Talonius awoke from a very nice dream. It had something to do with the scent of flowers and such. Still with his eyes closed and a smile, he reached over to the other side of the bed to snuggle closer to his wife. However, it would seem she had already gotten up. She didn’t do this often. When she did it was usually because she was planning something. Talonius wondered what Juliana was plotting this time.
He reluctantly got up and began his usual routine. Slowly turning on the lights in the room to get used to them, took a shower, and took a good look at himself in the mirror, carefully examining every detail of his face. Finding himself to still be presentable he put on trousers and a shirt. If he were to be in public, he would look like part of the common rabble. This was actually what he wore most of the time when he wasn’t scheduled to be in public.
He proceeded to the kitchen as he usually did to see what his cooks were making for breakfast. Hopefully it wasn’t scones again. He’d never eaten any before yesterday, and he wasn’t the biggest fan. Something about the texture or the spread of flavor. Maybe he was just being a picky royal and supporting such a stereotype. He stepped in through the two red mahogany doors saying, “So. What’ve you got Jean Gulay.” Jean Gulay being a legendary chef from four hundred years ago. His patrons were said to be the gods themselves. He was clearly not on the same level as any common royal chef. Yet said chef was known to be self centered and prideful. Talonius looked up and was shocked to see nobody but Juliana making pancakes. So this was her evil plan!
“Morning your majesty.” Juliana joked. With a sigh, Talonius dared to ask,
“Where are the cooks?”
“I sent them all out. I wanted to make sure everything was made just right.”
“And you know how?”
“Of course I do. I made something else too. I know how someone really enjoys scones!”
“Ah, damn it.”
“Not for you. For Fresca. Did you see her face yesterday? She couldn’t get enough! Even the guards were holding back laughs!”
“I seem to recall she got the jam filling all over herself, but refused to take a bath. Is she still dirty?”
“No. I waited until she got tired and convinced her to take one. She’s as clean as I always am.”
“You sure? I think you’ve missed a spot.” Talonius lifted his wife’s talon and kissed a bit of jam off one of her claws. He then kissed her on the cheek then left to the dining room.
“Daddy! Daddy! Scwones!” His daughter exclaimed from her high chair. Talonius was
surprised when she spoke her first words when she was only eleven months old. She knew a total of three other words now. Daddy, Mommy, and no. She had made her own words like ukabuk for thunder and lightning and fifi for… well, he didn’t quite know. Talonius had secretly been writing a dictionary with all the words Fresca made up. He hoped that he would give it as a gift to her when she could read. Preferably at her wedding reception.
“That’s right. Mommy’s making scones!” He tickled Fresca affectionately. “Scones! Bleh!” he teased.
“No Daddy! Mommy scwones tum!” Tum was yet another word in the language of Frescanese. Talonius could assume it meant, good.
“Did I hear someone make fun of my scones?” Juliana walked out the kitchen doors with a plate of raspberry jam filled scones with little happy faces painted on them. She put down the plate and Talonius and her both leaned into each other and watched Fresca go on a feeding frenzy. Getting herself dirty again. She had eaten all three in just over a minute. The couple laughed at her speed and determination.
“Scwones! Scwones Mommy!” Fresca yelled. Juliana kissed her husband and went back into the kitchen to get more “Scwones.” She came back with a plate of five more. As she set them down she beckoned Talonius back into the kitchen. She uncorked a bottle of wine and grabbed two glasses from a cupboard.
“Isn’t it a bit early to be drinking?” Talonius questioned.
“I just knew I wouldn’t get another chance to drink this with you today. It’s the anniversary of when we first met, remember?”
“Ah. Yes. That day when your brother kicked me and nearly got his head taken off by Dresdr. I remember it fondly.”
“I bet you do.”
Later that day, Juliana entered Talonius’ office. He was sat at his desk signing documents and such as well as drinking coffee. “What’re you up to?” She asked.
“I’ve gotta sign off on some Council decisions and paychecks for the staff.”
“Will you be free anytime soon?” Talonius looked up from the papers.
“I’m a king, honey. I’m always busy.”
“Well, will you be less busy later?”
“Only if something more important comes up.”
“Like dinner?” Talonius look at the clock.
“It’s only two.”
“Well linner then.”
“What’re you talking about?”
“Oh. I just thought you might still be hungry. You didn’t eat a lot at lunch.”
“What food do you have in mind for ‘linner.’”
“Chicken breast with gravy.”
“That sounds more like a dinner to m-” Talonius dropped his pen and his eyes widened. “Damn it!” Talonius shouted at he hit his desk.
“What’s wrong?”
“What a thing to do with something this important! Make not one, not two, but five f*cking typos!” Talonius picked up the papers and threw them off his desk. This wasn’t like him. He was never the sort of person to become enraged at something as miniscule as this.
“Tal!” exclaimed Juliana. Talonius calmed down a bit and turned to her.
“I’m sorry. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me. I have this annoying headache! So… what were you talking about?”
“Uh. We have some chicken that’s about to… go bad really soon and I wanted to know if you were hungry enough to eat it.”
“No. I’m fine. I’ll wait for dinner.”
That night, Juliana found Talonius still in his office. “Are you coming to bed?”
“Hm? Oh. Uh. Yeah. I’ll be there in a bit.” He was still frantically writing his signature and the common response to gifts and donations.
“Alright then.”
“Ny Daddy!” Fresca peeked her head in through the door.
“Goodnight sweetheart.”
When Juliana put Fresca into her crib, she said, “Mommy. No tum.” She gestured to her head and belly. Juliana laughed.
“You probably got sick from eating too many scones. You’ll feel better in the morning. Goodnight dear.”
“Ny.”
Juliana went into the master bedroom, stripped down, and got in bed. There she waited for Talonius to show up. After a while of waiting, she opened the drawer on her night stand and pulled out a photo album. She looked through the pages of her and her husband, their daughter, their friends etc. She fell asleep with the book in her arms. The next thing she knew, the doors to the bedroom flew open and several guards rushed in and surrounded the bed. Juliana jumped up, surprised.
“Guards! What’s going on!” One spoke up.
“The king’s gone missing! We can’t find him!”
“What! He’s just gone!”
“It would seem that way m’lady.”
“Fresca!” She tried to get up, but one of the guards blocked her path.
“She’s alright! We’re taking you both to the safe room! Follow me your highness!” As
they entered the ballroom the other guards with Fresca ran in behind them. One of them handed her over to Juliana who held her tight with fear. They entered the safe room as alarm bells started going off all over the castle and the grounds. Juliana looked down at her child and noticed she was still asleep. That wasn’t right.
“Fresca! Fresca, honey! Wake up!”
“What’s wrong Juliana!? Captain Dresdr rushed over to her.
“Fresca’s not waking up!”
‘Here. Let me see her.” He laid her down on a table and checked for breathing. She was in fact breathing. But there was a certain smell on her breath that Dresdr recognized. “Sleep poison!”
“What!? Someone poisoned my baby!?”
“It’s alright. She’ll be fine.”
“Who would poison my baby!?”
“I don’t know Juliana. We’re going to find out.” Suddenly a knock came from the other side of the false wall. It was a code.
“It’s a doctor! Let ‘em in!” one guard shouted. It was in fact a doctor. She ran over to Juliana and Fresca. She noticed right away that Fresca was still asleep.
“Sleep poison.” Captain Dresdr said to the doctor.
“By the Goddess!”
“She’s fine besides that.” Dresdr added.
“Your highness, are you hurt?”
“No. I’m fine. What’s going on! What happened to Tal!” The doctor replied,
“He came into the infirmary complaining of a headache. He lied down on the bed there. I
left for bed myself. When I woke up and came in, he was gone. It’s not like him to just leave like that when anywhere other than with you in the master bedroom. He finds it rude. So I had the guards look for him, but there was no sign of him! I heard the guards found a broken window upstairs with some blood. That’s when they got you.”
“So he’s really gone?”
“Yes.”
Many hours passed and the sun had risen before the alarm bells stopped ringing. Captain Keyes entered the saferoom and walked over to Juliana holding Fresca. He said, “Your majesty. We’ve lost the king. You are now our ruler.” The guards turned around slowly when they heard those words. Then they kneeled before her. Captain Keyes spoke up. “Long live Her Majesty, Queen Juliana Prestasa Kinfeather.” The other guards spoke,
“Long live our queen.”
“And long life to her heir, Fresca Kinfeather.”
“Long live the heir.” Juliana teared up in shock. She began to weep and hold her still sleeping daughter even closer. She could barely say anything. But she knew she had to say those words. She brought forward all her strength and said,
“By our Goddess I accept the crown.”