The Queen

"Good morning, your highness. The council elders await you to grace their eyes with your everlasting presence."

The Queen was seated with her legs crossed on the elegant gold rimmed dresser stool. Her wine red gown trailed behind her, leaving part of her upper leg exposed.

The gown was a long sleeved gown with a bodice and a modest cut neckline, grace all through the plush silly material with small flowers made of pearls and diamonds. She didn't wear big gowns like most queens, but gowns that were made just for her body, one that showed off her curves like the young, crazily attractive woman she was.

On her head was a crown, one that showed her high status and respect. She didn't turn to him, just gave a small nod. The door man nodded and moved away, bowing all through and making sure not to turn his back to her.

The Queen was the definition of grace and feminine magical allure, one that was bound to enchant and hold captive. Her eyes graced with long, thick curved lashes, boasted light brown beautiful pools of mystery and royalty. Her small nose, pointed, was the perfect side attraction before you got to the work of art her lips were. So red they looked like they had been dipped in red paste, plum at the bottom and small at the top, it looked like a perfect rosebud.

"Your highness. I will now put up your veil."

She nodded. She always wore the veil to shield her face, but no one knew the reason why. Rumors had spread trying to justify it, but none had been worked through and as time passed, the people just learned to accept that their queen was extremely conservative with her face.

Only her hand maiden saw her, and she was a strict old woman who had served her mother before her. The woman let down the veil, same color of her dress and rimmed with diamonds too.

The handmaiden bowed, and left, leaving a plate of grapes on the dresser. The Queen loved to eat them whenever she could, so it was always around. She popped one in her mouth and closed her eyes. She called it her second love the first being the duo of her parents. A knock came and she rolled her eyes.

"Come in."

The same door man came in, his hand clasped in front of him and bowed. "Your highness, the elders are annoyed and wish to see you immediately."

She cleared her throat. "Say that again. Slowly."

.

His eyes widened, but he managed to say the same words he had the first time. "Your highness, the elders are annoyed and wish to see you immediately."

She nodded this time. "What is your name?" Her voice was a calm, soft one, that made her words look like she was breathing rather than speaking.

"My name is Donald, your highness "

She nodded. "Who do you serve?"

He cleared his throat. "Only you, your highness."

She nodded again, this time turning around to look at him, keeping her legs crossed and her hands resting on her knee elegantly. "Why do you serve me, Donald?"

He blinked hard, the obvious answer hard to say. Of course he served her because of her status, and he decided to say it. "You are the sovereign ruler of this Kingdom. It is mandatory to serve and be loyal to you."

She nodded, then stood. "Sovereign, meaning No one is above me?"

He nodded. "No one is above your highness."

She gave a smile. "Then everyone can wait for me, right?"

"Everyone should wait for your highness, no matter how long your graciousness decides to take."

She smiled, then. "Donald, can you repeat that to everyone?"

"Your Highness's wish is my command." He bowed, and walked away, knowing he would meet an uproar, yet not ready to risk the Queen's anger.

"The Queen is the sovereign ruler of this Kingdom, the rivers on it, the mountains, the animals and what is between the sky and the earth here. Therefore, everyone is obligated to wait for her majesty, no matter how long her majesty decides to take." He said simply, and took his position at her door.

The elders watched each other in awe, each waiting for the other to speak or protest, yet none was quite bold enough. "What is the Queen doing?"

Donald cleared his throat. "Her highness is taking her time." He answered and left them to go back to her door.

The door led to a mini palace, where urgent matters were laid out before her, and then a door from there led to her chambers. She smiled to herself hearing his declaration. She wasn't going to meet the council elders. Not now, not the next day, not ever, as long as they didn't have anything else to talk about, apart from her apparent lack of a partner.

She was handling the kingdom well enough, without one, and if she didn't find one she genuinely liked, all the jewelry studded princes that always came to drop unsolicited gifts wouldn't catch her attention.

She was more than a lottery, she was a Queen, but she didn't need to explain that to anyone. If her home, dress and crown couldn't convince them she needed more than a political partner that would help her produce royal babies, then she didn't have time to convince them either.

She was the Queen, and they had to bow before her. Whether they wanted to, or not.

"You see that? They were in the main palace now, each fuming.

Most of them had eligible bachelor sons they somehow wanted to coax the queen to end up with, so they would strengthen their political power. Naturally, she was the object of hate since she resisted.

"She became the Queen of the Kingdom so young. At 19 years of age. Is that not where this disrespect and lack of responsibility is stemming from? If she was a bit older, and had a bigger sense of her own, she would be more responsible towards the process of keeping the royal seat of this Kingdom in check by getting married and producing an heir." The elder seated closest to the thrones said.

They were Lords of the different cities of the Kingdom, and the ones farther away were smaller governors. Together, they made up the council.

"Of course it is my responsibility to bring an heir. And to bring the heir forth from the person i want and decide to bear children for. All of it is my choice. Not yours, Lord Lucas, I assure you." All of them turned to the entrance where her unmistakable voice had come from.

Lord Lucas blinked, cleared his throat then gave a small bow. "Your highness."

The remaining Lords and Governors immediately followed suit.

"Lord Lucas, Your knees."

He raised his head in surprise. "What do you mean, your majesty?"

She shrugged, then walked to the throne as two handmaidens graced her steps with scented petals. "I want you to get down on your knees and bow to your Queen."

Young? Did he call her young, senseless and irresponsible? He had never liked her, and before her coronation, had even tried to make the king makers reconsider. The blood had been hers, and the throne too.

"Your highness, please forgive him." The prime Minister intervened, giving Lord Lucas a nudge, so he would ask for forgiveness.

"I apologize your majesty. It won't..."

"Kneel, Lord Lucas. Kneel before your Queen."

Lord Lucas raised his head to her in a menacing glare and she mirrored it. They were at the inevitable junction and she knew it wasn’t going to end here, even as he dropped to his knees in front of her.