Kiara's eyes narrowed at the queen that was now in front of her. She had known the woman was in a wheelchair, but to see it in person was different. She'd been sheltered all her life, the only wounds she'd ever seen were on her own body. To see something so permanant, so life changing, was a bit overwhelming. She would have felt pity for the queen, if only she were nicer. It was understandable, Kiara supposed. After all, she would be taking Alexis's place. The thought caused a small smirk to grace her lips. 

"Aw. I'm sorry. Did I offend? I suppose that you must sit in your chair all day long. When was the last time you went outside? Probably [i]ages[/i]. Such a shame." The grip she held on her bow tightened as her anger grew. Yes, Kiara was crazy for being here in a place where no one respected her. Though, she supposed it was worse for Ostus. Not a single person had even acknowledge him. Even the guards had passed him over as if he was no threat. She was sure it had affected his pride, but she could not find it in herself to care. After all, he was the one who had started acting different first.

"As for why I'm late. We ran into some trouble in the mountains. It delayed us, but we're here now." There was no way she was going to let them know she was injured, possibly permanantly. For one, damaged goods weren't something any future king would want. And two, if she needed to defend herself in this place, she really needed some kind of upperhand. "I don't suppose you remember what it's like to fight for you life do you? Because if you did, you'd realize that people do anything to stay alive. Including dressing like a peasant." Her voice was light, as if she were just talking about the weather. 

It was easy to play the queen's game. Despite her looks, Kiara was a princess. One day she would be a queen. She'd grown up in court, a place this woman probably married into. So, at least she had more practice in that department. The problem was that Kiara just happened to be nicer, and so it stung a bit to be so rude to a crippled woman. That was the way things were, though, and there was nothing she could do about it.

If she did not play by the queen's rules, she would not be respected. If she did, she would probably be hated. It was a give and take. This was exactly why she had not wanted to live this life. It was why she would have given anything to be normal. In order to be good at her "job", she had to be ruthless. She also had to be wise and kind. It was full of contradictions, and it gave Kiara a really bad headache.