The Destitute Queen || h.s. au

11. Niall

     "Niall, darling," I hear Mama call my name, and my eyes pry open. "Wake up, you need to open the shop."

     Groaning, I sit up on my bed and rub my eyes. I fall back down and look at Mama, who's standing by the door to my room. "I need a few more moments to wake up."

     "Okay, dear," she smiles. Before she turns to leave, she says, "The shop must be open in half an hour, so don't take too long."

     After she's gone, I close my eyes again. I never seem to get enough sleep at night, because I'm always exhausted when I wake up. But I suppose I should get ready for work now, I'm the only one who works now so I must provide for my parents. It's been difficult ever since my brother moved to Alba with his new family.

     Once I've finished getting ready for the day, I head out of my house and walk down the road until I get to my shop. I've been running this shop for two years now, ever since Papa broke his leg and couldn't work anymore.

     Not many people buy jewelry these days, so I don't earn as much as I used to. Nobody can afford jewelry because the King keeps raising taxes. Since I barely get two or three customers a day, I decide this is the perfect time to work on Lena's wedding gift.

     We're to be married in less than two weeks and I couldn't be happier. There's just something about Lena that makes me feel like there isn't a problem in the world that can't be solved. I've been in love with her since we were children, before she let me call her Lena. She never liked nicknames, but she always lets me call her by the one I made up for her.

     Lena doesn't know this yet, but I'm crafting a necklace to give to her on the day of our wedding. A few days ago, she complained that she couldn't find the ring I gave her when we were twelve years old, but she doesn't know that I'm the one who took it. I'm planning on taking the pink diamond out of the ring and attaching it to a gold chain.

     I take the tiny ring out of the box I was keeping it in, and take out my spectacles. I can see without them, but it makes it easier to focus on the tiny details of jewelry-making. The diamond is going to be difficult to remove from the band without scratching it, but I'll do my best. Before I can begin, the front door opens.

     "Hello," I greet the stranger. "What can I do for you?"

     The stranger smiles. "I need a silver necklace covered in diamonds. Do you have anything like that?"

     I nod. "Of course, I have a selection of necklaces on this table right here," I lead him to the table on the left side, where all of the silver necklaces are laid. "Is this for a gift?"

     "In a way, yes," the man says. "This one seems perfect," he points to the one with the biggest silver diamonds. "I'll give you twenty gold coins for it."

     My eyes widen, and I gasp so quickly that I almost choke on air. "T-Twenty? Sir, that's extremely generous of you, but a necklace like this doesn't cost more than three."

     The man shakes his head, "Money is no object for His Majesty."

     "His M-Majesty?" I stutter.

     "I was tasked with the job of purchasing a diamond necklace for a special guest at Skye Palace," he explains. "I'm not at liberty to say whom, but His Majesty the King has ordered me to find the most extravagant necklace in the village. Did you make these by hand?"

     I nod fervently. "Yes, I-I did." I can't believe it, this man is going to pay me twenty gold coins for a necklace that's going to be given to someone as a gift from the King himself! With this money, I'll have enough to buy that elixir Lena told me about yesterday. I can't wait to tell her, she'll be so thrilled.