I roll over, the creamy bedsheets curling with me. The morning light drifts in through the window, as my eyes drink in the view of my new vast belongings. The gold trim on my expansive wooden bed frame glints cheekily in the corner of my eye. I vaguely acknowledge a thought as it passes through my foggy brain: if an assassin were to find me right now, tangled in these sheets, I wouldn’t be able to escape.

A new queen must think of these things. After all, no matter how desirous her bodice, or decadent her voice, any woman in power can always be dethroned. My fate is sealed now. Yesterday was my wedding to the King of this land, and now we’ve christened our marriage. I do not hail from this land, but I must learn to love it, if it should be mine for as along as I live. And I will love this child as much as I love myself.

I sit up in bed and caress my abdomen. The cool wind touches my bare skin, making it prickle. Now I need to plan on how to accrue more power. There’s still so much to do…