[Trade] Knighted

sOnya clicked her left toe claw against the marble floor of the court's main hall in annoyance. She had been staring at the tapestries hanging on the walls for far too long now and her feathers were itching with the urge to run. There were two exits, one leading into the supposed court of the queen and the other back out to the banquet hall. She could still hear the rumbling of conversation from the latter, the assembled guests still picking at the remains of the feast. s0nya had first noticed something wrong when a group of Cryos were taken from the hall and led down this hallway out of sight. Then a mixed pack with a Para, Atopo and Ovi were brought out, followed by a singular raptor. She had pointed this out to Lily, who in her typical placid manner simply reassured her that things would be fine and to relax and enjoy the feast. Now, they were standing in the same hallway the others had been led to and waiting their turn outside the ceiling-high doors of the throne room.

Lily was keenly aware of how anxious s0nya was and was making sure to hide any trace of her own anxieties from her. She didn't feel that the Atlanteans were untrustworthy or anything, she was simply nervous to meet royalty for the first time in her life. The court had spoken so highly of Queen Rhys and how she ruled this entire enormous dome. According to Blackmist, the Iguanodon that had guided them out into the hallway, the queen ruled with a kind but firm ethos, placing each subject's wellbeing as her number one priority. It was why she had ordered the planting of the surface, to create a safe environment for when the dome eventually failed them. The cracks in the glass weren't everywhere, but once you saw one it was difficult to tear your eyes away from it. It hung in the corner of your vision until you ducked inside one of the buildings or had it blocked from view by towering treetops. It was this looming threat that made Lily the most sympathetic to the Atlanteans, she couldn't imagine living with the constant threat of your home collapsing on top of you. Just the thought of the way the dome would flood made her feathers stand on edge and sent a shiver through her body.

"Are you cold?" s0nya asked quietly.

"Ah, a little bit, it's a lot cooler in here than out in the jungle," Lily admitted, glad of the excuse to cover her own morbid thoughts. "It's not entirely a bad thing, a break from the humidity is nice." s0nya looked at her for a long time, like she was scrutinising her response but she eventually looked away and sighed.

"Yeah, getting real sick of this climate," she sniffed. Like he had been summoned by an insult thrown at his beloved home, Blackmist emerged from the large door and held it open.

"Her Majesty is ready for you both."

The throne room was every bit as grand as the rest of the court implied, its high vaulted ceiling stretched high above their heads and made even the titanic Iganodons look small. Lily couldn't help but look around in awe at the stained glass windows and the long hanging tapestries decorated with tridents and life-sized figures of Iguanodons. The one closest to the door was frayed at the end, undone and being picked apart by a handful of the monkeys that seemed nearly glued to the queen's side. A golden-furred one bared its teeth at the two as they passed and s0nya resisted the urge to return the favour. Awaiting their arrival, the Queen waited at the end of the room, standing in the chromatic glow of the stained glass behind her.

"Welcome to my court, surface dwellers," she greeted as they stopped, halted by a firm look from the line of both Euoplo and Iguanodon guards, "I have heard good things about you from my subjects, you are welcome here."

"Thank you very much, it's been so lovely to get to know all of our new neighbours," Lily said warmly, wanting nothing more than to exchange some form of physical greeting with the Iggy. She had become accustomed to affectionate nudging between other Albertos and even other species; she wasn't sure how to show appreciation in the language of an Iguanodon, especially a noble one. Queen Rhys nodded, like this was an expected response. Something about this attitude riled s0nya but she remained placated, waiting to be released so she could get out of this room with a single exit.

"As a reward for your services, I have deemed you both fit to be knighted into the court of Atlantis," the queen said grandly, putting great emphasis on her announcement.

"What does that mean?" s0nya couldn't stop herself asking. The guards exchanged looks; hesitant, annoyed and puzzled looks.

"It means you become part of our- eh, pack," the queen stumbled slightly, clearly unfamiliar with the term, "You serve us, we serve you. We all cooperate for the glory of Atlantis and are rewarded when she thrives." Lily looked down excitedly at s0nya, who seemed less than impressed by the concept. It sounded like a good deal on the surface, but the Utahraptor couldn't help but look for the catch, what way were they going to get screwed over by this? Her Alberto companion could see her hesitating and hurried to intervene.

"Could we have a moment to discuss? Just a short moment?" she asked, smiling when the queen nodded solemnly at her. She hurried s0nya to the back of the room and leaned down to whisper to her. "I think we should take this deal, they've been nothing but kind to us and it might benefit us to be on their side when they come to the surface." s0nya raised a brow at that, Lily was being unusually pragmatic about this.

"We could end up regretting it," she countered, but her heart wasn't in it. 

"We could," Lily agreed, "but I don't think we will."

With that, the two carnivores returned to stand before the herbivorous queen.

"I appreciate your consideration, this isn't a decision to be taken lightly," Queen Rhys praised them both, "Do you have an answer for me?"

"We accept your generous offer, we would like to become knights of Atlantis," Lily said proudly while s0nya nodded. Rhys smiled, a strange shape on her beaked face after her expression had been impassive for so long.

"In that case, please step forward." The two did so, walking up to the edge of the raised platform where the queen stood in front of her throne. The Iggy took a swipe of paint from a Euoplo's waiting palette and used it to make three-pronged markings on each of the surface dweller's foreheads. "You are hereby knighted by royal decree of the Court of Atlantis, you will serve Atlantis and her people, following the direction of your Queen no matter the cost to yourselves." s0nya tried to make eye contact with Lily but the Alberto had closed her eyes in the grandness of the moment. "Please, rise now as knights, Sirs Lily and s0nya." At this final declaration the assembled court began to cheer, their words muddled by the cacophony of their chorusing voices.