The swamp didn’t hold much you’d find in a traditional monarchy. But her mother had thought it would be amusing to have thrown. One though wide and gnarled, made form a wide twisty roots of a tree. Big enough that her mother could sit lounge, or lay down depending of what she pleased. And however many she wished could join her.

  Right then her mother was perched for the amusement of Dentros and rather elegant fae noblewoman who’d her mother had seduced, two months before Dentros was to be married. The woman had abandoned her political engagement in favor of following her mother and swearing herself to their swamp.

  Dentros adored her mother but had little interest in anything else here. She was miserable when her mother wasn’t paying attention to her.

  In some ways Mesa felt bad for the woman longing for someone who never looked fully at her. But her mother was always very open with how she kept her bed, how she kept her relationships.

  The real problem Mesa thought was a lack of outside purpose. Some found a part of themselves in the swamp they’d never knew and flourished, others found things outside the swamps and acted as her mother’s political buffers. And other’s were pretty things that sat on a shelf, their only reason for the sun to rise being her mother.

  It was that subset that either didn’t last long or were often miserable. Though there were some that lived happily just adoring her mother and being pampered.

  Dentros was not one of them.

  She noticed Mesa first and glared at her trying to keep her mother’s attention. The attempt though cause her mother to look over and in a moment she watched her mother’s attention die away from Dentros.

  “Deni.” He mother breathed kissing the woman.

  “Yes, my love.” Deni asked breathlessly. Mother traced the woman’s face.

  “Precious, wait for me in my rooms?” Her mother insisted. Dentros glared hatred at Mesa but shot up and stomped away. Mother watched her go thinking.

  “I was hoping offering her more attention might ease her. I don’t think she can last here and I don’t think she’ll go on her own.” Mother voiced. Mesa nodded agreeing with the evaluation. Her mother sighed rubbing her eyes.

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  “How would you handle it?” He mother asked. Mesa smiled. It had only taken a year of studying propriety, pleasantries and diplomacy for her mother to start venturing questions on how Mesa’s way might make some things easier. Not to say her mother ever fully changed and not to say that Mesa ever wanted her to have to do that.

  “The kindest to her future I think would be to fully break her heart and abandon her. I don’t think she’ll move past you without it. The kindest to her current mindset is to make her think you need her more then anything to do a mission outside of the swamp.” Mesa offered not choosing for her mother but offering insight. Her mother hummed and nodded.

  Then her mother shifted to look fully at Mesa and she knew this was why those like Dentros rationalized being jealous of Mesa and her siblings. The great Enchantress was fickle when it came to romantic love, when it came to friends and allies she was steadfast and when it came to her children her eyes always softened and warmed to that unbridled devotion and unconditional affection.

  Her mother was a woman who never had to understand her children to care about them and their interests. She didn’t understand Tasari’s desire to maintain her command, with charms and tokens but funded her search and had insisted that everything her daughter found be tested on herself first before it touched Tasari. She didn’t understand Delrin’s insistence to hide his identity and build his way up different military ranks just to return home and train their people but she found him openings and offered him escapes, took his insight on defense. Valued his abilities. And finally she didn’t understand Mesa’s focus on gentle and healing but flooded Mesa with resources and teachers. Mesa’s interest was somehow the only reason they had a healer’s room.

  Mesa hooked her hands behind her back and re-laid the information like any mission or business meeting and though she saw her mother’s eyes roll she willingly listened through the entire report. When she finished with the piece by piece report her mother nodded.

  “Do you want one of them?” Her mother asked her. Mesa paused then shifted.

  “I wasn’t looking for what they were offering and I don’t need it.” Mesa instead. “And you know how Deston is. I have been doing fine with what I have.” Mesa insisted. “And Shan assumes too much that I will behave as you do.” Mesa insisted. There was no offense to her mother’s face as she said that instead her mother boomed a laugh.

  “If they are approaching you like they would me they are foolish indeed. You are the child the least like me and it amazes me every day.” Her mother offered. Falling into the doting image that she never hid but always surprised everyone. Then her mother’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “What if my adorable little love we see how these boys deal with an event here?” She asked twinkling.

  Mesa gaped and then laughed at the idea of it.