SHOW ME MAERIN

I was never an early riser, the upside to having no responsibilities, my presence was never requested in the day to day duties of the royal family.

It was barely 7am the morning after the celebrations and I was already up. I promised Aderryrs the previous night I would show him the rest of the castle and more of maerin's capital that day, it was the only way he would excuse me, but more importantly, I needed to prepare myself to be that close to him for that long.

Ellion, a slim reddish 19 year old boy with beautiful golden hair whom my mother had assigned to be my equerry since i was 7 years old was surprised to find me all dressed up without his help. Ellion and i grew up together, he taught me how to swim and how to sew, for the past 13 years, he has woken me up, bathed me, clothed me, wiped the vomit from my lips when I was ill, he knew me in a way my family and even Celie didn't. However he was still a sub-ordinate, he knew where the line was and choose to stay there.

"Are we going to war ?"

"What! No" I replied while fixing my collar in front of my massive gold mirror.

"why are you up with the rest of the palace ?"

"I will be showing a lord from the fell around today"

"The Queen asked you to ?"

"No...I just....can you help me ?" I asked holding my collar out to him. He quickly walk over. "Why are you so shocked Ellie I do have royal duties"

"What royal duties ?" Ellie replied with a sarcastic smile. "the last time you woke up before me was when your highness was sworn in as queen...12 years ago"

"Well how would you know, I could have woken up and gone back to sleep." He furrowed his brow and scoffed at my reply

"You're acting weird today your majesty." He said as he finished up with collar

"What's weird about waking up and getting dressed, aren't you proud, a fine example for people of maerin."

"Am something alright, am not sure proud is what I'd use to describe it."

I grabbed my coat and went straight for the door, ignoring his sarcastic statement.

"Won't you have breakfast ?"

"When I return." I replied as i dashed out of my room. It was important I made a good first impression or was I just eager to see his face again i asked myself as I ran down the massive hallway of the Queens chambers.

I was the only one of her children who still stayed in her chambers. Mother's chambers had a total of 12 rooms, only family members and those closest to the Queen were allowed in her chambers. My siblings immediately moved to their own chambers at the age of 18 when they were crowned, but I never saw the need to, I loved being close to mother and father.

I had night terrors for years and they were the only ones who brought me comfort, they would hear me scream and run to my room which was right next to theirs, eventually I began to sleep with them and did so for almost 2 years. I knew how tasking it was on mother and father, staying up all night, tending to me, reading me stories, patting my back, singing lullabies, sometimes i couldn't sleep all night, when morning came, I would fall asleep, but they would go off to rule the kingdom. They didn't have to, we had wet nurses and the best nannies in all of maerin, but they did.

When the night terrors finally stopped, I moved into my own room down the hall from mother and father's room, and I just never saw the point of moving again.

I hurried down the hallway, eager to see Lord aderryrs again, imagining multiple scenarios of how the day might go.

"Leoll!" Mother called as i made a turn past her powder room, i turned back quickly with a shrug and entered the room.

"Mother....father....good morning." they seemed pretty bubbly, sharing a laugh as mother got dressed, that was pretty much their mornings, father spent most of his mornings in mother's powder room and they would gossip like the town girls, again at the end of the day, they were truly best friends.

"You look pretty fine my dear" father said

"where are you going in such a rush?" mother added

"I promised lord aderryrs I'd show him the palace today."

"Is that lord xetes son ?"

"Mother...you met him yesterday"

"I met a lot of people yesterday leoll, forgive me if i don't remember your crush," she replied as she and father burst into laughter.

"Whoa! Mother! Where did that come from"

"It's a good thing you too are getting close," she continued with a lot of enthusiasm. "good for maerin and the fell too"

"I don't have a crush on him mother, that's preposterous, I just figured I'd be...."

".....Leoll honey, we don't care." father cut in, inciting even more laughter between both of them. I stood there completely perplexed by their outrageous mockery of my effort.

"I'll take my leave" I calmly said, turning away from them.

"Leoll, come on now, take a laugh with your parents"

"It's not funny father"

"Ok! ok! we'll stop," mother said as she fixed her hair. "Princess xindra arrives today at noon"

"Who is she?"

"Lord xetes's daughter, apparently she couldn't make it yesterday for personal reasons, she will join us at dinner tonight, I hear she is a sight"

"Good to know mother"

"You should show her the palace too." Mother continued, bursting into more laughter, father wheezing while clinging onto mother.

I turned and left the room. I love my parents but they were so annoying...A lot of times.

I stood on the veranda of the quarters assigned to fellians contemplating my decision to show lord aderryrs around the palace and maerin. Any palace court could do this I said to myself, I was nervous, eager and a little ashamed, ashamed of the idea I might have a crush on him, my parents laughter ringing in my ear. I turned to leave but it was too late, lord Aderryrs stood before me.

"Good morning your majesty." he said with a pretty smile, dressed in a red and silver garment, he wore black eyeliner and his lips were tinted. Accompanied with a gold nose ring to match his gold necklace.

"Lord aderryrs, a good nights rest i presume?"

"Barely."

"Unfortunate. Why if I may ask"

"Couldn't stop thinking about today," He boldly replied, and once again the need to not look in his eyes surged and i looked away. "So, where are you whisking me away to first"

"Would you like to see our army train ?"

"Ugh! Where is the beauty in that," he drew closer placing both his hands on my shoulders. "show me maerin your majesty."