A second chance

Handsome

You may have noticed I changed the name, I just felt this one was better.

  Sophia had helped Cassandra get dressed, a beautiful red dress, one that belonged to the Princess and was possibly the most beautiful thing Sophia had ever touched, not that Cassandra had seemed that taken with it. Varian had shown up, and when he had seen Cassandra in that dress, well, she wished that a man would look at her like that, just once.

She was missing male attention; she had lived in the city for two months now and had been travelling for a month before then. She only had Angela here, she was missing her regular customers, missing talking to them, there were a couple of men that she had felt a lot of affection for, they had been kind to her, and in her line of work that had meant a lot. Some men, well, some men had been the opposite of kind. She would never go back; she had got out.

She had been thinking of the King, impossible thoughts, thoughts where she meant something to him. She shook her head at even entertaining such a thing, she shouldn't see him like that, he was a king, and he was a man who had been alone for a long time, he needed some kindness, a little human contact... but not from her. She could'nt be that to him.

She hadn't been seeking him out, after all, she had no reason to seek him out. She had merely been in the vicinity of the royal bedrooms because she felt it was time she understood her way around the castle.

He was stood in the corridor looking at a large painting, he smiled warmly as she approached.

"Sophia!"

"Your majesty."

He waved her over.

"What are you looking at?" She asked, although she was very aware that the picture in front of her was a portrait of Edmund and his Queen, they looked young, barely passed their teens.

"This is the picture where I most resemble my son, don't you think?

"I've only seen him in passing, but yes."

"He's a handsome boy, like I was."

"He'll be lucky if he's as handsome as you when he reaches his prime."

King Edmund looked slightly taken aback and Sophia cursed herself, she'd said too much,

but Edmund turned back to the picture.

"They'll be grandchildren soon I think. It'll be good to see them grow up. I missed so much."

Sophia didn't know how to answer.

"Do you have children Sophia?"

"No."

"Any regrets?"

"No, I've seen enough of the world to want to bring a child into it."

"That's why we're trying to change it, for the next generation, there used to be a dark power

in this Kingdom, it used to destroy everything good, but now it's gone, and we can build whatever we wish in its place."

"So, what are you going to build?"

"A place where everybody is welcome."

"That sounds nice."

Edmund gave her a smile.

"I'm sorry, I have a dinner I have to attend."

"Yes, of course." Sophia answered. She knew about the welcome meal for Cassandra's

father, she'd just helped her get ready after all.

"Next time, we might get to speak for longer." He said gently as he walked past her. "I hope we get to speak for longer."