The Royal Trip

Eleven

Ainsley followed Helga down the halls only recognizing certain areas she was actually allowed to be in. "Can you tell me what this is about?" I asked, getting no answer from Helga as she stopped in front of a large door.

"Stand up straight." Helga demanded and Ainsley looked at her confused straightening up her back. Helga opened the door letting Ainsley walk inside. It was an office and Ainsley noticed the Queen sitting at the desk.

Ainsley looked back at Helga, who was standing in the doorway, with big eyes. "I'll leave you." Helga said before leaving the room.

Ainsley looked back at the Queen unsure about how to handle this situation. The Queen stood up walking towards the couch in the room where a tray with tea cups and hot tea, waiting for them on the coffee table. "Ainsley, come have tea with me." The queen took a seat on the couch motioning for Ainsley to sit with her.

"I like tea." Ainsley said softly as she walked to the couch having a seat.

The queen poured the hot tea into two cups. "Sugar?"

"Two please." Ainsley let out a deep breath looking at the one picture of the room. It was a painting of her husband.

The queen handed a cup of tea over to Ainsley and she thanked her as she took the cup. Ainsley took a careful drink of her cup. "I've noticed that my son has taken quite a liking to you."

Ainsley lightly coughed on her drink before chuckling softly. "I think Blake takes a liking to everyone." Ainsley looked down at her cup.

The queen smiled at her. "You know that's not the son I meant."

Ainsley slightly chuckled. "I'm sorry, but I don't think he's a fan of me. At least not anymore." She couldn't get herself to look up at the queen.

"That's because he thinks it's what is best for you."

Ainsley lightly shook her head, finally looking up at the queen. "Ma'am, Majesty-"

"Call me Quinn." The queen interrupted. "If we are going to be honest to each other while we are here, I don't need you to call me 'Ma'am' or 'Majesty'. No one is honest with me when they call me that."

Ainsley paused for a moment. "I don't know how you do it. All the responsibility and all the people depending on you."

"It's not easy." Quinn let out a deep breath, smiling to herself. "Before my husband, I was going to travel the world before settling down in a small town away from my parents, and become a school teacher for young kids."

"And you were okay with changing that?"

"Absolutely not." Quinn shook her head. "I fought it, I ran from it, I begged for nothing to change, and now....I wish I gave in sooner."

"Your husband must have loved you very much to fight so hard for you." Ainsley smiled.

"He was supposed to marry my sister."

Ainsley looked at her shocked. "Really? Out of all the history I've been told and no one told me that?"

Quinn chuckled. "Very few know. Not even my kids."

"Why are you telling me?"

"Because I think you will benefit from it." Ainsley thought about questioning it, but wanted to know more about the story. "See, back then arranged marriages were common with royals. Demanded and basically required it. My husband actually changed the law once he was king in order to let his children choose who they love. Cosna is amazing, but in some aspects it's behind on the times." Quinn thought for a moment before continuing. "My parents were wealthy and had a lot of status. So it wasn't much of a surprise when my sister was arranged to marry Vincent. I actually didn't even get to know him until after he was coordinated. Of course I went, but we never met personally until the party afterwards. Then I stay at the castle with my sister. His mother started to help me learn some different languages for my travels." She lightly chuckled at the fond memories she had. "Vincent would say he fell in love with me when he heard me reading one of my langue books in the garden. I'm not sure I believe him because I know I sounded like a mess."

Ainsley chuckled. "When did you know you loved him?"

Quinn thought for a moment looking over at her. "When I realized how alone I was when he was gone."

Ainsley nodded and her brain instantly went over to Katie. "How did your sister take it?"

"Oh, she blames me for everything bad happening in her life." Quinn shook her head. "I stopped talking to my parents after it all happened. They were selfish and toxic and I couldn't have that around my family."

Ainsley set her cup down on the coffee table. "You said he was doing it for me." Ainsley said, confused.

"He knows this is hard for you." Quinn stated and Ainsley looked over at her. "Feeling like you have to choose."

Ainsley sighed. Katie is her best friend. When Ainsley needed someone to help put her back together without judgement, she had Katie. When she was sad and just wanted to cry, she had Katie. This is Katie's trip with Katie's plan. There's no choice to make.

Ainsley was walking away from the Queen's office and she couldn't decide exactly what she wanted to do. So many thoughts were moving through her head. She would be lying if she said her body didn't want something that her mind told her she couldn't have. Ainsley stopped hearing a familiar voice. She looked over to see Katie standing down the hall talking to Sienna. Ainsley debated walking over. She looked away letting out a deep breath just to see Richard talking with an older man going through some papers. "You look stressed." Ainsley jumped turning around to see Blair standing there with a smirk on his face and his hands in his pockets.

"That obvious?" Ainsley asked, crossing her arms across her chest..

"Want help?"

Ainsley sighed, rolling her eyes. "If you are offering to sleep with me, prince or not-"

"You don't have to finish that. Already filled in the blanks." Blake stopped Ainsley putting his hands in the air in surrender. "Plainly plantic."

"I don't know." Ainsley sighed.

Blake slightly nodded looking in the direction of Katie for looking at Ainsley. "We could ask Katie" Then he looked in the other direction towards his brother. "Or Richard."

"Wow, you're mean." Ainsley stated plainly.

Blake smirked. "I know, it keeps me awake at night."

Ainsley looked up at the ceiling frustrated. She sighed before looking back at Blake. "You know what? Screw it!"

Ainsley turned around and Blake walked with her down the hall. "You're going to have to change."

"We'll hit a store on the way out." Ainsley shrugged.

"I like the way you think." Blake said pulling out his phone as they walked towards the exit. "I got the perfect plan."