At the birth of every being, their story is written. Most are hidden in places where no one would look; in the creases of a palm, or the strings of a soul. Most are undetectable. But there are some, some that are kept where they could easily be looked after.

The stories of princes and princesses are among these precious tales that are guarded from view. Because knowing your future is not necessarily the best thing. Knowing your future is not always safe.

.........

Sparks was beautiful. There was no greater descriptive word Bloom could have used. Everything seemed to shine like a polished tiara, with the palace being the most precious gem atop it’s peak.

The hologram playing on Sky’s desk showed a castle that was very different from the one she had seen before in the vision Daphne showed her. This one was newer, and grander by a tenfold. Spires that appeared to be glass reached for the sky from it’s far-reaching, ground-hugging body. The sun glittered and leaped along it’s surface.

And it belonged to her.

Bloom sighed and leaned into her fiancé’s embrace. In a few months, she would be ruling that land at his side, over a steady stream of immigrants and under Eraklion funding. Nothing seemed to be able to go wrong.

Her cell phone vibrated against her leg visibly through the denim. Sky pecked her lightly on the cheek and whispered that he would give her some time to talk. He most likely assumed it would be Stella.

“Bloom here,” Bloom answered, smiling. But her smile soon faded as she waited for a response. Her eyes jumped over the horizon visible through the window to Sky’s office, and she was suddenly flooded with paranoia. “Who is this?” She demanded, fear growing as she checked the number. 7139. She didn’t recognize it, which was curious. Only her six best friends knew her cell number, and those digits didn’t match the numbers of her friends’ phones. Bloom returned the phone to her ear.

“Hello? Who is this? Is anyone there?”

“Bloom?” Sky poked his head back into the room, and Bloom promptly dropped the phone on the desk. “My parents want to see us.”

Bloom stood up to follow Sky out the door. If the phone call hadn’t frightened her, she would have been struck by Sky’s uneasiness. But her mind had little room to comprehend everything. They were wanted by the king and queen, and tardiness was not an option.

Her phone lay where Bloom had dropped it on Sky’s desk, and the empty room listened intently to the continuous whisper that Bloom had not heard.

“We are coming, Bloom. We are coming.”

“Good evening, Sky. Good evening, Bloom,” Samera greeted both Bloom and her son as they entered the throne room. Bloom wondered if it was just her imagination that the queen’s voice was more crisp as she pronounced her name. Erandor’s greeting consisted o nothing more than a nod in the couple’s general direction. When he had dropped his public image he also lost his smile.

Bloom shifted to curtsey, but Sky held her shoulder to prevent the movement. With confusion dancing in her eyes, Bloom raised her gaze to meet Sky’s. To her astonishment, he was as cold in posture as a statue.

“So, what did you want us for?” Bloom broke the awkward silence that had suffocated the room.

Samera’s arched eyebrows shot into her knots of fiery orange hair, her eyes piercing Bloom intensely before she spoke, seeming to enjoy her uncomfortable mindset that bordered on fear. “It regards Eraklion’s crown.” Sky’s hand found Bloom’s and squeezed it. Bloom later wondered whether he was doing this out of eager anticipation for what his mother would say, or of nervousness.

“We cannot pass it on to you until you are able to handle the responsibilities,” Erandor offered.

Samera shot a concerned look at her husband that was clearly meant only for him. Bloom’s mind skimmed over a long list of requirements that her future family would force upon her. Maybe she would have to wait until her twentieth birthday, which she felt was unfair. She wanted to be queen as soon as possible.

“… and to have a stable relationship.” Samera discreetly glared at Bloom. It was as if she knew Bloom wasn’t paying attention to something that was obviously meant for her.

“Huh?” Bloom blurted before blushing,. “I mean, what do you mean by stable relationship?”

“She only meant…” Sky’s father began before Samera interrupted him.

“I mean that you two aren’t dedicated enough to each other to be married!” She exclaimed, as though the words had been compressed inside her for a long time. She instantly returned to her icy posture, but her exclamation remained, echoing inside Bloom’s head.

The golden room was quiet. Even the sounds outside the walls seemed to fall silent as the words resounded throughout the chamber.

Sky remained silent as Bloom responded, “Of course we are! We couldn’t get more dedicated to each other!”

Sky’s mother smile flashed smugly. She was the cat who had just trapped an unknowing mouse so cunningly that her plot was discovered only when it was too late.

“What?” Bloom asked, searching Sky’s eyes. Eyes that could have been carved of marble for all the response Bloom received.

Samera stood up, her long emerald robes pooling around her feet. “Before I allow you to take my crown and throne, Bloom, you must first pass a test. Two tests, actually.” Bloom tensed as Samera approached.

As she drew even with Sky and Bloom, the queen of Eraklion smiled at her wit. “The first of which is a pregnancy test.”

.........

Another one about a pregnancy! Well, if Bloom decides to go through with it, that is. I must admit, I have to start publishing the other stories that don’t include pregnant main characters or you guys’ll give up on me! Don’t worry, though; the whole “pregnancy” thing that Samera seems to think is a good idea is a secondary plot line. But, wait. Is she actually encouraging adultery? Why?

Don’t expect more soon… I have way to much going on to be pulling out this stuff. I was just working on it ‘cause my Internet is down meaning I have no access to my math homework.

Love, Pheeb.