12 Chapter 12

"My people, I have heard your concerns. I have heard your worries. I have heard about your grievances. And I have heard your cries for help. You all seek answers; answers that I am going to try and give. I am here to help alleviate everyone's fears.

The appalling acts down by this mysterious group have not gone unnoticed by me, and I am working around the clock to find the culprits. From here on out, I will set a curfew and send some of my best guards into the city and the countryside to add preventive measures against these tyrannical individuals.

I will fight for you and your families; I will sacrifice my life for each and every one of you if it comes down to it. We are in this together, we will fight this together, and we will preserve. You all are stronger than you think; you all are more resilient than you think. We will win against this soon to be named evil.

If any of you would like to volunteer to help guard/be looks and/or have any viable information on this group, contact my head generals, or you can stop by the booths on either side of you as you make your way back to your homes.

I know some of you have heard the rumors about finding my soulmate, and I am also here today to confirm that this is true. I would now like to introduce my beloved and your additional queen, Lareina. My love, please come here." She motioned me over, and I hesitantly walked over to her. I can feel my legs trembling with fear. I could feel my airways feel like they're narrowing and my chest tightening.

I felt an immediate wave of calmness wash over me, and I looked over to Zelda, seeing her giving me an encouraging look; even Jasper was giving me the same look. I saw Gregor, and he gave me a small smile and a nod. I then looked towards Noor, and she had a beaming smile on her face. I grabbed her outstretched hand and felt strength flow through me. I smiled back at her and turned towards the vast crowd.

I gulped; I always hated public speaking. I felt my hand being squeezed, and I took a steadying breath, trying to calm my nerves.

"You've got this beloved. I'm right here." Noor whispered in my ear, encouraging. I looked out at every expecting individual and drew every bit of charisma I had in me.

"Hello, everyone. It is an honor to stand in front of you and become your queen. I promise the same as Noor has; to fight alongside you and your family, protect you to the best of my ability, and sacrifice myself if need be. I will treat each and every one of you as if you are my flesh and blood. I will not rest till I can ensure every one of you is safe from this evil entity.

I will rule in fairness. I will fight for all your rights and equality. I will make sure that every voice is heard because every one of you is important and matter. I will strive to be the queen, you all deserve. For those who are still apprehensive, I hope you will give me a chance to prove to you that I am trustworthy as I will keep my word. Thank you all." At the end of my speech, I heard the crowd roar in cheers. I looked out over the crowd seeing some give looks of concern, and I hope that they will accept me over time, but even though they may not now, I will still fight for them.

We made our way back inside the palace.

"You did such a great job." Noor looked at me proudly, and that made me swell with happiness.

"Really?" She nodded her head.

"First speech, and you killed it." She kissed me on the cheek, and I smiled at the warmth.

"Go get changed for dinner. I'll see you back down here." I smiled and made my way to my room. I can't believe I just did that.

Getting dressed back into regular clothes was relieving. I like being comfortable. I heard my door open and looked to see Hannah. The fact that people barging into my room doesn't phase me anymore might be grounds for being alarming.

"You did a great job. You are going to be an amazing queen." I hummed.

"I hope so. I'm going to be the best one I can be." She walked over and pulled me into a brief hug.

���You will be, I have no doubts. I am starving; let's go eat."

We made our way downstairs. This time we were eating in a large dining hall. The table looked like it could seat a hundred people. I spotted Noor in the middle of the table, and I made my way over to her. Once she noticed me, I saw her eyes light up, and she got up to pull out a chair next to her. I smiled at this.

"Why are we sitting in the middle of the table. I thought royalty usually sits on the ends." She just shook her head.

"Not in my culture. We sit in the middle so as not to give off the impression that we are better and more important than everyone else. Some people believe that we are, but I will always see myself as their equal." I sat myself down, and she mirrored my actions.

"I love that. You're a magnificent queen. I hope to be as good as you." She smiled and brought my hand into hers, kissing my knuckle.

"You already are." She may have been an ass in the beginning, but I truly did get lucky.

I got a lot of compliments on my speech throughout dinner and told I'm going to be a great queen. The most surprising was the praise that came from Jasper. He said he accepted me as his queen and is very lucky to have a queen like me. This impacted me a lot and gave me the reassurance I needed. He and I got off on the wrong foot, and I'm sure that we are taking a step in the right direction to have a good relationship.

"I am so tired," I said with an exhausted sigh falling back onto my bed. Noor had followed me in. I sat up on my elbows to find her staring at me with amusement.

"What?" She came towards me and was now standing over me with an amused smile on her face.

"I adore you." I smiled at this. I decided to close the distance and kiss her. She smiled into the kiss matching mine.

"May I please stay with you tonight? I really do not want to be without you by my side." I pulled back and looked at her. Truly just took in all of her features. Little did she know that I adore her too.

"I would love that." Her eyes started to light up with excitement.

"Yay! I'll be right back; I'm going to go get changed into my pajamas." She kissed me on the cheek and hurried out of the room. I shook my head in amusement at her antics.

It didn't take long for her to be back in my room. We both got under the covers, and she wrapped her arm around my midsection. Her warmth and steady breath lulled me asleep. Her smile and how happy she made me were the last things on my mind.