The Queen

Chapter 3

"You still haven't seen all that Dacra can offer you." The helicopter lands as Cirian sees the training grounds for the first time. It's built with stone and wood, with a sand pit in the middle. The weapons are of the best quality and shipped from over seas. The guards and knights are standing by as many of the troops are fighting in the ring.

"They seem well taught." Cirian says as he watches as I see Hanny walking our way. Some days I forget that my families place is near the training grounds, yet I can't say I wasn't expecting to hear from my aunts, uncles and cousins. They were awfully quiet at the ball, so that could only mean one thing, they want to discus this matter in private.

All I know is all of the private meetings we've had over the year never end well. "Leave him be and come with me." I nod my head reluctantly. "I'll be in the east palace if you get hungry and want to head back home." I tell Cirian as he starts talking to one of Dacras knights.

Hanny leads the way to the palace as I see everyone is sitting and eating in the dining room. "The council all seems to be here." I mock them as we've never had a council, only family that want to dictate your life. It has become a problem since my parents used to be a part of the dictatorship as well. "It's good you could make it." My uncle George says with a smile, yet the tension in this room is palpable.

"I know there's a reason why you invited me here." I tap my chin in feign ignorance. "It could have to do with a man named Cirian." My aunt Viola mentions. "Can you even call him a man?" "Hes done nothing but be a lap dog to a prince for years." George retorts as he laughs. I'd start cursing at them but they've always been like this. You can't change years of a families dynamics, not when it comes to royalty.

They don't approve of anything I do. "Well he's mine now." I tell them with a smile as I take a pull out a chair, taking a seat and digging into the food they've had prepared. "Is he?" Viola asks as she looks at George and Hanny with a glint in her eye. "He is." I confirm as if it needs clarification. "You call us the council and while it may be to mock our concerns, you're actually quite right to call us that."

I watch as she pulls out a copy of the rules and stipulations for marriage among the royal family of Dacra. "You may only marry someone of royalty." "If you don't, there's even a stipulation saying you must forfeit the crown." My laugh is dry as I know they've rehearsed this before even mentioning it to me. "You'd love that, wouldn't you?" I ask Viola as she wants the crown, yet the crown would go to Randy first, with him being the kings brother.

"It isn't what I want but what must be done." She states but I doubt she'd want Randy to have the crown either, yet maybe she has a plan for that as well. "You can't marry him, unless you wish to forfeit the crown." She spits out with malice. "She isn't wrong." My uncle Randy strides in, acting as if he wasn't waiting for the perfect opportunity to do so. If it isn't Viola, it's Randy who gives his input, even when it isn't desired nor needed, though he had more reason to fight against my having the crown.

"You want the crown as well, do you?" I say because I know he's next in line and he's looking for any loop hole necessary to take it. "I want Dacra to be run as it always has been, with rules that were in place by our ancestors." "Your mother and father saw it this way as well " "Who do you think you are to change years of tradition?" His voice is calm compared to Viola's, yet it still has the same edge to it, as if he's warning me not to take a step further or he'll tare me down from ever having the throne.

"I'm Atraya, future queen of Dacra." I say and make a point of it to voice is strongly to all my family. "Well see." Randy scoffs as he takes a seat at the table and digs into the food. The family then talks about events coming up as I'm almost finished with my meal.

"How do you think this will end?" Randy asks me as I'm about to leave. "With me happily married, with kids and a king by my side." "You think he'll agree to it?" "Don't forget that it's my job to train and to take care of our knights and troops."

"I've known many knights from Dacra and other kingdoms and yet none of them talked about settling down." "You know what they talked about?" He paused as if he's waiting for me to answer, in which I don't. "They talked about wanting money sent to their families after they die on the battlefield." "They talked about the benefits they want after they're dead."

"I've never met a knight who desired more then the duty bestowed upon them." "They can't and they won't dare to ask for more." "Their mindset comes after they pledge their loyalty to their king, queen and the royal family." "Their duty comes above all else."

"You've forced this man into a life hes never truly desired and you still haven't taken the chance to understand and get to know his life and what he wants." "I'm sure if you asked him just once, that he would have turned you down." He says as if it's a matter of fact. "That reminds me, did you even ask for his hand before thrusting him into this life?" He gestures all around us with his hands.

"I never thought about it like that." Viola speaks up as the rest agree. "You're being selfish by marrying him when I can tell you clearly that he doesn't want to marry you." "You don't know that." "Well even if he was, he can't." "I could be wrong about him but there's more then just his duty that you don't understand." "His life is very different to yours." "He grew up in poverty before training and becoming a knight, while you grew up in riches and never had to beg for anything."

"It isn't your fault though, you were sheltered most of your life and don't know yet that your position comes with it's sacrifices." "You can't follow your heart like a little girl anymore, you must think of your position and what's best for the people."

"You think I didn't think it through?" "It was impulsive was it not?" "I didn't choose a knight just because of my heart but what he showed me in our first meeting." "He showed more maturity, kindness and was humble in a way no other royal has been."

"There's no one more fitting to be king of Dacra." That's when we all hear a sound and I'm about to check it out, when Randy leaves, looks down the hallway before returning to the table.

"Who was it?" "No one." He smiles slightly before I get up to leave. "I should head back, especially since we won't see eye to eye on this." I start to walk away, when Randy catches up with me.

"I can walk back by myself." I say this as two of my guards are with me. "You shouldn't walk alone like this at such a late hour." "I have them." I gesture to the two men behind us as he smiles." "Well lets just say I want to walk you back."

I don't try to persuade him more as I know he has his own intentions for why he'd want to go back to the palace with me. Once we're back at the palace, I call out for Cirian as I suspect he must have walked back to the palace by now.

I was with my family for far longer then I had intended. "Cirian." I call out to him again, yet he doesn't respond. "I'll go check on him." Randy says as I'm about to stop him but I don't see any food put out and realize Cirian must not have eaten yet.

I prepare some lasagna in the kitchen, a real home cooked meal as I think about how he'll appreciate it over the fancy food he has been served. He did seem to enjoy the crepes I made and hopefully he'll enjoy more of my food. They do say a way to a mans heart is through food. I place it in the oven as I finish all the layers before going upstairs to look for Cirian.

It isn't until I get near his door that I hear voices inside. Who's with him? "Why didn't you come inside?" "You were outside, listening to our conversation." "I already told you I heard everything, what else did I need to say?" "Why should I interrupt?" "You also clearly don't want me to be king or to stand be Atraya side."

I slide down the wall and sit outside the door as I listen to Cirian and Randy talk. "Do you?" "Do you want to be king?" "If you heard what we said, you also know that I've known knights and I can see you're no different to them." "I know the sacrifice you have to make when you leave your family for the kingdom, when you decide to die on the battlefield instead of in a home with your family."

"I know the sacrifices, does she?" "Do you think accepting the role of king is your best option, especially when it's with a woman who will never understand." "Shes always been doted on as a child." "Shes never experienced life outside of a palace." "Shes only ever known privilege." "She won't ever understand your life."

"I know." I hear Cirian say as I feel tears well in my eyes. It hurt to hear him agree and even more so as I knew Randy spoke the truth. I may have had my own struggles but I don't know about life outside the palace. I'll never know what Cirian had to go through and if my own struggles would ever compare to his.

"I may know that but that doesn't give you the right to degrade her own struggle in life." My heart warms slightly as I think perhaps we aren't so different. "Were you there every day, every moment and by her side?" Cirian says back and I wonder if this is really him, defending me right now. "You also have no idea about her life, only in passing do you hear about what shes done."

"Were you even at the ball, when she announced her engagement to me?" I knew the answer to this as he wasn't. The rest of my family was but not Randy as he couldn't bare to see me get engaged and take the crown, even if I wouldn't be able to accept it until our marriage ceremony. "No but I-" "You don't have any right to judge our situation."

"I may not want to be here and to be getting married but it doesn't mean I won't do my best to fit into the role I've been given." "My loyalty is now to Atraya." "Should it be?" Randy tries to lure him in again. "I can help you get out of this."

I desperately hoped he'd tell him to leave as I rise to my feet, ready to announce my presence. "Do you?" It seems to pique Cirian's curiosity as I shut my eyes and feel my heart break. "You know the man that she was supposed to marry, right?" "I do."

"Well the plan in simple." "All you have to do is become him and soon she'll start losing interest and it may push her enough that she'd rather be with him than you." Cirian doesn't seem to take kindly to Randy, yet finding a way out of his situation with me seems to take priority for him. "Will that work?"

"You have to try, don't you?" "Ren needs time to heal and is in no shape to take over your position yet." It seems Randy has been observing closely, from a distance. He knows everything about what's been going on. "Your men need you." "They do..." He trails off as I go back downstairs and take out the lasagna as it finishes cooking.

I doubt he'll come down as I take a piece after not being able to eat much throughout the dinner I had with my family, before writing a note on it for Cirian to eat the rest. Once I take my seat, Randy walks down with a smile on his face.

"It won't work." I say confidently as I now know their plan. "It already has." He smiles broadly as if hes won. "I didn't need him to agree to my plan." "I only needed you to hear that him consider it." "Why?" "I know you won't be able to stand it as he tries to push you away." "I know your heart won't take what he has in store for you."

"He thinks I don't know you but I know the little girl who used to be little princess Atraya, with a heart of gold and a child like attitude to always get her way." "I don't believe she's gone, even inside the soon to be queen she is now."

"You're wrong." "I won't let him go no matter what he does or what you plan to do." "Not even if I spill the beans about Eric." He whispers in my ear as he gets close and I push him away in shock.

"How do you-?" "Who do you think told your parents?" "You don't think gossip between teenagers would have reached the ears of your parents, do you?" "That farmer was really something and I even had told your father then to dethrone you but he said everyone makes mistakes." "Can you believe that man?"

"I tried to even go to a reporter to tell them about our wild princess but your father showed up instead and started paying me double to keep my mouth shut." "You black mailed him!?" "I do hope the payments continue." He laughs as it sickens me that my mistake years ago had caused my parents such trouble. "The family may fight against your marriage soon and I'll be next in line to take the throne since the people will never accept Viola from your mothers side."

"You really did have it all planned out, didn't you?" "What can I say, the crown is worth more then a tiara on a little girls head." He pats my head while laughing before he walks away and out the door.

I'm fuming as I dig into the rest of the lasagna. My stomach is full as my heart is sore. I walk back upstairs as I hear Cirian come out of his room. My heart leaps as I duck behind a pillar as he walks past me.

I breath a sigh of relief as he doesn't see me. That is until I hear the footsteps stop. "Atraya?" He questions as I walk towards where he is. "Were you here just now?" "I ate and was about to head to bed."

"Good." He says as if hearing him would make his life worse, while he isn't the one with a sore heart. "Right, I should get some rest." I grumble as I wish the words he said earlier never came out of his mouth. "Wait, I didn't mean that, I just mean you shouldn't have to listen to what he said..." He trails off as if he realizes what he was about to say may not help his situation.

"Is there any food left?" He changes the topic up for discussion. "I made lasagna, it's in the fridge, you will need to heat it up though." "That's fine." He walks away as I can't let the night end this way.

I run down the stairs, into the kitchen as he opens the fridge door, I hug him from behind. I'm not sure what I'm going to say as I feel his body, his warmth. "Today was rough for me." My voice breaks as I think about all I've done. My family is completely against my actions and now my fiance is ready to take any measures necessary to leave me. "Please think about all you'll have to lose if you try to leave."

"Leave?" He turns around and looks me in the eye. "You did hear us." "Parts of it and I know you may want to leave but I need you, as does Dacra." I don't want him to put his plan in action because it will separate us further as all I want is to grow a bond between us, for him to have a chance at loving me before he rejects me. "Dacra needs a king, not a knight to rule over the land."

"I'm hoping you heard the part about how unfit I am to be king because Randy wasn't wrong, it isn't my place." "I'm good at battle tactics, training and going to war, not the responsibilities as king." "I'll help you with all of it." "I also don't care if you think it isn't your place, how about me?" "Are you willing to let me go too, because this new role may be challenging?"

"Let you go?" "You make it sound like I'm keeping you prisoner when in reality it's quite the opposite." "Does this mean you feel nothing for me?" "Your feelings don't concern me."