Malaena had to give a mental nod of respect to the guards, they were quite well put together despite the start she had given them, settling down quickly and professionally after the initial flurry of surprise. Even now, while still faintly suspicious they seemed to believe her words about having been invited, their rigid stances relaxing ever so slightly as one of them requested to see her invitation.
Handing the ragged piece of parchment over Malaena's interest was piqued by the surroundings. 

The Keep appeared to be built to stand the tests of time and the harshest of elements, while still retaining a grand elegance that was often found lacking in many castles these days. The courtyard was no doubt just as grand as the fortress, but that was left to the imagination, as it lay under a thick blanket of snow, the likes of which were quickly becoming mangled with frenzied activity as the entire place was thrown into an uproar at the arrival of so many guests all at once. Shadowy figure rushed about in the midst of the snowfall, someone hastening toward the drawbridge, then shortly after a whole group of dark riders coming into view and dismounting just around the corner.  It was all fairly interesting, but Malaena's study of the fortress was interrupted by the sound of fluttering wings as another figure joined the small group of guards. 

Despite how they may have been meant to come across, the words and general air of the winged woman did little to intimidate Malaena, a finely curved eyebrow arching at the less than friendly rebuke. The expression on the other woman's face was merely a formality, the type of smile that said '[i]Killing you would be but the smallest effort, little bug, but since I feel generous you may kiss the ground and thank me for my mercy'. [/i]

The guards hadn't even blinked an eye when she joined them, which meant she had either gotten here before everyone else and was given admittance, or she lived here. Either way it was of no consequence, no matter how much it might be expected Malaena wasn't going to cower, nor was she going to offer an apology.  
Instead she opted for a route that had the potential of escalating the current scene enormously, garner a fresh enemy, or simply diffuse the situation entirely. There was always a fairly good chance that it would turn out to be the worst option of them all, but it also tended to be worth it, no matter the outcome, for such unpredictable paths lent an unexpected curve to life that kept things from becoming dull and meaningless.

"You poor darling, what ever happened that gave you the complex that you must dress to disappear into the background? You should not think so lowly of yourself as to feel that hiding is the only course of action available. You should be proud to stand out and show how unique you are." Malaena's words dripped with sincerity toward the woman, seemingly not at all ruffled by the accusation that had been directed toward her. 
"A few singed edges would help marvelously to lend some much needed contrast to your current wardrobe, but if you are adverse to such a thing I guess I shall simply [i]have[/i] to avoid every last glimmer of white next time I'm out for a leisurely glide.  Oh wait . . . " 

Her timing was perfect, glancing upward just as a fresh wave of swirling snow burst over the top of the fortress walls. Returning her gaze to the woman Malaena shrugged, not bothering to finish the sentence, assuming everyone was bright enough not to need her to spell it out.
She didn't wait to see if there was a rebuttal coming, choosing instead to simply walk away from the little group to see what was happening around the corner. 
But, before she dropped the matter entirely, there was one more thing that needed saying and she did just that, words floating over her shoulder as she continued to walk away without so much as a backward glance. 
 
"Oh, and next time you're off on a jaunt, since you are right on top of being entirely aware of your own surroundings, it [i]might[/i] be advisable to get out of the way when flaming projectiles are headed in your general direction."

She almost wanted to stay and see the reaction, for the woman did not strike Malaena as being the type to leave things lie that easily, especially if she hadn't been the one to have gotten the last word in, but there were simply too many other things going on to ignore them all in favor of a heated discussion. 

The chaos was almost amusing, a confusing tangle of voices and bodies that made it hard to decide what to watch first. There were the black riders ordering around people not under their command, a couple rather eccentric looking men rushing to find shelter indoors, guards attempting to gain the upper hand and sort things out in an orderly manner, or the tangled group of people currently bottle-necked down by the drawbridge.
Yet in the midst of all of that, there was something else even more intriguing. 

A faint vibration had begun to roll underfoot, far too evenly spaced and steady to signal a distant avalanche or earthquake of any sort. Tipping her head slightly toward the sky Malaena listened intently, focusing on the vibrations and tuning out the commotion in front of the keep. Before long she was quite certain she could hear a sound to accompany the disturbance. A steady rhythm that very much sounded like footsteps. Very, very large footsteps.