//------------------------------//
// Part 2 
// Story: To Love a King 
// by Amethyst_Dawn 
//------------------------------//

Fleur was not sure why she was summoned by the Princess, but that question took an immediate back seat to what greeted her now. She was expecting to meet in a different room entirely than where she apparently was: some sort of meeting hall, with King Thorax staring directly back at her with eyes as wide as a fly’s.

Suddenly, a practical tsunami of blood rushed into her cheeks, and made her face burn like fire. She barely noticed when Princess Luna quirked her brow in amusement.

“Guards,” the Princess of the Night ordered, “you may leave us. Make absolutely certain that nopony disturbs us.”

“Yes, Princess.” Came the simple reply. Swiftly, the guards backed out of the chamber and closed the doors, leaving the negotiations to the Princesses.

“Luna?” Celestia questioned, seeing that both their new guest and Thorax had become little more than living statues once they saw each other. Luna merely offered a small smirk before she ventured to speak.

“I summoned Fleur de Lis here as a diplomatic gesture, for… diplomatic stuff.” She offered. When Celestia furrowed her brow slightly, Luna gave a bemused sigh. “Ugh, fine, she’s one of Canterlot’s greatest interior decorators: I wanted to hire her so she could help King Thorax in his design of a new hive as a gesture of goodwill and cooperation, that’s all.”

Celestia gave a face. One of those hard-to-describe faces that a mother gives when they want to believe their child, but something about the story sounds just off enough that she’s not sure if she should. That face that is universally understood, yet so obscure that no one has ever been able to describe it in a satisfactory manner. Keeping the face, she returned her attention to Thorax and this ‘Fleur’ mare, who were both still utterly still as stone. Slowly, she stood, and walked up to the two of them.

“I can understand this dear mare’s reaction to suddenly walking in on a foreign sovereign when she was possibly expecting to see only one of us, Luna.” She stated, draping a gentle wing over the unresponsive Fleur. “But Thorax…” She trailed off as a sentence from not three minutes ago clicked back into the forefront of her mind.

Swiftly, she shifted glances between the two stunned individuals, and her eyes narrowed into practical slits as her brow rose, and her lips curved into that obnoxiously knowing smile that a sibling gets when they find out your crush.

“Oh, I think I see now, Thorax.” Celestia chuckled as she backed away slightly. “This must be that ‘old friend’ you mentioned to us, hmm?”

Both of the dazed duo stirred with that remark: Thorax looked to Celestia with a near silent reply of “Yes”, while Fleur glanced between the three rulers as she tried to wrap her brain around the fact that the subject of her previous encounter with him had somehow come up in a political meeting.

Then again, once she thought that through, why wouldn’t it?

Luna, who had remained oddly quiet as a smug grin remained plastered on her face, finally spoke up. “With that being the case, I think we can establish a deal here, Thorax.” She offered. “You come to visit Canterlot often- in disguise, if you must -in order to receive decorative advice from this little mare, even court her if you so wish, and I’ll personally pay for all shipments of--”

“On one condition,” Thorax interjected as he stood up, and walked over to Fleur de Lis with his head held high. Fleur’s heart was already pounding in her throat when all focus returned to her, her eyes so focused on the new form of Thorax that she barely noticed the Princesses anymore: for where once she was easily twice his height, he now practically dwarfed her even without the antlers, and his shadow loomed over hers like some sort of living obelisk.

“I’ll only agree to that if she wishes it to be so, your Highness.” The rather large King stated, offering a surprisingly soft smile for one his size.

With all eyes on her, Fleur could only nod dumbly as her eyes wavered away from his just long enough to quickly examine his...  err...  muscular form, before summoning enough courage to speak.

“I-I-I agree, y-your Highnesses.” She stammered, taking another look at his thick muscles. By all means, she wasn’t a shallow mare: she would have been more than satisfied with the little Changeling that saved her life. But she would be the last one to complain about his… sudden growth spurt. “To b-both the consulting, and the courting.” She added, absentmindedly nuzzling his neck. Which was no easy feat, as she had to stand on her tippy-hooves to do so.

Celestia cooed slightly at the display as Thorax’s own cheeks suddenly went from green to red, and made her way back to her pillow to rest herself on it once more.

“I think our negotiations for today are done, then.” She chirped. “I think you two have a lot to catch up on.”

The pair looked back to the Princesses inquisitively, and when the only response they got was an affirming nod from the both of them, they left with a quick offer of thanks: leaving the sisters alone to finish the tea and shrimp. When the door was closed behind them, Fleur looked up to Thorax with a gentle smile, and spoke in a tone soft as silk.

“So, how do you want to take things from here?” She asked, bumping his upper foreleg with her shoulder.

Blushing slightly, the King looked down to her with a nervous yet sincere smile. “I think we should take it slowly for now, since we’ll be working together anyways. Maybe a few dinners here and there, the odd movie, stuff like that.” He admitted. “I mean, I do love you, no doubt there. But… we don’t really know each other yet, so…”

Fleur’s smile only grew. “Of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

With that, the pair left the palace as Thorax donned a Unicorn disguise, and they began the next chapter in their lives.

How did that chapter go? My dear readers…








… that’s an adventure for another day.