Word of my arrival spread quickly through the kingdom, and soon, a coronation was in order. As I stood over a large crowd, staring at the elves, Hyssop placed a golden crown, inlaid with precious gems, on my head.
"Here is your new king," Galangal shouted, pointing at me. Hyssop leaned close to my ear.
"Say something inspiring," He said, and I nodded.
"My loyal subjects," I exclaim, shouting over the roar of the crowd. "I thank you for your patience, and for waiting for you king!" The crowd's cheering is overwhelming, and I feel Galangal lead me away from the balcony, and into the castle. Galangal came to a stop in front of an ornate door.
"These are your sleeping quarters," She said, stopping one of the servants who were walking past. The servant, a scrawny elf boy with shaggy brown hair, gave Galangal a fearful look.
"Chicory, please help His Majesty get ready for bed," Chicory nodded, turning to me, bowing deeply.335Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYjtSUnfZv7
"Follow me, Your Majesty," He opened the door, and I walk inside, observing the room. It was finely decorated, and I was suddenly aware of my tiredness as I glanced at the bed. I began to walk towards it, but Chicory stopped me.
"Wait a minute, Your Majesty," He said, glancing at the bedroom door, as two elfmaid servants entered. Chicory gestured to me, and the taller of the two maids nodded.
"Come, Your Majesty," The elfmaid said, grabbing my hand and leading me to the bathroom. "You mustn't go to sleep dirty." The other elfmaid began to undress me, sitting my clothes in a pile. I covered myself, my face red, but neither maid gave my nakedness any heed. The taller of the maids, whose name was Clove, led me to the bath, which I entered. The shorter maid, whose name was Cassia, began to bathe me, doing so with speed and efficiency. After the bathing was done, Cassia and Clove left, leaving me with a pair of clean nightclothes. As I dress, I think of Cardamon, and begin to form a plan. 335Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZxw4lQ4umR
Chicory is waiting for me when I leave the bathroom, a nervous look on his face.
"Your Highness-" I raise a hand, and he falls silent.
"You don't need to be so formal with me, Chicory," He blinks. "You can just call me Bergamot," I smile, and Chicory nods hesitantly.
"Okay...uhm...Bergamot," He says nervously, and I nod encouragingly. "What do you need?" I lean forward, close to his ear.
"I need you to find someone for me," I whisper. "Someone who's very dear to me. Her name's Cardamon," I continue, and Chicory nods, hurrying out of my bedroom and leaving me alone. I walk over to the bed, sit, and wait.
After what felt like an eternity, I hear a tentative knock at the door. I open the door, and Cardamon tackles me to the ground in a fierce hug.
"Uhm..." Cardamon and I sit up, my face is red with a blush. We both look at Chicory, who's standing nervously at the door.
"You can go, Chicory," I say, as Cardamon rises to her feet, leading me over to the bed. Chicory nods, leaving the room. Once he's gone, I turn to Cardamon and smile.
"I missed y-" Cardamon silences me, by kissing me deeply. I return the kiss, giving a shiver as she runs a hand down my back, placing her other on my hip. She breaks away from the kiss, giving me a smirk.
"I missed you too, Bergamot," She replies, her smirk growing wider as she regards my flushed face. Cardamon places the hand that had been on my back, on my other hip, giving me a questioning look. I nod, my blush deepening.
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