Little Queen

8

Sorry loves, I know this is a little late my schedule's been crazy recently. I'm thinking updates every Friday and Monday. Enjoy!
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"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH HER? I thought I told you to leave her alone Kingston!" Maxen yells striding towards us. "And you two! What kind of guards are you to let him near her?! You were supposed to be making sure she was safe not delivering her to diavolo himself! I expect this shit from her, she doesn't know any better but you two must have your heads shoved so far up your asses you can see your damn stomachs!"

I bite my lip holding back tears, I hated how mean he was being to Gunner and Ranger. They had made sure I was safe, they were great guards. Maxen whips around to face me again, his eyes blazing.

"Idalia after everything last night you still went near him?! I knew you were ignorant but I didn't think you were stupid! Ti lascio solo per un giorno e tu vai a fare questa merda! Cazzo! Ragazzina, non riesci ad ascoltare le indicazioni?"

I couldn't keep the tears in any longer letting them stream down my dirty cheeks. Draven has been silent since Maxen stormed down from the patio. I feel him cup my cheek and then he is blocking my view of Maxen.

"Go up to your room little one, Maxen and I need to speak. I'll come get you when we're finished and we can go out for lunch how does that sound?"

I hadn't noticed my hands were shaking until they were gripping his wrist right in front of me. I inhale a shaky breath but give him a small nod.

"Idiota uno e due, bring her to her room so she can wash up and calm down a bit." He says never taking his eyes from mine.

"They aren't idiots," I pout, "they're my friends."

"Okay little one, they're not idiots," He nods, slowly releasing me.

Ranger starts to pull me away. "C'mon Idalia," I reluctantly turn to him but he scoops me onto his shoulders like a child, "Up you go!"

I laugh using the top of his head to steady myself. I was probably nine feet tall all the way up here!

I turn back to see Maxen still fuming and Draven watching my two guards take me away. Ranger takes me all the way to my room on his shoulders, glaring at anyone that looks at us as we pass by.

He sets me down on the couch next to Gunner who's looking at me expectantly, "I think you need to tell us why Maxen wasn't guarding you today huh little queen?"

I wrap my arms around my knees and rest my chin on them. I tell them all about how I begged daddy to let me go to the ball last night, how I was to stay at Maxen's side if I wasn't with daddy and how I couldn't find Maxen but Draven found me and we danced and talked all night. I told them I knew he wouldn't hurt me today because he could have hurt me last night and he didn't. Gunner listened like those girls in the books listen to their friends at sleepovers but Ranger looked skeptical.

"He was so kind to me all night. I didn't know he was following me to the gardens, I thought he was Maxen when he came in but he just sat next to me and talked all night. No one's ever just wanted to talk to me for me," I say, using my teeth to rip at my lip.

I see Gunner start to protest, "You guys talk to me now but papà had to force you to watch me and speak to me when you got here, same with Maxen. He knows me because he has to. Draven wanted to."

I sigh not wanting to think about everything Maxen has said to me recently.

"Maxen came to find me and lost it when he saw who I was with. He started screaming at me and calling me names and then forced me to come back to my room," my bottom lip wobbles, "he was so mean, Draven had to threaten him for him to stop."

Ranger's eyes narrowed into slits, "Like what Idalia? What was he saying?"

Another part of my lip tears open, "I-I don't know, stuff."

"Idalia," He warned.

"Idalia are you insane?" I whisper twisting my fingers in my lap, "You showed him this place? He could have hurt you, taken advantage of you."

I take a deep breath still staring at my lap, "I can't believe you could be so stupid. Wait until your papà hears about this, andiamo stupido bambina, lo giuro su dio."

Ranger and Gunner were both Italian but neither of them spoke it before joining the family, I translate most of what Maxen said last night so they don't have to.

I don't bother to look at them, to see the judgment. I wasn't thinking last night, I didn't know Draven when he followed me to the gardens. I should have run. I should have found Maxen. My breathing speeds up at the thought of them being mad at me too.

"I know I should have run. I know I should have called for Maxen or-or one of you but I- I just wanted to talk to someone that wanted to talk to me. I wanted to make a friend. I just- he was so nice and we danced and Maxen saw me dance with him I thought that meant it was okay I thought that meant Maxen knew him and that it was okay I didn't know I swear I didn't know."

Gunner wraps me in his thick arms trying to stop my sobs, "Shh my little queen, piccola regina, it's okay. You didn't do anything wrong, you're okay."

I shake my head in his neck, tears still falling, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to be stupid. I'm not stupid, I'm not, I just wanted a friend. Dio quanto sono stupido! Dovrei essere megliore posso essere megliore posso essere lo giuro."

I know it takes them a second to understand what I'm saying but when they do Gunner starts pushing me away. I grip his shoulders tighter scared he would leave.

"No, no Idalia no," He says sternly, finally ripping me away from him.

"No! I'll do better I swear please I'll be better!" I cry.

Ranger jumps from his seat storming from my room and slamming the door behind him.

"Gunner I'll be better I'm sorry I didn't mean to be stupid I thought it was okay I didn't know," I beg scared he would leave me too.

Gunner's hands grip my cheeks stopping me from shaking my head any more.

"Hey, hey, you are perfect okay? Maxen was wrong to have said any of that stuff to you okay? You did nothing wrong, you were under the impression it was okay for you to be around Mr. Kingston. You didn't know you were being followed to the gardens, you did nothing wrong. You do not have to be better and you are not stupid my queen you are pure goodness."

I try to take a deep breath but it's shaky, "Ranger's mad at me too."

Gunner's head is instantly shaking, "He's not, he's upset that you're upset, that's all. You know how much he loves you, it hurts him to see you in pain."

I bite my wobbling bottom lip, "I didn't mean to hurt him."

Gunner snorts lightly pulling me back into his lap, "you didn't hurt him little queen, nothing you do could ever hurt him. Let's just give him some time to cool off."

I stay curled in Gunner's lap trying to breathe the panic away while he runs his hand down my spine.

When I am finally breathing normally Gunner carries me to the bathroom, setting me on the countertop.

"Let's get you cleaned up little one," He said quietly.

I sit in silence as he uses a hot, wet washcloth to rub the dirt off of my skin. He starts with my face, gently rubbing at the smudges until there's nothing left. He scrubs a little harder at my arms and hands, finally suggesting I put my legs in the tub to get the dirt off of my feet and calves.

While I get the last bits of grass and mud off my feet, Gunner grabs a cream dress covered in flowers from my closet.

"Put this on when you're done piccola regina, I'm going to see if Ranger is back yet."

I nod, still focused on my feet. The door clicks shut behind him and I stand from the ledge of the soaker tub. I slip the white dress on instead of the dirty blue one I'm currently wearing and pull my messy braid out from my hair leaving it wavy.

I peek my head out of the door expecting a furious Ranger.

Instead, I find a furious Draven.

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