The Cold Queen

Late night coversations

“Enter.”

Even before he entered the room, I knew that it was Godfrey.

His knock was always so light and gentle, there was no mistaking it.

That is one of the things I love most about him, his gentleness… well, other than his reliability.

He opened the door and stepped inside. With his usual bow of respect.

“My quine.”

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him.

“How many times will I have to tell you to call me by name when we are alone?”

“Many and you know that I will refuse it every time.”

He walked to the bar and poured two glasses, one for me and one for himself. He carried the glasses to the table and after handing one to me, he sat down on a chair on the opposite side of the table to me.

“I see that you have been going through the records.”

I closed the book in front of me and pushed it away.

“Yeah, somehow I missed that we almost went bankrupt sixteen years ago and my father sold my sister off to save the kingdom. Did you know that?”

He shook his head.

“Albus never mentioned it in my training and I never paid too much attention in the history classes.”

“I don’t think they taught this in history classes. Stuff like this is always swept under the rug like all other stupid s**t young kings do. It would not have been the best image for my father if, in the first five years of being a king, he almost ran the kingdom to the ground.”

He chuckled at my words and I couldn’t help but smile.

Godfrey was the only person that really laughed at my jokes, others usually used fake laughter because they were afraid to offend me and die. He was the closest treatment of a real person other than my sister that I had ever received.

That is the reason why I have always loved him.

It was not the clothing ripping off, emotional love my sister dreamed about… but I was not really sure I could achieve that.

Mainly because I didn’t have the luxury of letting myself go like that, or at least that is how I explained it to myself.

There was too much on my shoulders for me to be that reckless, like falling in love or letting myself feel any emotions.

But loving Godfrey was always like second nature to me and I could not deny myself the little human experience that I could have just for myself, that would not hurt anyone... well other than me.

He grew up with us and he was the only person that ever treated me like a real person and not this inhumane creature that I was made to feel with every social interaction. Sure, he was respectful like everyone else in the castle, but he still treated me like a human with feelings, needs and fears.

He was the only one that saw me like this, saw through the veil of being the queen.

And I always knew that I could turn to him to some extent that I did not trust anyone else.

In reality, he was the only person that I could see myself marrying when the time was right. He would be a great king and father.

“I got the answer from the lawyers.”

With those words, he pulled me back from the dreamland and back to the current problem at hand.

“Yes, and what is their answer?”

“It’s legitimate. The signature is the king and we are required to carry through with the agreement.”

“SHIT.”

Frustrated, I pushed my hand down my face as I leaned back onto the chair, throwing my head back.

“I was really hoping that this was some sort of scam and the entries I read were just a coincidence.”

A heavy silence filled the room as I ran different scenarios through my mind, hoping to find the best answer.

“So.. what are you thinking?”

Slowly, I straightened my back and looked at his face.

“I am not giving him Alexa if that is what you are asking.”

He released a deep sigh of relief.

“No matter the fact that she is a pain in my ass, she is my sister and I can’t let that man just take her like that. We will find a way to sort it out, even if it means I will have to go to war for this.”

Okay, that sounded a bit more like what Alexa would say than me, but I blame it on the whiskey and the late hour.

“I’m sure it won’t come to that, he seems… like a reasonable man.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at his words.

Reven Black looked like a lot of things but, reasonable, was not even in the top thirty in my mind.

My only hope is that he is not really willing to spill blood for something as minor as marrying my sister.

I was combing through my mind all the possible outcomes when Godfrey asked.

“I have a question a bit out of the current matter. If it's okay with you, my queen?”

A bit confused and with a slight glimmer of hope in my stomach, I met his eyes and nodded.

"What do you think about me?"

Okay, I was not expecting this.

“What? Why are you asking me this?”

For the first time in our friendship, I saw that he was nervous. Usually, no matter what was going on he was laid back, but right now he looked either ready to bolt or throw up... maybe both?

He was gripping his hands in tight fists as he was looking for the right words.

“You know that you can tell me everything, Godfrey. I consider you my closest friend.”

He met my eyes again and smiled softly.

“And I value our friendship so much… that is why it is so hard to say what I am about to say. It can ruin everything…”

Is… is he going to tell me that he has feelings for me? Just like I dreamed for all these years?

“I can assure you, that no matter what you are going to say to me, our friendship will not change.”

I tried to reassure him with a nervous jitter in my voice.

He took a deep breath and began talking.

“You and Alexa are my whole life. I can’t imagine my life without you two. I was there when both of your worlds fell apart and I did my best to help you put it back together. Even before that, I considered you my friends… my family. Living through it all and seeing how much time changed us… it made me see it all in a bit of a different light.”

With his every word, I felt my hopes that he was finally going to say that he loved me grow.

“But the feelings of friendship somehow changed over the years and became something a lot deeper and stronger.”

Oh, Godfrey…

“So, my queen… Elize… I want to get your blessing to court Alexa.”