The Queen

Chapter 33:

I rolled over, expecting to see Maxon right beside me, but I didn't. I lied there, wrapped up in the warm covers when it occurred to me.

We were visiting Tammins today.

I rushed up out of bed, and steadied myself; the room was spinning. Once the dizziness went away, I raced into my closet to get a dress. The maids had packed for me again, and I was greatly thankful.

Lucy walked in, surprised to see me. "America, I thought you were gone already!"

"Nope, not yet." I said, rushing to find my other shoe. "Thank you so much for packing. It's made this easier."

"Of course." she said, pulling me to the bathroom.

"Really, I can do my hair myself." I said as she sat my down in front of the mirror.

"You can do your hair, but I can do it faster." She got to work, weaving and pinning strands of my hair until they were all pulled up in twisty bun sort of thing. She grabbed a tiara from my jewelry box, and carefully placed it on my head.

"Thanks so much." I said, standing up and beginning to leave.

"Wait, I need to so your makeup!" Lucy called, running after me.

I shook my head. "No makeup today; I have to go."

I walked briskly down the hall, being careful not to rush too much. I got to the dining hall where Maxon was just getting up from his meal.

"Why didn't you wake me up?'" I asked, approaching Maxon and crossing my arms.

"You see, uh..." he began with a sheepish look on his face. "I did, but you told me that you wanted to sleep longer. And when I tried to get you up again, you threw a pillow at me."

I held back a laugh. "I don't remember that. I was probably still half-asleep."

"Well, it's good that you're up now." he laughed, wrapping his arm around my waist. I smiled brightly at him and together, we walked to the front of the palace where the familiar black car was waiting for us.

"Is it all right if you eat on the plane?" Maxon asked, worried.

I laughed. "Of course it is!"

"I'm sorry I didn't wake you up." Maxon said quietly.

"You are forgiven, but if you do it again, the consequences will be immense." I joked.

Maxon's eyes lit up, but he put on a fake serious look. "Yes, my queen." he said, bowing his head and laughing.

He looked up at me, and our eyes locked for a couple of seconds. He put his hand on my cheek, and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and sighed into the kiss. His lips were soft and he smelled faintly of vanilla.

"How." I said, between kisses. "Many times have we done this?"

I could feel Maxon smiling as he continued to kiss me. "I don't know." he said. "But I love it. I love you."

"I love you too." I whispered, pulling away from the kiss. I put my head in the crook of my husband's neck, and closed my eyes.
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"Are we going to be there soon?" I asked a flight attendant.

"We're almost there, Your Majesty. " he replied, smiling brightly. "We've just finished crossing over Zuni, so we'll be at the airport in roughly an hour."

"Thank you." I said, as the flight attendant walked away. Maxon was sitting across from me, reading a book. I couldn't see the title, so I bent down in my seat to take a glance at the spine. Maxon looked up from his book and laughed at me. I got back up and he shook his head, smiling.

"What are you doing?" he said, still smiling.

I smoothed out my dress and smiled too. "I was looking at your book." I said, trying to suppress a laugh. "I couldn't see the title, an I didn't want to bug you."

Maxon laughed some more and put a bookmark in his book and closed it. "My book is called, 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'."

"I've never heard of that book before." I said, trying to get a better look at the front cover.

"It's very old. I think this is one of the last copies in Illéà, if not the world."

"Woah." I said, and Maxon's face lit up. "Is it good?"

"Very." he replied. He thought for a moment. "Would you like me to read it to you?" I nodded eagerly and Maxon flipped to the very beginning of the book. "Once, there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy...." he began. I leaned back into my chair and listened to my husband read.
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The plane shuddered slightly as it landed on the strip. I sighed as we taxied around the tarmac and stopped in the spot we were getting off.

Tammins was only two provinces east of Angeles, and it was August, so it was sunny and nice outside, and I was glad I wore a lighter dress. The seatbelt sign flicked off and Maxon and I unbuckled our seatbelts and stood up. I stretched my hands up over my head and yawned, tired from the flight. I walked into the aisle and into the part of the plane right in front of the cockpit, and the captain gave me a wink, which I ignored. I walked into the connecter with Maxon in tow, and tiredly walked into the gate.

Maxon put a hand on my arm. "You look extremely tired."

I yawned again. "You've got that right." I said, slouching.

Maxon put his hands on my shoulders, supporting me, and leaned close, so his forehead was only inches away from mine. "Are you ok?" he whispered in an urgent voice. "We can go home. Or we can stay here. Whatever you want, I only want you to be happy and ok."

I nodded, and put my head on Maxon's shoulder. "I'll be fine. It's just the jet lag, and the baby, and-" I could feel the tears welling up. I covered my face with my hands and looked down, embarrassed.

"Shhh, shhhhh." Maxon said, trying to soothe me. He pulled me into a hug, and stoked my hair. "It'll be ok. Let's go." He took my hand and led me to the car that was taking us to the hotel.

We rode in silence, my head resting against Maxon's shoulder. When we got out, we walked up to our room and I flopped down on the bed. Maxon lied down beside me, and stroked my hair.

"What's on your mind?" he asked, turning toward me.

I rolled over to face him. "Everything." I groaned. "Like I said; the jet lag, the baby, the stress of being queen, just everything." I sighed and rolled over on my back, rubbing my temples.

Maxon rolled over too, and put a hand on my tummy. "Hey," he began, smiling. "You've got me. We'll get through this together. I can't help you with the tiredness from the baby, but I'm always there to comfort you when you need it. And I know exactly how you feel. Ruling a nation is one of the hardest jobs, and I'm always wondering if I'm doing it right. Close your eyes." he said, getting up.

He pulled the covers up on top of me and laid down beside me. My eyes still closed, he stroked my hair, relaxing me.

"Go to sleep. You'll feel better in the morning." he said, barely a whisper. I drifted off, the stress and tiredness seeming to melt away.