𝐸𝑑𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑒 || 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝑊𝐻𝐼𝑇𝐸 𝑄𝑈𝐸𝐸𝑁

𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝐿𝑋𝑋𝑋𝐼𝐼

~Anthony~

"Your turn your turn!" Anais giggled as she clapped her hands together like a child, her feet patting merrily on the floor beneath her chair. Eleanor grinned at her and looked to Marie before glancing at the stack of cards in amongst the food and drink in the middle of their table and at her own cards in her hand.

She was winning by far.

That morning was the first the three friends had spent together since April and it was now dawning on late June! Their reunion at the palace gates the previous day had been a spectacle for all to see for Anais had thrown herself at Eleanor like one of the children and even Marie had cried out and gathered her friend into her arms; abandoning her usual prim nature.

Eleanor had spent the evening and night with Richard and their children, listening to their tales and stories, smiling and laughing but she had spent that morning eating and playing cards without a care in the world!

It felt like heaven after the stress of the past weeks.

As she looked between the two (who were clearly in their cups) she could feel her heart flutter with excitement as it had done when she had seen them the day before! They were her dearest friends, she considered them to be family, like her sisters even! And they thought of her as the same!

"Come along, your grace!" Marie drawled as she poured herself another glass of wine, combing her hand through her long dark hair that was set loose for once "before you have played your hand we two shall have grown old and died!" Anais erupted into high pitched giggles that were soon engulfed by hiccups that made her shoulders bob.

Eleanor winked.
"Have no fear, my ladies, you shall still have your youth by the time our game is done!" She said and produced her card. The ace of spades.
"Oh fuck" Marie grumbled as she threw down her card which had a King and Anais was thrown into another fit of laughter.

"You swore!" She giggled, pointing at her friend "I heard you!" Eleanor laughed with her, her mind dizzying with glee as she applauded herself and Marie began to smile too, though rather dreamily as if she were in a trance.

A hurried knock sounded at the door and Anais rose to answer it only to wobble and find her legs didn't work, falling flat on her face! The other two fell into shouts of childish laughter as the knocking persisted and Eleanor signalled for Marie to go and answer it.

"I wonder who it could be?" She asked as Marie practically stumbled towards the door, yes those two had definitely drunk more than her for as she stood she found she didn't stumble at all! Either that or the drinking games Richard had taught her to play had given her some form of stamina!