In Search of a Queen

Chapter 4

Now that he had a girl for his father to meet, Charles was able to return to lessons with Sawyer, worries dispelled. He still had hopes for somehow making Augustus king instead of himself, so he decided not to think on what would happen when his remaining two and a half weeks were over.

For the past three nights he had taken his meals with Nahia, enjoying having her company in the hours when he and Sawyer could not be together, and the two were quickly becoming good friends. They shared an amazing number of interests, and the complete lack of tension or concern that one would develop feelings for the other made it easy for them to feel comfortable in each other's presence. Charles had never been so completely content with his life before; in the mornings when he awoke he had his lesson with Sawyer to look forward to, and after that ended he still had dinner with Nahia. She had been lending him the books she had brought with her on the trip, and he would devour them over the course of an evening, glued to his armchair until sleep finally claimed him late into the night. He would then lend the book to Sawyer the next day, who had already finished half of the books Charles had given him. He had also been delighted to discover that she had brought a dictionary along with her, which Sawyer took with him in the evenings to help him with words he did not know during the times he was not able to ask Charles the meaning.

"Charles," Nahia asked, wiping the corner of her mouth to ensure no fat from that night's roast duck was glistening there. "What do you do to amuse yourself when you are not with me?"

"Well, in the evenings I read the books you have lent me, and then if I finish them that same night I sleep the next day until Sawyer has finished with his work."

Nahia gave him a confused look. "Sawyer? Who is Sawyer?" It struck Charles that, somehow, he had neglected to mention his friend over the course of their discussions. He thought of how to explain the situation.

"Well, he is one of the servants in the house," he said conversationally, as if there was no strangeness in a prince befriending a laborer. "And I've been giving him reading lessons. He was the only person I talked to here before I met you." He thought for a moment and then added, "I've been lending him your books. I hope you don't mind, but he's been reading everything I give him so quickly, I didn't know what else to do."

"Oh, of course I don't mind, Charles!" Nahia chirped. "I certainly would like to meet him, though! You are the only person I've spoken so much as a word to since I've been here. The way those other ladies acted towards you and each other on that first day was enough to make me realize there wouldn't be much hope of me getting along with any of them," she laughed. "But Charles, you must introduce us!"

Charles beamed. "I most certainly will! I'll ask him to accompany us at dinner tomorrow evening.

~~~~

"Sawyer, would you be available to join me for dinner tonight? I'd very much like you to meet my friend Nahia." Sawyer looked up from the book he had open on his lap, finger still resting on the word "tongue" - it simply made no sense.

"Nahia? I don't believe you've mentioned her to me before."

"No, for some reason I haven't." Charles had been so preoccupied with each friend at the time that he'd forgotten to mention the other. "I only just mentioned you to her at dinner yesterday evening. I don't know why it never crossed my mind for the two of you to meet before now." A rather unpleasant thought struck Charles. "And, since my father will be arriving in only a few days' time, there won't be many more chances for the three of us to dine together."

"So, you've been seeing her often, then?" Charles turned to look at Sawyer, whose eyes were once again focused on his task.

"I suppose," Charles answered slowly, a bit put off by Sawyer's lack of an answer. "I do need to have a girl with me to satisfy the king, and she seemed the best of the lot." He tried to return to the original aim of the conversation. "Do you think you could take time off of work this evening?"