The Reign

2

I think of today's duties while I'm still half asleep. Lately, I have started to understand the real obligations of being queen, queen of Ilea. What dresses am I expected to wear for each event, how to organize them properly (one of the things they taught me and the other selected while we were still competing and has resulted very useful), table manners, handling guests, etc etc etc. Listing everything I have to do and the softness of the bed makes my body paralytic, not one muscle in my body having the desire to move. And then, the bright light from the very big, big windows must I say, completely wake me up.I turn to look if Maxon is still there. His hair for the first time in the history of earth, is somehow disorganized and I notice the strength in his arms. How intact he looks even when he is asleep. "You are staring at me, its creepy." he says still with his eyes closed. "Its romantic" I say, smiling at him and pulling a pillow to hit his head softly. "Hey..." "T's time to wake up your majesty." "As you wish, my queen." He kisses me in the head and runs off to get his clothes. "I have a meeting today. Might not get to lunch early" "Meeting of what?" "Political. There are some laws we need to alter in order to eradicate the castes completely." "I understand." I myself get up from bed and off to my own shower, which is big, everything in the palace is. I take a hot shower and dress up for the day. I sit in front of my mirror and brush my hair, but I expect the maids to come in to do the job at any time now. Lucy doesn't work at the palace any more and I am very happy for her. She and Aspen at last have the life they both deserve. They have been one of the most kind and amazing people in my life. Aspen is still a soldier, but not at the palace anymore and Lucy is making her own shop now. Mary is still my maid and my second maid is called Joan. The first day she came I asked her "How should I call you? How do the people you know call you?" "Call me however you want to miss" "Can I call you Jo?" "Sounds good your majesty" she answered.  Maxon comes in with his towel wrapped below his stomach. He turns toward his wardrobe, showing me the marks in his back, the ones his father did to him. Those marks are the most precious thing to me, they show his courage, his strength when he confronted his father in my name. I suddenly feel dizzy and tired, as if 10 hours of sleep weren't enough for me. My stomach hurts a little too, but I change my face for a smile when Maxon turns to me. He has much to worry, and this shouldn't be any of his concerns. "Ok, I'll see you later dear." "Ok" I stay sitted and pick a dress. After an hour or so Mary and Anne come in. "Oh miss we thought you were still asleep, please let us" Anne says as she takes the pins in the table and turns my hair backwards with them. "Its okay, Anne." My dress is of a cream color without straps and a rose pattern. I look at myself in the mirror and think that I look beautiful, not pale as the first day I stepped at the palace, but with a good skin color not too pale or tanned either. I head off to the women room. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if Queen Amberly was still alive; she was one of the kindest, most graceful and beautiful queens I'd ever seen. I ask myself if she and I would have had an intimate connection, if she would have taught me better how to handle this very difficult job. Queen. Not as simple as it seems, but she made it all seem easier. When I come into the room I sit in the table and start reading, but my head starts aching bad. I don't even know what I'm reading. Everything seems blurry and I can't make out any image. I tell myself to hold still but then I loose it. Black.