The Plop Tart War

Petal

The main room was magnificent. The many different intricacies of each side surprised me. The furniture was beawutifully crafted; the paintings were exquisite. Crown molding decorated each wall. It was truly a luxurious establishment fit for a king.
"Ahem."
I turned around to see a most beautiful young woman before me. She wore a relatively plain, dark red dress which reminded me of a drooping rose. Her hair was in a bun so tight you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between hair and skin, were it not for the sharp difference in color. Her eyelids where slightly puffy and only the smallest shade redder than the rest of her face. It was almost unnoticeable, but, if you looked hard enough, you could tell.
"Have you been... crying?'
She tightened her jaw. "Most people have the consideration to kneel before criticizing me."
I scrambled onto one knee. How could I have been stupid enough to forget? "I am sorry, my Queen."
"Get up," she said. I loyally obeyed "You said you could help me. I'm not so sure that's a promise you can deliver."
"I assure you, I will do my very best."
"That's what the last man said. He stopped supplying our troops because our enemy payed him more. That's a feeble promise you just made."
I smirked through my helmet, "Luckily for you, I honor my word."
"Then what is your 'brilliant' idea?"
"Where is the King? Shouldn't we wait to discuss this until he is here as well?"
Her voice was crisp and clear. "The King, my father, has been dead for more than a decade."
Dead? Dead? My Father? "Then... the Queen?"
Her face was stern, but I could see the loss in her eyes. "Needless to say, I am the Queen now."
Then that means... "Kale? Is it really you?"
"You will address me as Queen Kale! I have no idea who you are or how you know me, but I do know that if you were any loyal subject of mine you would have already known all of this!" Her guards started walking carefully towards me.
I didn't have much time before they would reach me. Now was the time to use the diplomacy skills I'd been working on.
"I have been traveling to many strange and distant lands. I left a long time ago, shortly after Alita-"
"Do not speak to me of that name! That name is cursed, never to be used again for an Ievren of royal blood. She betrayed me!" Kale looked away, "shortly before she died."
"I give you my deepest condolences, but I assure you, I was here whilst she still lived. Ask me any question. I'll prove my innocence."
"Alright then..." She took a moment to think. Her expression was calm, collected, and graceful, as though her thoughts were clouds being lightly shaped by the whims of a tender hand. It was almost angelic.
"Who won the Annual Regatta Race last year?" She said with a wry smile on her face.
"I already told you, I haven't been here until just recently. Ask me a different question," I replied in exasperation.
"No," she smiled. "You answer this question correctly or I'll pronounce you a spy and hand you over to my guards."
She was the most infuriating Queen I ever had the pleasure of meeting. How did she expect me to know this? This was outrageous! I would have been better off not walking in at all! It's no wonder why she was wanted dead. Too bad for her! If Her Majesty didn't want my help, then she sure as Lifrag wasn't going to get-
I remembered a name.
A name I'd heard several times in my childhood.
It was a long shot, but it was all I could think of.
"Johann Strau!"
She sat there with a bittersweet smile on her lips.
When she finally spoke, her voice crept out softer than before, "No. It was his son, Johann Strau Jr. who finally beat his winning streak this year." She waved a hand and the guards backed away. "If you were indeed a spy you would have known that Johann Sr. was taken captive by the enemy last year. You have proven yourself innocent," she said and I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Now prove your point."

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A/N: I don't like Author's Notes, but will someone please critique my story? I'm getting pathetically desperate for feedback. Please be honest, that would mean so much to me. I really want to know how I'm doing. Thank You.