The Two of Us

Queen Alice of Valhalla. 18 and engaged to a neighboring King. She leaned forward against the huge stone balcony in her Castle in Valhalla, letting out a sigh. She watched as the children in the town ran around freely, playing together. How she wished her life was any similar. She was to marry a man she had not seen for the past 12 years. The last time they had met was when they were 6 years old, just as play mates. However, his sister, Lady Susan would often visit (at least once a month) to hang out with her. Susan had honestly been one of Alice's only close friends. She was barely permitted by her advisors to communicate with others, especially commoners, due to the safety of the Queen. Since her parents had died, she had been ruling over Valhalla on her own. Her nation had been a quite rich nation, but with little defense. It's population was quite low for a nation with so much land. The size of the nation was almost as large as Cair Paravel, where Susan and her siblings had come from. This had resulted in many envious nations. Pengana was a Southern country that had always had plans on invading Valhalla. Fortunately, no attacks have taken place so far. This, however, did not mean it was not happening soon. Alice turned around when she heard rushing footsteps approaching her. "What is it?" she asked, quite worried. "Alice, it's time." Without an explanation, Alice ran straight inside, packing only what was important. "Mary, I trust that you take care of things here while I'm gone." Mary was Alice's most trusted relative and friend in Valhalla. They had been together almost since birth. Mary gave her a nod before throwing her arms around her. "Come back soon, Alice. I'll miss you." Alice smiled, patting her back. "I feel so scared, Mary." Mary picked up Alice's bags, following her to the carriage she was going to depart in. With a final glance at her own castle, she waved Mary and her servants goodbye. Alice was taking a 2 day trip to Cair Paravel to make further arrangements with them. She needed to make an alliance with them to properly secure the safety of her nation. Her adivsor had noticed her anxious behavior. "Don't you be too scared, Your Highness. What you're doing is only right for the country." he shot Alice a comforting smile before looking outside the window once again. "It'll be a long trip, Your Highness. You mustn't worry for the whole trip, now." "I'm alright, Narceus. I'm just worried about Valhalla. Do you think they'll be alright without us?" The advisor nodded, and smiled reassuringly. "Your Majesty, even if our nation has little numbers, you are forgetting that we have the finest knights in the country." Alice was now less worried and sat back comfortably in her seat. "Thank you, Narceus." "I support all you do, Your Highness." Alice beamed at him, holding out some chocolate to him. She was being generous to him--- The Queen loves her chocolate. "Would you like some? It's Turkish Delight." * * * * * * * * * * * In two days, the Queen had finally arrived in Cair Paravel that evening. It was late at night, but she was still welcomed with Cair Paravel's servants, knights and royalty. She had immediately spotted King Peter, who was standing between Susan and Lucy. "Welcome to Cair Paravel, Your Majesty." one of his men had said, as everyone else had bowed or curtsied. "Welcome to Cair Paravel, Alice." Peter had said, smiling at her. She returned the smile, and walked inside the castle, beside him in silence. Everyone else had helped to take her things to the room she was staying in. After quickly thanking them, she continued to walk around with Peter. "I'll show you to the room you'll be staying in for the next while." Peter said, leading Alice down the echoing hallway. The Castle had seemed to be much larger than her one back in Valhalla. Of course. Here, There were 4 Kings and Queens. In Valhalla, there was just one. Peter was the High King, however, and had the most authority. They had finally reached a room with a large, wooden door. Peter opened the wooden door with a large key, passing it to Alice after unlocking the door. "My room is in the West Wing along with Edmund's, so I think it's better for you to go to Susan and Lucy if you need help in the middle of the night. Their rooms are the two across yours." Alice just nods, and quietly thanks him. "Thank you, King Peter." Peter chuckled a little, flashing a charming smile at her. "No need to call me that. Just call me Peter, like you used to." "Well, thank you, Peter. I appreciate your help, even if you seem to be quite busy." "It's fine, really." he waved his hand in the air before letting out an awkward cough. "I'll see you in the morning, then." Alice said her goodbye before turning to walk into her new, large bedroom. It was a little smaller than the one she had back home, but it was still quite large. Especially for a guest room. Alice walked further into the room, almost screaming when she had seen a servant in the bathroom, holding a towel in her arms. "Would you prefer bubbles or just lavender oil, Your Highness?" she asked, smiling a little. "O-Oh, um-- lavender oil, please." Of course, Peter had made sure Alice was to be taken care of. Alice sighed comfortably, as she stripped off her many layers of dress. She stepped into the ready tub, as the maid walked out of the bathroom, closing the door. At least there was something Cair Paravel had in similar with Valhalla, right? Alice had already felt as if she was at home, again. She closed her eyes and rested the back of her neck on the edge of the large bathtub. Tomorrow was Day 1 on living in Cair Paravel. Alice felt nervous when the whole topic of marriage ever came about. She knew she was around the right age, but had never felt ready to marry someone yet. This time, however, she had to do it for Valhalla whether it meant she had to marry against her own will. After all, when you are a Queen of a nation, love does not matter when you are marrying. Royals marry for the good of their people. Alice hopped out of the tub, and changed into a plain white nightgown as the maid quickly cleaned up after her. Suddenly, there was a light knock on the door. Alice smiled at the maid, thanking her before heading towards the door. "Don't worry about it, I can open it up myself." "But Your Majesty--- You never know if it's safe." the maid stood up from the floor as a worried expression crossed her face. Alice laughed a little, opening the door to see Susan. "Hello, Alice. I was just checking up on you." she smiled a little before stepping into the room. "Is the room alright for you? Bed soft enough? Pillows plump enough?" "It's all fine, Susan, thank you." Alice giggled, rolling her eyes at her friend. "It almost feels as if I'm home." That was a lie. Everything about their castle was completely different from hers. The bed would be softer, and the pillows would be more plump. The bathtubs were larger, and the quilts were much more warmer. Cair Paravel's castle was nothing to complain about, though. It was just different. "You know, I'm quite excited to see you marry my older brother." Susan says, taking a seat on the side of the bed. "You're going to be my sister in-law!" Alice smiles, nodding, "I'll be looking forward to our differing and closer relation." As much as she loved Susan, she did not want to marry Peter. Not yet, at least. She needed time. A lot of time. But they had none of that. "Breakfast will be brought to your room by the time you wake up. Is there something in particular you want to eat in the morning, Alice?" Another difference between Cair Paravel and Valhalla was the fact that in Valhalla, meals were always eaten in the Grand Dining Hall where Alice would eat with all her reltives and close friends. Alice shook her head at Susan, "I'm not picky with my food. I'll take whatever you have to offer." With a smile on her face, Susan left the room, leaving Alice alone with her maid. She turned to her maid, already growing a liking for her. She kind of had that motherly image. After all, Alice didn't have a mother in Valhalla. "What's the King like?" Alice asked, sitting on the side of the bed. "Is he a kind and thoughtful man? Or just a man who seeks money?" The maid smiled, wiping her hands with a cloth, quite surprised that the Queen herself was having friendly conversation with her. Maybe it was unusual in this castle. "Oh, King Peter, Your Majesty? He's a kind king. Kind and handsome. He treats us servants well. We get fed more than we deserve!" Alice nodded, dropping onto the bed. "Kind and handsome..." "You've got yourself the right man, Your Majesty." she said, warmly smiling at Alice. Alice giggled a little, before sitting up again. "Just call me Alice."