Chapter Two: You Broke My Favorite Mug?!

Walking down the stairs to the kitchen, dressed in her nightgown, Alexandra sleepily followed Sophia and Mark.

"What's the meaning of this? Waking me up at such an ungodly hour?" Alexandra hated hearing herself complain, but at times like these she didn't have much choice. "I usually sleep till nine and then have breakfast at nine thirty...not seven in the morning."

Mark looked at her with a smirk.

"Well, if you want good food, you're going to have to sacrifice something. Besides, Nick said that it was healthier if you ate early and had a proper meal, instead of your usual skipping breakfast." He told her, pointedly.

"Pfftt...Nick...what does he know?"

"It seems like he learned a lot from his time in Airidia."

"Be quiet...I don't need you to tell me that, Marcus..." Childishly, she stuck her tongue out at him, only making the guard laugh.

"Come on, love, time to get some food and caffeine in you." He said, grabbing her hand and pulling her along towards the kitchen as Sophia snickered at them. Having grown up together, it was normal for both Mark and Valek to physically drag her along. Over the years, she had learned to appreciate their close friendship, there were times when aside from Sophia, the two guards were her only source of comfort. Of course when they disturbed her sleep, appreciation was the last thing on Alexandra's mind.

"Good morning, Highness." Nicholas said as they entered the kitchen.

"It would have been…had I been allowed to sleep…" She muttered under her breath.

"I apologize if it's too early for you, but I was asked to schedule meal times and get them approved." He told her.

"I never approved this…" Alexandra narrowed her eyes at Mark, who grinned.

"I was told Mark and Valek approve your schedule."

Pursing her lips, she shook her head.

"Leave it to the heads of my security to find a way to disrupt my sleep." Behind her Sophia laughed.

"Anyway, I'm going back to bed." Alexandra started to walk away but a hand from Mark, and Nicholas' voice stopped her.

"If you leave, you'll miss out on my waffles with butter pecan syrup." Just the sound of it made her stomach jump for joy, but stubbornly Alexandra kept the annoyed look on her face.

"Fine…but if it doesn't taste good…I'm rescheduling breakfast for the next hundred years…" She told him.

"Should we all be so lucky..." Valek said, coming into the kitchen.

"Shouldn't you be doing something...somewhere else?" Alexandra asked snidely.

"I just finished my round of the grounds, besides I wasn't going to miss Nick's famous waffles."

"Whatever..." She muttered under her breath.

Sitting at the kitchen table, Alexandra rested her head on her arms, still sleepy. The delicious smell of waffles drafted towards her. Already she could feel her annoyance ebb away. The clank of the plate being set in front of her, made her look up. A stack of waffles with whipped cream and syrup topped with berries lay in front of her, she could hardly contain her joy.

"Well, what do you think? Worth missing some sleep over?" Mark asked, leaning over the back of her chair.

"I don't know..." She said, hating to admit that he was right. "We'll see how the rest of the week goes."

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...

"So catch me up, what have I missed around here over the last few years?" Nicholas asked. Having decided to eat lunch a little bit later, he had found Mark and Valek in the corridor.

"Well...in a few weeks time, we'll be celebrating Alex's third year on the throne...so I guess, you've missed quite a bit." Mark told him, as they walked outside eating the lunch Nicholas had prepared.

He had decided to make sandwiches, since he knew Alexandra had a meeting later, and Mark had told him she needed to finish reading some proposals for construction around the country. It would be easier for her to eat and read at the same time.

"What else? I'm sure a lot has happened over the last two years." He asked, interested in what had gone on in his home country while he was away.

"Where would you like us to start?" Valek asked, as they found a quiet area of the grounds, close to the stables.

"What happened after I left for school?"

"I thought your parents would have told you?" Mark asked him.

"They gave me a very short summary." Nicholas admitted, he wasn't completely clueless of what had been going on.

"Well, after you left, Alex's mother told her to take the crown. Alex had her coronation and a few months later her mother died." Mark said, telling him the basic facts.

"That must have been hard." Nicholas mumbled, he remembered how the Queen had looked when her father died...guilty and shattered.

"Yes, it was. I don't think either of us got sleep during the three months that followed." Valek commented.

"How come?"

"Alex wouldn't sleep very much. One of us would tuck her into bed, and when we'd get back to see if she was sleeping, she'd be gone." Mark explained.

"You'd find her at the stables, or in the library, sometimes she'd be in the kitchen looking for something to eat, it was a security nightmare. When she did manage to fall asleep, sometimes she'd wake up crying." Valek said, finishing off his sandwich.

"Kind of like when the King died..." Nicholas muttered, feeling sad for the young ruler. She had suffered so many losses in such a short span of time.

"Yes...I think it was a little worse though...since around that time your parents left for Polaris and she was so close to them." Mark told him.

One of the northern most countries, Polaris had replaced the Arctic after the Final Nuclear War of 2015. Nicholas remembered how his parents had decided that since both the old king and queen were dead, there would be no use for their old advisors, and made the decision to retire to the north. Although Alexandra had asked them to stay, they had politely declined, saying that it was her time to make a mark on the country.

"So what happened to David after I left?" Nicholas asked, curious since he hadn't seen the Lord of Canterbury & Rosslyn, or heard about him from the other castle workers.

A dark look was exchanged between Mark and Valek.

"What?"

"He's still around..." Was all they said, and Nicholas knew the subject had been closed.

"So what else has been going on?" He asked, changing the topic. "Any new treaties...or wars with Saarsgard and Drachma?"

...

Much more awake than she had been over the last three days, Alexandra walked down the staircase towards the kitchen. Sophia and Mark had decided to give her a bit of freedom, and let her get there on her own since she had promised not to disrupt the schedule.

Sometimes I wonder who's actually in-charge? She thought to herself.

Knowing she was never quite alone, Alexandra glanced behind her, hoping to catch either Mark or Valek following her to make sure she showed up to breakfast. Not seeing anything, she knew better than to think they had forgotten. Both were stealthy and knew how to conceal themselves. She had many scared to death experiences thanks to the two of them.

Arriving at the kitchen, Alexandra opened the door and let herself in. Oddly enough, the others had not beaten her here. She saw Nicholas, alone, standing at the oven, watching something, before taking notice of her.

"Good morning, Highness. I see you've managed to make it here on your own...without your escorts." He smiled.

Fidgeting with her hands behind her back, Alexandra couldn't quite understand why she felt so awkward and nervous in his presence. He was still the same person that she used to play with as a child, and talk to as a teenager...so then why did she feel so weird?

Annoyed at her own confusion, Alexandra shrugged.

"I was told to behave..." She muttered, Nicholas laughed at her response.

"Take a seat, Your Highness. Breakfast is almost ready." He told her, motioning towards the table.

"You know you can still call me Alex?" She asked, perturbed that he kept with the formality. "Just because I'm Queen now, doesn't change anything."

"I know...I'm sorry..."

Walking towards the cupboards to find herself a mug for tea, Alexandra noticed something was missing.

"Where's my mug?" She asked, aloud.

"Sorry, Highness...err...Alex...you're going to have to be more specific. I deal with too many plates, mugs, glasses, and cutlery to tell you where they are exactly."

"It's black...and has my name written at the bottom...it's chipped." Alexandra explained to him, as she kept looking. Each cupboard held new glass-made mugs which were clear and sophisticated in comparison to her old ratty one...what was going on?

Looking to where Nicholas was standing at the opposite counter holding something.

"You don't mean this old thing...do you?" He asked, showing what was in his hand.

Alexandra's heart dropped, as Mark and Valek came in to the kitchen.

"You broke my favorite mug?!"