"Oh he is just so irritating to be around, at all times, it is either one thing or the next, it is highly frustrating, so frustrating!!" said Wura as she was pacing around her room while Nora just watched her do so as she ranted, it was supposed to be time for her to go to sleep, but she would not be able to sleep at all, or so she thought so.
"My Queen, please slow down" said Nora as she has been watching Wura going up and down, round and round in her room ever since she returned from dinner.
"Can you imagine that he would paint me as the unforgiving difficult one in front of Uncle Nigel, and then he has the boldness to act like he did nothing at all, and then he kissed the back of my hand??" said Wura as she was not listening to Nora at all.
"My Queen, it is late, it is not good for you to be this stressed" said Nora as she was trying to calm Wura down.
"Well he is the one making me so stressed, he is so demanding and for what, he is not a child that needs to get everything he wants, just why??" asked Wura as she could not understand why, it is annoyed her, and confused her even more, just what was Liam playing at?
"I feel like he is just playing a game with me, maybe he made a wager with someone just to see if he will be able to get into my mind, but no, oh no, I will not let him get me not at all" said Wura as Nora just kept quiet, it was clear that Wura already had her own ideas on why his Majesty changed suddenly.
"Oh forgive me Nora, I have been speaking so much that you have been quiet" said Wura as she stopped walking and she turned to look at Nora who had just been standing there quietly all throughout her complains.
"That is alright my Queen, I understand" said Nora as she nodded her head, to tell the truth, Nora could tell you that the only time when Wura behaved irrationally and complained was when it came to the topic of Liam, she was always usually calm, but once Liam was added into the mix she started to get all worked up.
"*Sigh*, What do you think Nora?" asked Wura as she needed to hear someone else's voice other than hers for a change.
Nora was quiet, the truth was that, even though Wura said that she was very irritated, and she did sound very irritated, the only person she had spoken about repetitively was Liam.
"And please be honest with me" said Wura as she sighed.
"Well my Queen, In all honesty, his Majesty is a man, and you are his wife, it is natural for man and wife to call each other by their names" said Nora as her voice was in a squeak, she did not know if Wura would get upset with what she said, but it was the truth, that was how things were done, and even if Wura still did not accept it, she was still married to Liam, she was his wife.
"So you think that I am overreacting Nora?" asked Wura as she sighed and she sat down on the edge of her bed.
"I never said that my Queen" said Nora as she quickly refuted and she shook her head violently.
"Sure you did not say that, but you were thinking it" said Wura as Nora went quiet.
"it is alright Nora, I will not blame you, I understand, you have every right to think that way" said Wura.
"Just a moment ago, I was blustering like a crazy woman, over such a simple matter" said Wura as she sighed, she did not know why she was just so worked up over something so simple, it was not like her to act like that at all.
"Well Nora, I need your advice right now, what should I do?" asked Wura as she looked at Nora and she smiled.
"I just cannot help but feel some way whenever his Majesty acts like that… I do not know if I am overreacting, or why I am overreacting, but one thing is for sure, and that is this is so childish of me, and of him as well, so what do you suggest I do?" asked Wura as she looked at Nora, she could really use her wide advice right now.
"My Queen I…" said Nora as she paused.
"Go on Nora" said Wura as she smiled.
"My Queen, I do not think that you will be fond of my suggestion" said Nora as she shook her head.
"No Nora, that is not true at all, I will always consider the advice you give me, so please go on" said Wura as she smiled gently at Nora.
"Ah… well… my Queen I…" said Nora as she kept on pausing and all Wura did was to smile at her and wait for her to explain what she wanted to say patiently.
"My Queen, I think that maybe you should just do as his Majesty asked and call him by his name" said Nora as she watched Wura's reaction carefully, but to her relief, Wura was still smiling and looking as calm as ever.
"I say that my Queen, because if that is all he wants, then as long as you do it, there will be no arguments between you two" said Nora as she gave her explanation.
"You are right Nora, I did not consider that before, but the problem is I am afraid that is not the only thing he wants, maybe it is something more, I do not know, I am not sure" said Wura as she sighed.
"My Queen, you do not want anything more?" asked Nora.
"Well I am not sure Nora, I am confused, I do not know what I want, but I don't want him" said Wura as she herself did not know what she was saying, she was confusing herself and Nora as well.
"My Queen, in the end it all matters on what you want, I only gave my opinion as you asked me to" said Nora as she bowed her head and Wura looked at her.
"You are right Nora, you are right" said Wura as she sighed.
"Thank you for your advice Nora" said Wura as she smiled, what would she have done without Nora always by her side at all times, listening to all her whining and complaints.
"I am here to serve you my Queen" said Nora as she smiled and she bowed her head as Wura just smiled at her, she would listen to her advice, after all, maybe she was right, Liam would just be happy if she did call him by his name and nothing more.
…
The next morning.
"Good Morrow my King" said the stable master as he smiled and he bowed his head as he looked at Liam who had just returned from his early morning stroll with Nolan.
"Good Morrow" said Liam as he smiled and he got down from Nolan, he had woken up very early this morning, and not by choice, he was not able to go back to sleep again, so he decided to go for a quick stroll outside the Castle with Nolan, which was something he had not done in a long time.
Back when his Father was still alive, Liam would take early morning strolls with Nolan, but well things changed, and he had not done so for a while now, but now that he did, he just felt much more calmer and relaxed.
"How was your stroll my King?" asked the stable master as he smiled.
"Peaceful" replied Liam as he smiled.
"I am glad that it was my King" said the stable master as he bowed his head.
"You may go now, I will call for you when I need you" said Liam as he smiled.
"Ahh, yes, as you wish my Queen" said the stable master as he smiled and he bowed his head once more as he walked away, leaving Liam alone with his horse Nolan.
Liam was about to begin to fed Nolan when he heard footsteps coming closer, and he turned to see who the person was, as he smiled and he saw her.
"Good Morrow Wura" said Liam as he smiled and he saw Wura walk into the stables.
"Good Morrow Liam" said Wura as she smiled at him, and Liam could not lie to you, he was surprised, very surprised, she called his name normally, without any stress or hint of annoyance in her tone, he was taken aback.
"Hello Nolan" said Wura as she smiled and she waved at Nolan as Nolan neighed at her.
Liam could observe that Wura no longer seemed upset, In fact she was all smiles, and that surprised, him, he wondered if anything good happened to her last night after dinner, or early this morning.
"You see quite cheerful" said Liam as he observed her reaction.
"Of course I am, today is a beautiful day to ride horses, do you not think so Liam?" asked Wura as she looked at Liam and she smiled at him as he looked at her in astonishment, there she went again, she called him Liam so casually.
"Of course it is" said Liam as he smiled, sure this was what he wanted, for her to call him so casually, but just yesterday evening, she was upset with him for asking her that, but right now, she had taken a totally turn, and she looked very happy, it only surprised him, and he was a bit concerned because he knew Wura and she was very stubborn, she would never bend for anyone especially for him, so for her to be so obedient made him a bit suspicious.
"You did not have breakfast today Liam?" asked Wura as she looked at him, she was curious, she had not seen him at breakfast, and well Uncle Nigel had gone out this early morning, or so she had been informed, so she ended up eating breakfast on her own.
"Well I woke up early, so I went for a morning stroll with Nolan" said Liam as he explained and he smiled at her.
"Ahh…I see" said Wura.
"Were you waiting for me to join you for breakfast?" asked Liam.
"Ah well no, It is only that I ate breakfast alone, Uncle Nigel went out early this morning" said Wura as she explained.
"I see" said Liam as he smiled at her.
"So you went on a morning stroll?" asked Wura as she was curious to how that felt.
"Yes I did" said Liam as he smiled.
"You do that a lot?" asked Wura.
"Well I used to, but now not so much, but I woke up early this morning, and I could not go back to sleep, so I decided to go out with Nolan for a while" said Liam as he explained and he smiled.
"I see" said Wura.
"So how does going on a morning stroll feel?" asked Wura in interest.
"Well it is rather calming if I do say so myself" said Liam as he smiled.
"It is very quiet in the early morning, it Is only you, your horse, and well the nature around you" said Liam as he smiled.
"It sounds very peaceful" said Wura as she smiled.
"Oh it is" said Liam as he smiled, he could see that Wura was very interested In what he was telling her, it just occurred to him that this was their first conversation that they were not annoying each other, or that she was not insulting him, or scoffing at him, she was just being calm and talking to him.
"How about the next time I go for a stroll you come with me?" asked Liam as she smiled.
"Can I?" asked Wura in surprise.
"Of course you can, but first we have to make sure you can ride well on your own first" said Liam as he smiled, he loved the surprised look on her face.
"Of course, and I will, thank you Liam" said Wura as she smiled at Liam.
"No need to thank me" said Liam as he smiled, he did not know what happened for her to be so nice to him, but he was not complaining at all, he liked it, whatever changed her mind about him, he was thankful to that thing or person.
Wura smiled, she had made sure to emphasise that she was calling him Liam, and it seemed to make him happy, and well Nora was right, they did not argue at all, he seemed content, even though it annoyed her that he was, at least they were communicating peacefully now, with no problems at all.
"Shall we start the lesson?" asked Liam as he smiled, if someone would have told him that he would become a horse riding instructor to his wife, he would have laughed at them and not believe them at all, but to be honest, he liked that they were alone.
"Of course" said Wura as she smiled.
"But how is Ayo, I hope he is no longer frightened?" asked Wura as she smiled.
"He is alright, I checked on him earlier, and he seems fine" said Liam.
"But for my own peace of mind and your safety, it Is better that you learn on Nolan for now" said Liam as he smiled, he could not risk something as dangerous as what happened yesterday again, until Wura was skilled enough to handle herself on a horse, he did not trust her on any horse other than Nolan.
"Oh alright then" said Wura as she smiled, she could not refute his statement, he was right, and quite frankly, she only felt safe if she was on Nolan, and if Liam was there.
"Do you need my help to mount on Nolan, or can you finally do it yourself?" asked Liam as he chuckled.
"I can do it myself Liam" said Wura as she scoffed at him, she was not weak.
"Well then, alright" said Liam as he smiled and Wura shot him a quick annoyed smile as she moved to Nolan, and in one almost swift movement, she lifted herself on top of Nolan as she look at Liam with a very smug smile and she nodded her head.
"Not bad" said Liam as he smiled at her.
"I told you, I can do it myself" said Wura as she smiled, she herself was actually surprised, but as they said, practice makes perfect.
"Well then, if that is the case, I do not think that you need me to teach you anymore" said Liam as he laughed.
"Getting on top of a horse is not the same thing as riding one, they are different" said Wura.
"Well I guess you are right" said Liam as he smiled.
"Well, let us get started then" said Liam as he smiled, and Wura nodded her head.
…
It was just another regular day for Nora, she had woken up Wura, helped her have her bath, picked out her clothes, and she helped her wear them since Wura was going to the stables again this morning.
Nora wondered when Wura would return, because she found it awfully boring here in this room, all she did was clean, arrange, clean, arrange, and clean some more, it was tiring, she wished that Wura would return soon, because then Wura would have something very interesting to tell her, and she enjoyed listening to Wura.
Nora was idly dusting the corners of Wura's room when she heard a knock on the door, at first she had thought that maybe it was Wura, but then it occurred to her that Wura would never knock on the door to her own room, so Nora put down the feather duster and she walked to the door as she opened it.
"Good noon" came the voice of a guard from outside the room.
"Good noon" replied Nora as she nodded her head.
"How may I help you?" asked Nora as she wondered why the guard was here.
"His Majesty asks for your presence in his office" said the guard as he went straight to the point.
"He does?" asked Nora in utter confusion and surprise, was his Majesty not with Wura at the stables? So then if he was, why did he call for her now? That could only mean that he was done at the stables with Wura, then if that was so, where why Wura, she should have returned by now.
"Yes he does, he needs to speak with you" said the guard.
"Did he say about what?" asked Nora in confusion.
"No he did not, he only asked me to summon you" said the guard very plainly.
"Alright I will go to him right away" said Nora as she nodded her head.
"Alright" said the guard as he walked away and Nora quickly closed the door as her mind was racing, what did Liam want to see her for? Did she did something wrong? Wait!!, was Wura hurt and he needed her to tend to her?
Nora thoughts went wild, and now she was panicked thinking that maybe the Queen was hurt, if that was so, she should not have wasted any time at all, she would go there quickly, if Wura needed her then she needed to go there now.
"Oh my I pray that nothing bad happened to the Queen" said Nora to herself as she tried to calm herself down but it was of no use at all.
"Calm down Nora, you will only know once you get there" said Nora to herself as she sighed and she took deep breaths as she opened the door and she walked out of the room as she closed the door behind her.