From Grief to Colour| ✓

VIII- Motivation

I felt as if time had broke and froze us in its spell. My lips curl up in a small smirk as I held my gaze with his. "Trevor."

He bows, "Your Majesty. Are you-"

"Yes. I'm looking for someone. It's...regarding after last night's festivities."

"I'm sorry, but may you elaborate on that?" The tone of his voice wasn't all unknowing and I can see a slight shadow of a smile starting to form on his face. Aha. So it was you.

"Nevermind. It seems I found him." Replying with the same smile. "What are you doing away from your post, General?"

He laughs. "I'm part of the Court, remember? I can do whatever I want."

I drew in a sharp breath as I clamp my jaw shut. It's almost haunting, the sheer power in those words. It reminds me of what Delaney said before. I turn away from him.

I hear him stepping closer to me. "Your Majesty, I'm... sorry. That sounded too cruel, too remindful of the past."

I nod. The Court once was a very corrupted group. They stole and burned and punished those who are poor that fought back. They had rebelled against my parent's rule, stating that the money that they saved for the towns in the kingdom were not being used 'properly'. They sent hundreds to die to show that.

My childhood may had been happy, but there were dark times. My parents nearly died from saving the both of us.

That was why my sister wanted to be general.

To protect her family. To protect the kingdom.

To protect me.

To ensure nothing like that ever happens again.

"Were you there?" I ask cautiously.

"No, but my brother was." I sense despair and regret in his voice.

He lost someone too.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't mention it."

I sigh, walking towards the north side of the garden. It has five sections. The center is where the gazebo lays, the South is the royal garden, the East is the Orchard, West is where the Main Fountain stays at and North is where the Maze of Flowers live at.

Heading towards the rainbow fiesta that's in full bloom, I expertly made my way towards the center, where seats of oak circle a beautiful willow tree, its glimmering green leaves draping down from its spindly branches.

Seating myself down on the warm wood, I wait for Trevor to find his way in. Once he did, I motioned for him to sit next to me. We sit there in silence.

"Your Highness."

I look at him.

"What...what motivates you?"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, what pushes you to rule as you do, to be as you are? I heard when your grandmother was queen, her goal was... to make her people happy and safe. We all saw that last night."

I chuckle, "Yes we did. She was always looking for new ways to make the subjects laugh."

"Mhm. And you? What pushes you to be you? I have traveled far and wide. I've seen the many ways a ruler can rule and the way their people support them. Many...change to adapt to the crowd. Some have the crowd adapt to them. The most surprising one is when the ruler is always being true to themselves. They let the crowd go free and rule justifully. That's the purest kind of trust, they let the crowd choose. And the crowd always do. So? Who are you, my queen?" He asks, staring into my eyes.

It's so commanding I think my brown eyes are flaring up in shades of pink.

I blink and look to the sky. "I don't know. Maybe I'm following the footsteps of my grandma."

"And why is that?"

I shrug. "It feels right. My grandma is always so happy. I feel that everytime she enters a place, everyone no matter what their place is in the system will know her and rejoice in parties and laughter. I want that to happen. I want the people to feel safe when I walk into the room and not feel scared or intimidated. I want to empower them to feel comfortable and joyful to work with me. So-"

"I was right."

I look at him questionly. He smirks. "I chose the right kingdom, and the right queen to place my home with."

My cheeks instantly fired up into a rosy shade, burning my face. I cough and look away into the hedges that surround the place, hoping no one else is here.

Okay, maybe I do. Or not. I don't know.

"Thanks. For saving me last night."

"Ah yes. Forgive me for asking, but why were you at the fountains so late in the night?"

So you saw me.

"Oh? Were you spying?" I squint my eyes at him. Now it's him who is blushing.

"No. I was doing a routine checkup."

"That late in the night? Last time I remembered knights do routine checkups at ten, not midnight."

He looks away. Got you.

"Anyways, I was tired. I have been taking strolls in the gardens for a bit now. Last night to relieve myself from my delirious laughing and my grief most of the way."

"Oh."

I nod. Thankfully he didn't ask anymore on that note.

I notice the sunlight filtering through the emerald green, acting like stained glass, painting its pictures onto our skin and clothes. Trevor's armour sparkles brightly into my eye.

"How did you get to me? Last night at the stairwell?"

He seemed to have snapped out of his daydream and replied, "Well, I could hear you singing. You were muttering about uh... rainbows and raindrops."

Oh. That song.

"Ha well, it was an old lullaby that my sister used to sing with me while playing on the fields." I say nostalgically. Those were another fun time we had together-we could sing in the sun as our parents watched us running and braiding the hairs of our maids and our friends.

"It was beautiful singing just so you know. It was how I found to you. Then I saw you starting to lean back and before you knew it, I raced up the stairs to catch you. You then fell asleep."

It was embarrassing that he caught me singing, let alone act crazy from a joke.

"Thanks, again."

"Your eyes flutter when you sleep."

I stare at him. "Why...do you pay so much attention to me?" I lift a eyebrow.

This time his face and neck reddens even more, turning away and he is now the one coughing away time.

"It's my job to."

My brows shoot up in surprise and Trevor reddens even more, stammering as he tries to glaze over how ridiculously ambiguous it was. I grin teasingly.

"Sorry."

"No need to apologize, Trevor."

He smiles. He gestures for me to wait. He stands up and walks into one of the flower walls, returning with a red rose. He sits back down, giving it to me.

"Another apology for not telling you sooner."

I throw my head back and laugh, accepting it. I nod him a 'thank you'.

We sat there, my chest stirring with the clouds, admiring the folds of the rose before our eyes meet again and we stay that way for the rest of the morning.