Flower Crowns ((Fem!KingBury))

Misgivings, Regrets, and Making Amends

//@magnoliadonaire24 here! Sorry this chapter took so long to get out, but here it is! I suppose I should put a small trigger warning here for allusion to prior instances of domestic marital abuse, so there you go. Anyways...I hope this makes up for me torturing Samantha's feelings in the last chapter XD//

Eventually, a couple of maids and attendants had come along to fetch Georgia. They somehow managed to pry her away from Samantha Seabury, who'd stared at the queen with a hurt expression before running back to her room.

Georgia awoke with a splitting headache. "Ugh...Mary, what happened?"

The girl in question, one of her attendants, smiled ruefully. "Well, the ball was a success, ma'am. But...you became severely intoxicated and passed out upon returning to your room."

Georgia nodded with mild interest, taking a sip of water and patting her empty stomach. "Well, that went better than planned...now, have the cooks prepare breakfast for Samantha and I."

"...your majesty, Miss Seabury left not ten minutes ago."

The queen spit out her water. "Have someone fetch her immediately! I'm sure she's still lost in the halls."

And so, a rather infuriated Samantha was dragged up to the Queen's chambers. She had been lost, of course.

"What do you want from me?" she shouted. Georgia motioned for the attendants to leave as Sam continued. "When you invited me here, I thought it was because you cared about me," she spat. "But no. You loved—and still love—that Charles fellow. What the hell?"

This all distressed Georgia quite a bit. The only memories she had of the night before, after the dance, were of Samantha sobbing as she hugged her.

"I have one question," Georgia whispered. "Is that why I made you cry?"

Sam opened and closed her mouth a couple of times as Georgia continued. "I care deeply, Samantha."

The queen stood up, cautiously approaching Samantha. The shorter woman swallowed hard; Georgia was clad in naught but her dressing gown.

"I do care. I care too much, as a matter of fact. Charles..." she hesitated. "We had both had previous love interests when our marriage was arranged. I sacrificed my personal feelings for my country, but...he couldn't leave his own behind. So he took it out on me."

Here she paused, playing with the lace of her cuffs. "In the days before we were to be married, while we were getting acquainted, he hurt me. In several different ways, I might add...and then he backed out. I immediately locked myself away; I had failed my people..."

Tears began to roll down her cheeks. "I needed the time to heal, mentally and...physically. And...I decided to tell the public, or show them rather, that I actually still loved Charles...it was only to hide my own, true, feelings."

She was full-on sobbing by this point.

"Georgia—I—"

Samantha didn't know what to say.

"Samantha, I love you. I care about you and love you ever so much..." Georgia managed to choke out. "You're sweet and kind and you care about people..."

She didn't say 'me,' because it was obvious Sam didn't feel the same way about her—

The Queen's breath hitched as Samantha suddenly clasped one of her hands and put an arm on her back; she tensed up slightly. Some of her old wounds complained, but she ignored the pain.

"I'm so sorry, Samantha," she mumbled, the words catching in her throat.

"No. Georgia, I'm sorry," Samantha whispered. "This is all my fault...I shouldn't have gotten mad, I shouldn't have tried to leave, I shouldn't have yelled...I—I love you," she mumbled quietly.

Georgia's eyes lit up, despite the tears that still slid gracefully down her cheeks. "I love you too," she smiled. "I thought you'd never feel the same way."

//Whoa- I'm so sorry it took me so long to get this out! Life happened and all...anyways, hopefully I'll be able to write up a few more chapters UvU any and all suggestions would be welcome! Thanks again~//