Playing The Part Of King (Reyna/Stuart)

Reyna let out a soft sigh as she sat by the hidden spring the royal family of Ulfur often visited, the queen staring into the clear water, watching small fish swim around in it as she braided her dark hair. Closing her eyes, Reyna allowed herself to slowly relax as she listened to the soft sound of water flowing into the spring from a small creek hidden among the plants.

She'd decided to stop off at the spring to try and mentally prepare herself for the meeting with king Bennett, it would be the first royal she'd personally spoken to since taking over for the missing king and the last thing she wanted was to mess it up. While she could have invited any one of the rulers from other kingdoms, she'd chosen Bennett knowing he'd once been close friends with her son and was hoping seeing his friend as a king would help make the prince realise his own responsibility as her son, the prince of Ulfur.

"Justin, are you ready to go?" She asked once she'd finished braiding her hair, turning to face where her son had sat down as she got to her feet, only to find he wasn't there.

"Not again..." She sighed, deciding to just go ahead to meet the king without him, knowing she could look for the prince for hours and still not find him. Shaking her head, the queen headed off towards the edge of the forest, knowing there would be hunters keeping an eye on her even if she couldn't see them.

When he was greeted by the queen alone, Wade was unsure what to think. Would his former friend of a prince show up with hunters, accusing him of murder? Was his plan already revealed.

No...no they can't have been Wade thought as he cooled himself. His plan was fool proof. No one expected him of murder. Not even his own kingdom. The only murder he had been accused of was that of his father and he would allow commoners to talk about that for years if they needed to.

His eyes gazed over the queen, forming an inward smile. She was beautiful, even though she was older than he was. Her hair was beautifully braided, her dress pristine. With the help of one of his men he dismounted his horse, bowing in front of her. "M'lady, tis an honor to see ye again."

Reyna smiled when she saw Stuart, watching as he dismounted his horse, the queen unaware of how exactly he'd ended up king. She'd heard Stuart's father had been sick and passed, but knew nothing of what had really happened, the rumours not having reached the forest kingdom.

"Stuart, you don't need to do that...we are equals now are we not?" She said softly as he bowed before her. "It is good to see you again though; how was your trip?" She asked as she looked over the young man curiously, not having seen him for a few years at least, realising that he looked much more mature than when she'd last seen him, especially compared to her own son.

Stuart smiled at Reyna. Judging by the look in her eyes, she was unaware of the brutal history of the way he had taken the throne. He remembered crushing the plants in the bowl to make the soup, the way it had smelled ever so sweetly when he delivered it each day to his father. The almost laugh that would escape his lips every time his father took a bite, which he forced to turn into sobs. The thoughts of his handiwork never left him.

"Of course I need to do that m'lady," Stuart replied as he stood up straight to look at her again. "Yes we are equals, we were equals when I was but a prince. Yet I bow to you out of respect, as every good royal man must do to every good royal woman. And you, my sweet queen, are the most good in all the realms."

His eyes quickly gazed the worried wrinkles that had set into her face but he dismissed them, "How was my trip? Why, with all the good weather I am sure I must have dozed off once or twice."

"I doubt I'm really that good..." The queen said, slowly shaking her head at Stuart. Reyna couldn't help but smile though at the young king's words when asked about his travels, laughing softly as she put a hand on his arm.

"It's probably not advised to fall asleep while riding you know. What if you fell from your horse?" She responded, unable to hide her concern. She generally cared about anyone who she thought deserved the kidness, but she'd known the man since he was a boy, making her genuinely worry about him, almost as much as she did about her own son Justin.

"It would be a shame if you were to be injured while riding down here to visit me; I'd feel terrible knowing it was I who caused it to happen by inviting you..."

"You must be for I have never met a woman half as good or half as kind as you are," he replied, his eyes twinkling as he looked her over. It was a lie of course. His own mother had been twice the woman that Queen Reyna was.

"I have men who make sure that I do not fall from the horse," Stuart replied with a small smile. "They are the same men who more than likely make sure that no one hurts a woman of your stature. Guards and others, you know the lot. I thank you, however, for your kindness. You've always been so very kind to me."

"Oh I doubt that," Reyna said, chuckling and shaking her head at him. "Have you ever met the queen of Breena? She is a very kind woman from what I have seen of her." She added, not picking up on the fact that he wasn't being sincere; occasionally as naive as Justin was.

"Well it's good you have men looking out for you while you rest, I know we aren't that far apart, but the journey can still be long." She saod, returning the small smile. "Of course, why would I not be kind? You were always a good friend to my son when your family visited in the past."

"The queen of Breena and I do not often get along. I'm afraid it was how I was raised m'lady. We are taught that magic is wrong and that any creature capable of doing magic must not be trusted," Stuart said, his voice mocking his sadness. He did not like Queen Angel nor did he get along with Prince Alex or Prince Artemis. They all knew his true intentions and he rarely ever made his way to their kingdom for that reason.

"The journey is always long when there are bandits," Stuart nodded, "I do wish I could do something to help men and women so that they did not have to turn to lives of such indecency."

"That is fair enough, I suppose..." Reyna sighed, nodding slowly. "Each kingdom has its own beliefs and everyone is entitled to think what they wish on the matter of magic." She herself didn't have a problem with the royalty of Breena and she didn't think they even had their own magic at all anyway. She knew some magic though wasn't to be trusted.

"There were bandits?" She asked, her habit of worrying stopping her from thinking about whether or not he really did mean to help those men and women. "They did not harm any of you, did they...?"

Stuart nodded, "Yes, each kingdom does have it's own belief. I was never sure what to think of your kingdoms love for the wolves as a child. Now that I am older I see that it is a needed thing that you idolize their powerful ways."

That was a lie. He still didn't understand what the infatuation with the animals were. They seemed dirty and pathetic to him, monsters that he could crush with a swipe of his broadswoard if needed. "Aye, there were a few bandits. They did not harm us. I was able to take out a few myself before my men ushered me away."