Valace

Chapter Twenty- Two: Maybe

I knew everyone in the room saw even more, including Liv as she joined us from the bathroom. She had her hair tied up in a towel and she caught her breath when we made eye contact in the mirror. A smile spread across her face, from ear to ear.

The woman smiled at me in the mirror, then she followed my eyes to Liv. “Who is this?” she asked me, walking over to meet Liv.

“This is my”, I hesitated, I didn’t want this woman to hate me for being with my own sex. Rain nudged me from behind. I sighed and started again, here goes my only friend.  “Excuse me”, I started acting like I had to cough, “this is my girlfriend, Liv.” I kept my eyes on the woman, I didn’t want to miss any reaction she might have to my words. She smiled at Liv, then turned to me.

“Will she be joining you at the funeral?” I smiled at the woman’s question.

“I hope so, but I am not sure”, the woman smiled at me.

“Well your going to be the Queen, so I suggest that you grow a backbone now. Tell your mother that you want to have your girlfriend by your side. Then tell her that you have the right to love who you please, we all should.” She left it at that and took Liv’s hand, leading her to the fabric rack and measuring her.

I turned to Rain who was standing next to me, “What the hell?” I asked her.

I already saw the smile on Rain’s face, “well you see Miss Shankovik is in a relationship with a lady. She has been for a lot of years now, because it is frowned upon by so many she and her lady have never been married. She is sixty- five and her lady is sixty- nine. They have always wanted to get married but never could, I mean they could sneak away and wed but she has worked for your family since she started with her mother at the age of seven. She can’t bring herself to leave the palace because she will never be allowed back, and she has known nothing but this place. She watched it grow, I guess her and the grounds, the buildings they all kind of grew up together. She took over her mother's job when she was only fifteen, after her mother passed away suddenly and tragically. Her whole life has been serving the royal family. She’s the sweetest and oldest person working here.” I looked from Rain to the sweet woman spinning Liv around my bedroom. I wanted her to marry who made her happy, that is a right she should have.

“It’s illegal here?” I asked, turning to meet Rain’s eyes.

“Not illegal, per say but it’s definitely frowned upon and well; we can just say that the palace has never seen a gay ruler, worker or servant.” Rain stayed silent and watched me as her words sunk in.

“That means I will have to marry a man to become Queen?” I meet Rain’s eyes.

“You can become Queen while your single, but a King is expected to join your rule within the first two years of you ruling” Rain looked at the floor. I looked at Liv.

“Can I still fully rule without a King?” I was pretty sure the answer was going to be no, with the reasoning falling somewhere along the lines of women not being strong enough on their own. That has been the story I have heard my whole life. Growing up, my dad always told Liv and I that we were strong without a man. I wonder if he meant strong enough to rule, too.

“Yes.”

I didn’t respond to Rain, I just turned and hugged her. She hugged me back and we stood there in my room, with the only people I would ever fit in with here. This place, my home, where I am supposed to rule as queen; will not accept me as I am. I was going to change that, I just wasn’t sure how, yet. I knew I had a lot to learn about this place before I could change anything. I was going down in royal history books for a lot, one day. Thankfully that day was not today.