ARYA

²³ [ 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗯𝘆𝗲 ]

[ 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟮, 𝟮𝟬𝟳𝟯 ]

I softly clicked my jaw as I looked around the room. A small office: dark carpeted rug that evidently hasn't been cared for in years. White walls, simple and most likely not going to catch your attention unless you're looking attentively at your surroundings. Brown rocking chairs, which both I and Levesqe Bure, a Canadian intern student for the African gazette, sat. This moment, it was a big deal to Africa. But to me, it was nothing more than a conversation. Something that I have done millions of times in my nearly seven decades of life. Knowing that within as little as even half a decade, I could no longer be here, I wanted to give an interview just once as Queen. Let the people know who Arya I really is, from her own words.

Levesque, a blonde haired blue eyed Caucasian man with short, hairy, stocky fingers, clasped his hands together as he rocked his chair before me. The ticking of the analog clock on the wall left to me grew louder and louder it seemed; aligning its tick with the thumping of my heart. I waited for Levesque to say something, anything. He was just staring at me. Though it pains me to say it, I must be honest: I felt nothing short of vulnerable. A feeling I haven't experienced in decades.

But, shouldn't I feel that way? I am about to talk about things that the world never knew about me. Probably reminisce on the painful deaths of my mom, aunt, son, brother and dad.

"First and foremost, Your Majesty," Levesque finally spoke, "I would like to thank you for coming here today. I can imagine that in this stage of your life, you find things like this to be tedious." I nodded slowly, smiling. "Not quite," I insisted, "I love interacting with others. It's the only connection that I have to the reality of that of a commoner."

Levesque smiled, "of course," he rocked back and forth, "I understand. Now, before I ask you the deep questions, I would like to just graze the surface of Arya. May I ask how you feel about your reign? When you think of yourself, what phrase or quote comes to mind?" It didn't take me long to answer this specific question. I had always held tight to the Shakespeare quote that emphasizes on burdens of leadership. "Heavy is the head that wears the crown" I spoke softly, staring at Levesque. "Being a leader is not all that one may imagine. There are no off days, you can't pick and choose what matters you face."

Levesque nodded, maintaining eye contact. "I can imagine," he said, "given, you've faced some extreme issues yourself. That poses me with a question: did your influence on sudden LGBT acceptance have to do with your son's coming out?" I shook my head immediately, having trained myself in this particular lie. "My son came out when he knew it was safe," I confirmed. "Me opening the floodgate for the LGBT community, it was for them. For Africa."

"I noticed that this was done so after your aunt's passing" Levesque placed his elbows on his thighs. I ever so slightly raised an eyebrow, "meaning?"