Moonshine Royale // Bethyl

II

Chapter Two

Beth

To say Beth was nervous was a massive understatement. She was so anxious that she thought she was going to throw up all over the plane. She thought about taking something for it, but then decided against it. If she was going to be Queen, she would have to do things like this all the time; it's something she'll have to get used to.

Looking out the window, she could tell that they were getting close to landing. This wasn't the first time she'd flown down to Woodbury, but it was her first time going alone. Beth buckled her seatbelt as they prepared to land as she held onto Lillie tight. Moments later, not sure what to expect, she sat her tiara onto her head and exited out the door of the plane.

As soon as she stepped out, she was blinded with camera flashes, which was expected. Beth smiled and waved as she made her way over to her carriage. Of course, though, she couldn't make it without stopping to talk to a reporter.

"Princess Greene, Your Majesty," one reporter woman curtsied as she addressed the soon-to-be Queen.

"Good morning," Beth paused to search for a name tag on the woman, "Anna. How are you doing today?"

"I'm doing well, Your Majesty," Anna smiled. "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you doing down here in Woodbury?"

"My dad thinks that I'm of age to learn how to rule," Beth gave her a soft smile. "After all, I am next in line for the throne."

"Is he expecting to pass the crown onto you soon? Is that why you're doing this?" Another reporter butts in, and Beth glares at him. She hates the rude ones.

"Any more questions, Anna?" Beth smiled at the first, nice reporter.

"Can I ask his question? Is he expecting to give the throne up soon?" Anna asked, seeming worried that she would offend Beth.

"No, I don't think he is. He just wants me to gain experience for when that time comes," she sighed, feeling guilty for her little white lie. The reality is that she'll be Queen in less than a year.

"Thank you, Princess Greene," Anna smiled before turning back to talk to her camera.

Other reporters yelled their questions at Beth, sticking microphones in her face as her security held them back, and she simply ignored them as she made it into her carriage.

She enjoyed the scenery that she passed by on the way to the town square. Lillie purred as Beth stroked her soft fur, pretending that nothing in the world was wrong. She was pulled out of those happy thoughts, though, as she arrived in downtown Woodbury.

Cheers erupted from the crowd as soon as they spotted the carriage. Beth adjusted the tiara on her head and sat up straight, putting on her best smile. She waved at everyone, scanning the crowd. Most of them were wearing T-Shirts with her face on them, and while it was a nice gesture, Beth thought it was rather annoying.

Somewhere in the middle the line, she spotted a rough looking man. He was covered in what looked like car grease, and he had messy hair. Beth thought he was beautiful, and she couldn't wait to see what he was doing there.

Beth soon turned her attention to the two men standing in front of a gazebo at the end of the road, which is where she assumed she would be for the remainder of the day. It was decorated very pretty, with pink and white drapes and flowers covering it. Beth thought they were daisies, but she couldn't really tell from so far away.

The two men were holding trumpets, and when she got close enough, they began to play the royal tune, which was played at every event one of the Royal family members attended. Beth smiled; she had always loved the melody of the trumpets.

The carriage came to a stop, and Beth was helped out by one of the many guards surrounding her. She gave him a small thank you before walking over to the gazebo. As she turned to address everyone, the reality of the situation hit her. This was going to be her life from that point on: formal speeches, politics, Royal events, and the public. It was a lot to take in.

"Good morning, everyone," Beth smiled, pushing her thoughts aside as the crowd went silent. "As you may have heard my father say, I am here on business only. I am here to help fix problems in your town, no matter how small. However, I don't want to waste my time here. If you came here for a picture, please go back home. I will be back soon for that, I promise, but for now, this is business. Thank you, and I can't wait to help everyone!"

"Your Majesty," one of her guards caught her attention.

"Yes?" She turned to see him gesturing to the table set up under the gazebo.

"This is where you'll be until you're finished. You don't have to see everyone if you don't want to. If you're done, let me know, and I'll take care of it," he replied, walking with her until she sat down, and then he stood behind her chair.

"Thank you," she nodded her head. "I'm ready for the first one." The guard nodded and motioned for the first person to come up. He was a taller man dressed in a police man's uniform.

"Hi, I'm Rick Grimes," the man said, sticking his hand out for her to shake.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Grimes," Beth smiled and shook his hand. "Can I get your contact information?"

"Of course," he replied as Beth sat her cat down on the table to grab the pen and paper sitting nearby. Her gave her his phone number and home address before addressing his problem.

"So what can I do for you today?" Beth smiled, keeping her pen and paper ready.

"Well, as you can probably tell, I'm the sherif here. I run the police station, and we're completely understaffed. I had four men quit just last week," Rick sighed. "Is there any way you can send down some people, at least temporarily until I can get some help around here?"

"Of course," Beth nodded. "That's no problem. A strong police station is vital in a community. How many men do you need?"

"Eight should do," the sherif replied, thrilled that he was finally going to get some extra hands.

"I'll try to get them out here by tomorrow morning," Beth promised, making notes on her paper. She picked up a business card from the stack and handed it to him. "This is the direct line to the castle. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to call."

"Thank you so much, Your Majesty," he smiled, reaching out his hand once more for her to shake.

"You're more than welcome!" Beth chirped, smiling as he walked off. This wasn't as bad as she expected it to be.