Hello All you lovely readers! Thank you so much for all of you who have favorited/followed/reviewed my story! I know I have been seriously slacking on my updates, but I do intend to finish this story! If not for me, then for you guys because, even after all these months, I still get emails saying that someone new has either followed or favorited this story, and for that I am grateful! I will try my best to finish this story this year so that I can finally start writing some other things. Thank you all who have been there since the beginning, I hope y'all are still around. If you are, PLEASE leave me a review and tell me what you like about the story. I'm also up for suggestions on how Vasilia will eventually make herself known, I have an idea (obviously) but I'd love to hear what some of y'all have to say. So if you have any thoughts, ANY THOUGHTS at all, please PM me.
Again thank you so much for sticking with me, and for those who are just joining us, thank you too! Please leave a review! Tell me what you like, or don't like! I would love to hear my readers. ENJOY!

Chapter 11: Proposition

The castle was bustling with activity when Birk arrived. Servants, decorators, and cooks were scurrying about cleaning and transporting decorations, ingredients, and other miscellaneous items that were covered with large white sheets. Birk had come to know the main corridors of the castle fairly well due to spending time with Sofia, but with all the extra people and miscellaneous tables, decorations, and cleaning supplies, he was discombobulated. Right before he thought for sure he was lost, Birk spotted the gray-haired steward directing a group of flower arrangers to another area.

"Excuse me, Baileywick?" Birk asked stepping up to the man.

"Mr. Balthazar? What brings you here? I don't have you on the schedule to arrive until Sofia gets out of school." Baileywick asked cordially.

"What's going on here?" Birk asked.

"We just started preparing for The Tri-Kingdom Founder's Festival. It takes place every four years and alternates between the three kingdoms. Last time, it was hosted in Kaldune, and this year it is here in Enchancia. All the Kingdoms come together to celebrate the alliance our kingdoms have formed. It is quite an ordeal. The whole Kingdom plays a part in the festivities, and the Queen has taken it upon herself to oversee all the preparation here in the castle."

"Oh, wow! No wonder there is such a hubbub." Said Birk surprised. "Speaking of the Queen, do you have any idea where I would find her?"

Baileywick glanced at his pocket watch. "She is most likely in the Ball room overseeing the decorations right now."

"Ah, thank you." Said Birk. He was just about to walk away, but the crowd of people disoriented him once again. "Could you kindly point me in that direction?" he smiled.

"Go down this hall, then turn right, at the very end, the doors will be in the third corridor on the left." The steward waved his hand in the direction he had indicated and then checked his pocket watch again. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to see how the kitchen staff is doing on their supplies."

"Wow, you sure do have a full plate, don't you?" Birk smirked at his unintentional pun.

"Indeed. There is much work to be done and little time to do it. I don't mean to be rude, but I really must go now. Good day Mr. Balthazar."

Birk grimaced, slightly indignant at the fact that his perfectly good pun was wasted on such a stiff. "That guy needs a vacation." Birk said to himself.

"Tell me about it." One of the maids replied in a thick accent.

Birk chuckled, "He really doesn't get out much, does he?"

"Not unless it's related to serving the King and Queen." She sighed. "But he only works so hard because he truly wants to help their Majesties. He also cares deeply for the children; he'd do most anything for the family." The petite woman smiled warmly.

"Hm." Birk returned the smile and then looked back at Baileywick who was just turning a corner. Birk was about to say something else to the woman who had spoken to him, but when he turned around again, she was already on her way to dust another exquisite vase. Birk shrugged and thought through the directions Baileywick had given him once more before heading in the direction of the Ball Room.

The Ball Room was just as chaotic as all the corridors Birk trekked through to get there. Massive ladders and tables full of decorations littered the landscape. It didn't take him too long to spot Miranda in her queenly attire. He sucked in a deep breath and approached her clearing his throat.

"Queen Miranda?" he said timidly.

She turned to face him, surprise apparent on her face. "Birk? Sofia doesn't get out of school for another couple hours or so. What are you doing here?"

"I actually wanted to speak with you, if you would allow it."

Miranda's brow furrowed slightly, "oh." She said hesitantly.

"Would it be possible for us to talk somewhere more private?"

She quickly glanced around the room, "Just a moment. Let me tell Gwen that I'll be stepping out for a moment."

Birk nodded. Miranda walked over to a young woman who was fiddling with some sort of contraption. She spoke briefly to her. The young girl glanced at him and then nodded at the queen, but her expression was unreadable. Birk scrunched his face and puffed out one cheek in indignant embarrassment. It was no doubt the whole castle knew exactly who he was and how the queen felt about him. A few seconds later, Miranda made her way back over to Birk.

"Follow me." She said looking past him. Birk followed, but there was still a twinge in his heart every time she treated him coldly. He still couldn't blame her, but he couldn't help the way he felt.

She led him through the noisy corridors, gracefully sidestepping any obstacles in her way. Birk on the other hand, was not as nimble and bumped into many rolling tables, almost knocking a couple of them and an expensive vase over. Soon enough, they came to a relatively quiet hallway with only two maids dusting the paintings on the walls. She opened a large door and stepped inside, motioning for him to follow.

He was astonished when he saw that the room they were in was a bedroom. His jaw slackened. "Is this your room?" he asked in amazement.

"Yes." Miranda answered through tight lips. "Now, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

Birk shook himself out of his daze and cleared his throat. "Right. Um. I was wondering if I could—if Sofia wanted to—if you would allow her to—come with me. Only for a couple days! To Ledstrana." Birk watched her closely, watching for any indication of what she might say so that he could prepare his next words carefully.

She was caught off guard. Her brow furrowed, but not out of anger. She was trying to make sense of his request. She puzzled silently for a few moments. Her brow furrowed deeper and she crossed her arms. Looking down, her eyes darted around pensively. After a couple more seconds, she sighed deeply and walked over to the enormous bed and sat. This could either be something really good, or really bad. Miranda clenched her jaw and put a hand on her forehead and squeezed her temples. Definitely bad.

"What do you want me to say Birk? 'Of course! Go right ahead! You're her father after all!" She laughed sarcastically.

Birk felt her words like a stab in his gut. "I know. I'm sorry. I—I just… I know how you must still distrust me. Honestly…you're right to." The image of Vasilia invaded his mind and he clenched his eyes shut. "But if you could find it in you to forgive me, I'd be eternally grateful." Birk was asking more for forgiveness for what he was going to do in the future, than for what he had done in the past. He opened his eyes hesitantly. Miranda was staring at him sternly.

"Birk," she paused, and then sighed. "I can't—I can't make this decision right now. My instinct is to scream no at you and kick you out of the castle." She pinched the bridge of her nose between thumb and finger. "And, when I see you… when it's just the two of us, it takes everything in me to fight the urge. But when I see you with Sofia, it's like all the doubts I had fade into the background. She's so happy when she's around you, and she talks about you all the time when I tuck her in. I want to forgive you, Birk. I truly do. But part of me just can't do it yet. And it's that part that can't just let you take Sofia with you."

There was a long silence. Birk had prepared many responses to the variety of ways that Miranda could have answered so that he might be able to convince her to let Sofia come, but none of them seemed appropriate. The conversation had taken an unexpected turn—although, he couldn't really call this unexpected—he should have known that when he actually got in front of Miranda, all of his defenses would collapse while hers would raise up.

He sighed deeply and turned, heading for the door. "You're right. I'm sorry I asked. I don't know what I was thinking."

Just as he opened the door, Miranda spoke up, "Birk wait."

He turned to face her again and she continued, "I told you I can't give you an answer right now. I need to think about it. Just give me some time."

"That's fair." He said. He opened the door to leave again.

"Birk."

He turned.

Neither of them spoke for a long while as a cloud of doubt, apprehension, and uncertainty hung in the air. Miranda opened her lips to speak, but then stopped. She glanced down at the floor, then again at him.

"I'm glad you've changed." She said.

"Thanks." He replied half-heartedly. He paused briefly, and then turned all the way around to face her. "You know, I don't blame you for not being able to forgive me. I hurt you. In more ways than one, and you never deserved any of it. You always deserved the best, Miranda; something I could never give you. And now you finally have it." He sighed. "I don't blame you for leaving me. You were always the one to do the right thing, I was just too stupid to realize it before it was too late, and now we both have what we deserve."

A lump caught in Birk's throat, as he suddenly understood the gravity of what he had just said. Because of the terrible way he treated Miranda, because of the father he never was, his family was being held captive, and he had to surrender to the will of a psychotic, power hungry tyrant. In an odd sort of way, was kind of like when Miranda was married to him. He was the mad, power hungry ruler and she was the one in captivity, fearing for her child's safety. It was only right that he was in this particular situation. He deserved it. Birk tried to hold back his tears. "I'll be back when S—Sofia get's—out of school." He choked.

He turned on his heel and swiftly left the room. Should he even stay? Did he deserve to get to spend time with his eldest daughter? In a sense, yes, because he deserved feeling the pain it caused him to lie to her and trick her. He deserved the guilt he felt for feeling so incredibly happy around her when his other children were in danger of starvation. He deserved the hate Miranda directed at him for all the pain he had caused her, and was still causing her. He deserved all of it. Birk ran out of the castle grounds and just outside the town line to an open field and wept on the dry grass.

Review? Maybe? Please? That'd be great. Otherwise, thanks for reading! I'll post the next chapter in a couple weeks.