[IC] The Making of a New Queen

[tsubasa]

Anastasia laughed a little when he gave her his decision, deciding on the dancing due to how long it had last. She reached up and looked at him pulling him into another kiss. After a long length of time, she pulled away and smiled at him, "Better?" She teased.

She ate a bit of her eggs and looked at him happily, "I liked waking up that morning with you... watching the sunset.... And funny enough going to bed with you that night...." She picked up her toast, "They didn't have much to do with our wedding but I just liked the thought that from now and for the rest of our lives, we'll be waking up and going to sleep together."

She gave him a kiss on his cheek and bit into her toast. After chewing, she looked up at him, "Kala was waiting outside last night... What did she say?"

[pyroman]

Although he didn't expect the kiss, Samsul smiled as Anastasia pulled away. He nodded at his wife and began to eat his own food. He did agree with the fact that she liked the fact that they would be spending the rest of their lives waking up and going to sleep together. He was surprised once more when she asked about what kala was doing in front of their room the previous night, and wasn't sure what to tell her. "Nothing much. She wished for you and me to have a good life together, but she did seem to sound sad as she said it."

[tsubasa]

Anastasia fiddled with her toast after he explained. Kala was his friend... Why was she sad about them having a good life together? Did Kala not like her? She glanced at Samsul, did Kala like him? She felt bad all the sudden, if it hadn't been for her... Maybe they would have married. She shook her head mentally, no, Samsul purposed to her and her saying no wouldn't have meant that he liked Kala... It would just mean that he wasn't married. It didn't matter though, she trusted Samsul. Whether or not Kala like him, besides if she was truly in love with him, she would want him to be happy. And he was happy with her. She bit into her toast, feeling far less guilty than she had been a moment ago, "Does she like you?" She asked, curious if Samsul even knew.

[pyroman]

Samsul was unsure about the question. Until the previous night, he had never really seen her displaying affectionate emotions towards him other than as a friend and rival. She was boast about how good she was as a warrioress, then challenge Samsul to a fight and inevitably lose to him. That was how it usually worked between the two of them, and now that he thought about it, he did see her act a bit more than friendly earlier that day just after he got into his formal wear. He hummed in thought as he sat there and sighed as he shook his head. "I don't think so. She's always been a rival to me, and she hasn't acted differently until last night. I am curious to see what she's thinking, but I don't think that would help in the situation."

[tsubasa]

Anastasia nodded and curled up against him, wrapping her arms around his torso, "Maybe not..."

She rested her head on his chest for a bit before she sighed, "I suppose I should get up," She yawn and climbed out of bed. She walked around to the other side and gave Samsul a kiss on the head before she walked into her closet. For the first time in months, she dressed herself, not wanting to bother Millie, even though it was the woman's job. It felt nice though, dressing herself. She walked out and smiled at Samsul, "I'm going to grab some of my papers and work in the garden today... Get some fresh air and all."

She walked over to the door, "Enjoy your day, husband," she giggled a little at the title, she liked the sound of it. She opened the door, "I'll see you later."

[pyroman]

"I'll see you around lunch, Anastasia." Samsul spoke while he finished up the food that Millie set up on the tray for them. It was of the same quiality as the breakfast before, and he didn't really have any additional noted for how to cook and prepare the food. It was too simple to do anything more than letting the toast and eggs cook for a longer or shorter amount of time, but sometimes simple was the best way to go. I'm sure that my loving wife would love for me to see if Eric could bring the food out into the gardens today so we can eat out in the fresh air, so I'm going to see if that can happen." He spoke as he got up from his place on the bed and walked over to the closet to change into something else.

It didn't take very long as he walked out minutes later in his usual attire and looked around the room. It seemed that he had taken a bit longer than he thought, as Anastasia was no longer in the room. While it was true that he was going to talk to Eric or Alex to see if he and Anastasia would have lunch outside in the gardens, he also wanted to find Kala. He wanted to know why she kissed him the night before, and was planning on getting answers.

[tsubasa]

There wasn't much work in her office today, which was good. Anastasia assumed that she could probably be done with it by lunch, if she worked undistracted. She grabbed her inkwell and pen, while Amul grabbed the papers for her. Another guard followed them with a small table for her to work at. When they reached the garden, she thanked them both and sat on a bench. They placed the table and paper in front of her. Amul stayed to ensure her safety, while the other went to do work elsewhere.

Melor sat at her feet when she read through the papers, barking at the odd bird that crossed his path. He seemed content to lie in the sun as she worked in silence. It was nice, working outside. Normally, there was just the sound of her pen scratching and paper shuffling. Here that was not the case. There were birds singing, Melor barking, wind rustling through the trees, her pen scratching and paper shuffling. She relaxed into her work and smiled, as she easily moved through the pile.

[pyroman]

It didn't take long for Samsul to find Kala, as he knew that she would be inter armory, boasting about her accomplishments. As soon as he walked into the armory however, Kala turned to him with a look of surprise and quickly because quiet. "Hey Samsul." She said in a calm and somewhat quiet voice. It took a few seconds for the lost elf to compose herself, and when she did, and glanced around the room, insure of what to say.

The two talked for a little while, and Kala had avoided the question every time it was brought up. She would ask a question of her own, to just change subjects that were in her mind. Samsul eventually gave up for the day and left Kala smirking victoriously as he left.

After he left, he decided that it was around the time for lunch, so he walked to Anastasia office and a calm and leasurley pace.

[tsubasa]

Anastasia signed off on one last paper and grinned. She did a little celebrating, realizing that she had caught up on her work for that day and would have the afternoon free. She got distracted slightly when a servant brought a trolley in and presented it to her. She looked at them in confusion. The maid laughed a little and curtsied, "Sir Samsul came to the kitchen this morning and asked that we bring it to the gardens for the two of you to enjoy."

Anastasia shook her head and chuckled, "How kind, thank you."

The woman curtsied to her again before she left. Anastasia picked up the papers and smiled at Amul, "Do you think you could run these to my office?" The man looked at her, he seemed hesitant to leave. She gave him a reassuring smile, "Samsul should be in here soon since he asked for them to bring us lunch here and I think I can handle myself for a few moments."

Amul sighed and took the papers before bowing, "I'll be back quickly."

She shook her head, "You don't need to. Samsul is more than capable and I don't have anymore work... So I might spend the afternood with him," She handed him the inkwell and pen as well, "I'll come find you if we need you."

The guard nodded and walked out of the garden with the papers as Anastasia grabbed a stick of Melor.

[pyroman]

As Samsul came to the door to Anastasia's office, he was surprised to see that she wasn't there, and neither was Amul or Melor. It took the Lost Elf a moment to remember that he did want for the two of them to eat outside that day, so with a small relaxed sigh, he walked out of the office and stopped when he saw Amul by himself. Usually, Anastasia would be with him if Samsul wasn't there to be with his wife, so he wondered why he was alone. Another question entered his mind soon after; Who was there to watch over Anastasia while Amul was walking in his direction? He didn't say anything to Amul as he ran out to the gardens as fast as he could, making sure that His loving wife was safe even by herself.

[tsubasa]

Amul walked down the hall with the papers to see Samsul. He nearly stopped in his tracks, what was he doing here? He should have been with Anastasia or at least on his way. Before he could say anything to him, Samsul ran off down the hall. He was debating following him, but decided against it. It was unlikely that anything was happening to her and she had asked him to take the papers to her room. He turned and kept walking down the hall with papers.

Anastasia turned to look at Samsul when he rushed into the garden. She smiled at him as Melor ran over to her and dropped the stick in front of her. She threw it for him before walking over to Samsul. She gave him a kiss and smiled, "What took you so long?" She laughed and pulled him over to the table that she had been working on and moved their food onto. She shook her head a little, "I thought you'd be here right after the food got here," She took a seat on the bench, still smiling, "It was strange being alone..."

[pyroman]

As he reached the gardens, Samsul was happy to see that Anastasia was still going fine, and was simply doing her work and tossing a stick for Melor. He didn't know why he was all worked up over her safety, as the war was over and Greenspring was now a part of one of the strongest alliances in history. There isn't any way that people would dare attack the his wife, and if they ever chose to do so, they would pay dearly.

Samsul smiled as Anastasia broke the kiss. He laughed a little with her and sat down at the table where the food now was. He nodded at her and sighed a little bit. "I had a conversation with Kala earlier today, and It seemed to have taken more time than I believed." He smiled at Anastasia and nodded once more. "I can imagine so. After all these months of having at least one person watch over you, being all alone is quite strange. So." He paused as he looked over the food. "How had your morning been?

[tsubasa]

When Samsul asked about her day, Anastasia smiled, "Quite good. I managed to finish all my work... So, I sent Amul to take the papers and my writing things back to my office. That way, we could use my table for lunch," She gestured to the table, presenting it to him. She picked up her fork and stabbed her salad, "I had almost forgotten what it was like to be alone... Before, I got to be alone while I slept," She laughed a little, "Although, I'm not complaining. As I truly feel at home when we sleep together."

She gave him a kiss of his cheek before she started to eat her salad. She was slightly curious as to why Samsul had sighed as he did when she mentioned talking to Kala. Had something gone wrong between the two of them. Had it something to do with her being outside their room the night before. She looked up at him, "Is everything alright?"

[pyroman]

It was smart of her to use the table for lunch, as he didn't think that the chefs would bring out a table unless instructed to. They probably brought a blanket or something for the two to sit down on, without realizing that Anastasia would bring a table. He was happy to hear that she enjoyed sleeping with him in the same bed, and it truly was comforting to have someone else there with you as you slept. After she had kissed him, Samsul sat down at the table, and began to eat his food just before his wife asked another question. He was a little surprised by the question, but he didn't let that surprise show as he nodded to her. "Everything is fine. I wanted to ask her a few things, but whenever I did, she would find a way to avoid the question. It's nothing to worry about though." He spoke just before resuming his meal.

[tsubasa]

Anastasia nodded her head when Samsul told her that all was fine. She slowly started to eat her salad. She wondered why Kala had been so evasive... Or what Samsul had been asking her. Maybe, what had upset her the previous night. She ate the rest of her lunch in silence besides a few comments or questions. Melor had brought his stick back and was chewing on it at Anastasia feet. When she finished eating, she leaned against Samsul and sighed, "It is quite hot out," She laughed a little, "Makes me miss the ocean. It was so cool and the breeze. It was perfect on a hot day."

She looked up at him and smiled, "I want to go to the ocean with you one day..."

[pyroman]

Samsul smiled at Anastasia and began to eat his own salad. Maybe some day the two of them could head off to see the ocean, but there was still work to be done, and even though the war was over with they still had to be careful. The Lost Elf set his fork down and looked at his wife who was currently leaning on him. "Maybe one day we can go to the ocean together. I'm sure that we will be able to do that eventually." He didn't really want to talk about what he had tried to discuss with Kala earlier that morning, so Samsul was happy to move away from that subject and focus on whatever she wanted to talk about. "I think it would be fun for the two of us to take a small trip to the beaches and enjoy the ocean for a day or two. I'm sure that nobody would mind if we took a little brake in the future."

[tsubasa]

Anastasia nodded and smiled softly, "Maybe some day before we are old and gray," She laughed a little. She pursed her lips, "When there is less work to do... It seems to be slowing down... which is good.... Then one day... you can take over some and we can personally... maybe... raise our child," She felt slightly less awkward discussing starting a family now than she would have when he first purposed. She sighed and shook her head a little, "I say when he can escape the castle for a trip to the beach... That the country will be ready for an heir... because we'll be ready to not pawn them off of servants."

She leaned up and kissed his cheek, "But I suppose that is all down the line... We can't even think about leaving the castle yet...."

[pyroman]

Samsul could hear it in the voice of his wife that she wasn't feeling as awkward as she was when she first brought up the thought of having children, and he was glad to saw that he didn't feel that awkward about it either. That one day that he could step up to the throne and assist her with her work would be the day they he would really start thinking about children. He knew that the work would become slightly easier for her when thoughts of the recent war died down some more, and with the two of them ruling together, it really would be a much easier last. Samsul kissed his wife lightly and smiled at her. "One day we should be able to leave without worrying about what would happen. As thoughts of the war leave peoples minds, most of the cities should be reconstructed and there shouldn't be nearly as much work to do."

[tsubasa]

Anastasia nodded when Samsul reasssured her that they would one day leave and not have to worry about anything happening. She snuggled against him and smiled at she felt the sun beating down on her skin, "You're right.... When things do calm down slightly, we should send some men to help with the rebuilding... There are far too many knights standing idle without the war. I think they wouldn't mind being able to help out where they can."

She let out another sigh, although, this was a sigh of content and relaxation, "The people could appreciate it as well... Getting some help from the palace... We'll have to start with the cities closest to us though... Just in case... But the work there should be finished quickly, since the closer to the palace you are... The less the war has hit you."

She kept thinking, how else could they help their people. She pursed her lips, "Maybe we can send out some food to towns whose crops were destroyed in the war..." She looked up at Samsul, "Medicine for those who felt the brunt of the war...."

[pyroman]

"Maybe we could send representatives around Greenspring to take in what damage has truly been done. That way we'll know what needs supplies the most, and how much we should give to them. It wouldn't be right if we just handed to medicine to people that didn't need it, while the people that do need it are suffering or starving." It sounded good to help the towns and cities hurt in the war by giving them food and medicine, and Samsul was more than willing to see if any of the Lost Elves would like to help as well.

Along with the regular nights and the Lost Elves, Samsul believed that they could assess the damage and respond faster with that many people willing to help. The people would also feel pretty happy to know that their Queen would do something like that to help as many people as she could. Samsul smiled at his wife and kissed her once more. "That sounds great, Anastasia. You really are doing an amazing job as the queen."