Queens Don't || #ONC2022

7 || QUEENS DON'T ANTAGONIZE BODYGUARDS

Renning studied me silently with a deep frown and crinkles in his forehead.

"What?" I asked defensively, uncomfortable with the serious silence and disapproving stare.

Did he not want me to be queen? Was he trying to discourage me all along? Did he not believe I was worthy of the honor? What the hell was Renning thinking?

"Stop staring at me!" I shrieked in panic, unable to deal with the heightened stillness.

Tilting his head slightly, Renning said simply, "You accepting the throne like this doesn't feel very royal."

"I know right!" Phil exclaimed enthusiastically, pushing herself off my shoulder and sitting up straight. "I imagined Win standing in front of a fancy red throne or something, and a long line of knights march toward her. And the last knight kneels before her, presenting her with the sword. And then the king comes forward and places the crown on her head. And maybe the queen presents her with a gorgeous scepter."

The security director grinned at my best friend. "You have a very vivid imagination."

"And technically the sword belongs to the country," Montgomery clarified unnecessarily.

"I was kinda hoping for a He-Man version," I admitted, ignoring my pain-in-the-ass personal guard. "I wanted to stand on the rock, pull the sword out, raise it to the sky, and yell something about power and a castle."

"Ooooh!" Phil's eyes widened with excitement at my revelation. "Would you get struck by lightning and gain magical powers?"

"Maybe." I shrugged, tucking my legs underneath me. "I guess we'll never know considering someone threw me over the rock."

She threw up hands in the air and rolled her eyes at me. "I'm sorry! How long are you going to hold onto that little nugget? For the rest of my life?"

"It's a possibility."

Phil flashed me an evil grin, and I felt my confidence quickly fade.

"And it's a possibility I might share some little truth nuggets about you," she said smugly.

Shit! This girl has so much shit on me!

"You're so pretty," I sang out suddenly, batting my eyelashes and giving her my most fake smile.

My friend laughed hysterically at our basic tit-for-tat threats.

"Hate to break up this little love fest," Montgomery grumbled, stuffing his hands in the pocket of his jeans. "But we should probably follow protocol now Ms. Copeland has accepted the royal responsibility."

Renning nodded, scrubbing a hand down his face. "I'll inform the king and others that need to know."

"So, can I tell my parents now?" Phil asked hopefully, holding her phone in her hand ready to dial.

"Yes, but invite them over here. They need to sign some paperwork, like a non-disclosure form, before you tell them."

"Can they come over right now?"

He hesitated but nodded. "If they have time. Sure."

"What about my mom?" I asked, wondering how she would react to the strange news.

"Hey, guess what, Mom? I'm going to be queen!"

My first guess was she would laugh. Hysterically. I doubted she would laugh so hard she would start crying because that has happened before.

But if she didn't start laughing, then maybe she knew I was a wizard. Or a witch. Or Jesus.

Oh, she and I are gonna have some words if she's known I've had magical powers all this time, I thought stubbornly.