The Blonde Librarian

Simone grabbed her books and headed from the apprentice dormitories to the library. Her journey to gather copies of books from other towns had been a resounding success.

Although the main publishers of books were in Klain, many of the outlying areas had compiled their own genealogies and histories, as well as maps. 

She had also gathered volumes to send to Ceto as part of the book exchange program she had suggested to the visiting dignitaries ten years ago. 

She'd only been eleven at the time, and incredibly presumptuous, but the man's wife, Naomi, had taken an incredible interest in her and written to King/Commodore Roland to suggest that she, Simone, spearhead the book exchange! 

It was an unprecedented honor for any apprentice, let alone one so young. She now wrote to Naomi regularly, to see what kinds of books each nation was requesting, and facilitated the making and sending of copies for the purpose. 

Oftentimes, Queen Serafina herself would come to see her and deliver them! She had spent many hours in both the public and private Treasurer's libraries researching various topics, so all the apprentices knew her on sight and made way for her, but it was an incredible honor for Simone to get the personal attention of such a lady. 

The Queen had made an appointment to come in this morning, and Simone didn't want to be late to meet her! 

She placed her books on a clear table, looking about to make sure her work area was spotless. She'd arrived back in Klain yesterday and had worked furiously to ensure that no fault could be found with her organization or cleanliness. Everything was perfect… except that a man was leaning against her work area, ankles crossed, arms folded. 

He'd haphazardly deposited his knapsack of personal possessions on her table. 

Simone cleared her throat quietly, hoping the light-haired man would take the hint that he needed to give her space. 

He wasn't a library regular or she would recognize him. He was clean-shaven and dressed well, but there was something wild about him. Perhaps the disrespectful way he was leaning on her designated workplace.

The man's back was to her, but he turned when she cleared her throat. Handsome and younger than she'd first thought, she was momentarily stunned into silence. 

It seemed he was similarly struck dumb by her appearance, his mouth falling agape. A blush crept up her neck to have such an attractive man staring at her so openly, until he spoke. 

"It's you!" He declared, his voice full of unmerited and confusing disdain. 

His voice. She blinked. That incredibly rude, bearded man from the inn! 

"Why are you here?" She demanded in return, standing to her full height. 

"I'm waiting for someone, not that it's any of your business," He eyed her with disdain. 

"Do you have to wait while leaning on my workstation?" She snapped, "I'm expecting an important guest!" 

"Your workstation?" The man blinked in sudden alarm. "You don't mean you work here?" 

"Yes, and I happen to be waiting for Queen Serafina to meet with me on some vital Klain business!" Simone glared at him. 

All right, so the book exchange wasn't exactly vital to the kingdom, but the queen was coming to meet with her. Surely that would scare off this rude stranger! 

"Oh no," He said, bringing a hand up to cover his eyes. "Please no." 

"It's true!" Did he not believe her? 

"I sincerely hope you're joking," He moved his hand down to fix her with a firm gaze. 

"I'm not! The queen meets with me regularly!" She bragged, exaggerating a little. Occasionally was not exactly regularly.

"This is terrible," The man said cryptically. Likely he was upset with himself for making an enemy out of the Queen's close personal friend… well, working acquaintance anyway.

But the queen did seem fond of Simone! Anyone should feel bad making an enemy out of her! 

"Yes, it would be terrible for you to interrupt our meeting, so you'd better leave before she–" The lady in question strode through the door, and Simone straightened her shoulders. "She's here! Go away." The last instructions were whispered out of the side of Simone's mouth as she pasted a smile on her face to greet the queen. 

"I'm afraid I can't," The man sighed heavily, moving toward the important guest. What was he doing?? 

"Shayn!" The queen rushed forward to kiss the man on the cheek, "I'm so sorry I'm late, the children–"

"Don't worry about it, Finn," He grinned at her. "I get it." 

Simone froze at the intimate way they addressed each other. The queen kissed him on the cheek! He called her 'Finn'! 

She stared in horror, realizing that it wasn't him who should be afraid of making an enemy out of her. It was quite the reverse. 

"I see you've already met Simone!" The queen turned to her, and the younger woman hastened to put on a bright smile of welcome. "She's been invaluable to Naomi and I in coordinating the book exchange and coalescing the mapping of the three kingdoms." 

"Good Morning, Your Highness," Simone's chin rose with the queen's generous praise, and she darted a small triumphant look at the man—Shayn. The look of amusement he'd worn while greeting the queen faded into irritation. 

"None of the formalities, please, Simone. I'm glad you two are already here getting along. Shayn, as you probably already know, is my stepbrother." Serafina went on, and Simone's triumph crashed to the ground. She'd horribly offended the queen's dear relative! 

"We met briefly on the road on the way to Klain," Simone explained, trying to gloss over the animosity. "He… helped me pick up some books I had dropped." 

"How gallant of you, Shayn! I'm pleased to see your mother's lessons on manners didn't go to waste!" Finn praised him. 

He flinched, and Simone smothered a grin, remembering her jab about his mother not teaching him proper manners at the inn. 

"Yes, I'm sure she'll love hearing all about my manners," He managed with a smile while shooting a warning look at the librarian. "Tell me Finn, is Simone who I'm supposed to be working with on the mapping for the next several months?" 

Alarms went off in Simone's head, and she stared at Shayn with wide eyes. Was he joking? Surely he was joking. This had to be some cruel—

"Yes, and I'm thrilled that you've already met before. It will make working together so much easier!" Clearly the queen was delusional, but Simone couldn't correct her on such a point. "Simone, we're having a party tonight to welcome back my wayward stepbrothers–" 

Ah, so the other man must also be the queen's stepbrother.

"--And since you've met them before, we would love for you to attend tonight! Please say you don't have anything else to do?" 

The invitation caught Simone completely off guard and she stuttered. A party? With the queen? She stuttered. 

"Um… I…" She looked at Shayn with concern.

"She's very busy with work," Shayn offered. "I'm sure that…" 

"Nonsense! She can't be kept working all the time, she just got back from her own journey! You two can plan out the work today before the party and then use it as a break." Serafina nodded. "It's at Riley–The General's–house. If you don't know where that is, Shayn can escort you. Are you staying there with your brother, or at our parents' house while you're here?" She turned back to her stepbrother. 

Of course. Of COURSE the man Simone had run into and aggravated so much was the General's brother. 

"Riley's horde is adorable, but loud. I'm opting for quiet." Shayn grinned as Serafina laughed.

"Good choice, though I do love all their sweet babies. Speaking of which, I need to get home to my own before their lessons are done!" She gestured a guard forward who was holding a stack of books. "Simone, these are the latest brought from Ceto. I take it the stack on the table is what you gathered from the townships?" 

"Yes, I think I managed to get everything requested," Simone straightened her shoulders at the accomplishment, though she was still reeling from the party invitation that she was apparently not allowed to decline. 

"Wonderful. You always do such a great job. Thank you for all your help. I'm sure Roland and the rest of the Council will greatly appreciate your work together moving forward. I'll see you both tonight at the party!" 

The queen's guard exchanged one stack of books for another and followed her out the door, leaving the younger people alone in awkward silence. 

Simone had a hundred questions, but none could quite find their way up her throat. She wanted to crawl into a hole and pull the hole in over herself. 

Shayn apparently didn't have the same problem, for he spoke as soon as the queen and her guard were out of earshot.

"Why did you lie to her?" He demanded.