if I cross the line

Theea

I shake my head in something like amazement. Just to be casual friends with the queen is no small thing. Or, perhaps by the way he speaks of her, it isn't so casual. She cared for him in illness, continues to visit... that sounds as true of a friend as one can be, right?

Shit. I don't think I've ever had a friend. Not unless you count mom's unicorn and spider. 

I nod this time, and puff out a heavy breath as I heft my bag again. "She says she loves them like her brothers. It's yet to be seen what they'll think of me." I'm determined to find them, but every time I think of meeting them, face to face, my hands start to tingle and my heart starts to race. I haven't figured out what I'll say. "It's both exciting and frightening."

I hear the slosh of creaky wheels in the mud, and I try not to cringe. "Confession, Nikki," I say. "I have no funds for... anything. At all. I ran out. It's why I've been hoofing it through the woods." I bite my lip a little too hard as the carriage comes into view. "Could I do something to repay you for a ride? A meal, a job around your house? I'm a great cook! And bit of a jack-of-all-trades."

welcome to the world of pretend
where we pretend we don't feel pain