Sisters of Seasons: Tea by Decree.

By ancient covenant, no Queen ever ruled forever. The throne belonged not to blood, nor conquest, nor age, but to the turning of the world itself. When blossoms unfurled in flora and fauna alike, Spring wore the Crown of Verdance. When forests blazed with heat and vigorous tempers, Summer was Empress of Fervour. When leaves were gilded in amber and crimson, Autumn became Sovereign of Lustre. And when silence wrapped the earth in silver frost, Winter reigned as Regent of Rime. The four sisters had governed this way since before history remembered names. Which meant they had also been arguing for just as long. It was mid-Autumn, so the invitations were carved into living maple leaves. No ink. No wax. No messenger. Each leaf simply unfurled upon the wind until it found the Queen whose name had been whispered into its veins. Autumn's summons were elegant. Afternoon Tea. The Great Oak Court. Attendance expected. There were no signatures or replies; none were necessary. Queens do not request. Autumn invited and her sisters accepted. Summer arrived first. Naturally. She never merely entered a place. She occupied it. Golden sunlight accompanied her like an overly enthusiastic herald as she strode through the woodland paths wearing polished leaf-metal armour that shimmered with every step. She sat in her chair before anyone else had even arrived. Not because it was polite; because it was the best chair. Leaning back with effortless confidence, one arm draped across its carved wooden backrest, fingers hooked over the top as though she'd personally invented sitting. Winter appeared without footsteps or acclaim. One moment the opposite chair was empty. The next... Perfect posture. Perfect composure. Perfectly unimpressed. Tiny crystals of frost quietly crept across the carved roots beneath her boots. She offered Summer the smallest imaginable nod. Summer answered with an equally microscopic smile. Their exchange contained absolutely no warmth whatsoever, yet there was a weird energy about them. Autumn sighed. Not loudly. Just enough to acknowledge that, yes... ...they had managed less than thirty seconds before starting again. She poured tea anyway. [edit: please forgive the continuity error/style drift for the table settings below.] The table itself had grown naturally from an enormous tree stump older than kingdoms. Living vines curled into armrests. Moss formed soft cushions. Acorn teacups rested upon polished wooden saucers. As always, Autumn was a perfect host; a veritable smorgasbord of delectable delights were before them: wholesome apple pastries, roasted hazelnuts, spiced pumpkin cakes, honeycomb and her famous vanilla cinnamon tea paired with maple syrup! Everything had grown, woven, or ripened naturally. Nothing was ever cut or plucked unnecessarily, nor could it; Autumn knew exactly when it was time, when it was right. Autumn was enjoying the golden afternoon sunlight filtered through amber leaves overhead. The breeze smelled faintly of cinnamon and was perfectly cooling her warmed skin. It should have been peaceful. Instead... Summer stirred her tea far too vigorously. The spoon blurred; tiny sparks danced around the cup. Within moments, the tea had become suspiciously close to simmering. Winter watched without blinking. The surface of her untouched tea slowly developed a perfect sheet of ice. Winter's cold indifference was always a match for Summer's eagerness. Neither Queen said a word. They simply continued staring. Autumn sipped her second pumpkin latte, eyes drifting left then right. Then left again. Like someone watching an exceptionally tense supernatural rally that nobody else realized was taking place with no end in sight. Honestly... She had ruled for only six weeks. Six! And already she'd hosted three councils, settled two border disputes between dryads and badgers, negotiated with wandering dragons... ...and somehow this would remain the most exhausting part of her rule. Summer's smile widened. "I do hope your tea isn't getting cold." Winter answered without looking away. "It was." Another thin sheet of frost spread across the table. Summer's teacup answered by producing a tiny curl of steam. Autumn quietly reached for another pumpkin biscuit. Experience had taught her that eating was preferable to intervening. The birds, wisely, relocated to another tree. The silence stretched: Polite. Civil. Technically... Every sentence carried exactly enough courtesy to satisfy royal etiquette... ...and exactly enough venom to poison an oak. Had Autumn not been present the entire forest might already have been divided into blazing wildfire and eternal glacier. Instead... Summer stirred faster. Winter froze harder. Autumn watched, smiling and chuckling to herself, wise to her sisters' squabbles. Queenship, she reflected, was mostly mediation during her tenure; preventing one's sisters from declaring seasonal war over pastry crumbs and spilt milk. Elsewhere... Several valleys away, Spring had accidentally ignored the invitation. Well...Not ignored. More...misplaced. Somewhere between following butterflies, rescuing an injured rabbit, and discovering a charmingly convenient bubble-tea stall operated by a family of Eladrin; dimension hopping baristas bringing the latest flavours to the farthest reaches of the multiverse! Which, admittedly, had seemed important at the time. She reclined beneath the sweeping boughs of an ancient willow. Hands folded comfortably behind her head. One ankle resting lazily across the other. A cup of honey blossom boba balanced improbably against the gentle curve of her bodice while she sipped contentedly through a straw. Not a drop spilled. Years of practice. Where her sisters carried authority, Spring carried possibility. Tiny flowers pushed through untouched earth simply because she happened to smile. Butterflies appeared from nowhere. Wild lavender bloomed in neat little clusters. Bluebells awakened beside daisies. Fresh grass unfurled like an emerald tide. Bees wandered happily between blossoms that hadn't existed five minutes earlier. The willow's branches bent lower, almost affectionately. She exhaled a soft, satisfied sigh. The breeze carried it across the field. Spring glanced toward the distant mountains where Autumn's court was being held. She imagined Summer and Winter: Still glaring, still inventing increasingly sophisticated ways of insulting one another through tea etiquette. She giggled quietly into her straw. "Older sisters..." Another sip. The pearls bobbed cheerfully inside the cup. "...always making everything so complicated." She leaned back again. The sunlight warmed her face. The grass cushioned her shoulders as wildflowers slowly spread outward in a widening circle, following the rhythm of her peaceful heartbeat. A pair of rabbits curled beside her. A fox yawned. Several birds landed upon nearby branches. Nobody felt hurried. Nothing needed proving. And so it went on: Autumn gently refilled everyone's cups before either Summer or Winter could weaponize the teapot; deftly averting another elemental fiasco with aplomb. While Spring finished her bubble tea and had a nap in her cosy field of forest friends. Each Sister, in their own wonderfully different ways... ...were keeping the world in balance. To be continued forever and ever...