Roya
A body lays next to me. Hard, muscled arms and smooth skin. "Oh, Roya." Christopher murmurs, the body moves as I roll over to look at the space. He lays on top of the sheets, his chest bare and his face etched in a face of worry. "What's wrong?" I ask, pushing myself up. Then I realize all I'm wearing is a sheer nightgown. I blush and pull the sheets up to my neck. He chuckles at me. "It's not like we slept together, besides. I helped put you in that gown." He says, smirking at me. I blush intensely.
"Seamstress will be here in half an hour to measure you for a gown." I cock my head to the side. "Gown? Why?" He shrugs. "Queen's orders. I'm just here to distract you." He says. I can't help but glance at his chiseled chest. "Job well done, I see." I blush even more. "Your being more flirty than usual." I point out. He smiles. "Shifts put me in a good mood, and Queen Adara has finally decided you are the rightful heir." I gasp. "Your joking." I say, not believing the words coming from his lips.
"Never," he whispers, dead serious. Then he pushes himself up off the bed and walks to the centre of the room. "Queen Adara has decided I will be the one to train you, since I'm kinda one of the guards." He motions to the flame mark over his chest. I didn't even know he had it. "I thought they where always on your cheekbone." I say, forgetting what I had on and climbing from bed to stand next to him. "Usually. But there is a few exceptions." I blink questioningly at it. "Do I have one somewhere else?" I ask, checking my bare arms and legs.
"No." I look up at him and narrow my eyes. "When I helped the queen put you in that nightgown, I looked. Queen Adara didn't seem to even be thinking about it. So I didn't tell her." He says. Then holds out his hand. A small lick of flame forms. "Hold out your hand." He murmurs, taking mine with his other and pulling it towards him. He tips his hand and the small flame lands in my palm. The heat feels good. "Now grow on it." I gather up my heat and try to push it into the already existing flame. He flickers and dies. "Oh, well. So much for that." I whisper, letting my doubt fall upon my shoulders.
"Oh come here." Christopher says rather loudly, pulling me closer. My face inches from his. He pushes out hands together. A flame forms in his. "Now, take this heat and build from it." I pierce my lips and scrunch my brow. I steal the heat from his hand and channel it into mine. After a few minutes, my palm heats and a barely seeable flame forms. "Yes!" Christopher exclaims, and then his lips are on mine. They move back and forth, and suddenly the door is open. Somebody gasps and I break the kiss.
I immediately twist around, to find a small woman going to close the door. "I'm sorry, miss." She says, backing out. "No, no. It's fine." I say. She glances at me. "It's fine, I promise. Anyways, come in." I say. She nods and steps in. She doesn't hesitate and moves immediately to the bed and pulls out a piece of parchment, a quill and a measuring tape. She looks at Christopher and back at me. "Are you wearing a corset, my lady?" She asks. I shake my head. Her eyes linger on Christopher's chest before she looks at me again.
"Come, my lady, I'll dress you." I shrug and follow her into the dressing room that sits by the stairwell. She plucks and pulls at my corset and underclothes until I feel like I'm being dressed to become queen. She then leads me out to stand in the middle of the room as she measures my chest, waist, and my height. Christopher scribbles the measurements down, as his eyes rake over me. I can't help but blush. A small knock sounds on the door and before I can say 'come in' the door opens. Queen Adara stands in the doorway.
"Oh, hello, Adara." The seamstress says, putting the measuring tape down. "Hello, Delta, My dear." She says kindly, smiling. I attempt a bow. I only reach down about half of what I usually could. Queen Adara waves her hand as if to dismiss the bow. "Don't bother, Roya. You are basically royalty anyway." She says, looking directly at me. Christopher comes closer and wraps his arms around my waist. The first time he's done that in anybody else's presents.
Queen Adara watches us silently. "You move well together." She whispers, her eyes shining. "Thank you, Queen Adara." I say, trying to smile. "No problem, know, to business." She says, first she looks at Christopher. "I talked to the captain, you have been granted permission as Roya's personal guard." Christopher smiled at her. "Good." He says, beaming and pulling me in for a hug. I hug him back. "And Roya," She looks at me, "from now on from 10 am to 11 am you have a lesson on history from me. And every other afternoon Christopher will train you in combat and controlling your gift."
I nod, smiling at then both. "And I wanted to ask if you would court dear Christopher? His mother is supportive of it, if all is well with you." I blush. "I'd be honoured." I murmur. She looks at Christopher. "Do you except?" He grins. "I do." She smiles kindly. "Excellent." And with those few words, she leaves.
Queen Adara
I leave. I just... walk out. I find myself in the stables a while later, stroking my young mare, Mei. She has her head bent at an angle, and she carefully sniffs my gown for treats. I pluck a handful of oats for her from the tack room. I'm jealous. That has to be the tightening, envious feeling I feel. Young Roya has love in her life, something I've lacked since a child. I can't say nobody wants me, but I can't everybody wants me either.
I'm viewed as a stuck up noble lady. An many forget how I was born, in the slummiest of slums. Hell, I was born in a muddy river and left. My mother had supposedly died during birth, leaving me with no one. A orphanage took me in, and when I was six a birth mark formed on my cheek. Not even a week later, the last queen, Queen Noemi had came to fetch me. And that was it. I was queen.
