The first time Lymsleia saw Roy, she screamed.
It was a few days after the fight with Marscal Godwin in the Ashtwal Mountains and nearly a week since the final battle for Sol-Falena. Lym was heading to the throne room, having left a groggy Miakis behind in her room, being eager to start the day. Now that she was actually getting to be the Queen of Falena, she was enjoying it a lot more. It was exhausting, sure, but she made herself get up extra early every day to be ready for it regardless.
She was still getting used to having the members of her brother's army bustling around the Sun Palace, which was probably for the best because practically all of them were simply unwilling to go home just yet. As it was, the young girl had yet to meet all of them, and some were honestly a bit startling.
None so much as this one, however.
When Lym turned the corner and saw the impostor, a boy all trussed up in her brother's clothes, with his exact face, she knew somehow that he was very much not her brother and let out a bloodcurdling shriek that stopped him in his tracks and brought Miakis hurtling out of her room, pale-faced with her dual knives drawn.
"P-Prin-" she stammered, looking wildly around the hall. "What is it, are you alright?!"
"Wha-wha what..."
"What is it? Godwin soldiers? What?"
Lym pointed shakily up the hall.
Roy, in the meantime, was recovering his shock and storming down the hall towards them. "What the hell was that?" he demanded down at Lym. "About gave me a heart attack, ya know!"
Lym recovered herself. "W-Who are you?! And what are you doing in here anyway? I thought we had guards against crazy people!"
"Crazy people?! Do you know who I am?!"
Behind them, Miakis let out a soft "Oh" of realization, put her knives away, and then had to try very hard not to burst into laughter.
"Well I know who you're not!" Lym said angrily, her hands on her hips. She glared up at the impostor, and though he was over a full head taller than her, he took a surprised step back. She'd been practicing her 'intimidating almighty queen' look while she was with the Godwins, and took a moment to be proud of it before moving to more pressing matters. "What are you doing gallivanting around disguised as Frey for?"
"I am Frey!" the boy said arrogantly.
"Right," Lym replied, "but you don't know who I am."
Miakis leaned against the wall and shook with silent hysterics.
"I can't be bothered to remember every brat that runs 'round this place!"
"Oh my God." The young queen stared at him, nearly speechless for the first time. Nearly. "You are a huge idiot."
Roy flushed scarlet and opened his mouth to retort, but was interrupted by the sound of hurrying footsteps coming down the hall. The party turned to see Frey-the real one-and Lyon nearing. Both of them looked like they'd just woken up and dressed in a hurry; Frey's pale hair was half falling out of its braid, and Lyon had yet to even bother with hers. However, despite the messy state of their appearances, the impostor let out a decidedly unmanly squeak at the sight of them and leapt backwards to shrink behind Miakis, who was recovering from her fit and straightening up.
"Are you okay?" Frey asked urgently when he drew close. "A guard said there was screaming down here, so we came as fast as we could..."
Lym lunged at him and wrapped her arms around his waist, burrowing her face in his chest. Finally, the real one had shown up and could take care of this mess. She might be the Queen of the largest nation on the southern continent, fresh out of a civil war, but she was only eleven years old and some things were still just too weird.
Frey stumbled back at the sudden rush of affection. "L-Lym? What's going on?"
"Prince," Lyon said before Lym could answer, "I think I see the problem."
Miakis cheerfully stepped out from in front of Roy, whose face drained of color in a split second. Lyon's eyes narrowed and, glancing quickly between Frey and the sister still clinging to him, rounded on the impostor immediately. Frey, Lym, and Miakis sensed the oncoming storm and moved away.
"I thought I told you not to wear that outfit in the castle, Roy!"
"This ain't our castle, sweetie!"
"And so you thought the Sun Palace was a better idea?!"
"Wait," Lym whispered to her brother as the two continued to argue, "you know this guy? What's the deal?"
Frey sighed heavily. "Yes, unfortunately. That's Roy. He...is sort of my double, I guess. He's supposed to only do the act for strategic purposes, though."
The queen turned slowly towards her bodyguard, who looked thoroughly amused. "Miiiaaakiiiiis."
"Yes, Princess?" Miakis replied with a grin.
"You could have told me who this nut was from the start!"
"Well I could have, I suppose, but come on! This is sooo funny."
The three turned back to Lyon and Roy. Lyon had him backed cowering against the wall as she fiercely upbraided him for this particular stunt. All of them could safely say they didn't envy his position, but Lym was pretty impressed at the other girl's ability to sound so infuriated while still using dignified, polite language.
"Hey, Lyon," Frey interrupted. Lyon cut herself short and whirled back around, looking murderous, but took a few deep breaths and seemed to calm down. "I think he's had enough, don't you? And Roy, you should probably change before you scare my sister any more."
Roy blinked. "Uh...sister?"
"That's right, you idiot!" Lym shot back hotly. "Sister! Hmph! No self-respecting Falenan should disrespect their Queen the way you have today!"
"Aw hell!" Roy looked sick. "Prince, I didn't know it was her, I swear it!"
"I figured," Frey replied, sighing again. "Lym, we'd better get going..."
"I suppose so," Lym said. "Oooh, I wanna kick him, though."
"Oh don't worry," Lyon piped up, grabbing Roy tightly by the wrist. "I'll make sure he never pulls anything like this again."
"Come on, sweetie!" Roy begged. "I didn't mean nothin' by it!"
His pleading was ignored; Lyon called out a quick promise of returning soon and dragged him down the hall and out of sight. Miakis giggled a bit, while Lym was still trying to work out exactly what it was she'd just witnessed.
"So where'd you pick that one up?" she asked finally.
Frey bit his lip uncertainly. "Well, it's kind of a long story..."
A/N:
Repost. This was originally part of a drabble series that has been deleted but I thought. Hey I still like this. So posting it again as an individual thing.
