The Spy for the Cloud Kingdom

      It was a cool fall morning when I had to bid my mother farewell for longer than usual to go on my next mission. I am an agent for the international affairs of the crown of the clouds. Or as I like to say the IACC. I don't live in any ordinary world. I live in the world of magic. My mother fled the magical world for Earth. She was caught on her way out and the Queen of the Cloud Kingdom made her promise to have her child work for their kingdom. Which would be where I come in. I live in the Cloud Kingdom but I still visit my mother a lot. Even more so before my longer missions. The Cloud Kingdom and the Fire Kingdom had been at odds for years. This new mission I had been given was to infiltrate the Fire Kingdom as a servant to the King. When I left my house there was a magical flying carriage outside waiting for me. The driver made me aware that the carriage would become invisible upon take off. I told the driver I was ready to leave and just as he said the carriage became invisible. 

      Upon our arrival at the Cloud Castle for my full debriefing on my mission the Queen seemed to be in distress. She started telling me that the King of the Fire Kingdom was planning an invasion. She told me I needed to stay close to the King as much as possible so I could warn them when I knew his plan. After hearing everything I needed to know the carriage brought me to the Fire Kingdom. The carriage dropped me off in the forest near the village. 

       Knowing my Earth clothes would never blend in with the Fire Kingdom garments, I bought some in a thrift store in the outskirts of the village. I was then on my way to the castle. I entered through the servants door and made my way to the throne room. The King looked pleased when I walked in. "Are you my new servant?" He asked. I told him I was and he made me aware of my orders. My orders were to stay by his side and do as he says. I found his tone strange but I agreed and followed orders. 

     After a few days I noticed the King was strangely talkative. He told me about his late wife and he even said I reminded him of her. He told me he thought I would be a good servant. I found his actions odd considering the way he talked to his other servants. He was always so cold to them, ordering them around but so contradictory, treating me as an old friend. We were all servants but what made me different in his eyes? 

    A couple of weeks went by and I asked him why he treated me so kindly. He responded by telling me that he had a special interest in me. When he saw the concerned look on my face he told me that he didn't mean that kind of special interest. I relaxed a bit. He told me that I could go back to my quarters and rest for the night. 

    After a few more weeks I had gathered enough information to tell the Queen of the Cloud Kingdom the King's plan. I needed to ask the King if I could leave the castle. I told him I wanted to go see my family because it had been months since I've seen them. After much debate he allowed me to leave. He was reluctant because he had a policy that the servants couldn't leave when they were planning an invasion. He said he would let me go visit my family because I had been such a loyal servant. I felt a bit guilty going back to warn the Cloud Kingdom. I couldn't put my finger on why though. 

     I had taken the invisible carriage which was left for me in the forest. Once I got to the castle I went straight to the Queen to warn her. She was grateful and told me to go back to the King's castle before he became suspicious. Little did I know it was too late. The King's guards were waiting for me by the carriage. They put me in handcuffs and took me back to the King's castle. 

      When we arrived the King asked the guards what I was doing. They told him I had gone to the Cloud Castle and warned the queen of the invasion. The King looked furious, but only for a moment. A few seconds later he looked as though he was deep in thought. They asked the King what to do with me and he told them to take me to the dungeon in the tower. Of course I was confused because all of the dungeons I had ever known about were in the basement. You couldn't imagine the utter shock I was experiencing when the guards brought me to a room that looked like an Earth hotel room. 

     As the guards left and locked the door I took a look around. There was a television and a mini fridge. The bed was so soft it may have been the softest in all the kingdoms. When I looked inside the mini fridge there was a cake and it read, "I don't know why you're up here but I love you. - The King". It was at that moment I realized why the King had always been so kind to me. At first all I felt was shock. But I thought again about how I felt like I was betraying the king when I went to the Cloud Kingdom. Eventually I decided not to worry about it before I went to sleep. 

       That night as I was fast asleep I heard a loud banging on the door. I woke up with a start. The guards unlocked the door and grabbed me. They walked me down the steps of the tower and we passed through the throne room. I saw the king and he had an absent look in his eyes. The guards didn't stop and soon enough we were in the basement, where I assumed the real dungeons were. The guards threw me in a cell with no more than a cot on the floor stuffed with straw. I wondered why the king had ordered the guards to put me here after giving me a cake telling me he loved me. I realized that I felt heartbroken and I realized why I felt guilty telling the Queen his plan. It was because I was in love with him. I then began to feel even worse and I cried myself to sleep. 

    It wasn't long until I was awoken again, but this time it was by the King. He looked shocked. It appeared as though he had only come down here to do a routine morning inspection. He started to apologize, offering to personally escort me back to the upstairs room. I began to ask him about the cake and why I was awoken in the middle of the night and thrown in the basement, reluctant to go anywhere with him after what I had just experienced. He told me that he wasn't sure how I ended up in the dungeon but he truly loved me. He even said he was going to call a truce with the Cloud Kingdom. After I didn't say anything for a few minutes he asked me if I would be his wife. I told him that if he would call a truce with the Cloud Kingdom and allow me to go stay in the village there I would sort out my feelings and come back in a few days to tell him my answer. He agreed and I went on my way. 

      When I arrived in the Cloud Kingdom I first went to the Queen to tell her about the truce. She looked relieved. I also told her that I would be staying in the village for a few days. She told me I could stay in the castle if I wanted to. I refused but she told me if I changed my mind she would allow me to stay there. I thanked her and went to the village. Before I could go to my house I saw one of the King's servants from the Fire Kingdom. 

    I asked the servant girl what she was doing in the Cloud Kingdom. She told me that she quit her job as a servant to the king because she had asked him out and he laughed in her face. She also said that she heard the king give the order to put me in the dungeon. I told her that I was here because I felt a little betrayed because of that. She said that she would feel betrayed too if someone said that they loved her and then threw her in the dungeon. I was confused for a minute because I hadn't told her that the King said he loved me.

     I asked the servant girl how she knew the King said he loved me. The servant girl looked like she was in a panic. A minute later it appeared as though she had accepted the fact she had been caught and she told me that the King always talked about me to her. Telling her about how much he loved me. The servant girl said that she had given the king a potion that gave her the ability to control him so she could put me in the dungeon. 

    I began to ask her why she would do something like that but I realized she had already told me that when she said she asked him out. I took that opportunity to ask her if she felt guilty about doing that to me. She said that she did feel a little guilty and she wished she hadn't done it. Since she seemed to truly be a good person who had just been overcome by jealousy. I decided to ask her if she wanted to be friends. She looked shocked. She asked me why I wanted to be friends with someone who had done something so awful. I told her that I believe people deserve second chances. I told her about my plans to go back to the Fire Kingdom and tell the King I wanted to marry him. She was a little hesitant to say it but she told me she was happy for me. I knew she was putting my feelings above her own when she said it but it made me happy. 

     When I went back to the Fire Kingdom the King looked a bit nervous. I thought it was kind of cute the way he was fiddling with the edge of his jacket. I smiled at him and he took that as a cue to get down on one knee and propose to me. I said yes and he slid the ring onto my finger. I grabbed his hands and he hugged me with the biggest smile on his face as though he had just won a gold medal. I could barely make out the words as he whispered, "I love you so much and I hope you never leave my side." I was so touched by his words I couldn't stop smiling.

     As I was starting to calm down he leaned down and whispered, "I want to kiss you so bad right now." I started blushing and I replied by pressing my lips to his. A few moments later we were interrupted by a royal messenger from the Cloud Kingdom. The Queen had written a treaty before the King had a chance to. He looked a bit embarrassed to have the messenger walk in on us but I leaned my head on his shoulder while hugging his arm and he smiled. He dismissed the messenger and we read the treaty together as I would soon be his queen. He seemed to be satisfied with the treaty and signed it. He called his messenger to deliver the treaty back to the Cloud Kingdom. 

     In the weeks before the wedding date I came to know a lot more about the King. Even just little things I was happy to know. He told me all sorts of things about his childhood and his parents. He showed me parts of the castle I had never been in before. We had a picnic in the royal garden. I got to listen to him play the piano and he taught me the waltz. He made sure I was happy and he always asked me if I needed anything. He never questioned my love but I always found it adorable when he would smile from ear to ear just by hearing me tell him I loved him. 

      Every morning I got to wake up to a loving gaze in his eyes. It was his way of reminding me he loved me even though he told me all the time. He made it a point to make sure I knew that his love was unconditional. Every morning he would wake up just a few minutes before I did and every night he would make sure I was asleep before he rested. One morning he overslept and I woke up before he did. I had never seen him asleep before and he looked so peaceful. I wanted him to be able to wake up to what I did every other morning. Unfortunately I don't have the patience to let him wake up on his own so I did the next best thing. I kissed him.

      He slowly opened his eyes and when he realized what was happening he pulled me closer to him and kissed me. He stopped for a moment and said, "I love you so much, I don't deserve this." I replied by saying, "of course you do. Let me wake you up like this more often." He had a playful look on his face as he said, "I certainly wouldn't mind if you did, my love. But you would have to wake up before I do because I couldn't have my queen not wake up to a loving gaze from me." I smiled at him and said, "maybe you can just kiss me awake every once in a while." He laughed and said, "maybe I should. Then every morning could be like a fairy tale." I blushed a bit and said, "just being with you is like a fairy tale." He smiled from ear to ear and said, "I love you." I replied saying, "I love you more." He had such an overwhelming gaze in his eyes as he said, "impossible." I started blushing like crazy and he pulled me back to him kissing me again. 

      We spent so many nights dancing and just enjoying each other's company. One night I even asked him why he loved me while we were sitting on the couch on the balcony. He said, "I love the kindness in your eyes and I admire your love for others." I asked him if that was all and then he said, "no, there are far more reasons than stars in the sky. I find a new reason to love you every day." At this point I was blushing so much I couldn't bare to look at him thinking if I did my heart might explode. After I didn't reply he tilted my chin up to where I was looking at him and with a fake frown on his face he said, "why can't you look at me? Aren't you going to smile and tell me you love me?" I replied by saying, "you're too sweet. I don't deserve you." He smiled and said, "of course you do, my love. You deserve the world." Blushing even more I closed my eyes and buried my face in his chest saying, "I said I couldn't look at you because you were being too sweet." 

      Smiling as though he had succeeded in teasing me he said, "I thought you liked it when I was overly sweet to you." I then looked up at him with a disappointed look on my face saying, " 'overly sweet'? You mean you didn't mean it." Then with a look of love in his eyes he gazed down at me and said, "of course I meant it, every word." Blushing again I said, "stop messing with me." Then with a chuckle he said, "alright I'll stop teasing you for tonight." After a while feeling a sense of calm just being with him I told him, "I love you." Then with the same look on his face that he did when I said I would marry him he replied with, "I love you too."

     Finally it was the day of the wedding. People from all across the twelve kingdoms came. The servant girl who I had befriended was my Maid of Honor. I was so overjoyed when she accepted. She felt a lot better about the whole thing after the King apologized to her. My mother even came back to the magical world she fled to attend my wedding. I still planned to visit her every once in a while. It was such a wonderful day. We said our vows and we said our I do's. The moment the Priest began to say, "you may now kiss the bride." The King's lips were already on mine. Who knew my simple mission would become such a beautiful love story?