"Hey, do you know what this is all about?" Killian asked, as he made his way through the crowds of people and over to where his brother was stood.

"Not a clue. I was just told someone important was coming to visit today."

"This close to Christmas? Who could be that important to warrant all of this fuss?"

Killian was pissed, and it definitely showed. He'd been planning to Skype home that morning and talk to Oliver before the little boy left for pre-school, but instead, he'd been woken at the crack of dawn by a call from their superior, asking for help preparing for the arrival of a special guest on base. It had left him with no other option than to fire off a quick text message to Elsa, asking her to explain the situation to Oliver when he woke. Killian knew that his son would be devastated by their abrupt change of plans, and it had left him feeling sour all day.

"How the hell should I know, Killian? They tell me just as much as they tell you," his brother fired back. "If I had to guess, the only person I could imagine warranting this kind of fuss for a last-minute visit would be someone from the royal family."

"Ugh. Seriously?"

It wasn't that Killian was against the monarchy, as such. He understood what it brought to the country and how little he actually contributed to them financially, unlike some of his colleagues. He just didn't get the fuss surrounding them at all. It wasn't as if any of the current royals had ever done anything massive to change the world, or even his daily life. So as far as he was concerned, they were just another privileged family that he couldn't really bring himself to give a shit about.

"It could be the Queen," Liam suggested, perking up a little at the thought. "She's pretty hot."

"I can't say I've ever given it a great deal of thought."

The two men fell silent as Group Captain Johnson made his way down the lines of servicemen and women waiting for further instructions. While it was only a few days before Christmas, the sun was shining brightly that December morning in Cyprus. And even though everyone had been pulled away from their regular duties to greet whoever this mysterious visitor was, Killian could sense that the weather was helping to boost the overall mood on base.

"Okay, you lot. I'm sure you're all wondering what you're doing here today," Johnson barked out, his voice carrying around the large airbase even without the use of the megaphone in his office. "You have a guest making her way here as I speak. I was notified last night that we would be receiving a surprise visit from Her Majesty, Queen Emma. She's bringing gifts with her, and you'll all have the morning off to enjoy an impromptu Christmas party. So I'll need volunteers to help turn Hanger C into a venue fit for a Queen, ASAP."

Killian wasn't surprised to see a number of his colleagues step forward to offer their help. Johnson never really made requests while he was on base, it was always just expected of the lower-ranked men and women to jump in and lend a hand when he needed it. Thankfully, as a Flight Lieutenant, Killian was able to excuse himself from party duties and return to his office for a few minutes, just to finish the paperwork that he'd started that morning. He wasn't surprised to see his brother and other higher-ranked officials doing the same. If their guest had made arrangements last minute, then it meant that nobody really knew how long she was planning to stay for. And Killian didn't much feel like pulling another all-nighter just to get his work done on time.

When the usual alert started making its way around the base informing the team that an aircraft was coming into land, he didn't hesitate to stop what he was doing, grab his cap from the hook beside his office door, and make his way back outside. Killian had been a military man for long enough to know how these kinds of protocols worked, and the last thing he needed was a bollocking from Johnson because he hadn't been there on time to greet his Queen.

He wasn't stood for long under the warm Cypriot sun before the familiar sound of an approaching plane caught everyone's attention. Thanks to their strict training, the men and women on base kept their gazes away from the incoming aircraft and instead fixed on a point above the left shoulder of the person standing opposite them, as a large Airbus began approaching the runway.

"We'll be landing in a few moments, Your Majesty."

"Thank you." Emma lifted her head to offer Andrews a small smile before she returned her attention to her laptop screen. She saved the few documents she had open and quickly closed out of the applications before logging off the system and shutting down the device. It was the standard security procedure for all of the devices used by her team, and one that had become second nature to her over the years. When the laptop was securely tucked away, Emma buckled her seatbelt ready for landing as she watched the security team around her do the same thing.

The almost-five-hours they'd spent in the air had at least allowed her to get plenty done, but she knew that her unscheduled trip out of the country would leave her scrambling to make all of her commitments before the holidays. So Emma tried to keep Oliver's happy smile in mind every time her thoughts drifted towards the negatives. This would all be worth it to make dozens of kids happy, she told herself. She only hoped that their parents would be pleasantly surprised by her arrival and the gifts she had with her, instead of annoyed by the last-minute disruption to their usual schedules.

When the Airbus finally touched down at RAF Akrotiri, Emma excused herself to make use of the small private bedroom so that she could change for the occasion. She hated flying in heels and fancy dresses, but more than that, she knew if she stepped off the plane that morning with creases in her clothing her intentions for the day would be questioned by the royal reporters, who had been informed of the last-minute trip the night before.

So as her security team began the procedure of disembarking from the flight, Emma traded her comfortable leggings and hoody for a pair of black trousers, a simple white cotton vest, and a navy coloured military-inspired jacket. She released her hair from the low ponytail it had been pulled back into and ran a gentle brush through the strands before dropping into a seat to pull on her boots.

A sharp knock on the door preceded Leroy's words of, "They're ready for you now, Ma'am," just as Emma pushed herself back up to her feet.

"Thank you, Leroy. I'll be right out," she promised, as she gave her appearance one final look over in the mirror. It wasn't the smartest she'd ever been dressed, but considering that she would be spending her day on a military base, Emma didn't think she looked too bad.

When she finally left the small bedroom and made her way back out to the main space, she noticed that all of the cards and gifts had already been carried off the plane and that Leroy had the tablet loaded with the kids' video messages tucked safely under one of his arms, ready for later.

"After you, Your Majesty," he encouraged, stepping to one side so that Emma would exit the plane ahead of him.

The Queen took a moment just to allow the mask she always wore in public to drop down over her face before she moved confidently towards the open door.

Queen Emma's look here is based on Jen's look for The Miracle Worker Photocall in January 2010. If you'd like to know what Killian's uniform looks like, you can find an image on the RAF's website that was released to accompany an article about RAF Leeming being dispatched to RAF Akrotiri in 2018. Alternatively, you can find it on my Tumblr - Kymbersmith-90.

Thank you for sticking with me as I battle through my health issues. It'll be a little longer before I get back to something resembling a normal posting schedule - but I hope to get there as soon as I can. Please know I'm reading and appreciating every one of your reviews, even if replying to them is taking me longer than I'd like right now.