A Fickle Fingered Fate
Chapter 7
How do you like your eggs
Dawn peeked over the forests and mountains of Toffee's realm, washing it in faint golden orange and buttery yellow as the sun seemed to begin burning the night away, fiery hues scorching the pale violet skyline. Blue songbirds started to rise, twittering merry little tunes as they spruced themselves up, as if preparing for a stage show where they would preform. Cold dew gathered on the foliage, glistening like the finest jewels in the faint light.
These were the sights that greeted Toffee every morning when he rose, waking with the sun to begin his long days as king. He would dress while the kitchen staff prepared his breakfast, often staring out his windows as he ate, lost in his own thoughts. But he also always awoke to an empty bed, warmed only by his own body heat.
This was not the case now.
He awoke instead to a pressure against his back, and something moving against his tail. Lifting his head, he glanced over his shoulder, sleep briefly confusing him as to why someone else was in his bed. But the sight of his wife brought back the events of the past few days, and the weight of the situation had him simply dropping his head back down into his pillow with a deep sigh.
Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, he lay there with his eyes closed, running over everything in his head. He had to make the official public announcement today, begin introducing Mia to all the important people in the castle, give her a rundown of how things worked, then hopefully find something to occupy her days safely for a while until the heat died down.
Assigning her a bodyguard wouldn't be a bad idea, though he doubted she'd be too comfortable with a stranger being responsible for her protection, and if he was honest with himself, he didn't like it either. But it wasn't like she would enjoy following him around as he attended to meetings and solved issues with his people. She didn't seem like one for politics, and she wasn't built for some of the labors he had to preform on a daily basis.
'Perhaps I can get Renata to look after her for now, Rasticore would keep them both safe until I can figure something out.' He was brought out of his musing as the woman shifted against his back, snuggling closer with her bottom pressed firmly against the base of his spine and her chilled toes wiggling under his tail. A soft chuckle escaped him as he slowly removed himself from the bed, watching in amusement as she rolled over to immediately fill his empty place. 'Looks like I shall have a best friend come winter.'
Crossing the room to the large hearth, Toffee grimaced slightly as his feet left the protection of the rug and met the harsh coldness of the stone floor. His mind jumped back to his wife's own toes, recalling how cool they had been, and he quickly set about building a large roaring fire. The flames crackled and snapped, the heat rushing past him into the room, chasing after the chilly air and warming his scaly skin. He flicked chips of bark into the slowly forming bed of coals, shifting the logs slightly with an iron poker and watching sprays of embers flare and die.
A soft sound, perhaps a little moan or whimper, drew his attention. On the bed, he watched as his wife stirred, shifting about to sit up while still keeping under the covers. Strands of pink and blue fell freely around her face, framing sleepy eyes that fought to blink themselves into an alert state. The new queen shivered slightly, and grabbed the white fur laying across the bed, pulling it around her shoulders as she softly cleared her throat. "Good morning," she all but whispered, her voice apparently more asleep than the rest of her.
"Good morning," he replied, his voice slightly louder, but still soft enough to not startle her still drowsy ears. "Sleep well?"
She nodded, glancing briefly at the fire and the tool in his hand, then swept her gaze around the room. It seemed as if she were taking it in with more attention to deal than last night, her eyes lingering here and there on objects scattered about. Toffee found himself wondering what she thought of it. His kingly rooms were large, but not nearly as gilded as the palaces of mewmens.
Monsters focused on nature, cherishing fine woods and stones shaped by the elements, fabrics and clothing made by hand rather than magic and chose to always to include leathers or fur instead of jewels or gold. He had heard from a few maids about Mia's wardrobe before the ceremony, and knew how richly her gowns were decorated, and how many spells it would take to create the unnaturally soft and silky fabrics. His own formal clothes weren't even as finely made as hers, but they were beyond rich as far as monsters were concerned.
'She must think she's been banished to a hovel in the middle of the wilds,' he thought ruefully. 'Even the King's Quarters look like a rustic cabin to a Mewnian princess who just slept in a gown with gold silk stitching around the collar.'
"The rafters are beautiful."
The king was jerked from his thoughts at the comment, and his brow rose in confusion. "Pardon?"
A delicate finger pointed towards the ceiling above the balcony doors, drawing his attention to the forest scenery carved into the dark red wood. "It's like a painting with all the details I can make out, and I like the wood's coloring." She glanced around briefly. "There's something on just about every bit of wood structure in here-even the bed." Her hand brushed lightly over the headboard, sliding across the skillfully made grooves that formed a complex pattern within the wood.
Shifting the fur up higher, the mewnian wiggled around until she sat on top of her legs, tucking her feet beneath her to help keep them warm. She brushed the stray hair from her face, her arm swiftly vanishing back under the blankets. "Aren't you cold?" She huffed with a slight smile. "Dumb question, sorry. Should have asked why you aren't back under the covers or at least bundled up."
"I haven't been up long," he replied, stirring the coals before putting the poker away, dusting off his hands as he stood. "You were obviously cold, so I built the fire. Figured we'd both appreciate the warmth while we started the day. Speaking of which, will you be taking breakfast with me, or would you prefer to sleep a little longer?"
"I'm awake, so breakfast would be lovely," she replied, reluctantly pushing the blankets and fur aside as she slipped off the bed. A visible shudder ran through her as she wrapped her arms around herself and shuffled over to the vanity.
She carefully folded her skirt beneath her as she sat, untying the ribbon that held most of her hair still bound tightly, the vivid pink and blue locks falling in silky waves around her shoulders. A brief thought flittered across Toffee's mind, like a random butterfly floating past him. 'I think I like my wife's hair,' he thought as he stood, trying not to stare out of curiosity while he crossed to the doors of the chamber, pulling the servant cord. 'Strange, I didn't expect to find something I liked about her this soon-if at all.'
The faint ringing of the bell drew Mia's attention as she worked a brush through her hair, the shortened lock still draped over her collarbone. "What will be having?"
"Let's put it this way; how do you like your eggs?"
The brush paused for a moment before she glanced at him, then turned back to the vanity. "Well...I'm not fond of eggs except for one way. But I'll eat them however you have yours done."
Toffee arched a brow in confusion. "A bit early to be cryptic, isn't it?" he mused, crossing back to the fireplace to escape the chill. "It's hardly a bother if you want your food done differently than everyone else. But I can't exactly give you what you want if you don't tell me what it is."
"It's hardly important. It was silly to say anything about it." She waved the issue off with a rosy smile. "Forget I mentioned it."
The reptile snorted. "And have somebody else find out my new queen didn't get what she wanted? Buff Frog alone wouldn't ever let me hear the end of it." He leaned back against the warm stones of the fireplace, folding his arms loosely. "Don't just let people decide things for you. Always speak your mind, Mia. As queen, you should be confident in your choices, and never fear what someone else might think of them."
Quick and skilled fingers twisted the shortened lock of hair into a braid, one similar to what it been in during the ceremony. "Are we still...talking about breakfast?" she asked hesitantly, tying the end of the braid with a gold and jeweled band.
"In a way, but the statement applies to many cases," he replied. "So, once more, how would my queen like her eggs?"
Her hands slowed as she seemed to consider her answer. "You'll think it's gross," she warned, setting her brush down. "I...like them raw." Pink flushed her cheeks as she looked down at her lap, embarrassment painting her face.
Toffee cocked his head in confusion. For a moment he didn't know what to think. It was certainly unusual, especially for a Mewnian princess, but he knew of a few others who enjoyed eggs straight from the shell. But hearing it from his wife was simply unexpected.
However, the way Mia was fiddling with her skirt and refusing to look up gave him the impression that others had shamed her for it, or at least teased her. "Raw it is, then," he stated, offering a reassuring smile when she finally looked to him. "As the Queen desires, so shall she have-as my father used to say."
Her blush deepened as she brushed her hair behind her ear with a shy smile. "You don't think it's weird?"
"It's hardly unheard of, just a little surprising that a princess would ever even try a raw egg-let alone like it. But we're all different. How did you discover you had a taste for it, though? I'm curious."
"My cousin Capricorna, her father-the one I mentioned before? He taught her wilderness survival and that included eating raw eggs, and when she got me to try one...I just really liked it." She cleared her throat, her whole turning red. Toffee had to fight back the urge to chuckle at how endearing her bashfulness was over the mere choice of her breakfast.
A rapid knocking at their door immediately had his attention, his amusement gone. "Enter!"
Buff Frog rushed into the room, slightly winded as he clutched a small mirror in his webbed hands. "My Lord-'tis most urgent!" he exclaimed, holding up the mirror as an image began to fade into view. "A caravan is headed towards the castle-bearing Mewnian flags of the Apis family!"
Toffee's jaw clenched. Of course King Apis wouldn't accept his defeat gracefully. He was now launching an attack directly on his home, apparently even at the risk of his own daughter.
"Wait-what color is the emblem on?" His head jerked back towards his wife at her question. "I don't think it's what you might be thinking. What's the color?"
"Red, with a gold boarder."
Mia visibly relaxed, if only slightly. "Then this shouldn't be too terrible. The Apis crest on a field of red is specifically for my mother. I had forgotten to mention that she was a little...concerned after my call." She gave a sheepish smile. "I suppose you'll be meeting her for breakfast."