Welcome back! Sorry about the big delay, school got super busy for a bit. I should be back to regular uploads sometime soon! Last chapter we saw the wedding between Daisy and Tatanga, now the King & Queen of Gulabahaar. Don't worry, there's a lemon coming up soon ;) just a few chapters away. Enjoy!

Daisy sat on a small bench with Tatanga, stroking his head as he rested it on her shoulder. "Crisani told me a bit about how you rule your kingdom. I think it's admirable that you allow significant input from your subjects," Daisy started. "What's the hardest thing you've had to do while you've been king?"

Tatanga chuckled. "What is this, a job interview?" He sat up and turned to face her, clasping her hands with his own. "It's a good question. Thank you for appreciating my values. I feel that if I'm not hearing from my people then I'm not acting with their best interests in mind, because I wouldn't know them. I make sure my people are heard and cared for at all times." He paused, pursing his lips. "The hardest thing I've ever had to do… Hmm. I think it was when I came back from my first trip trying to assume leadership of Sarasaland. I had been away on a bit of an escapade, overwhelmed with the power I had been granted when I came into reign after my mother passed. I was still grieving and trying not to think about it while attempting to conquer nearby lands. After my defeat at the hands of Mario, I was embarrassed and fled back to my planet, to find I had left it in ruins. It was hard to see my people starving and ill, at my own greed and inability to process my emotions." He looked up at the ceiling, glassy-eyed. Daisy figured he was trying not to cry; his voice was cracking a little bit and she could see the pain in his face. He continued: "Katsini updated me on what happened in my absence and told me to smarten up. And smarten up I did, or at least I like to think I did. I distributed resources, I learned about agriculture and ensured we would always have food and a means of trade with other kingdoms. I restructured our education system, and made healthcare fully accessible for my subjects. Most importantly, I put into place multiple therapy programs, so that others that were going through hard times like grieving would have access to the help they needed, the help I so desperately needed when my mom.." His voice broke. Daisy leaned in and hugged him tightly out of instinct. She was so moved by his words, by his care for his kingdom. Tatanga wrapped his arms around her tightly, like he was trying to keep her from disappearing into thin air. He took a few deep breaths and pulled away, loosening his grip. "Sorry." He turned away from her, embarrassed at his emotional break. Daisy put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't be sorry! I think your care for your people is quite evident, but I'm sorry you had to see them in such weakness before your changes. And I'm sorry about your mother. If I lost mine I'd have probably just up and left like you did, I wouldn't be able to process it. I don't think you were unreasonable in anything you did, and I think you remedied the situation in the best possible way."

He turned to look at her, scanning her face and determined she was speaking in earnest. He let out a small smile. "I appreciate your kind words, my queen. One day soon you will be managing these things alongside me and the ministers I have appointed to my council." He grabbed her hands once more, rubbing his thumb over the back of her knuckles. "What about you? What has been the hardest part of your life as a royal?" Tatanga gazed at her, fully immersed in the moment they were sharing. Daisy smirked. "Well, as the princess and not yet the queen, I only have so much power. I have the most presence in public and kind of act as the face of Sarasaland, but my power almost ends there. My parents manage everything, occasionally showing me how to do what they do. They expect that I will uphold their standards for how a kingdom should be ruled. They're very conservative, believing that royals should only marry other royals, they don't care much for sex education or public healthcare, and there's been a pretty big divide between the rich and poor under their leadership. It's incredibly difficult being the face of a legacy that you don't support. It's hard speaking with townsfolk in person, trying to comfort them over things I don't agree with and can't control." She looked down at their hands, inspecting the difference in size of their fingers. "To be honest, I'm glad to be away right now. My dad was always bringing suitors around and talking my ear off about people being more progressive and how much he hated "new-fangled royals" doing unconventional things like marrying heroes and not other royals and taxing rich people more to even out the class gaps. It's… nice to be somewhere where the people are valued and their leader cares." She smiled up at him, thinking about what life would be like ruling alongside him.

He lifted her hand up to his lips and gave her a quick kiss on her fingers. He pulled out a box from his jacket pocket and opened it, revealing a beautiful ring - a peridot stone surrounded by six small diamonds on a gold band. Daisy gasped audibly - it was stunning. That was the kind of ring you showed off to all your single friends to make them writhe with envy. She looked up at him incredulously. "I wanted to give you this in private. I had it made for you the day I got back to Gulabahaar. I knew that one day we would reunite, and I would want to have you rule at my side. I had it fashioned in the style of your brooch. May I?" he asked, holding up the ring between his thumb and forefinger. Daisy gave him her hand, and he slid the ring on. Perfect fit.

She inspected it, moving her hand to let the light hit it at different angles. "Thank you," she breathed. Daisy looked up at him. "Your memory is impeccable. You remembered all my favourite flowers too." She glanced at the bouquet she had set down on top of the mini fridge. "Of course I did. I initially came to Sarasaland to assume leadership, and the easiest way to do that was force you into a marriage with me and exile your parents. I was dumb and just wanted power. But while I was there I started to fall for you, and I knew one day I wanted to rule alongside you. Even after I got home my feelings grew stronger every day. So from then on I remembered every detail about you I could so I could make you happy. Anytime I had informants on Earth I had them check in on you and your kingdom and make sure you were okay, and they passed along any information about you they picked up that they thought I might want to know in passing. Sometimes they'd see you walking through town looking in dress shop windows and they'd see you staring at a dress, or they'd be in the shop while you tried things on and happened to hear your measurements and they would tell me. That's how I got all those garments made for you in your sizing." He looked at her sheepishly and blushed. "I'm… sorry if that's weird. I just knew I wanted to make you happy and any information I had about you made that easier."

Daisy was quiet, processing this. She was flattered, to say the least. She did recall some instances where she would be in town and a stranger would strike up a conversation with her while in line at a shop, often one that she didn't recognize. She giggled. "I think it's flattering. You had a little crush on me," she teased, poking him playfully. "What was once a crush is now love, my dear," he said, chuckling at her. "And I plan to never let you forget how loved you are every single day for the rest of your life". He leaned in to kiss her, holding her face with one hand. She opened her mouth, inviting him to deepen the kiss, which he obliged. She moaned into his mouth, grabbing at his jacket. His arms moved to encircle her waist and he kissed down her neck and collarbone delicately. Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Alright, lovebirds, everybody decent?" Crisani's muffled voice could be heard through the door. Daisy let go of Tatanga's jacket and smoothed it out. "Yes, we'll be out in a second!" Tatanga shouted back. He looked down at Daisy fretting over his jacket and laughed. "Come on, my dear, let's go have some dinner."

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