Prompt #52: Legend says only he who was fit to rule England could pull the sword from the stone. But the only one who manages to do so is a she.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I tweaked the prompt a teeny bit. I changed England to a fictional island called Moneres...
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"Ready, Winterbottom?"
I whipped my head around and scowled at my personal security guard who only smirked at me. "You're not allowed to call me that, especially in public, Tobias."
The bane of my existence for the past two months simply shrugged. "Your mom said I could."
Seriously? I rolled my eyes. Are we in first grade?
"Last time I checked, she wasn't queen," I hissed, shooting him my most evil stink eye.
Montgomery remained silent and shrugged a shoulder as if to deflect my imaginary wickedness.
Despite irritating and antagonizing each other on a daily basis, we found a nice rhythm to our working relationship. He became less of a pain when he brought his own dog, Maximus, on the days not filled with meetings and interviews.
Not loving the chumminess between him and my mom, I was ready to demand my phone from him, where kept it safe in one of the many pockets in his cargo pants, when a forty-something woman hustled toward us with a bright smile.
I excitedly grinned back, bouncing on my toes, and ready to meet her halfway down the brightly-lit hallway. Standing behind me, Montgomery coughed loudly, silently reminding me people should approach me. Phil jokingly recommended using a kid leash until I learned to stand still and wait.
The woman named Yvette stopped abruptly a foot or two before me and bowed her head. "Your Majesty."
Even though I had met the woman with dark chocolate skin and even darker eyes a few times before today, the formality continued to catch me off guard in casual settings. However, I begrudgingly accepted "ma'am" as it was custom to use after being greeted as "Your Majesty".
"Yvette," I said, with a nod, reaching out my hand to shake hers. "Please call me Winter."
I pushed my luck with the informality, knowing her response would remain the same as the previous times we had met.
She gave me a sassy grin, reaching for my hand. "We agreed on the compromise, Ms. Copeland."
"I know," I said, with feigned reluctance. "But, mark my words, one of these days you will call me Winter."
The older woman chuckled and shook her head. "Are you ready? He's really excited to see you again."
I clapped excitedly as we started walking down the same hallway Yvette used to meet us. Different sized framed photos and posters adorned the pale yellow painted walls to create a relaxed and fun environment.
"Thank you for the generous donation," the older woman acknowledged, waving to a few staff members in the distance. "I hope you don't mind the extra staff hanging around today. Everyone is pretty excited to meet you."
"It's no problem at all," I replied honestly. "Everyone has been really kind and accommodating during my visits. So, really, I don't mind meeting everyone."
