The King's Right Hand (Sample)

Chapter 1 (Part 2)

The party was ending, and people were leaving, taking goodie bags of food and drinks while I waited for Tamyen to finish talking so I could speak to him. When he noticed that I was waiting, I saw him wrap up with the men standing around him. We met halfway, and I almost didn't know what to say to him until I considered how serious this was.

"Why didn't you talk to me about this first?" I asked. To say I was nervous and worried is an understatement, not just for myself but for Tamyen; some may question his leadership like they questioned his father's. Our planet is not as understanding of breaking the rules, and though the rule is unspoken, there has only been one other woman to take on this title, and she went missing.

"It was a surprise. Don't stress about it tonight; join the morning meeting," Tamyen said, leading me out of the now-empty ballroom. We were walking outside when I agreed to try it out, and he thanked me, informing me that he was heading back to the castle to sleep. I had already told Karna to wait in the car, but she was making out with Roi when I arrived. Tapping the window, they both jumped, and he hurried out, apologizing, but I told him it was okay. As we drove off, I noticed Tamyen waiting for me to get in the car; he waved goodbye as we headed for the gates. On the ride home, I thought about Tamyen and me dancing and how it was silent momentarily. Karna was staying at my place tonight, so we both got ready for bed and cuddled, watching an Ishome drama that Karna is obsessed with.

The bright light shining in my room made me wake up looking around for Karna. It was six thirty am, and she had the curtains open, making noise in my bathroom. She walked out of the bathroom, already dressed for her day, telling me it was time to get up. Karna was a culinary chef with some very punctual clients, so she was always up early. On the other hand, I only wake up early when I have training or a meeting. Then it dawned on me that I met with Tamyen this morning at seven am by the text he sent me. Sluggishly getting out of bed, I headed to the closet, found something to wear, and opted for a pair of blue jeans and a white button-up shirt. It didn't take me too long to get ready as I headed out the door; when I got to my car, it felt like someone was watching me, but when I looked back, no one was there. Ignoring the feeling, I went to the castle, returned to the west wing, and parked my car. When I entered the building, I passed the ballroom and down the hall to the meeting room. When I opened the meeting room door, the eight castle court members were already seated, waiting for Tamyen. Castle court members are also a big part of the castle; they help with decision-making about laws that affect health, education, and safety. These eight men have a sworn duty to help protect and ensure the safety of the people and keep the king educated about any small changes in daily life. Ken and Roi entered, sitting beside me, and slowly behind them was Tamyen. The meeting started, and Tamyen reviewed a few minor details about adjustments he made to the island work week. Instead of people working every day, people will rather have four-day work weeks with higher pay. Tamyen had taken the time to learn how the work week affected people's mental and physical health, so he and the castle court members brainstormed these ideas. Seeing a king my age who understood these things better was refreshing. Yes, Tamyen's father was a great king, but he had an older way of doing things, and it was time for a change.

"Now that we're done reviewing that, I would like to introduce you all to my guards, Ken and Roi, and your new right hand Davine Rihan." The men looked at us; surprisingly, there were only a few disproving faces. One man stood up and bowed to Tamyen before speaking.

"Sir, I understand you are trying to change things, but isn't this extreme?" He asked, looking directly at me when he spoke. No lie, it was weird to sit here listening to these men talk about how this idea was terrible, and though I was strong, being right hand was against the order of things. Tamyen folded his arms, allowing the other men that agreed to speak their peace and express their feelings.