The hot liquid burned my tongue at first sip, the steam wafted up into my nose as I inhaled the vapors. The mug warmed my fingers as I exhaled, looking out the window and noticing the changing leaves. The oranges and yellows dappled the distant forest, painting the countryside with a delicate balance of hues, accenting the green background and contrasting the clear blue sky above. I settled deeper into my cushy chair, the leather squeaking as I moved.

The bell rang, announcing a new customer entering the building, drawing my attention to the front door. In walked a familiar face, scruffy dark hair, lanky build, but well dressed in court clothing. Fine silks, tailored perfectly, accented his frame. It was Tom, my best friend in the whole world.

“What’s up, dumbass?” I said with an affectionate smile. “Here to apprehend the vile demon?”

“You know it. That, and get me a cappuccino. You chilling here for a bit?”

I nodded in response.

He pointed at me with finger guns. “Cool,” he said, before changing course to head to the counter.

I shook my head in silent laughter, the smile still on my face. Was he always this awkwardly confident? I sipped my coffee again; the temperature having cooled minimally. A lot had happened since we’d first met here, only a short time ago. A lot had changed.

A brief time later, Tom joined me at my window, sporting an identical mug to mine with steam rising from it. He took a tentative sip and sighed afterwards, content.

“You just come from court?” I asked, nodding at his refined taste in clothing.

“Yeah,” he said nonchalantly, looking down at his outfit. “Not my taste, but I didn’t pay for it, so whatever. Selissa has been really cool about developing transparent relations with the demon kingdom. It’s been really hopeful. Zaavi and Hazuzu have actually been working well together, believe it or not.”

I laughed. “I’ll believe that when I see it,” I said. “How’s Sage?”

“He’s good,” Tom said, smiling. “He’s holed up in his retirement village, avoiding Hazuzu. I can’t blame him; if I’d admitted to having a passionate love affair with the demon king’s wife, I think I’d jump right into my own underwater vortex prison.”

“I can arrange that,” I offered.

“I’ll let you know,” he laughed. “Actually, I’d really rather not think about how my grandfather used to date your mom. Very weird.”

“Yeah let’s just ignore that and pretend it never happened.”

“Heh, yeah. Ancient history.”

The bell rang again, the door swung wide open to accommodate a large group of people. An entire entourage entered the café, scoping out the scene. Then, in walked the Queen Selissa, in her grand queenly armor, followed closely by the King consort Lidas, their son, Prince Matthias, and their personal royal guard. She paused at the door, scanned the room for what she was looking for, stopping when her eyes lit upon us.

“Ah, there you are,” she said, making her way towards us. The other patrons in the café lept aside to get out of her way, as if they were the sea and she were parting it. “I’ve been wondering what it was about this place that you like so much.”

“The simple charms in life are the sweetest,” I said, looking up at their grand entrance.

A long time ago, I might have felt hurt seeing them as one powerful family unit, but now, it warmed me to see them like this. Their similarities were striking; it was obvious that Matthias was their son. Selissa and Lidas were both tall for their sexes, always towering over me with their perfectly coiffed hair and skin that tanned in the hot sun instead of burning like mine always did. Selissa’s hair was always annoyingly and perfectly a warm honey blonde, while Lidas’ a darker blond, as opposed to my starkly black hair that made me stick out like a weed among roses. Matthias was an even blend of them both, pairing his father’s shade of hair and his mother’s eyes. Their familial relationship was obvious. Once, I’d resented our differences, hating how I never felt like I belonged even though they had always treated me with respect and love. Now that I knew what I knew, our differences were just something I noticed instead of something I compared myself to. They weren’t the standard I had to live up to – my standards were whatever I chose for myself.

Selissa gave a small, warm smile at me, her trademark blue eyes sparkling with happiness. She was so different than the Selissa I knew, now that she had her son back and her family in one whole piece. While she had always been a strong leader and a well-respected queen, and a good foster mother to me, it was clear now that her elation lit her up from the inside out, radiating joy. It was infectious, and I returned her smile automatically.

“We came to extend an official offer to Mr. Belfield,” she said, turning her attention to Tom. “I would have asked upon ceremony, but the aforementioned appointee practically ran out of court and I missed the opportunity.”

Tom reddened. “I ah, um… sorry?”

Selissa laughed, the sound like the pealing of joyful bells. “No apology necessary, as long as you accept.”

Tom looked up at her expectantly, his eyes flicking back and forth between the Queen, the King consort, and their son, who waved at us from behind them.

“I have a very important position to offer you, Mr. Belfield,” the Queen said in a stately manner, resuming her typical posture of a regal monarch. “As someone who is highly qualified and largely impartial to both realms, would you do us the honor of acting as liaison between our two peoples?”

Tom’s mouth fell open, staring blankly at the Queen. She blinked at him.

I set my coffee down onto the small table in front of us and covered my face in my hands, supporting my elbows on the table. At least she hadn’t asked him this in court if he was going to act like this. The silence continued as Tom’s slack jawed expression still prominent. I lifted my head up to look at him and smack his arm gently. He startled, nearly spilling his coffee on himself, the steam wafting up haphazardly.

“Ah, yes, your grace! I’d be honored,” he said finally, eyes flicking back to me gratefully. “I’ll do everything I can to keep this peace.”

The queen nodded once in acquiescence, then gestured to her family and guard that she would like to move out. The small crowd she’d brought with her rustled in movement, clearing the way and turning around to make their way out of the café just as ceremoniously as they’d arrived.

Selissa turned back around to address me once more. “Callisto?”

“Yes?”

“You were and always will be my daughter. I wish you the best in the eternity you have left. May you make better choices than those who came before you,” she said wisely.

I lifted my chin gravely, understanding what she said to me. “I’ll do my best. That’s all you can ask of anyone.”

Selissa grinned again, pivoting around towards the exit and walked away, her entourage in hot pursuit. She raised a hand in goodbye, a rather informal farewell for someone of her status. We returned the gesture, watching her open the door with extended palms, the bell ringing as the door swung open, signaling the exit of another customer.

I turned my attention to Tom once they’d left, the café now considerably busier, the patrons speaking in a low buzz, each of them whispering about how the café had been visited by the Queen herself.

“Well, I suppose I should be off to the demon realm soon,” I said, watching Tom’s reaction.

He sipped at his coffee, closing his eyes as he savored the taste. “Hm, yeah probably.”

I waited; he just sat there. I cleared my throat. “Uh, would you like to come with me?”

He set down his coffee, the clink of the mug on the wood louder than I expected. “I thought you’d never ask.” He looked up at me with a wide smile, adventure in his eyes and anticipation clear on his face. “Shall we take the long way around or call for a shortcut?”

I laughed at how he worded it. “Whichever you’d prefer, my friend.”

“Well, now that we’re not on the run from the royal guard or the followers of Zaavi, I think the scenic route would be really nice. Shall we?”

“As long as we avoid that Ahool’s cave,” I allowed, smiling with anticipation. What had been a daunting trek a short time ago now seemed like a pleasant way to spend the time with someone who’s company I enjoyed. I couldn’t think of a better way to travel.

“Agreed. Although I did lose that really cool claw…” he said, trailing off. “… kinda miss having that souvenir…”

“Vetoed.”

He laughed and stood, picking up his mug and raising it to the sky in a toast. “To whatever comes next,” he said before downing the drink and setting it lightly back down o the table.

“To whatever comes next,” I agreed.