Sable had a damned front-row seat that was only inches away from the minister. 

She knew she wouldn't be able to handle the blood if the dagger-guard cut him down. Or the screams. She just couldn't. She would vomit all over the pristine floor if she had to watch that. 

It was the only reason she'd always gotten off kitchen duty when there was fresh kill brought in for a meal; or even when they had to deal with one-day-old kill. Nothing the villagers did had been able to stop her stomach's knee-jerk reaction of emptying itself at the sight of blood.

"Seroose," Sable blurted out. To hell with the blasted subservience. Throwing up all over the floor would be enough incentive for the entire court to get her put down like a rabid dog. And if she was to be killed, she would rather it happened quickly and because she spoke out of turn. It was easily the lesser of the two evils.

"I-I'm from Seroose," she repeated, as the Queen's attention snapped back to her.

The Queen's eyes narrowed at her slightly, and the irritated stiffness in her pose receded to give way to that calculating look again. "Seroose," she repeated softly, her soft, easy tone at odds with the intense gaze she was subjecting Sable to; a gaze that was raking her up and down as though searching for something more.

"I thank you for giving me an answer," she said at length, the intensity of her gaze not waning, even though a mocking tenor to her tone was clearly audible again, "But I don't believe I directed that question at you –"

"R-right! Yes, in-insolence!" spluttered the minister, trying to fumble for some control of the situation. "Guards! Insolent girl! You'll be whipped for speaking out of turn!"

* * *

AN: 

Sable: Let me say something before he's daggered and I throw up.

Minister: How dare you speak at all!

Sable: Are you for real?

On the other hand, Sable can't wait for this meeting to be over:

Black Queen: What's your name?

Sable: Sable Zao.

Black Queen: *stares*

Sable: *Panicking* I didn't name myself!