Queen Tahani sat in her comfortable red throne with golden legs, wearing a white dress and crown decorated with diamonds. The royal blue and yellow rug in front of her was so long that it stretched to the gem-studded door across the throne. And at last, she finally felt like she had exactly what she deserved: the Al-Jamil Kingdom itself.
It was a glamorous and beautiful Kingdom that her parents had intended to give over to her dumb and quiet sister Kamilah. But their negligence was the reason that Tahani was able to learn how to sword-fight, without them looking into her intentions. And when the time came that her parents kicked the bucket, Tahani smugly took out her sword and banished her defenseless and weak sister, taking the Kingdom for herself.
She hired two royal advisers, one for ethical advice and one for logical advice. Their names were Chidi and Janet respectively, and she asked for their advice whenever her swamp-dwelling subjects complained about something.
One thing that her subjects hated that she refused to budge on was all the mandatory glorifying for her. She was their Queen, so was it really too ridiculous to ask for some special treatment for all she's done for them? One of the things that they absolutely despised was the mandatory requirement to give their richest possessions to her everyday, and those that were too poor were sent to crappy homes near the border of the Kingdom until they were rich enough to give her things she wanted.
Many tried to break in and steal from her room of prized treasures, but her fleet of knights caught and banished them regardless of their status. No one would steal from her, she wouldn't allow it.
So when Chidi stormed in the room in a panic, telling her that two rogues from the outskirts had sneaked all the way into the room of treasure, she got up with rage.
Eleanor and Jason, two adults that lived in the outskirts of the Al-Jamil Kingdom, blissfully enjoyed the room of gold and many gems that they found. Thanks to Eleanor's determination to not be a part of any Kingdom, the two had made it past every knight and guard and into the room of treasures rich enough to set them free.
"I'd love to stay here forever, but we must take as much as we can and get the hell out of here." Eleanor told Jason. "I'm surprised that none of the knights have come in here."
Jason started tossing many of the fit-able riches into his pockets and the bag he brought, and Eleanor did the same, choosing the diamonds and rubies specifically. This was her dream, to become rich and have no allegiance to any Kingdom at the same time. If they made it out of there, she would truly be free.
They greedily took as much as they could and left the room, only to face dozens of knights with weapons in the hallway.
"Oh boy." Jason whispered.
"RUN JASON!" Eleanor sprinted past Jason, only to get tackled by several knights. She knew that if she wasn't able to get past them, Jason had no chance. Moments later, she heard Jason get tackled with a high-pitched shriek, and her hopes were shattered.
Well, it was worth a shot right? Even if I do end up starving in the dungeons or on death row, wasn't it better to try to have it all instead of give up?
The tears that rolled down Eleanor's cheeks said otherwise, revealing how truly broken she was at the thought of being imprisoned or killed. As the knights cuffed her on the floor, Eleanor saw the tall and gorgeous skyscraper of a Queen striding towards the group with her advisers at her side.
Eleanor had only heard of the narcissistic Queen of the Al-Jamil Kingdom, but when she first saw her, it was attraction at first sight. Even in her fury, Eleanor Shellstrop had never seen a human that looked so heavenly.
Queen Tahani stopped and stared at Eleanor, the emotions in her eyes flickering in confusion.
"I...take these ruffians to the d-dungeons." She stuttered. "I need to talk to my advisers on what should happen."
"If it helps, I think you look like a tan goddess in human skin." Eleanor whispered, being pulled away by the knights.
"I also think your female adviser is hot!" Jason exclaimed.
Janet blushed and looked away. Queen Tahani groaned, beckoning her two advisers back to her throne.
"Ethically speaking, I think we should-"
"Dear Chidi, I don't think any ethics or any logic will help me. That woman made me feel something that I haven't felt in a long time." Queen Tahani confessed. "It was the damn way she looked at me. If you saw it, you would've felt it too."
"Oh...well what about the male rogue?" Chidi asked.
"We should keep him." Janet replied without missing a beat.
"To do what? He seemed dumber than a doorknob." Queen Tahani rolled her eyes.
"Maybe he can be a joker? We can see how funny he can be and you'll have someone to entertain you." Janet suggested. "Or he can be my personal sex-"
"Joker it is!" Queen Tahani interrupted Janet. "But what about the blonde one..."
"My Queen, do you really think we should be hiring thieving rogues from the outskirts onto your royal staff?" Chidi pointed out. "They attempted to steal your gold, and maybe letting your feelings get in the way is a really bad idea."
"We just need to leave more security there, that's all." Queen Tahani hated the fact that Chidi was right, and she hated that she was denying it. Why was she allowing herself to have feelings for a poor rogue that had no social standing?
Despite her conflicting feelings, she decided what she was going to do.
Eleanor was in the corner of the dungeon cell that she was sharing with Jason, her mind whirling with many different thoughts. She didn't know whether to feel shattered or turned on by the Queen, especially since she didn't know what was going to become of her.
"I'm bored!" Jason exclaimed for the 5th time that hour. There was only an opening beside them covered with bars that gave enough light to light up their cell, and Eleanor was looking for some sort of chiv-like object to saw off the bars.
As she was looking in the clearly empty cell, she froze when she heard the intimidating steps of the Queen herself. Eleanor expected to see her face be full of hatred or evil anticipation, but instead, Queen Tahani looked at her quite strangely. Eleanor couldn't even read the emotion showing on her face.
"Against my best judgement, I will neither imprison nor kill you two. I will not be letting you two go either." Queen Tahani decided. "I will be offering both of you positions in the castle. Male rogue, you will become my personal joker and you'll be staying in Janet's room."
When Janet waved, Jason smiled excitedly like a small child getting his favorite Christmas gift.
"And I guess I'll be cleaning the toilet seats?" Eleanor muttered.
"Not quite, I'm offering you a position as the newest maid in the castle in exchange for a comfortable bed to sleep in and food to eat. Miss...?" Queen Tahani looked at her blonde interest for her name.
"Oh, um, Eleanor Shellstrop." Eleanor turned away, frowning and blushing at the same time. "And yeah, I guess I'll take your offer or whatever."
"You can sleep in any of the vacant guest rooms." Queen Tahani told Eleanor, who was scolding herself for taking the Queen's offer so quickly. She didn't leap past dragons and knights to become a maid! But something about the Queen's generous offer was too good to refuse.
Something was up, she knew it.
One month later
Eleanor worked vigorously everyday to make sure that all the beds, tables, and rugs were clean. It felt like her work ethic grew three sizes the moment that Queen Tahani gave her the job. As if she was dying to impress her.
It wasn't even worth it, since the Queen was too busy to praise Eleanor most of the time. Meanwhile, she was pretty sure that Jason was getting laid everyday now. That is, if the noise complaints about Janet's room indicated anything.
Eleanor was dusting the golden vases that were on each side of the door leading into Queen Tahani's throne room. As she was dusting, she heard crying. It was the Queen! And she could barely hear Chidi and Janet trying to talk her down.
"Queen Tahani...people...resent...possessions." Was all Eleanor could hear Chidi saying. Without thinking, Eleanor dropped her duster and opened the doors to the throne room. Queen Tahani was weeping on her throne, and Chidi and Janet looked at her helplessly.
"She's been like this all week." Janet frowned. "The townsfolk have started to burn pictures of her and throw garbage on the castle walls. Neither of us have been able to help her correctly."
"But I suggested that-" Chidi almost ranted before Janet put her finger over his lips. He sighed. "Okay, I'll leave if I'm being that unhelpful."
"You're not Chidi, you did a great job. I'm just so emotional and beaten up about this." Queen Tahani whimpered. "I just need a minute alone...with Eleanor."
Eleanor was already following Chidi and Janet out the door when Queen Tahani added those two precious words that danced around in the blonde woman's head playfully. She stopped and turned around to face the Queen, barely noticing the door closing behind her.
"Why me?" Eleanor managed to say. She wasn't sure if she was ready for the answer to that question.
"I want to know your thoughts on all of this. Surely you've seen the ways that the townsfolk of my Kingdom despise me?" Queen Tahani asked.
Eleanor had, several times actually. One time, she had to go to the marketplace to restock the pantry at the castle when she saw it firsthand. A poor family had given the last of everything they had to the Queen, and as a result they had to move to a rickety house at the border of the Kingdom's territory. It was unusually cruel, and Eleanor could hardly believe that Queen Tahani wanted it to happen. The townsfolk roared in protest, lifting their rotten food and tossing it at the castle walls. Some of them actually left for the outskirts like she did long ago.
"They'd much rather have my sister as their Queen wouldn't they? I could see it on their faces all those months ago when I announced her banishment-"
"No! I think that they've gotten tired of worshiping you all the time. They're too afraid to find valuables because they know they have to give them away to you every time." Eleanor admitted. "When they're required to worship you, they lose important time on making the Kingdom better by working all day."
"It has nothing to do with me personally?" Queen Tahani asked gingerly.
"Of course not, I think they just want some of their freedom back." Why do you think I left this place to begin with?
"Oh, perhaps I have let this Queen position get to my head a little bit." Queen Tahani admitted. "Truth is, Chidi and Janet gave me similar advice. But I didn't want to believe that I was being selfish. Thank you Eleanor."
"No prob Bob." Eleanor didn't resist as Queen Tahani wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tight. But she couldn't help but wonder why her opinion mattered over her own advisers'?
Two months later
The Al-Jamil Kingdom took a turn for the better when Queen Tahani finally brought herself to stop her mandatory self-glorifying and to start showing how much she appreciated her subjects. She started by giving all the family heirlooms and personal possessions back to her people, but held onto the gold and gems that she took from them. She was a work in progress, and wasn't ready to give up those just yet.
She even had Chidi and Janet set up a meeting with all the townsfolk to give her advice on how to be a better Queen. Some of them did insult her, but she held Eleanor's hand and stood her ground on the platform they stood on. Eleanor felt her heart race, and wondered if any of the townsfolk would dare question the sudden hand-holding. They didn't.
After the meeting, the royal subjects celebrated with a feast. Eleanor gladly took a plate full of shrimp and a bottle of margarita, and even tried some of those jalapeno poppers Jason gushed about all the time.
The next morning, Eleanor woke up with a massive hangover in her bed. She expected to wake up in Queen Tahani's bed, but she didn't.
Am I disappointed?
Eleanor didn't feel like answering that question, and pulled up a bucket to vomit instead. After several hours of groaning, tossing, and turning, Eleanor decided to go downstairs. When she made it to the bottom floor of the castle, she briefly saw Jason before he quickly left the castle. What was he up to?
Eleanor, having nothing better to do, secretly followed her simple friend. Jason walked normally towards the marketplace, and Eleanor realized that he wasn't up to anything suspicious.
"Hey Jason? What're you doing?" Eleanor asked. Jason turned around and grinned.
"Getting flowers for Janet. You?" Eleanor froze, thinking of a random thing to do.
"Um, I'm also getting flowers. For the Queen!" Eleanor decided. She quickly reached for the bouquet closest to her and Jason raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Roses? I had no idea you had a thing for Queen Tahani." Jason commented.
Eleanor hated hiding her growing feelings, but she couldn't bring herself to buy the roses she grabbed.
"Oh, I uh, had no idea roses symbolized that." Eleanor blushed. "That's not what I m-meant at all. Which flowers mean friendship?"
"I don't know homie, all I know is that roses mean love and jalapeno poppers are delicious." Jason stated, taking the unwanted rose bouquet from Eleanor's hands.
Eleanor sighed and settled with the pretty bouquet of lavender flowers, hoping that they didn't accidentally reveal possible feelings that she had for Queen Tahani.
Today, Queen Tahani should've felt good about herself. Most of her kingdom was pretty chill with her after she agreed to make changes in their favor, last night's feast was lots of fun, and she didn't even have to do most of the work for anything. That was the royal subjects' job. But she got really drunk on the night of the celebratory feast, and as she ate her late breakfast on her royal table, memories of her and Eleanor came back in bits and pieces.
A touch on the shoulder...drunk giggly laughs...her dropping champagne on her own dress and Eleanor...licking it off her dress?!
Queen Tahani felt like she made up that last part in her head, she must've. She desperately searched the realms of her mind to remember if they kissed or fooled around in any way. Unfortunately, she remembered nothing of the sort.
Her dreams in the past two months haven't done her any good, especially since Eleanor's maid outfit left a lot to the imagination. And getting to know Eleanor and her life as a rogue may have been surprising and disturbing. But for once, it didn't matter how roguish Eleanor was or that she wasn't rich.
Because the truth was, Queen Tahani had-
"Flowers!" Jason interrupted Queen Tahani's thoughts as he ran up past the dining hall to Janet's room. Eleanor entered the golden and gem-studded dining hall that Queen Tahani was in and revealed the bouquet of lavender flowers behind her back.
"I thought these would look good next to your throne." Even though they don't look nearly as drop-dead gorgeous as you.
"Oh darling, you didn't have to do that." Queen Tahani's eyes sparkled at the beautiful flowers that were more valuable to her than any treasure.
"Well, it's the least I can do for you." Eleanor rubbed her shoulder awkwardly. "Y'know, since you took me in out of the goodness of your heart."
Queen Tahani chuckled, for she hardly had any goodness in her heart when she met Eleanor. In fact, taking Eleanor in was one of her own selfish impulse decisions.
And yet, it was the best thing that happened to both of them.
Several months later
"Guys, it's the dopest time of the year! Christmas!" Jason exclaimed.
It was finally the time of giving for Eleanor, the woman who learned how to care for other people thanks to her friends. And Queen Tahani, who also learned to be less selfish and narcissistic. They truly grew on each other as they worked on improving the Al-Jamil Kingdom. Queen Tahani even invited her sister back, but Kamilah was happy being an adviser at Shaun's Kingdom.
Eleanor finally admitted in her head that she was head over heels in love with Queen Tahani. But how could she feel something for her, she's probably straight!
I don't belong here anymore, I don't even know why Queen Tahani let me stay here to begin with. If I stay here, I'll just subject myself to more pain.
"I've finished wrapping the gifts!" Queen Tahani exclaimed, opening the door of her room. Eleanor scanned the room to see Chidi setting up the Christmas tree and Jason and Janet eating a plateful of cookies. Noticing that the coast was clear, Eleanor opened the door and exited the castle and into the blizzard outside.
If Queen Tahani really liked me, something would've happened already. Now, I can finally achieve what I've always wanted.
In hindsight, Eleanor shouldn't have left to be a rogue again in the raging blizzard. She only took five steps before she realized that she was lost.
"Eleanor?!"
No, she can't see me leave!
"Wait, Eleanor! At least let me give you my gift!" Queen Tahani stopped in front of Eleanor. "I...wanted to promote you to my third adviser...and I wanted to tell you that I love you. That is my gift, and I know that it isn't much but-"
Eleanor pressed her lips against Queen Tahani's, and so many questions about their future swirled around in her head. But she silenced all of her questions and thoughts, and enjoyed living in the moment of having her love returned by her dear Tahani.