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“Not today, champ. You will when you’re old enough.”

“But I’m old enough,” he whined, following him out while I tucked a sleeping Mary into bed and proceeded with my activities for the day.

“Lady Sheila,” I beamed as the beautiful face of the older woman came into view. Our friendship had strengthened over the years, and she had come to be the nearest thing I had to a mother figure.

“Good afternoon, Your Majesty,” she smiled, softly bowing her head in greeting.

The gesture caused me to roll my eyes as I pulled her into an upright position. I have told her several times before not to bow, but she wouldn’t listen to a word of it.

“The women are ready, and everything is in place for the communal dinner. Is there something else I can help with?”

My life was a testimony of how a lot of things can change if you have the right resources, and that prompted me to create a form of safe space where the younger girls in the community are mentored by entrepreneurs and business owners amongst the ladies to give them a voice.

I ran the idea by Griffin and Lady Sheila, and they said it was the absolute best, so we planned to launch it tonight.

“Not at all, Lady Sheila,” I replied, sending her a smile of gratitude. “You’ve already done more than I can ever repay.”

“In that case, I better get my best suit ready. I’d love to appear as the picture of success and accomplishment in front of the younglings,” she declared as she made her way out of the throneroom.

I went over the files on the table, marveling at how the stack had gone from problematic reports to reports on progress and success all over. The community was indeed thriving. Griffin really created a dream world for all, and even the trees seemed to appreciate him. I couldn’t have asked for a better life.