[b] [i] NOW PLAYING AS: Queen Juliet [/i] [/b]

[i] In the woods… [/i]

“My Queen?”

Queen Juliet stands nearly still in front of a large window, watching the sun begin to set in front of her. The only movement from her besides her breathing was the way her hands stroked her wings. Her wings were a translucent pink and if the light hit them the right way, they would sparkle.

She hums a lullaby her mother would sing whenever she was fussy or wouldn’t drink the dew like she was supposed to.

“Um, My Queen?”

The Queen stops her humming, turning her head towards the guest.

“Lexar, come, come. Is everything nearly ready?”

The dark-skinned male shuffles forward, clutching a manilla folder tightly in his hands as Queen Juliet turns back towards the sunset. The Queen trusted Lexar with her kingdom, even her life. That was something that he was so incredibly proud of and terrified about at the same time.

Lexar stands at the left of her, briefly glancing up at her before cracking open the folder. The gown she wore showed off her sun-kissed skin and constantly rosy cheeks. The Queen’s eyes were a dark purple, a trait only shared with those with royal blood in them.

“Yes, My Queen. It took a few weeks to gather all the information, but at last we have everything,” Lexar answers, turning his attention to the papers inside.

“Bex has met with some guard members from Odessa’s Royal Family. The guards were wary about meeting so far from town, but they don’t suspect a thing,” Lexar begins. He flips past a map of Dia, a few emails from Odessa Dates before reading from a paper full of charts and diagrams.

“Bex will blend in perfectly with the other contestants. They’re from all over, even the Far North. There is one thing though…”

*page_break

This catches Queen Juliet's attention and she turns, looking down at her advisor. She places two fingers underneath his chin and gently forces him to look into her eyes. Lexar flushes, but holds her gaze.

“Bex is no longer the most compatible with the $!{royal_title}. It’s somebody named $!{player_first_name} $!{player_last_name}.” Lexar breaks the gaze only for a moment to switch papers to a small dossier bearing $!{player_first_name}’s full name. “See for yourself.”

The Queen picks up the dossier, reading the information gathered about ${player_him_her_them}. 

“$!{player_first_name} is easy on the eyes. Why the 99 percent match for the $!{royal_title} though?” Queen Juliet asks.
    
Lexar shrugs his shoulders and takes the folder from her hands, closing it and sticking it underneath one of his underarms. 

“No idea yet, My Queen.”

She laughs softly and takes to messing with her long amber colored hair, rather than her wings. “Lexar, I’ve told you a million times to call me Juliet, at least when we’re alone.”

The Queen’s advisor bites down on his lower lip, slightly shaking his head. “If I start to do that, I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop.”

That response almost illicts a blush from Queen Juliet, but she fights it back and moves on. 

“So $!{player_first_name} is a near perfect match for the $!{royal_title}. No matter. Bex will still win ${royal_his_her_their} heart. Our plan will still proceed and we will still win,” Queen Juliet says.

Lexar nods. “We’ve been in hiding for too long. It’s time for Odessa to remember who you are, My Queen. Who we all are.”

Queen Juliet doesn’t respond to Lexar’s words. Instead, she moves away from the window and over to a wall with a line of paintings hanging up. The train of her light purple dress trails behind her as she walks. Even in her casual wear, she likes to remind others that she’s regal at all times. 

*page_break

Once Lexar is at her side again, she rests her hands behind her back, looking at each painting quietly before she speaks again. 

“These are the only portraits that were recovered after the bombing.”

The picture on the far right was a picture of a woman with her arms wrapped tightly around the shoulders of a rather buff male. Both of them had their wings unfurled and in full display for the camera. The man and the woman sports rings on their ring finger.

“My parents, on their wedding day,” Queen Juliet says with a soft smile. “In the middle of the Great Odessan Floods. It was the only day during the whole time where it didn’t rain. As if they got approval from God, themselves.”

“Sounds like they were soulmates, My Queen,” Lexar says with a soft smile. “The true definition of love.”

Queen Juliet snorts, a sound so foreign it makes Lexar snap to attention and stare up at her. 

“Love...something so important to Odessa, there’s a whole festival dedicated to it,” she murmurs, moving towards her throne. Once settled into the seat made of palm leaves and lily flowers, she closes her eyes in thought. 

“So important to Odessa, just not to Frederick.”

Her hands begin to shake, so she tightens them into fists. She can already feel her flower crown starting to grow thorns, so she figured she should try and calm down before her powers got out of control…[i]again[/i].

“There’s no such thing as soulmates, Lexar. No such thing as love at first sight. No such thing as happily ever after,” Queen Juliet says. “Even if there was, there’s no way in hell a website can determine that and certainly not a website half-designed by a man who couldn’t even keep his promise of marrying me.”

*page_break

Queen Juliet sighs and opens her eyes, looking over at Lexar who was halfway across the room, silently watching her and waiting for her to give him some directions. 

“Will my child still not see me?” She asks, attention focused on the window in front of her, yet again. The sun was halfway into the horizon. If she squinted hard enough, she could almost see the outskirts of Dia. 

“No, My Queen. Bex refuses,” Lexar whispers. "They are, well, still trying to accept being involved in this whole competition."

Lexar decides not to share with his Queen the exact wording of the sentences Bex hurled at him after showing the Fae Heir the docket. Too vulgar for her ears, he decides.

“Tell them good luck, then.” Queen Juliet hesitates, eyes watering slightly. “Tell them that I love them. Tell them that King Frederick will rue the day he messed with me. He will rue the day he messed with the Fae.”

Lexar nods, sweeping into a low bow. “Yes, My Queen."

Queen Juliet swallowed thickly, feeling herself about to bust out in tears.

“Begone, Lexar,” the Queen whispers, lifting her hand slightly before snapping her fingers. It was all she needed to do make her advisor disappear into another part of the castle in the blink of an eye. 

She didn’t like using her magic like that, but Lexar had never seen her cry and she didn’t want to start that now. She guesses that her mother was probably right about her being so emotional, but she decides to blame the upcoming full moon.

As the last of the rays from the setting sun filter into her throne room, she allows herself to cry. Not full on sobbing though, as dinner was in 15 minutes and it wouldn’t look good to arrive to dinner with tear streaks on her face.

She cries long enough to pretend that she has rid herself of the loneliness deep inside of her and when she’s ready, she waves a hand over her face. It’s suddenly dolled up, as her face always was for dinner.

“Enough of that,” Queen Juliet murmurs to herself, running her fingers through her hair as she stands up from her throne. “Queens don’t cry. They fight.”

*page_break
*goto_scene chp2_arrival