The Queen's Guard

Chapter 24

Freya had arrived an hour before the ball was supposed to start. She had brought four young maids to help her, and one of them handed Ryder a suit and then shoved him back into his room.

He dressed quickly—the suit was all black, from the pants to the shirt to the jacket. He did his best to straighten the cuffs and smooth his hair, and since no one had told him he had to stay in his room, he stepped out.

The door to Juliet's washroom was shut, and he could hear soft murmurings coming from behind it. Only one of the servant girls was still in her bedroom—the one who had handed him the suit—and she immediately tutted over his appearance and moved him to sit in front of Juliet's extra mirror.

She started combing his dark hair carefully, and Ryder straightened his cuffs again, glancing at the washroom through the mirror.

The maid started rubbing something sticky through his hair and gently moved the hair over his forehead so it looked different than it had before.

"What do you think?" She asked, looking pleased.

Ryder couldn't really see anything too different, but she was beaming, so he nodded. "Looks great."

Apparently he wasn't convincing enough, because she snorted and started picking up her things.

Ryder got up and paced in front of the door, tucking his hands in his pockets to keep himself from running them through his hair.

The maid looked up from what she was doing, a small frown creasing her eyebrows. "Are you nervous?"

He glanced at her. "Why would I be nervous?"

She snorted again and planted her hands on her hips. "Maybe because you're going to crash the queen's birthday ball with the queen? Maybe because you're about to make the regent so angry that she'll spike your head on the gate if she catches you? Maybe because you're afraid of loosing the queen?"

He glared at her. "Thank you. I needed that reminder."
Shrugging, she went back to packing her things. "Just trying to distract you."
"By pointing out all of the things I'm nervous about?"

She didn't answer, and he resumed his pacing, keeping one eye on the clock.

They had planned to be late, so Ryder wasn't too worried when eight o'clock came and went.

Ten minutes after the hour chimed, the door to the washroom opened. Ryder turned on his heel.

"Are you—"

The words died in his throat as Juliet stepped into the room. Dimly, he was aware of Freya and the other maids slipping out behind her, smiling faintly, but he was focused completely on Juliet.

She gave him a small smile and turned around slowly. "What do you think?"
Her dress was the same light blue as her eyes, and the skirt was wide, brushing either side of the door. There was a shorter, sheer layer over it that led into her bodice, which was embroidered with silver and sparkles in an intricate design. There were thin straps over her shoulders, not even wider than his finger, and another set was draped over her upper arms and embroidered with the same design as the bodice. Her hair was half twisted up, spilling down her back, several silver pins sparkling in it that matched the tiara perched on her head. They'd painted something on her eyelids and lips that accented her natural beauty.

Ryder made an effort to shut his mouth and swallowed as he took her in again. "You look...you look wonderful."

She smiled again and stepped forward. She was almost as tall as him—she must have been wearing heels. "You don't look so bad yourself," She said quietly, and offered him her arm.

He took it and led her to the door, only looking back once to nod his thanks to Freya and the servants. They were all smiling as they watched him escort the queen out the door.

"Are you nervous?" He asked as they walked through the deserted hallway. She looked at him sideways, the small smile still on her face.

"I'm terrified," She admitted, her voice light. "They were putting my hair back, and painting my face, and my hands were shaking. And then..." She bit her lip. "And then they put this crown on me, and I looked in the mirror and realized that I'm the Queen of Trilea. So even if I'm terrified, I have to do what's best for my kingdom."

"And what's best for your kingdom is crashing your birthday ball," Ryder said. She laughed, the sound that Ryder cherished so.

They turned a corner and then they were in front of the intricate double doors that led to the ballroom. Ryder heard Juliet take a deep breath, and they approached the doors.

Krow was standing to the left of the doors, and another guard was on the right. He glanced between the queen, Ryder, and Krow, blinking a few times as if he couldn't understand what he was seeing.

"Your Majesty." Krow knelt, bowing his head. The other guard hastily followed suit, keeping his eyes on the high guard as he stood. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you," Juliet said with a warm smile. "I understand that I'm a little late?"

"Only a bit." Krow moved over, one hand on the door handle. He shot the lower guard a look. "Open the door for Her Majesty."

The guard turned red, glancing at the queen again. "She's...she's not on the list, sir," He squeaked.

Krow raised an eyebrow. "It's her birthday, Nate. And she's the queen. Let her through."

The guard squeaked again but put his hand on the other door handle, and at a nod from Juliet, they pulled the doors open and Ryder and Juliet stepped through.

They were standing at the top of a staircase that led down to the ballroom floor, which was full of Lords and Ladies in fancy dress. An orchestra was set up along one side of the room, playing a simple waltz. Several chandeliers glittered from the ceiling, and the windows were two stories high, letting in the starlight.

There was a man standing on the side of the doors, holding what looked to be a trumpet. He jumped when he spotted Juliet and Ryder before hastily standing up straight.

"I'm sorry," He said. "You're late, which means I can't announce who you are."

Juliet raised a delicate eyebrow at him, an amused smile playing at her lips. "Do you know who I am, steward?"

His eyes flicked to her crown before widening. "You're—Queen Juliet?" He dropped into a startled bow, and when he straightened, his face was a bit pale. "Queen Regent Clarisse said you wouldn't be attending tonight."

"Clarisse was mistaken." Juliet glanced at the ballroom. "I'm sure no one would mind if they paused the music so you can announce our arrival."

"Uh...yes, Your Majesty. What is your guest's name?"

"Lord Ryder Tate," Juliet replied, turning towards the stairs. She discreetly squeezed Ryder's arm, and he did the same in reply. He took a quiet deep breath, to settle his nerves, as the steward trilled his trumpet and the music stopped after a moment.

Everyone turned towards the stairs. Against the south wall, Ryder spotted a deep red dress, blonde hair, and a heavy golden crown. Clarisse.

"Presenting," The steward said, his voice echoing around the room so everyone could hear. "Lord Ryder Tate, and Her Majesty Queen Juliet."

The next two chapters are about the ball and they're two of my favorites ☺️
Thank you all so much for reading!