Beneath The Mask Is His Queen

Chapter Three

"Lucas!" Joshua called out, running towards the stairs with Maya trailing behind him. "We saw you run out. What happened?"

Lucas stared at the handkerchief in his hand, and smiled. "A girl ran off."

Maya frowned at him. "And so you chased after her?" She scoffed, "you must have a good reason for chasing after her."

"She's the one," Lucas said, looking up at Maya and Joshua.

"The...one?" Maya repeated. "What do you mean?"

His smile widened. "She is the one I want as my Queen."

Joshua's eyes widened, and Maya smirked.

"So...how do you know she's the one?" Joshua asked, quite surprised with Lucas' certainty.

"She's everything that's fit for a Queen. She's bold, courageous, and understands people. She's sweet, and kind, and knows when to speak out. She's great for a leader...and I think she's someone I'd like to spend with for the rest of my life."

Maya nodded. "What's her name?"

Lucas held up the handkerchief. "Riley."

...

Maya smirked again. She knew Riley would be perfect, and Lucas justified her theory.

"Wow, Lucas, we finally agreed on something. We both agree that Riley is perfect for Queen. And I'm glad you like her."

Lucas lips formed an 'O' as his expression showed realization that the girl she liked was also the girl he chose.

Joshua looked at her. "You know her?"

"Yeah, it's the girl I told you about." Maya turned her attention back to Lucas. "Just to make sure, what did she look like?

Lucas shrugged. "Her hair was as brown as chocolate and was a bit curled. She's no more than two or three inches taller than you, and has light skin. Unfortunately, I couldn't see her face since it was covered with a white mask, but-"

"Wait, hold up. She wore a white mask?"

"Yeah, I never got to see her face. But looks don't matter. She-"

"Shut up," Maya demanded and looked at Joshua. "The masked girl! It was Riley!"

"What a strange coincidence..." Joshua replied. "Wait, if that was her, why did she act like she didn't know you?"

She shrugged. "Maybe she wanted to keep her identity secret. Doesn't matter now. Lucas chose her. But I know a few things about her. Let's hope she can allow Lucas to choose her."

When both Lucas and Joshua stared at her puzzled, she sighed and said, "Riley didn't come for you. She came for the ball experience. She came because she wanted to find the truth about you. Speaking of that, did she?"

"Find the truth about me?" He smiled and looked down. "She did. All on her own."

"Wow, this girl sounds pretty great. I mean both of you agree that's she perfect for Queen. That definitely means something," Joshua chuckled. "So, where does she live? What's her surname? Is she a princess? Or what?"

Lucas gave a shrug. "She wasn't as graceful as most princesses are, but then again, Maya is a princess also so that rule doesn't apply I guess."

"Hey!" Maya protested.

Joshua smiled at her. "I agree with Lucas."

She rolled her eyes. "Anyways, she's not a princess. But honestly, I don't know what she is. I met her in one of the small villages, so I assume that she's from there, but I don't know what her occupation is or who's her family. I don't know the surname either."