"Princess," Canaria knocked on the door to Nefertari's room, "It's time for your lesson."
She slowly opened the door taking a peek inside with curious eyes.
"Oh Canaria!" Tari said coming out from her dressing room on the left side of the room door. "I can't reach the back of the dress. Can you help me?" she pouted as she turned around struggling to reach the button in the back.
"Princess!" Canaria said gasping, "I told you many times already that you should wait for me." She hurried over to Nefertari helping her with her dress.
"I can do this much by myself." Tari pouted, "I don't even know why you do all this, it's like I'm disabled or something." She stood straight and still letting Canaria do her job.
"My lady, I get paid to do this." She said.
"So, am I just a treasury for you?" Tari said turning her head to look at her handmaid with a frown. She knew that that wasn't true but, she just loved to provoke and tease Canaria, loving how she gets frustrated as she tried to reply, just like what is happing now.
"W-what!" Canaria exclaimed, "You can't be serious Princess. I've been with you since you were a baby, I watched you grow and grew along with you. You are more than a little sister."
Tari was honestly taken aback from her reply, she wasn't expecting her to take it at heart this much. So, she just stared at her with a stunned expression.
"I-is that too much for a peasant like me to think of?" Canaria said a faint sound of pain in her voice as she fixed the dress at the spots where Nefertari missed.
She raised her sight from the dress to the silver eyes that were staring at her with confusion.
"I mean thinking of you as my little sister…" she faked a cough.
"Oh no you didn't!" Tari snaped, "I hate it when you make yourself so small Canaria!"
Despite being pampered and spoiled by her father and the fame and glory that is held by the title she owns as a crown princess; this has never got to her mentally.
She never thought of treating anyone less than human because of their social level.
Was it because she was still young to realize the weight of that? Canaria always wondered hoping that this wasn't the case so that she can watch her Princess change into a Queen that is loved by all.
"I'm still not done." Canaria pushed her back gently to stand straight, thanking the heavens above for allowing her to serve such a princess.
~~~~
Spacing out into the unknown.
That was the best phrase to describe how Tari was sitting in her History lesson. All she hears is the faint mumbling of her teacher.
Every History lesson she would be reminded by her last private talk with Joon Wo and how he complained about hating to study.
The memory made her recall the letter she got the other day, Joon Wo was moving out of the palace for a reason she couldn't quiet understand, all she knew is that it was political.
Whoever wrote the letter among them didn't want to tell her the details or that he didn't know the details either.
She sighed a little bit too loud that her teacher noticed.
"Princess!" he said, "Are my lessons that boring?" He raised an eyebrow crossing his arms over his chest.
"Huh?" She said finally snapping out of it, "I'm sorry…" she tried to keep her response as simple as possible to avoid any complication with her teacher.
"You are usually very focused." He sighed. He was right though, Nefertari was indeed almost always focused, she took her studies seriously.
After all, she was the crown princess and one day she would lead Kemet. In addition to wanting to help her father and she couldn't possibly do that with an empty brain could she?
But for some reason these days she found herself getting in and out of reality thinking of how amazing the time she spent with Jooni was.
Why was she feeling like that?! She kept slapping herself invisibly to make her snap out of the daydream that keeps replaying itself over and over again.
"I go over it again one final time." Her teacher said sighing.
Get a grip over yourself you need to focus, she thought.
~~~~
"And that is it for today." The teacher said taking a deep breath and then exhaled.
"Finally!" Tari said stretching her arms over her head relieving the tension her muscles from sitting for 2 hours straight.
"Canaria, let's go take a walk. My muscles are killing me from sitting too long." She said to Canaria who was standing behind her as she pushed back her chair.
Canaria nodded with a smile waiting for Nefertari to lead the way.
"You were out of it today Princess. Are you okay?" Canaria said looking at Tari.
"It's nothing." She shook her head giving her handmaid a smile as they exited the palace building and walking out to the palace garden.
"Are you still thinking about the letter that arrived the other day?" she asked curiously.
Tari sighed and nodded. "I can't help but feel bad even though I'm not there. If I'm feeling this way, what would his brothers and sister be feeling?"
"Life isn't always Fair Princess." Canaria said walking beside Tari through the flower filled gardens. "You will come to accept it with time."
"You sound like a grandma Canaria." She giggled pointing up at Canaria remembering something very important.
"By the way…" Tari narrowed her eyes looking at her maid, "You didn't tell me how is it going with Jaffar." She blinked innocently.
"W-what!" Canaria scoffed turning her head the other way, "What can possibly go on between us?" she tried to hide it but the tint that was starting to spread across her pale face said otherwise.
"You can't fool me." Nefertari said raising her arm to poke her maid in the chest. "Honestly, what do you see in the guy? He is like a block of ice in the middle of the desert!"
"That's what everyone thinks but it's not the truth." Canaria said the defense clear in her tone and her expression that showed a faint sign of resent.
"See," Tari said, "You are in love." She raised both eyebrows up at her.
When it comes to this topic it almost feels like the two of them exchange roles.
Canaria faked a cough covering her mouth her fist, but her eyes and face already told everything.
"Did he make a move yet or should I beat some sense into him?" Tari teased her.
"Absolutely not!"
Nefertari laughed out loud. "You are so silly Canaria. I sometimes wonder which of us is turning 12."
And just like that a miracle happened…
Walking on to the path carved into the ground, they crossed path with the one and only…Jaffar.
"And look who it is?" Tari smirked looking back and forth between the two awkward love birds towering over her.
"Greetings Princess." He bowed.
"Jaffar drop the formalities already!" Tari pouted hitting him on his arm.
"I'll keep that in mind Princess."
She sighed when she lost hope of him changing now or ever. So, she turned her head to look at the tomato faced Canaria who was awkwardly avoiding to look at Jaffar.
"Ahm…" Tari hummed poking her and when Canaria looked at her she gestured for her to say something clearly forgetting that Jaffar was standing right there not knowing what's going on.
After all, men never understand when women talk.
"G-Greetings, sir J-Jaffar." Canaria stuttered feeling that the heat in her face might make it explode at any moment now.
"G-greetings lady Canaria." He stuttered. The word lady hitting Canaria right through her small heart.
Tari placed her hand covering her face, losing hope in both of them to do anything.
By the saints, look at how they are both standing!
"Well, look who is there?!"
They all turned their head in the direction of the voice.
"Azar!" Nefertari exclaimed happily waving at Azar who was still a few feet's away from them, taking his time with the strides.
"Captain!" He waved at his captain who completely ignored his presence.
How cold of him, Azar thought crossing his arms behind his head with a smile.
That was when something moved in the upper corner of his eyes. He looked up…
"JAFFAR!" He yelled.
And finally, Jaffar turned to look at him, alerted by the tension in the young knight's voice. He saw Azar who was once taking his time walking was now sprinting in their direction.
Jaffar followed the direction of Azar's gaze to realize what he was talking about.
Nefertari looked back and forth through the two soldiers feeling the tension that was arising in the air. But before she could open her mouth to talk, a wide body was wrapping her in its grip.
And BANG!
It shattered.