It took more than twelve days for the kingdom to realize what was going on. At the advising of the royal princess, the King was released from his position on account of "amnesia." They sentenced him to the hills where he became a farmer of beetroots and oranges. Juniper was no longer a princess, but was crowned Queen of her country. And a budding witch to boot. She made her mark on the kingdom, replacing her father's old, oppressive ways with new laws that encouraged the lower class and women to work in higher positions in the castle based on skills rather than heritage. And she immediately banned her father's punishment of beheading. Her freckles were no longer her shame, but were complimented as a trait that every woman desired. Soon women were drawing orange dots on their face while merchants began selling swirling paint for decorative face designs. As I spent time reminiscing, I found myself face to face with the ruler of my country. The gold throne did not hurt my eyes as much as compared to the glow on her face.

                                                                                            ~*~

         "I suppose I'll have to call you 'Your Majesty' now," I joked as I awkwardly bowed. Her blue eyes crinkled she clapped her hands.

         "Nonsense. I'm still the same old me." Her voice stayed low and husky, with moments of her old melodious giggles. Juniper rose from her golden throne as her purple dress flowed out like a peaceful river. Smiling proudly, she gently grabbed my hands. "I want you to work for me. As my royal advisor." She playfully tapped the golden pigs on my neck. From behind, I saw Sorren. Donned in a navy blue robe, he stood proudly next to Juniper. I couldn't help but smirk as I saw how perfect they looked together.

         "Princess, promise me you won't get married until you've fully mastered your magical abilities," I said as I slowly pulled away. Juniper frowned and crossed her arms.

         "That's my own decision to make. And besides, I don't intend to get married until later." I giggled as I saw Sorren's shoulders significantly sink. "You're not answering my question," Juniper said as she searched my face for an answer. I sighed and looked to Sorren for help. Instead, he shrugged and pretended to look at some books. Gently I pulled Juniper aside.

         "It's not that I don't want to help you," I explained. "In fact, I'm incredibly honored that you would even ask." We exchanged smiles as she squeezed my arm. Staring at the ground, I refused to meet her gaze.

         "You know I'm not fit to be your advisor. I would make the worst decisions." I bitterly laughed and played with my necklace. I pointed to Sorren. "Sorren is a better choice. He can train you in magic, and he can support you with his experience as your father's old advisor." I heard Juniper sigh as she slowly walked back to her golden throne. Slouching against her seat, she pursed her thin lips in frustration.

         "I know, you don't care about that stuff," I assured her. "But I'm not ready to help someone rule a country. It turns out I like this 'traveling the world thing' a lot more than I realized." I bowed apologetically. Juniper rose from her throne.

         "How could I have been so blind," her voice changed as she paused with every spoken word. Her mind looked busy as her eyes darted here and there. She then brightly beamed as she said, "Alma Riverland, would you do me the honor of being my royal ambassador? It's exactly what you want, the traveling, meeting new people, and most of all, keeping the peace for the good of all."

         Ambassador. The word had a nice ring to it. I chuckled as I imagined wearing royal robes and traveling the high seas with the Queen's royal navy.

         "You know, that was the one reason why I never minded trading. You could do all those things as long as you sold what was needed." I nodded. "It's exactly what I need. I'd be honored to." Juniper squealed and hugged me. The two of us started jumping up and down laughing. Sorren rolled his eyes, but even he couldn't help but laugh. Juniper pulled away with teary eyes. Her orange glow poured out from all around her, warming my arms as it flowed around me.  

         "Great! You start tomorrow."

                                                                                              ~*~

Final thoughts: 

         Being an ambassador isn't easy. In fact, it's one of the hardest things I've ever done. But it's everything I love. Each day, I can meet with people around the country to understand what's going on. My parents have accepted that what I do with my life is my business. Sometimes they help me by giving me a ride on their ship. Recently, Nicholas sent me another message saying that he got married to a princess with a large nose and big brown eyes. He writes that she's the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. Sorren is perfectly content as the Queen's advisor, but he'll probably have to learn how to get over his feelings for her, or at least tell her about his unnaturally large pig collection. I wasn't going to give Juniper away to just anybody.

         And then there's Ernest. Just thinking about what he's doing now makes me smile. Ernest surprised his family with a large sum of gold that he received from Juniper as a reward for his "faithfulness as a royal warrior." He's teaching the kids in his town how to fight and will probably return to the castle soon to train guards how to actually guard the castle and work for the citizens.

         Juniper's learning more and more magic. And while some jealous kings call her the "Witch Queen," she knows that it's all spite. She hopes to visit Isagovia soon and find her mother. But until then, she reassures the country of their safety under her orange glow. Every once in a while, she asks me why I ran into that arena with no intention of fighting the princes or the king.

         "You went in knowing that you weren't going to kill anyone. Why did you do it?" It was always during our monthly meetings of teas and pastries. I would always sigh and shudder as I remembered how close to death I was.

         "You were so close to accepting yourself. But I knew you wouldn't do it until someone was in a dire state." I would take a bite out of some bread and laugh. "I always knew you were meant to be a Queen. A Queen never leaves her people in danger." Her freckled cheeks would always turn a subtle red when I said that. Just thinking about it makes me smile. Someday and somehow, I hope we all meet again and talk about what exactly happened during those eighty days. Till then, I return to the sea. I don't know what's out there, but I'm not afraid. As long as I have these little winged pigs to guide the way.

 

And so I lived adventurously ever after. 

 

The End

Early morning. Summer Season.  Throne Room. Day 41.