Tennyson

Well…I’m screwed. In a matter of mere hours, I went from an intruder to the King’s fiance. 

“I mean, it can’t be that bad,” I say to myself. “At least I won’t have to deal with Vince.” 

I shudder at the thought. I hear two knocks on the door. 

“Come in.” I say as I sit up. 

The door opens and Hugo enters with a maid. She looks to be about 6’10, 210 lbs. 

“Good morning Ty,” Hugo says “Her Majesty the King sent me to make sure you were properly taken care of. This is Shira, she will be your personal maid from now on.” 

Shira bows as Hugo finishes introducing her. 

“Is this really necessary?” I ask. 

“Yes, it is.” Hugo replies. “As the King’s fiance and the Me’ah, you need to be given top priority. You will probably gain more maids after the wedding.” 

I go to protest, but I stop myself. There’s no point in duking this out with Hugo since he’s just the physician.

 “Thank you” I say instead. 

Hugo bows and exits the room, leaving Shira behind. 

“My Lord,” She starts “The King has requested that you join her for breakfast.” I sigh as I get out of the bed. 

I guess it’s time to start the day.

____________________________________________________________

As I enter the dining room, I see that Her Majesty is already seated. She stands as she sees me. 

“Your Majesty.” I say as I bow. 

“I told you,” She starts as she walks to me “Call me Helena, we’re soon to be married after all. And please, raise your head. You need not bow to anyone. Not anymore.” 

I raise my head and meet her eyes. I notice their strange color. They’re blue, but not a normal blue. It’s more like a color explosion. 

“Your eyes are beautiful.” I say without thinking. 

She turns away just as I notice her blush. 

“Thank you,” She says, clearing her throat. “I got them from my father.” 

She motions for me to take the seat next to her. 

“The old Me’ah.” I say as I take the seat. 

I see her shift. 

“What?” I ask. 

“Actually,” She starts “I’m part human. The human that saved the kingdom was my mother’s lover, and my father.” 

I look at her stunned. “Is that where…” I start. 

“My height comes from my father as well.” She interrupts. I can tell she is uncomfortable. 

“So,” I start, trying to think of a way to change the subject. “When will the wedding be?” I see her eyes light up. 

“Tomorrow.” She replies. 

“Why so early?” I ask. “I’m sure a wedding takes more than a day to plan.” 

“The wedding has actually been planned for some time,” She replies as she eats a grape, “In my kingdom, the King’s wedding is always the same. So there isn’t much planning needed.” 

I look around the dining room. Something feels off. I sense another presence. I turn back to see Helena. She has a confused look on her face. I lean close to her 

“There’s someone in the room.” I whisper in her ear. I feel her demeanor change. 

“Where?” She asks in a low voice. 

“Behind the plant.” I respond. To my surprise, she kissed me on the cheek and stood from her chair. 

“Thank you Tennyson,” she says as she walks to the plant with her hand on her sword. 

The leaves shake as she gets closer. As Helena draws her sword and slowly moves the leaves. Suddenly, a dog jumps out and runs around the room. It stops when it gets to me. 

“How did this get in here?” I ask. 

Helena puts her sword away and sighs. 

“It’s a spirit animal. It’s called a Shiba Inu or a dog in your world, but here, we call it An’aria. The spirit of intelligence and strength.” She says as she approaches it. As she pets it, it starts to glow. “They are a sign of nobility and wealth.” She continues as she stands and walks back to her seat. “In my kingdom, if you are chosen by a spirit animal, especially an An’aria, you are destined for greatness.” 

I look down at the An’aria as it looks back up at me. Then, wings pop out of its tiny body, and it flies onto my lap and curls into a tiny ball. I look up at Helena to see a surprised look on her face. 

“Tennyson,” she says as she slowly walks towards me. “Don’t move.”

Helena

This has never happened before. A human being chosen by an An’aria. It’s unheard of. As I look at Tennyson, I see the slight fear on his face. 

“Tennyson,” I say as I kneel next to him. “Don’t be afraid, the An’aria has chosen you.” 

“For what!?” He says with a shaky voice. 

“To be its owner.” I respond. “In demon culture, once an An’aria chooses you, it becomes loyal to you and you alone. You become its commander, and the An’aria becomes your protector. It is the greatest honor to be bestowed to a demon. Only members of demon nobility have one.” 

Tennyson looks from me to the An’aria in shock. 

“So,” he starts. “I have been chosen by a spirit animal that only demon nobility have…even though I’m a human.” 

“It looks like it.” I respond in amazement. “I have never seen or heard anything like this before.” 

I look at Tennyson in shock. Not even my father, who was the second strongest person in the kingdom, had one. And to be blessed with a Shiba Inu is even more of a rarity. They are the most coveted spirit animals in the Demon World. I don’t even have one. I will have to investigate this more.

“Your Ma-…Helena,” Tennyson starts. “With this…spirit animal…will I be in more danger?”

“You will actually be in less danger.” I respond. “With the An’aria, no one will be able to question your power and authority as the Me’ah, plus it will strengthen your position.”

“So, it’s a good thing.” Tennyson says slowly.

“Yes, it is a very good thing.” I say laughing. 

I return to my seat as Tennyson turns back to the table. He quickly gets comfortable with the An’aria laying in his lap. We finish eating breakfast, and return to our respective schedules. As I reach my office, I can see the door slightly ajar.

“Crap.” I mumble as I walk into the room.

Suddenly someone jumps on top of me as soon as the door closes. It’s Gina. We tussle a bit before I finally pin her to the ground.

“Now Gina,” I say as I pin her hands to the ground and tower over her. “What do you have to say for yourself? You attacked your King.”

“You would attack your King too if they got engaged and didn’t even tell their best friend.” Gina says dramatically. “I had to hear it from one of the maids on my way here.”

I stand up, and offer Gina a hand.

“I only got engaged last night.” I say as I go to sit at my desk.

“Still Helena, isn’t this a little too sudden?” Gina asks. “Just yesterday, the council was pressuring you to find a replacement for Lord Sutton, now suddenly you’re getting married tomorrow?”

“Gina,” I say smiling, “please, sit down. Let me explain.”