England

CAMILLE HAD requested I meet her for tea. I wanted to run into Arthur on my way to the gardens. I had still not completed my list.

My coronation was being moved up.

And I still didn't know if it was appropriate to allow people to call on me as I was currently doing.

All in all, I was a mess when I walked through the gilded corridors and muted halls. It seemed to be too much for one day; for one hour.

Lord have mercy this headache was going to kill me.

Halfway out the door into the fresh air, I turned around and walked into my room. I decided I didn't want to talk to anyone. I needed to sulk in silence, to let my anger fester, before I could attempt civilized conversation with anyone, no matter how comfortable I may be around them.

My decision was for everyone's own good.

When I reached my room, I closed the door behind me and flopped onto the bed, burying my face in between the lacy decorative pillows Rose insisted on putting on my bed.

The walls were closing in, my head was pounding, the world was spinning, spinning, spinning...

I lifted my head and took a deep, shuttering breath. 

My heart beat slowed.

I calmed down.

A deep sense of wariness flooded my bones, causing me to feel like I was weighted down.

I flipped onto my back and looked up at my chamber ceiling, waiting to feel a sense of relief, of being fine.

But I wasn't and I didn't know if I would ever be fine.

I had to hold on to the hope that the people around me would not like to see me crushed underneath the stress I was harboring.

Deciding I couldn't lay still anymore, I got up and paced my room. If they were moving my coronation up, I would do them one better. I would plan and execute a coronation worthy of a king, and perfect for a queen. The people would forget their doubts the second they knew I had been running the country for the past couple of days, and everything would be fine.

On the flip side, I would be marched straight to the gallows and hung for impersonating a male.

To escape the confines of my room, I wandered the halls until the bell tower rang four, at which time I hurried to the parlor Camille had asked to meet me in.

When I entered the green themed room, the princess herself was already there, the scent of roses having found a home in the parlor's thin air.

"Reine," she greeted, a smile on her lips.

"Camille," I greeted warmly, putting on a mask of happiness. "How wonderful to see you again."

Today, Camille was wearing a deep blue dress with a bright yellow sash. She was unapologetically bold, and every time she moved, the smell of roses grew stronger.

She stood quickly to hug me before resuming her position on the sofa, in front of the tea tray.

"I didn't know how you took your tea so I had the maid fetch a little of everything," Camille said, gesturing to the tray.

"Thank you."

"Of course. It is what friends are for." 

She winked.

I began to relax. I was in the presence of one of the people who could most relate to my predicament, and I needed advice from a fellow woman in power.

Camille watched as I added milk and sugar to my tea, watched as I stirred, and watched as I took a sip. It was a little unnerving, having her observe my motions as though I was an animal she was studying. 

"So, what brings you to the palace today?" I asked, setting my tea cup on the saucer in front of me. "Surely you don't only wish to endure my company."

Camille laughed, the sound oddly melodic. "Why would you assume I do not enjoy your company, hm? In fact, I wanted to make sure everything was going smoothly for you. I wanted to know if there were any arrogant men I needed to yell at for you. I am familiar with the position of 'woman in power fighting for the respect of men.'"

I sighed contentedly. Camille had opened the door for me to ask questions without me even standing in front of it. Though I had only talked to her once before, I began to trust the princess.

"I don't know what to do about my coronation, or picking knights, if I'm being completely honest," I confessed, looking into my tea as though it held the secrets of the universe. That wasn't something I walked around confessing, though I had only learned of the coronation a couple hours before.

"Do not worry, darling!" Camille pouted, resting her hand gently on my knee. "I can help. We will also deal with this... knight situation, I promise."

I sighed in relief and sent a small smile Camille's way. I was beyond grateful for her help.

"First off, have you been fitted for the dress yet? It needs to be bold, something the country wil never forget." Camille paused. "Or send to the gallows."

Camille winked and set her tea down. 

"Thank you for your help. I have absolutely no experience in these sort of things."

"That's why you have me!" Camille exclaimed. She jumped up from the sofa and walked to the tassel hanging next to the doorway. She waited for the maid to arrive before asking for a pen and paper, something that had never occurred to me.

"We need to make note of everything so nothing goes wrong," Camille said, writing a title at the top of the page.

I felt supremely unprepared.

By the time I finished tea with Camille, the sun had sunk below the horizon and we had skipped dinner.

I didn't care. I was happy to have a friend who knew what to do. I could trust her, and that was a wonderful feeling.

I moved from my relaxed position on the chair I had occupied for the better part of the visit to stand. My joints popped at Camille smiled and stood.

"Well, it was wonderful to see you again," the princess said, setting the notebook on the table. Her elegant writing looped all over the page, and I was happy I had people to help me plan. Reading something so overdone would most likely result in a headache on my part.

"The same to you. I cannot thank you enough for your help."

"Did you need anything else? I am returning to France in three days' time, and I don't know what my father has in store for the rest of my visit to the country."

"I was wondering how to pick knights. It only feels right to pick women, but I have no friends from my time as a squire. I certainly would not allow myself to trust Silas to choose for me." I sat as I talked, and so did Camille.

Perhaps we would never leave this room.

"Uther picked knights for you, I thought," Camille said. "At his will reading, he wrote of seven brave women who would bear children to be your knights."

My jaw gave an unladylike drop. "He did what? And why on Earth do I not know this? By God's bones, we could have assembled my knights days ago!"

I shot out of my chair, ignoring Camille's giggles at my abrupt change in mood. I bolted out of the room, not bothering to say goodbye, and went straight to Alfred's makeshift office.

"Alfred!" I exclaimed into the quiet of his dim office.

After I quick look around, I deduced he wasn't in his office. Hopefully no one had seen that outburst.

I winced and shut the door quietly, retracing my steps.

"What are you waiting for?" Camille asked, and I could hear the grin in her voice. 

"I don't know how to say it," a voice said, and when I turned the corner, Arthur was sitting across from Camille in the parlor I had vacated.

"Say what?" I asked, butting into the conversation. 

"Nothing," Arthur sent a look Camille's way before blushing and looking down.

I took that as my cue to sit down and join them, despite the hour. This would be interesting.

"How do you two know each other?" I finally said after a minute of uncomfortable silence. 

I had never been a particularly patient person.

"School," Camille blurted, wide-eyed.

I laughed, and gestured at the door. "I don't want you to get in trouble with the king."

"You are the king, aren't you?" Camille said, standing. Her french accent became particularly strong when she talked about her father.

Arthur stood as well, and turned to me. "I came to ask you to join me for a picnic. Merlin is off on one of his whimsical adventures, so I thought we could spend some time together."

His nonchalant shrug was adorable, and I melted a little.

Camille rolled her eyes playfully and blew a kiss to me before exiting the room without further talk.

Arthur offered me his arm and led me to a terrace I had yet to discover.

The balcony was coated with moonlight and drizzled in the silvery light of the stars. The background the sprawling palace gardens provided was beyond fairy tales, and there was a small blanket with a spread of food in the middle of it all.

"Arthur, you really didn't-" I started, but he cut me off.

"I did. I didn't get to see you today, so I had to do something special," Arthur blushed and looked down at the sizable meal he had assembled.

I was touched he did it all for me.

I sat down next to the plate of cheese and strawberries, and I looked out into the darkened sky.

It was exhilarating to be awake when it seemed as though the rest of the world was asleep.

"So the real question is," Arthur started, picking a block of cheddar cheese from the selection. "Do you prefer cheese or fruit?"

"Fruit, naturally. Grummore had too much cheese and too little strawberries," I teased, plopping a sweet fruit into my mouth.

"I see," Arthur grinned. "I obviously prefer cheese to fruit."

"That's because you're a man."

"That's because I have taste beyond sugar."

 I shook with laughter, trying my hardest to cover my widened mouth. It was embarrassing to laugh like this, but in a way it was freeing. It was nice to be able to let go of everything going on and just... Breathe.

Silence descended like fog, but it wasn't awkward. It was comfortable in the sense that it reminded me of home, of warm wool blankets during cold nights.

You knew you were comfortable with someone when the silence was just as loud as the conversation.

"I know this is sudden," Arthur began speaking again abruptly. "But I had something for you. Please don't laugh."

Arthur slipped a tiny piece of torn paper out of his pocket and handed it to me. I brushed my fingertips along the cottony edge of the fabric I was sitting on before accepting and opening the note.

In deep love I fell
I surely think she can tell
But, alas, I cannot help
Her perfection, Her affection

I covered my mouth and looked up at the man sitting across from me. In the moonlight his hair had a soft silvery glow, and his eyes seemed luminescent. The blush in his face was only discernible because it made his cheeks so violently red that the color stood out against the lighting.

I clutched the poem tightly and stared into Arthur's shockingly blue eyes. How I had never noticed how electrifying they were, I could not understand.

Suddenly those eyes were closer.

And suddenly mine were closed.

Arthur gently pressed his soft lips to mine, and the world faded away for a moment. The kiss was chaste, but it had been my first.

And I didn't mind that he had stolen it from me.

Because the kiss had been happiness and life encapsulated. It had been the first time I had tasted chocolate, and the last time I had been a peasant before I pulled the sword out of the stone. The kiss was everything and nothing at the same time, and it was beautiful.

"I've been wanting to do that for a long time," Arthur whispered, resting his forehead against mine.

I sighed happily. "Me too."

Arthur smiled and pulled away, back to the cheese tray.

I didn't know what had just happened, so I sat there looking like an imbecile until Arthur walked me back to my rooms, a thick cloud of murky silence muffling my thoughts from the outside.

"I'm glad I invited you tonight," Arthur said as a way of beginning the goodbye.

"I'm glad I chose to go," I replied, quirking the edge of my lips into a smirk. "I had a wonderful time."

Arthur smiled, kissing the back of my hand.

"Good night, Your Majesty."

 "Good night, Arthur," I said.

He turned and walked down the hallway, disappearing around a corner.

I slid to the floor in front of my rooms. I didn't care if someone rounded the corner and saw me sitting on the carpet.

I thought it was perfectly acceptable, and therefore it should be!

My thoughts went back to the balcony, to the kiss.

What had just happened?

Word Count: 2178

Total Word Count: 18807

That word count.

Oh my god.

And that kiss.

God's bones!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! What do you think of Arthur and Lyra? Of Lyra's new friendship with Camille? Of that bomb I dropped about Uther choosing SEVEN of the knights.

Not eight?

Thanks for reading, commenting, voting, and following!

I love you guys. (Readers are the greatest humans ever)

CJ