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“Queen Kate?”
“No, just Kate, please.”
Meri’s and Elinor’s voices bickered on the other side of the room as Lady Channing studied my face.
“Do you not wish to be our queen?” she asked finally.
I shook my head. “Quite the opposite. I am honored and humbled to be your queen, and I intend on being the best queen I can be, but—” I struggled to put into words the source of the tension in my gut. “Before I was a princess a few short weeks ago, I was Kate Moring. I knew who I was, my role in life, and how I fit into my world. Even with all the changes, I am still Kate.” I motioned to myself. “I am going to remain myself, no matter how many titles and responsibilities I take on.”
I met her gaze, willing her to understand. “As much as I need help to navigate and learn my role in this new world of being queen, I think I need the reminder of who I am.”
A slow dawning of understanding lightened Channing’s eyes. “And your name will do that.”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“And the king?”
“I will explain it to him.” And hopefully, he would understand. I pushed aside the niggle of unease that he might not.
“Only in private.”
“Only in private,” I confirmed.
“I am willing.” She hesitated. “Kate.”
I smiled up at her. A bit of the tension in my center unfolded. “Thank you.” Meri’s voice grew closer as she lectured Elinor on the value of a felled seam. I turned to face my next challenge, convincing the maid and the seamstress to call me Kate as well.
“Please call me Opal.” Lady Channing’s voice brought my attention back to her. She smiled at me warmly. “I suspect you are just what our court needs, Kate.”
“Thank you, Opal.” Before I could ask what she meant by the court’s needs, the seamstress had returned.
Within moments, the women bundled me into a dress of gossamer pink and Meri fluttered about plucking here and there at the fabric.
“Isn’t it a bit on the big side?” I asked despite being more concerned about the way the fabric seemed to catch the light, drawing the attention to me.
“Of course it is.” Meri tutted. “There are no elves on your side, Majesty.”
I flinched.
“Actually, Meri, the queen has requested that we call her by her name in private.”
Meri’s wings stopped fluttering. She fell to the floor with a soft thump to peer sharply at me.
“Do you not want to be queen?”
“That isn’t it. It’s…” I stumbled to a stop. I had barely verbalized it before.
“May I explain, Kate?” Opal asked. “You can correct me if I am wrong.”
I eagerly nodded. Correcting was much easier than introducing the concept.
“Kate is hernuema hanome.”
To my surprise, both Meri’s and Elinor’s eyes widened and then they nodded gravely.
“We are honored by this gift,” Meri assured me. “We shall cherish it.” Behind her, Elinor enthusiastically nodded.
I scanned their faces. “I suspect I will ask questions like this frequently, but what doesnuema hanomemean?”
