Welcome, welcome! This is my writing space. It's pages of poems and stories, quotes, and snip-its stored in my journal. I've got a good few OCs and I love to curate their lives. 🤍

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Surprises.



For as long as I can remember,

I’ve always loved surprises.



Secrets, gifts, and fun facts,

the acts of waiting in anticipation

and playing the game of guesses.

Stories, jokes, and good news.

Where others find uncertainty,

I see opportunity

because a heart that is open to surprises

is guaranteed a life of a surplus of prizes.



I live every day excited to

meet someone new,

Try new food or hear a pleasant tune.

My fuel is laughter and joy,

and though it may seem coy,

It's how I get through life–

Stumbling through, sure,

but embracing the chaos and strife.



Now, I won’t lie, and say it isn’t tiresome,

to succumb to the bumps and bruises of

life’s “surprises.”

The endless lessons and heartaches of

people wearing disguises,

who take advantage of my kindness.

I’m convinced some people are cruel,

that like Cruela,

they’d skin me of my love

if given the chance.



But unlike them,

my life is a dance,

and the universe is my partner.

Together, our blind trust

turns rust to gold,

and water to wine.



We lock our gaze,

unable to take our eyes off of one another,

for a moment together in this maze

is enough for the other.

This isn’t to say I’m not afraid,

Unsure of what’s around the corner.

But, when I look in the mirror,

I see a small child with all smiles,

so you’d best believe,

I will dance for miles.



There are times I have

Lost my footing,

and many more to come.

But, I’ve learned how to

Ground myself and

Find a new rhythm.



And I’ll be honest,

It doesn’t always go the best,

And I tend to freak myself out

And damn near berate myself

For not knowing what to do.

So, I call my Mama and

She tells me:



“Stop. Take a deep breath.

Try Again.”



So I take a deep breath

and I try again.





For as long as I can remember,

I've always loved surprises.

________________________________________________________________________________________________



The Beauty of Amos.



When Amos sat across from Imani, her eyes studied his appearance.



“Good afternoon, Mother..” Amos greeted.



“Good afternoon, Amos. You look.. Good.” She concluded.



Amos blinked, then smiled, “Thank you, Mother.”



Imani looked to one of the servants and made a gesture with her hand. The cart of food was rolled out within moments.



Plates were set in front of Imani and Amos, though neither made a move to start eating. They joined hands across the table, and said their thanks.



When they finished, Amos was the first to start eating.



“What happened last night?” Imani asked. Her voice did not give away much emotion.



Amos’ chews slowed until he swallowed. He set down his fork.



“..I was panicked. I needed a moment to recollect myself.”



“Why?”



“One of the civilians called me Princess Liha,” Amos said quietly, though his stomach turned at the mere name.



“Mm. I see..” Imani replied. “I am sorry you still experience that, Amos. Most of the—“



“I know. I know that most people have long since accepted me, but it hurts nonetheless when I hear it from a select few.. It makes me feel like the years I spent becoming.. Me, meant nothing. It makes me feel like all anyone sees is 17 year old Liha.”



Imani let Amos speak.



“It is awful. I perform in front of audiences, and it still never feels like enough. And then here at home, I am expected to be someone I am not. You have given me Princely duties and responsibilities, but most of them strip me of what I love and what I am good at. When I try to learn, I am compared to my siblings, like I can never do anything right. It is so.. Discouraging,” Amos whispered. “And then.. To be assigned, what, babysitters? I had never felt so humiliated, Mother.”



Imani was quiet for a few moments, before she reached over and took Amos’ hand.



“Amos.. You are my son. I am hard on you because I expect brilliant things of you, not because I want to impose an image on you. Yes, you have duties to uphold, but I have never once wanted you to compromise yourself, to make yourself small. I am hard on you, because in the midst of this transition in your life, you have lost a sense of responsibility--to your title, your family, and your people. Pave your own path, Amos. You have accomplished so much already, all just by being who you are.



"Do not let this shift take that away from you. You can do the things you are good at, and the things you love, but not at the cost of casting aside your responsibilities. I am proud of who you are, but that does not mean I am going to let one of my children become a slacker. Are we clear?”



Amos did not know when he started crying, but the black liner stained his cheeks and made his eyes burn. He nodded quickly as he sniffled, “Yes, Mother.”



“My God, look at you. You are making a mess,” Imani chuckled and reached over, then used her soft tissue to blot Amos’ tears away and gently clean the streaks of liner. She continued to speak, a bit softer.



“I wish you had said something sooner. It should not take you breaking down in the Town Square for you to voice your frustrations,” She sat back in her chair and smoothed out her dress. “As for your Hand, and personal tutor.. I picked them both myself, and it was a very long process. I noticed you had been struggling, but not to this extent. You have a gifted mind, and I did not want them to hinder you. So I asked them to watch over you, and find ways to make your life easier, not harder.



"You need structure, and they will help you implement it, but not to your detriment. I have given them permission to be stern with you, to be firm. Of course, they will never harm you, but sometimes you will need the wake up call. You are, at the end of the day, an adult. You will be treated as such, but I do not want you to think of them as a punishment. Do you understand?”



Amos thought to Ivo’s words.



Do you want to do more? It’s not about what I think you need, but what you want.



He remembered Elio’s wordless reminder to stand tall.



Amos nodded slowly, “I understand..”



...



Two months passed since Ivo and Elio weaved into Amos’ life. Ivo was strict with his Amos’ schedules, but indulged him during the Prince’s freetime. He encouraged Amos to wear what he wanted, and was never shy to compliment his choices. He acted as a physical and verbal shield to the Prince, catching him before he fell and shooting down disrespectful comments.



Elio was strict about Amos’ manners and lessons, but he began to feed his own methods into Amos’ teachings. He advocated for Amos when his History tutor scolded him for doodling again, and got his speech tutor to relocate to the main hall. It was usually empty, save for the guards who stood by the doors, and the occasional passing servants. But it was enough of a change that Amos’ words grew more refined and his voice grew stronger.



Sometimes, Elio would correct Amos’ posture with a simple touch of the hand. Between his shoulder blades, under his chin.. Small, but enough to fluster the Prince under his watchful gaze. If Amos said a smart remark, Elio would raise an eyebrow and ask him to repeat himself. He usually backpedaled.



Ivo was bolder with his words. He enjoyed seeing the spark in Amos’ eyes, and the flush in his cheeks. He would compliment how the Prince’s clothes suited him, how his cologne made him smell sweet, how dashing his smile was when he meant it, how beautiful his eyes looked with liner on.



...



So when Amos had been sitting in Elio’s study (because yes, he had been given a study. A personal room with a giant desk, and walls of books; in front of the desk, a cushy, leather chair, just for Amos), the Prince was lazily draped over his chair while Elio assessed his latest set of notes from his history lesson.



Ivo stood to the side, though was never on guard when in Elio’s study. He was always very.. Relaxed. At least that is what Amos thought. It was interesting.



Amos stared up at the ceiling, his finger having traced a groove into the wooden arm of his chair.



“Does this bore you, Your Highness?”



Elio spoke, breaking the last 26 minutes of silence. Amos had counted every second.



“Hmm.. ” 3,723...3,724...



“Prince Amos.”



“Huh?” Amos lifted his head and looked over at Elio, who watched him calmly.



“Do you need something to do?”



Amos considered him for a moment. Was it a trick question? He squinted at Elio.



“..Yes.” He decided.



Amos would have missed it if his eyes were

not trained on Elio; the way his eyes briefly flickered to Ivo in the corner, before looking back to Amos.

________________________________________________________________________________________________



Queen Soleil.



Queen Soleil was a beloved treasure to her kingdom. She was beautiful, kind, fair, and generous. Often, she hosted meals in her castle, whether that be a casual breakfast or a dinner and after party, open to all her subjects. No one went to bed hungry, businesses and education flourished, and there was peace amongst her people and between their allies.



Their kingdom was a prosperous reflection of the joined efforts of Queen Soleil and her people. Her people were happy, and the Queen couldn’t ask for more.



But still...



She felt like she was missing something in her life.



She was content being alone, and certainly didn’t need anyone. Her, her advisor, Estasia, and her board were plenty to run the kingdom. She didn’t need help, persay.



Queen Soleil was lonely.



She yearned to be more than just the Queen. She wanted to be held and cared for, and not because she’s the Queen, but because she is loved.



Estasia offered to find the Queen someone to ease her tensions, but she refused.



‘I don’t want to seem like a chore..’ She’d say, though Estasia was quick to insist otherwise.



...



The Queen’s morning went by in a flash, as it always does. Breakfast, as Estasia reads out her daily tasks, then two meetings and a hearing, all before lunch.



During lunch, Estasia walked into Queen Soleil’s tea room.



“Your Majesty, the knights have arrived from the guild and are waiting for you in the throne room when you’re finished,” Estasia announced casually, taking a seat beside the Queen.



The Queen didn’t look up from her book, seemingly lost in her mind. Her face was still, but the tight grip she had on her book told Estasia all she needed to know.



Estasia smirked and leaned close to Queen Soleil.



“Your Majesty..” She whispered, completely unfazed when Queen Soleil nearly jumped out of her seat with a startled gasp.



“Estasia! Gosh, warn a woman before you scare her like that!” The Queen scolded and Estasia laughed, practically in her face.



“It’s not like I was quiet coming in, you know. I made an announcement and everything.”



“Oh! You did? What was it?”



“I said that the knights have arrived from the guild and are waiting for you in the throne room when you’re finished,” Estasia hummed and studied her nails. When the Queen didn’t reply, Estasia glanced at her and then sighed loudly when she dazed off again.



“Your Majesty!”



“A-ah sorry! Yes, let’s uhm... What did you say again?”



...



Queen Soleil was a bit overwhelmed by the sight before her. She was seated in her thrown, and standing before her was a line of large, armor clad knights. She twisted the gold and emerald ring on her thumb before she took a quick, deep breath and smiled, standing from her throne.



“Good afternoon, everyone.. Thank you so much for coming, I hope your journey was safe and swift. My advisor Estasia tells me that I have to choose one of you to be my personal guard. Humor me, lovelies, this may take me some time.”



The Queen looked down the row of individuals before she walked to the left end and looked up at the first man before her.



“Good afternoon, how do you do?” She asked sweetly.



“Very well, Your Majesty.” The knight replied curtly, and Queen Soleil smiled politely.



“Excellent..” She stepped to the next person.



“Good afternoon, how do you do?”



“Quite good, Your Majesty.”



And so on. As the Queen went down the row, she was beginning to feel a bit disheartened. Sure, all these knights looked very strong and capable of protecting her, but if she were to be escorted around by someone, she wants to enjoy their company, if not their presence at least. Everyone was very stiff.



With an inward sigh, Queen Soleil cast her eyes to Estasia. She prayed she didn’t look as hopeless as she felt, but Estasia wasn’t even looking back at her. The advisor’s eyes were curiously trained towards the end the line.



Queen Soleil, too wrapped up in her head to consider what Estasia may be observing, returned to the line. She questioned a few more knights, but none of them stuck with her.



With her head hanging, she looked at the feet of the next knight, but her gaze was quickly drawn to the person’s hands. They were big. Their fingers were long and calloused, but they looked warm. The Queen looked up at the face of the knight and her cheeks immediately got hot.



They were...Beautiful.

Handsome.



Ethereal, even.



Before she realized what was happening, her hand raised, relaxed and expectant.



“Good afternoon.. How do you do?”



Without skipping a beat, the knight took the Queen’s hand, and leant down, kissing it gently.



“Your Majesty..” They stood and smiled. “I’m doing excellent today, I got very good sleep last night. And yourself?”



Queen Soleil’s heart fluttered at the kind smile before her. She returned it happily, “I’m alright. I didn’t get the best sleep, but my breakfast was very good and that made up for it. Thank you for asking... And your name is?”



“Juno, Your Majesty.”



“Juno...” She repeated mindlessly. She nodded and stepped to the next person, but the last three people didn’t have her full attention. When she finished, she was too mentally pre-occupied to realize she hadn’t said goodbye to the knights as she walked back to her throne.



Estasia, whose attention had return to her Queen, knew it was her turn to take over.

------------------------------------------------------------

Feel free to leave any thoughts ^^

12 readers



Dearfruitbowl...