Royals

Shay

Shay bit her lip, holding back a squeal of excitement. She tossed her phone onto the bed and tied her robe around her tightly, racing to her mother's room. "Mother, guess what!" She stopped short when she realized Tana was not alone. "Oh, sorry," she mumbled, straightening her posture.

"Nonsense, come in darling," Tana waved her in. "Another time, dear," she addressed Jacob, Tana's secondhand man and driver when in the human world. He was trained in combat, though looking at his skinny build, you couldn't tell.

"Of course, my Queen. Princess, always a pleasure." He bowed to the women before taking his leave from the room.

"His Queen," she sang, teasing her mother. It was no secret that over the years since the passing of her father, Jacob and Tana had grown closer. She refused to accept he had grown to care for her romantically, and continuously denied that she felt the same. "Daddy would have wanted you to move on. It's been almost 25 years. You can date."

"Again with this, Shaylee?" Tana sighed, exasperation clear in her voice. "It's not like that with Jacob."

"Or anyone else," Shay stated matter-of-factly.

"It just isn't the time. I've been busy; I had to mourn your father and then..." her voice trailed off, searching for an excuse.

"And then nothing, Mother. I'll be taking over responsibilities as queen in Nerida, giving you that much more time to pursue anyone and anything."

"What did you need, darling?" She questioned, expertly avoiding the topic.

The excited light returned to Shay's eyes as she took a seat at the foot of the bed. "Ty invited me to dinner to meet his Mom!"

"Oh, darling, that's wonderful! Meeting the parent is a big step in the relationship." Tana cheered, clapping her hands in delight.

Shay grimaced. "Friendship. He's engaged, and we're just friends."

"For now," Tana replied, a twinkle in her eye.

"Stay out of it," Shay warned, knowing her mother was every bit as devious as she was beautiful. And goddess was she beautiful. "Anyways," she continued, ignoring the mischievous smile on her mother's face, "I don't know what to wear. Do I have to bring something? What do I bring? I can't cook."

"Goddess help us, please don't try." Tana paled at the thought. Shay knew exactly what she was remembering. At eight years old, royal children began their special lessons. Boys had mandatory lessons in combat and archery, while girls had mandatory lessons in cooking and sewing. While Royals generally never needed to do any of the things they were trained to do, it was mandatory that they learn in the event that something were to occur.

Even at a young age, Shay didn't like the idea that she had to cook just because she was a girl; she wanted to learn to fight. As if it were destiny, disaster struck each time Shay attempted to cook. First, a stove fire, then came a massive explosion (that Shay had secretly done on purpose by mixing certain ingredients together), and by the time Shay served the staff an uncooked meal that had them sick for days, she was banned from the kitchen.

Little Shay had finally been granted permission to do as she pleased – so she trained in combat in between her other lessons of what it would mean to be Queen one day. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape the etiquette classes: how to walk, talk, and act like a royal, but she was content in no longer having to cook.

Shay laughed, shaking her head. "No, I won't. Will you? Please?" She folded her hands under her chin, giving her mother the sweetest smile she could muster.