“I’m going on break,” Margo announced, a new flash of determination in her eye.“And while I’m out, I’ll spy on our competition.See if I can get any ideas.”
“Stay out of trouble.We’re already on the king’s shit list.We don’t want him to kick us out completely.”
Margo waved her off.“I promise.I’ll be good.”
Lilian sighed, thumbing open a copy ofThe Raven Kingas she waited for the day to pass.It was one of the perks of the job.While she didn’t always adhere to the no phone rule, she was more than happy to play the role of quiet booklover while waiting for customers.Rereading one of her all-time favorite books wasn’t a terrible way to spend the day.At least she got to read at the faire instead of the bookstore.
As always, it didn’t take long forThe Raven Kingto suck her in.She’d lost count of the number of times she’d read the series.Each time, she was sure the magic would fade, but there was always something new to discover.A foreshadowed line that she hadn’t noticed before.A reaction that suddenly had new meaning.Tabitha Nightingale had been a master storyteller.
She was at one of the best parts.The Raven King was hosting a meeting with the villains of the story, the Claws, a group of carnivorous creatures.Creatures who held humans captive, forced weaker animals to be their servants, and ruled with threats of blood and violence.It was the first time the heroine, Penelope, realized the threat lurking in the Great Oak.
Lilian’s eyes darted over the words as the scene played out in her mind.She didn’t notice when shadows passed by her doorway until it was too late.
“Hello?”
Lilian jumped when she realized she’d almost missed a customer.She quickly slid one of Margo’s bookmarks between the pages.“Welcome to Bodice and Brawn.How may I help… you?”
She froze.
The woman standing in the doorway looked familiar.Round cheeks.Short stature.Something about her smile tugged at her memory.It took a second, then it clicked.
“Your Majesty?”
Queen Rothbury wasn’t dressed like a queen.Gone were the heavy skirts and layers of brocade.Instead, she wore a simple dress and bodice, muted and practiced.A demure headdress covered most of her striking red hair, making her appear like any other peasant.
The queen smiled and lifted a hand.“Please, no need for that in here.I’m not dressed like royalty.See?”
“I do…” Lilian said slowly.Her mind reeled with a thousand questions.Too many to choose from.She went with the simplest one.“Why?”
“Well, I can’t go anywhere without a damn parade when I’m the queen,” she said with a puff of indignation.“Sometimes, when my ladies-in-waiting go on their lunch breaks, I change into peasant clothes and explore.”
Lilian stared as the explanation sank in.
Holy shit.Their Renaissance queen was doing the royalty-in-disguise trope.
“Do other people know about this?”The words slipped out before she could stop them.Did the king know?How was she justnowfinding out about this?
The queen grinned.“Of course.I’ve worked with some of these people for years!The guests don’t realize, and that’s the important part.”She gave a quick wink, then glanced around the shop.“I told you I’d be back, didn’t I?”
“You did.”
“It took a little bit.I started all the way by the jousting arena and stopped at some shops along the way.I’ll admit I didn’t realize you were so far back here.I might have gotten a little lost.”
“Lost?”Lilian’s heart sank.If the queen of the faire had a hard time finding her, what did that mean for potential guests?
“Don’t worry.I found you; that’s the important part.”
She watched as the queen gravitated to the wall of romance novels, eyes hungry.“Oh, you have a lovely selection here.I’ve never seen this one, and it's been years since I read this.”
Lilian came to see which paperbacks the queen was pulling off.Most were older novels with medieval knights, but now, the woman’s attention seemed to linger on the bottom shelf, where Lilian had stashed all the romantasy novels.“I’m not as familiar with these ones.”
“Those are some of my favorites.”Lilian beamed.“This one is a great one to start off with, especially if you like the older novels.It’s the original romantasy, before the genre grew in popularity.It's a completed series, so you don’t have to wait for the next one to come out.You can come back here and grab another if you like it.”
“You are speaking my language.”The queen laughed.“It’s so hard when you start a series that isn’t finished yet.”She plucked one of the last hardcovers ofThe Raven Kingand added it to the pile.After that, she went over to the other side of the store and grabbed a novel by Robin Hobb from the shelf.“All right, I think that’s enough damage for now.”
Damage was right.She had five books total.In one brief visit, she’d become the most profitable sale Lilian had seen in weeks.“Thank you for stopping by.Really, it was great talking to you.”
“Of course, dear.”The queen smiled, and when she did, it reminded Lilian so much of her mother.She didn’t have any of the pretentious attitude that seemed to exude from her husband and son.How was it that such a sweet lady had given birth to a stick-in-the-mud like Hawk?“I love that you’re here.I think it brings something extra fun to our faire.”
