FRIENDS
Freda's POV
Christie's final words hung in the air. None of us spoke for a while and the silence was getting unbearable, so I decided to break it. I reached out and squeezed her hand, trying to console her.
“Christie,” I said softly. “I can imagine what you've gone through. Losing your mother like that…it must have been extremely difficult and I'm sorry for your loss.”
“It was,” A tear traced a path down her cheeks. “I learned to survive though, the hard way.”
“And you will continue to survive, but this time. You're not alone. You have me.” I declared as I tried to cheer her up.
“Your Majesty, I have a question.” Christie asked.
“Ask away, I'm all ears.”
“Isn't it inappropriate for a Queen to befriend her servants?” She asked innocently.
I blinked my eyes as I pondered on her question. She did have a point. Queens weren't supposed to get all friendly with their subjects. All the books I've read didn't have accounts of Queens getting all close and personal with their subjects. Most of the time, they treated them like shit.
But the thing was, I wasn't a Queen. Even if I didn't manage to escape and Damien forced me to become one, I don't think I'd have it in me to be a cruel Queen.
“Christie, I need you to understand. I'm a hybrid, my circumstances are similar to yours.” I paused to catch my breath then I continued. “Heck I'm not even on board with this whole queen thing. Damien is forcing it on me and if I don't find a way to escape before he decides the coronation, then I have no choice but..”
“If I ever become queen, I'm not going to be a conventional one. So you can rest easy Christie. You're my friend and I hope it remains that way.”
Christie looked at me with wide eyes. Her sorrowful eyes from early was nowhere to be seen as she stared at me with happy eyes.
*You…you really mean that, your Majesty?” Christie asked once again.
“Absolutely.” I confirmed with a firm nod.
“Thank you so much, your Majesty. You've been very kind to me.” She wiped a stray tear from her cheek and a genuine smile graced her lips.
“Anything for my friends.” I smiled back at her.
Christie nodded and her eyes slowly moved to the clock on the mantle piece.
“Oh my!” she exclaimed, a look of alarm crossed he features. “It's almost midnight! I have to take this food trolley back to the kitchen, and..”
“And it's time for bed.” I finished her sentence. “After you take the trolley, get some rest. You deserve it.”
Christie dipped her head in a small curtsy. “Thank you, your Majesty. Goodnight.”
“Good night. Christie.” I replied. She nodded and walked towards the trolley, rolling out of the room.
I sighed in satisfaction. Finally, I wasn't so alone in this castle. I made a new friend and even though she saw me as her queen, I was determined to make me see her as a friend as well and we were off to a great start.
I spun around and my exhilarated expression quickly crumbled when the sight of scattered books clouded my vision.
“Shit.” I cursed. I had forgotten I had made a mess of Damien’s book shelf searching for entertainment. I pursed my lips and rushed to the pile of books to put them in order before Damien came into the room.
