‘Good morning. Your Majesty,’ he said as he came in with the polite knock Reyna had grown to expect. He was carrying a golden tray laden with her breakfast and some tea. Reyna ran a hand through her hair and shot a glance at the mirror beside her bed. She had only just gotten up. Damien mostly did his job well, but he had a bad habit of coming in without waiting for a reply- something she didn’t know how to bring up. She adjusted her nightgown over herself as he poured her tea on the little breakfast table in the centre of the room.

‘Today is a blend of white tea with raspberries and apple bites. It was gifted to you last month by Prince Nebula… He sent it along with the letter if you recall.’ Reyna nodded and made her way to the table. She remembered Prince Nebula’s letter vaguely, mostly because he had heavily alluded to wanting to visit the kingdom. Reyna didn’t mind anyone coming, but she knew the Advisors would want her to entertain and welcome them, and she had no interest in royal protocols.

‘The chef made your favourite: French toasts and jam today… You have an important day ahead,’ Damien said as he reached behind her to draw the curtains. Reyna took a careful sip and let the warmth of the tea flow through her. She liked these quiet, peaceful mornings… Good tea, good food, and Damien’s soft voice.

She had no idea why he chose to fuss over her and bring her meals and keep her schedule updated, but she found it cute. It was only because of Damien’s pleadings she had decided to accept when the Advisors asked her to be Queen. Protecting this small kingdom was important to him, so she agreed to help, while the Five Border Cities worked on rebuilding the magical barrier that protected them from the dark forest beyond the walls. When the barriers fell, the royal family escaped, leaving the country without a leader. She had to gather the few remaining mages and drive the Creatures back out; soon they were able to reclaim all the cities and set up temporary barriers.

During all this, she met Damien, who had been knight to the three advisors back then. He was the only knight she knew so she gave his name when she was asked to pick her security detail. Since then, he had taken it upon himself to make sure she carried about her royal duties. Which was all well for the kingdom, but very annoying for her… but an annoyance she was willing to suffer to have an excuse to be close to him.

She took a bite of the French toast and let the soft, buttery sweetness wash over her. The castle cook had a way of making it that made her melt inside whenever she took a bite. The cook always put a lot more than she could finish, not that Reyna ever complained.

She had also put eggs and bread, fresh jam and an extra stick of butter. There was a bowl of bananas and oranges, and fresh orange juice to wash it down.

‘I’ve sent out the messages to the mayors informing them of our visit next week.’ Damien continued. ‘Elias informed me that the work on the barriers is coming along well… City Three did have some issues with overlap but the Head Wizard knows how to fix it, so I don’t think we have to worry. Hopefully, we’ll be getting good news when we reach. Tomorrow you have an audience with the Private Buildings Association, they’re going to ask for tax exemptions but please insist on cutting a deal with them. The advisors say we can’t afford no money coming in at all.’

‘Damien,’ she interrupted him. ‘Why don’t you come eat with me?’

Damien stuttered and looked at her, then at the floor. ‘I can’t possibly do that…’ he mumbled; hands clasped behind him.

‘Jeez, why not? You don’t have to treat me so formally; you know I’m not actually royalty.’

‘But even so, I must maintain a certain decorum,’ he said, eyes still on the floor, jaw held up firmly.

Reyna bit her lip and turned back to her meal. It was frustrating that she could never break the barrier between them no matter what she tried. She didn’t want to push too much and make him uncomfortable, and she was very aware of the authority she had over him and didn’t want to abuse it. Instead, she took a big sip of tea that burned her tongue.

‘Did you have breakfast though?’ she asked in an effort to appear nonchalant.

‘I did,’ he said, finally looking up at her. ‘I had my meal at my quarters earlier.’

She knew where his quarters were. She had passed by the Knight’s dorms one or two times, though she hadn’t pushed her luck at being asked to be shown in. Normally she didn’t care about decorum or traditions but having a crush on Damien and trying to learn about him made her painfully aware of social rules.

She wished she hadn’t said anything. Now her mood was ruined and replaced by a sadness she was also getting used to expecting. She set her spoon down wistfully and got up. She was done with the toast anyways.

‘You finished early,’ Damien said.

She let out a hmm as she passed him by to go to her dressing room. She wanted him out of the room so she could crawl under the sheets again and come out when she felt better. But a cool shower and dressing up for the day was probably a better option.

Her bathroom was her favourite part of the castle. It was huge, the walls a deep dark blue, a beautiful sink and a row of black cabinets on its either side, on top of a bright yellow rug that contrasted with everything. In the centre of the room stood a bathtub, underneath which were red and orange tiles. There was a big mirror covering one of the walls, a separate shower room, and a water closet off to one side. On the opposite side of the mirrored wall was a sliding door leading to her wardrobe.

Reyna walked into the wardrobe to pick her clothes for the day. She chose dark, skintight pants and a loose flowy shirt. She would wear the royal cloak over this, a blue and gold cloak that they had to trim because she was too short.

Happy with her choice she grabbed a towel and went to take a shower.