A Royal Affair

One of Those Days

"Good morning, Tink," Robin said, handing her a coffee cup. "Thought I would pick this up for you."

She let out a soft groan as she took it. "Thank you. You're a lifesaver. My place was too crowded and I just didn't have the time to wait on that line."

"You're very welcome," he said, grinning. "Anything to report while I'm here?"

"Sure. Have a seat," she replied after swallowing a good gulp of her coffee. She motioned to the nearest chair as she placed her cup down. "There's no changes from yesterday. It's still a light day for Her Majesty because of her annual physical this afternoon."

He nodded, sitting down. A thought then hit him and he frowned. "Do I have to go to the appointment with her?"

"No," Tink told him. "Only Graham will go with her for security purposes but Regina prefers to go by herself to appointments."

"Okay," he replied, surprised that Tink used the queen's first name so casually in the conversation as if she were just any other boss and not the sovereign ruler of their country. It also seemed like she had a deeper connection to the Queen than he thought.

Robin filed that tidbit away as Tink continued. "We're going to have the party for Ashley's birthday today. Once the Queen leaves, can you go to the main conference room and help with set up?"

"Sure," he replied, knowing they were in for a good afternoon. Good food, cake and a lot of fun conversation – and free of the Queen. It sounded like heaven to him.

"Great," Tink said, taking another sip of her coffee. "I'll leave you to get everything ready for the Queen and do whatever she needs you to do before her appointment. I'll see you later."

Robin nodded, standing. "Enjoy the coffee."

She raised her cup. "I will. Thank you."

He chuckled as he walked to his office, sipping his coffee. Robin let himself in and set his things down as the lights automatically turned on in his office. Plopping down in his office chair, he booted up his computer so he could get the Queen's morning packet ready for her.

First, though, he needed to read the newspaper so he knew which stories to highlight for Her Majesty. Robin unfolded his copy while hers sat untouched, waiting for the Queen to read it while he looked through his. Every so often, he would jot down a page number before resuming his task until he believed he had good and thorough list.

Setting aside the paper, he then opened the internet and went through his bookmarked news sites to print out any other articles the Queen would likely like to read. Once he had those gathered, he printed out her agenda for the day and put everything together in a packet for her. He took another sip of coffee before picking it up and heading to her office to get it ready.

Unlike his office, the lights in the Queen's were not activated by a sensor so he had to manually flip them on. They illuminated the black and white office that always sent a shudder down his spine. It was devoid of warmth, just like the Queen.

He walked toward her desk and placed the packet on it. Robin's eyes swept the desk, which held her computer and a file organizer. There were no other knick-knacks or pictures, making it all feel very impersonal. It was almost as if the Queen had no life outside of the palace, though he was certain that wasn't the case.

After all, he always heard reports of her jetting off to exotic destinations and leaving the governing to her advisors.

Not that she had done so yet while Robin had been working there, he noted. But it was only a month and the summer had barely started. He imagined he would start to see her be absent more and more as it got hotter and hotter. They would all be working and the Queen would be playing.