Lumi wandered the hallways. She liked the soothing colors that were displayed. She liked the Galexious Palace and how it was arranged. It had beautiful art, and architecture that had made Lumi stare in fascination for hours when she first saw.

Her fingers lightly trailed along the walls, tracing the dark purple color.

The guards who stood at every corner of the hallway bowed to her, their eyes trailing after as she walked by.

She made her way quietly to the place she knew she needed to go to.

Standing before the door, Lumi hesitated before knocking.

The guards that were posted watched her, tension unseen but there in their shoulders as they waited for what she would do next.

She took a few steps back, walking to the wall that faced the door.

Unexpectedly she hit her head against it, causing one guard to swear loudly as he rushed to stop her from doing so a second time.

"Queen Lumikki please-,"

She held up a hand, rubbing her forehead.

"I needed that."

Without another word she marched to the door and knocked.

There was a moment of silence before they all heard Josiah's voice on the other side.

"Come in."

Lumi cast one last smile at the baffled guards before opening the door.

She closed it behind her, pressing her back to the frame to try and reach some composure.

Josiah looked up, his eyes staying on her for a few seconds before he looked back down at the documents on his desk.

"Do you need something?"

"I..." Lumi continued to stare at him. His gaze flickered to her again, irritation and confusion clear on his face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I just...can I just sit here with you?"

They watched each other, the silence stretching between them before finally Josiah sighed and took the glasses he had been wearing off.

"Of course," he gestured to a nearby couch, "please sit."

She looked at the chair that was across from his desk. His eyes followed her gaze and an unknown expression crossed his face.

"Wherever you feel like."

She smiled at him, approaching slowly before sitting down in the offered seat.

"Can I ask what you are working on?"

Lumi tried to not flinch away from the tired look that came over him. The characteristics that people praised her for seemed to have the opposite effect on Josiah. She wondered if things would have been different if he had not gone away so soon after their arrival. But a better part of Lumi wondered if she was not what he had been expecting, and now he was disappointed.

"Of course you can. You're my Queen after all."

Without warning Lumi rose, walking around the desk to look at the papers he had been examining. He seemed to be caught off guard. She perched on the desk, her legs dangling in the air as she looked down to inspect the papers.

"What is this? It looks complicated?"

"That's because it is," he cleared his throat and moved to be closer to her. His elbow that was on the table grazed her thigh. He pulled back slightly clearing his throat again.

"It's something I've been working on these past few years. As I'm sure you've been learning in your lessons about the country, we have no stable source of income. The fall Kingdom has claim to agriculture, the spring to healing services. Summer also has a stake in agriculture along with sea trade. And the Winter kingdom is influential in many areas. They've monopolized the military force and are a power unto themselves...but us? Galexious is...lacking...and we have been for a long time."

While examining his thoughts, Lumi noticed that Josiah had unknowingly drifted closer to her. Without warning she raised her hand, pushing back a loose strand of dark hair that had fallen to his face. His eyes flickered up to her, but she only smiled and nodded. "I've learned at least that much in my lessons. The lack of sun means there is no stable claim to any agriculture. Nor can there be a source of distribution that can be stable enough when the climate is not fixed as it is with the other Kingdoms."

Josiah nodded to her words, "we do have a resource...but...it's still in progress how we can reach it."

Lumi had heard this also, "Jewels."

He smiled at her. Lumi felt excitement rush through her that she was able to engage in a conversation with him so well. He had not sighed once so far.

"Yes...you were paying attention. I honestly expected you to be a...." he tilted his head playfully letting the sentence hang for her own interpretation.

"What! I'm a good student," Lumi laughed, hitting him lightly on the shoulder, "I can sit still if I want."

"This is the first time I've actually seen it happen."

"I sit still in the lessons!"

Josiah laughed, "I read those reports!" He shook his head still laughing as he took something from the side of his desk, reading, 'today Queen Lumikki had difficulty settling down and was permitted to walk around the room while lecture was being given."

Lumi felt her cheeks heat in embarrassment, "okay..." She looked away from Josiah's suddenly piercing gaze as he rose to try and make eye contact.

"What was that you said? You do what? Sit? Did you just lie to me? Me? Your husband and King?"

Lumi ducked her head continuing to avoid his eyes as they both laughed at their childish actions. He suddenly reached for her, his hands going to either side of her face to stop her.

Their laughter came to a halt as they found themselves face to face.

Josiah was standing above her - his back bent slightly to look down. His hands still held her. She watched where his eyes had become focused on- her lips.

"You can kiss me," Lumi whispered.

He inhaled sharply. Lumi's eyes widened as he came closer. Suddenly though, he changed paths, his lips connecting to her forehead. Lumi found her hands wrapping around his wrists, her legs curling to reach out to him and pull him closer.

But he broke away and stepped back.

"I can't."

He sat back in his chair, moving the papers back into some order.

Lumi stared down at the ground, her hands going up to press on her flushed cheeks.

"Is there something wrong with me?"

Josiah looked at her sadly, "You won't like the answer."

"I can already think it," she whispered. She had not thought of it before. But now it was clear to her why he had not consummated their marriage. Why he took no steps to touch her.

Not yet.

But he seemed to feel the need to voice this out loud. Just to make sure she understood.

"I know...I know you were with him Lumi...and I'm not going to punish you for that. I've said it before that the past is the past but...I need to be reassured that when...when you are with child...I need to have no doubt that it's mine."

Lumi folded her legs in on herself, creating a tight ball to stop the sudden pain that had entered her chest. She knew she looked odd. Sitting there on Josiah's desk like that.

But he did not think twice about it. Instead, he reached for her, taking her arms and pulling her towards him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "but you know I have to."

She found herself sitting next to him in the chair, her legs dangling on the side as his arm supported her back. She looked up at him and smiled.

"It's okay."

There seemed to be pain in his eyes. Lumi wished there wasn't, but she had no words to say to make the expression he wore go away.

Instead, she turned back to the desk.

"You were telling me about this. What is it? It looks like a machine."

"...yes..." Josiah's voice sounded far away as he pushed them closer to the desk to both look at the paper.

"You already said it. We have a resource. Jewels. We have them. But we just can't reach them. Or...we don't have a way to reach them. But I've been working on designs that will help speed the process and create fewer deaths to our men who work in the mines."

"What is the problem? Why are you struggling with it?"

Josiah leaned back in the chair, taking Lumi with him as he sighed. He closed his eyes and shook his head.

"We have no power here. Both literally and figuratively. Nothing to make a machine like that run. We've hit a dead-end for it."

Lumi continued to look at the paper, staring at the machine and wondering about solutions that they could produce. Unexpectedly, Josiah pulled her in closer, his face going to the corner of her neck.

"I'm sorry." He whispered the words into her skin.

Lumi smiled and without thinking twice about her actions raised her arms to link around his neck and embrace him back.

^ my face at the moment.

Thank you for reading!