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Ella took a deep breath as she swept her long dark hair over her shoulder. The gentle white silk of her pajamas felt smooth against her skin, but she felt chilled. She crossed her arms as she stared out the window to the street below.
Silence encased the streets, not even the soft song of crickets could be heard. The gentle orange flicker of candles had been extinguished from the windows.
With a gentle sigh, she turned from the window. For a moment, she forced herself to ignore her husband who was lying on his back in the bed. A fear had rooted itself in her that if she opened her mouth, words that she didn't mean would tumble out.
She knelt down and picked up her shoes, a black pair that were extremely "un-queen" like and placed them directly across from the bed.
"What are you doing?"
"Setting my shoes where I can see them," she answered. Her eyes dashed from her position on the floor to her pillow on the bed. Would she have clear view from the bed?
"So, you can catch the shoe thieves?" The tinkling of amusement in his voice caused a ripple of annoyance to run down her spine.
Ella stood up and turned to face Char. "Why are you so reserved about doing things for your kingdom?"
"I'm not reserved," he stated. The puzzled look that crossed his handsome face instantly confirmed to Ella that he was suffering from whatever undeniable urge to blurt out whatever thought crossed his mind.
"Char," she stated, sitting on the bed beside him. She gently pushed a curly blonde lock away from his face and smiled. "You're a king now. And you're going to be a wonderful king. Just like your father. But you have to become involved. You can't expect problems to just go away."
"Do we have to do this now?" Gone was the chiming amusement, gone also was the patient tone usually used with her. Now, the tone could only be classified as a blend of whiny and annoyance.
Ella searched his face, the words poured from her mouth. "What's happening to us?"
This statement promptly caught his attention as he leaned toward her. "You've noticed it too?"
"Of course I've noticed it," she snapped. She fiercely bit down on her lip. The will to control what she said seemed to have vanished and the first words she thought flew instantaneously out of her mouth. "It's like I can't control what I want to say."
Char sat up and nodded. "I've felt the same way."
Ella smiled in relief. He wasn't so different from her, for a brief moment she had started to feel panicked. "I was worried that I'd made an awful choice."
Char's eyebrows rose as he looked curiously at her. "What do you mean?"
Ella clamped her hand over her mouth, muffling the words she could not stop. She turned away from him, grabbed a brush and raked it through her hair. She waited until Char fell quiet and she turned around. A smile crept across her lips as her eyes swept over his sleeping figure. His strong chest rose and fell with each breath, the gentle curls of his golden colored hair fell across his face.
She sat down beside him and lightly kissed his cheek. "Maybe I didn't make a mistake after all."
She gently blew out the candles around the room and tucked her legs into bed. With a sigh, she propped her pillow up behind her back, waiting silently for her eyes to adjust to the dim light.
Sometime, Ella must have dozed off, but she distinctly heard a faint click. Her brown eyes flung open as she sat sharply up. Her hands rubbed her eyes as she peered into the darkness. The dark outlines of small figures near the end of the bed caught her attention.
Ella leapt up from the bed. "Drop those shoes!" she commanded.
There was a strange cackling in the room, something whooshed past Ella, she felt her balance thrown off; the room seemed to tilt as she fell back onto the bed. The cackling became a chittering sound. Her eyes went wildly around the room. Char was also sitting up.
"What's going on?"
Ella angrily swung her legs over the edge of the bed and flicked on the light. "We are now shoeless."
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Ella took a deep breath as she swept her long dark hair over her shoulder. The gentle white silk of her pajamas felt smooth against her skin, but she felt chilled. She crossed her arms as she stared out the window to the street below.
Silence encased the streets, not even the soft song of crickets could be heard. The gentle orange flicker of candles had been extinguished from the windows.
With a gentle sigh, she turned from the window. For a moment, she forced herself to ignore her husband who was lying on his back in the bed. A fear had rooted itself in her that if she opened her mouth, words that she didn't mean would tumble out.
She knelt down and picked up her shoes, a black pair that were extremely "un-queen" like and placed them directly across from the bed.
"What are you doing?"
"Setting my shoes where I can see them," she answered. Her eyes dashed from her position on the floor to her pillow on the bed. Would she have clear view from the bed?
"So, you can catch the shoe thieves?" The tinkling of amusement in his voice caused a ripple of annoyance to run down her spine.
Ella stood up and turned to face Char. "Why are you so reserved about doing things for your kingdom?"
"I'm not reserved," he stated. The puzzled look that crossed his handsome face instantly confirmed to Ella that he was suffering from whatever undeniable urge to blurt out whatever thought crossed his mind.
"Char," she stated, sitting on the bed beside him. She gently pushed a curly blonde lock away from his face and smiled. "You're a king now. And you're going to be a wonderful king. Just like your father. But you have to become involved. You can't expect problems to just go away."
"Do we have to do this now?" Gone was the chiming amusement, gone also was the patient tone usually used with her. Now, the tone could only be classified as a blend of whiny and annoyance.
Ella searched his face, the words poured from her mouth. "What's happening to us?"
This statement promptly caught his attention as he leaned toward her. "You've noticed it too?"
"Of course I've noticed it," she snapped. She fiercely bit down on her lip. The will to control what she said seemed to have vanished and the first words she thought flew instantaneously out of her mouth. "It's like I can't control what I want to say."
Char sat up and nodded. "I've felt the same way."
Ella smiled in relief. He wasn't so different from her, for a brief moment she had started to feel panicked. "I was worried that I'd made an awful choice."
Char's eyebrows rose as he looked curiously at her. "What do you mean?"
Ella clamped her hand over her mouth, muffling the words she could not stop. She turned away from him, grabbed a brush and raked it through her hair. She waited until Char fell quiet and she turned around. A smile crept across her lips as her eyes swept over his sleeping figure. His strong chest rose and fell with each breath, the gentle curls of his golden colored hair fell across his face.
She sat down beside him and lightly kissed his cheek. "Maybe I didn't make a mistake after all."
She gently blew out the candles around the room and tucked her legs into bed. With a sigh, she propped her pillow up behind her back, waiting silently for her eyes to adjust to the dim light.
Sometime, Ella must have dozed off, but she distinctly heard a faint click. Her brown eyes flung open as she sat sharply up. Her hands rubbed her eyes as she peered into the darkness. The dark outlines of small figures near the end of the bed caught her attention.
Ella leapt up from the bed. "Drop those shoes!" she commanded.
There was a strange cackling in the room, something whooshed past Ella, she felt her balance thrown off; the room seemed to tilt as she fell back onto the bed. The cackling became a chittering sound. Her eyes went wildly around the room. Char was also sitting up.
"What's going on?"
Ella angrily swung her legs over the edge of the bed and flicked on the light. "We are now shoeless."