Chapter 2
It felt like my heart just stopped. There is no way he could be here. He was newly coronated as Prince of Tyrais. His clan was the second wealthiest and most prosperous after mine. The only reason why he could be here was if he was going to ask me to marry him. Other than that, he would ask to use my army to help him in a battle. But besides those two, I can’t think of anything else.
I realized then that my birthday was soon, and turning 20, especially for a queen is a huge accomplishment. I haven’t seen Razaun in almost 7 years. I was so excited about hearing that news, that I rushed out of the throne room, put on my best clothes, and went outside the palace, to greet him and the people who came with him also.
I stood there with a bunch of guards and a couple of servants. Around me were lines of citizens waiting for his entrance. Razaun doesn’t play loud and annoying sirens for his entrances. Instead, he plays loud yet joyful music. Finally, his chariots arrived, and I was overflowing with excitement. He stepped out of the chariot and bowed down.
“Get up, Razaun,” I said, lifting him, “You don’t need to bow down every time you see me.”
“Well, it has been almost 7 years,” He said, kissing my hand, “It would be rude of me not to bow to the queen of Araya.”
“If you think so,” I said, “Why don’t I show you around the new and improved kingdom and palace?”
“I would be greatly honored for the queen to show me around.” He said still holding my hand
We first entered the palace doors, They closed and shut out the joyful noise that was still going on outside. I was a bit nervous, but I came to my original self after a while. Razaun was someone I could talk to. I never saw him as competition, but I now see him as an ally. It might’ve been different when we were kids but now we are adults. Queens and Princes. Ruling prosperous nations. Living the dream life.
We walked around the kingdom and I showed him around the palace. We talked about our kingdoms and I protested how King Aplan was bothering me again. I didn’t know if Razaun was listening, but It felt good to talk to someone about everything that was going on in my life. It was about 10:00 at night and we were able to find a nice grassy area in a field. We lay down and looked up at the stars and continued to talk about what was going on in the past 7 years.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen this kingdom,” He said, “You know, I’ve had multiple dreams of ruling over this area. It would be phenomenal.”
“Excuse me,” I asked, “And did you have a partner to help you rule all of this? Or do you somehow know how to rule two kingdoms at once?”
“I had someone with me,” He said looking up at the stars, “She looked a lot like you.”
My heart started racing. I didn’t know what to say in this situation. Nothing like that ever happened to me before. I was shocked, and I started to blush a little. His skin glistened in the glow of the moon. And man does he look gorgeous.
“Well, that’s interesting,” I said, “What else happened?”
“Well, we were married,” He said with no hesitation, “And I kept on having that dream. It was almost like fate. Like it was meant to be, you know what I mean?
“I think I have an idea of what you’re trying to say,” I said, “But why don’t you elaborate more, so we’re on the same page.”
“Basileia,” He said, “I know I’m being clear. Those dreams mean something. I feel like they are a vision of the future. Something that will come true. I know it’s real, so can you do me a favor?”
“It depends if I get something in return,” I said with a smirk
“Can you make me the happiest man in the world,” He said, getting on one knee, “Will you marry me?”
My heart stopped. No way, he just asked that question. And he had an entire ring and everything, too! I just nodded. There were no words that could come out of my mouth. He just came and hugged me expressing that he was so happy and he would have the wedding on my birthday.
After our little moment, we went back to the palace. I couldn’t wait to tell one of my most trusted servants. He was brought to the guest bedroom, and I rushed to my chamber and quickly called for Lyell.
“Yes, my queen,” She said, “You look happy.”
I showed her the ring, and she started to squeal. We started jumping on the bed laughing and celebrating.
“Wait,” She said, “Don’t you think it would be a little suspicious that after 7 years he just pops out of nowhere?”
“No, why,” I asked
“Well,” Sha said, “I’ve seen it many times. The queen thinks she found the love of her life. Her childhood best friend. Even better for a cover story.”
“What do you mean,” I asked, “Are you saying he’s bad.”
“No, I’m saying that you have to be careful. Watch what he does. Make sure you notice things that are going on in the kingdom. Trust me, you don’t want to end up like other queens I worked for. It’s not pretty at all. I’ve heard a bunch of stories from my mom and grandmother too. It’s not something you would look forward to.”
“I’ve known Razaun for almost my entire life, Lyell,” I said, nodding it off, “I will know if he changes. But thank you for your concern.”
“Basileia,” She said, “Consider this, don’t nod it off. I know you think you know Razaun better than everyone else, but you don’t know if he has changed in the last 7 years. You can’t just expect him to be his old self. Please be a little careful. And the wedding is on your birthday. That’s very close. I think he might be a little desperate. Something is not right.”
“I will take your concern into consideration,” I said, “I will think about it. But keep an eye on him. And start the invitation list.”
“What about your parents?” She asked
“I want the entire kingdom to be there. And my parents don’t have any time to think about me. They only want me to have a good husband to take care of me. I’ll ask Jovon to walk me down the aisle.”
“Basileia,” She said in shock, “He’s your servant. He must be very special to you if you’re going to ask him to walk you down the aisle for your wedding. I think you should choose someone else.”
“Don’t worry,” I said, patting her back, “I trust him a lot. And you’ll do me the honor of being my second-best bridesmaid. I’ll see if my sister will be my first,
That statement made her eyes widen.
“I love the idea, my queen,” She said, “But I don’t think I should. I know this might sound weird, But I don’t think I should represent a marriage that makes me suspicious,”
“Lyell,” I said, getting angry, “Does it matter? Please just support me. I don’t care if you don’t like the marriage, just be with me. I need you.”
“Ok,” She said reluctantly, “I’ll only support you.”
I hugged her and told her to start my bath. I was finally happy. But then I remembered that I told King Aplan about how I would not marry him. “Would he be upset?” I thought. “Well, there is nothing he can do about it now. I already said yes.” I decided to dismiss those thoughts because I had better things to do. I was getting ready to go take a bath when Jovan came into my room.
“My Queen,” He panted out of breath, “Prince Razaun requests your presence,”
“At this hour of the night?” I asked with concern
“He says that it’s urgent,” Jovan said with a slight expression of nervousness.
“Can he wait?” I asked a little annoyed,
“My Queen,” He said, “Urgent means right away, can your bath wait?”
“It can wait,” I said