Lyssa sat gracefully on the royal throne, her thoughts hidden behind a blank expression as she watched the Lady Fool hop about the royal chamber. The large, golden chair seemed to tower over the queen; it was made for the frame of a large man, not a slender female. Unfortunately, the king had fallen ill not long after his acceptance of his bastard daughter, and as such the royal duties fell to Lyssa. Although that was how the people would see it, there was no real change to the Queen's lifestyle. Her husband had never been one fit to be a king anyway, spending most of his time drinking or bedding other women. Lyssa had long since been running Theiri's affairs, and it was no different now.<br/><br/>She wore a rose today, continuing her tradition of a different flower everyday. Running a finger over its thorns, she wondered how a certain man was doing. One of her little 'birds' had told her of a store owner that had been telling people stories; that the Queen poisoned her husband after he acknowledged his bastard. This morning, he would have noticed a slight taste of mint in his tea. Tonight, his wife would find him lying on the ground, in the cold, breathless sleep of eternity.<br/><br/>"Lady Fool." Lyssa began in reply, her voice gentle and soothing. "Do you know why I love flowers?" she continued, with a practiced, honeyed tone to her voice. "So fragile and weak, and yet, they survive and are all over the realm."<br/><br/>"I plan to gift you to the Aserits." she stated suddenly with a deadlier calm to her voice. No more was said; the Lady Fool was only a fool in name, Lyssa knew. She would already know what her role in the Aserit Court would be.<br/><br/>Just then, one of the servants stepped into the room, requesting an audience for a hired sword from Aserit. "Send him in." Lyssa replied, with a beautiful, yet somehow eerily kind smile.