Banana.
Of all things she could’ve asked for, the castle had meats marinated in ancestral herbs, pastries imported from the Western borders, even a sweet cream custard infused with honeyed dragon fruit, and she asked for a banana.
A slow smile curled on my lips.
It was the most absurd, most beautiful thing I’d ever seen typed onto a screen.
She asked. That alone was monumental.
“Consider it done,” I murmured, already reaching for the small pad embedded in the wall. With a single palm press, I activated the intercom.
The pad pulsed once, awaiting instruction.
“The freshest bananas should be immediately brought to my quarters.”
There was no reply. There never was. But I knew the message had been received instantly and without fail.
Footsteps padded down the corridor a few minutes later.
Three distinct scents bloomed in the air before the knock even came.
Maravek. Hasmik and Lychie. They were right on time as always.
“Open,” I called.
The door creaked and swung in, revealing the trio standing. They bowed in unison.
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
“Greetings, Your Gracious Majesty.”
I inclined my head, waving off the formalities. My gaze remained, as always, on Narine perched in the middle of the bed like a skittish cat.
The three moved around her efficiently. I watched the daily ritual unfold. Lychie swapped her IV bags. Maravek administered the injections. I smiled, noticing that she seemed a little bit relaxed. A month ago, she would’ve curled up and frozen over like a statue the second someone got too close.
Maravek reiterated what I’d told her earlier, that she was healing fast and well.
Where were the damn bananas?
I turned back toward the intercom. ” Why are the bananas taking so long to be delivered?” I demanded.
There was a sharp inhale beside me.
Hasmik.
Her eyes went wide and glossy with emotion.
“Narine requested for bananas,” I clarified.
“She… did?” Hasmik echoed.
I nodded. “Yeah. She did.”
A small squeak left her throat before she bumped her shoulder into mine like a sister would. “I’ll go check with the kitchen,” she muttered, already halfway to the door. “Be right back.”
Maravek stepped in again as he guided Narine through some light stretches.
And I, well, I just watched.
I couldn’t help it.
Her limbs moved with slow grace. There was something mesmerizing about it. Her platinum hair shimmered under the chandelier light like moonlit silver.
She was so pretty.
No, screw that.
She was stunning.
Once she was done with her stretches, Maravek packed up quietly, giving her a soft-spoken “well done” that she didn’t acknowledge.
Moments later, Hasmik returned, her arms were full with not one but two large bunches of bright, ripe bananas fresh from the northern greenhouses nestled just beneath the palace’s eastern wing. Those fruits weren’t just plucked from a tree in the back courtyard. They’d been grown in regulated conditions, and their flavor was sweetened by the golden soil of Khragnir’s private gardens.
Hasmik placed the bananas gently on the nightstand beside Narine, grinning like she’d just brought her a chest of priceless rubies. She broke one off, peeled it, and offered it to her without a word.
Narine looked at the banana like it might bite her.
But she took it.
Cautiously, she brought it to her lips and bit off a small piece. I saw the exact moment it hit her taste bud, the faint widening of her eyes, and the flicker of surprise that passed over her face.
Then the bites got bigger. Hasmik, wide-eyed with joy, passed her another one, already peeled.
This time, Narine didn’t hesitate. She bit through the soft fruit in seconds and reached for the next without even realizing it.
I leaned against the edge of the bedpost, watching her with open fascination.
Maravek gave a satisfied nod, scribbled something down in his notes, and finally excused himself with Lychie close behind.
She had no idea she was already halfway through the bunch. One banana after another.
It was the most adorable thing I had ever seen.
A soft breath escaped my chest. Watching her devour something as mundane as fruit like it was the first real joy she’d tasted in years, It wrecked me.
No royal banquet, no war council victory, no raucous ovation from the masses had ever stirred my heart like this girl chewing through bananas with soft, serious eyes and a little furrow of concentration between her brows.
I couldn’t help the quiet chuckle that rumbled in my chest. She had devoured seven bananas already, and her tiny hands were reaching for an eighth like she didn’t even realize it. Her cheeks were puffed slightly.
“You’re going to turn into a banana at this rate,” I murmured softly.
She paused mid-bite and looked up at me. Her silver-blue eyes narrowed. Then she gave the faintest, almost imperceptible eye roll and continued chewing. It took everything in me not to smile like a fool.
“Seems my services aren’t needed here this morning, so if you will excuse me.” Hasmik quietly excused herself with a wink in my direction after Narine reached for banana number nine.
Now it was just her and me again.
I leaned forward, folding my arms as I studied her.
“You know,” I began, “most people in the palace don’t get to enjoy fresh fruit from the Royal Garden.
She didn’t meet my eyes. Instead, she licked the remnants of banana off her thumb, then seemed to realize I was watching her and froze. Her back straightened, and her eyes returned to that emptiness.
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