What Only Birds Know [Hamish]

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As time passed by, Mia had become used to routine life at the castle. She woke up early in the mornings and dressed for the day, had breakfast with her brother when he had time, then it would be off to morning lessons and then attending to the queen. It made for a predictable day, but she didn’t mind that. Mathias said predictability meant everything was running as it should. If the most she had to worry for was dance lessons and boring gossip from birds, then everything was as it should be. And really, even if each day could be thought predictable, there was no way she could say life wasn’t interesting.

Attending to Queen Hamish was never a dull affair. Beyond the title, the queen was a fascinating person, moreso than anyone could ever know. The queen was incredibly smart, two times too clever, and more resourceful than most queens that came before. At least, this was Mia’s opinion. Hamish had to be all these things; how else was Hamish to make sure no one knew she was a he? He wasn’t in a position to be foolish and keep such a secret. And when Mia had stumbled on his secret, hearing it from a little birdie of all places, she was no longer in a position to be foolish, either.

But, Mia saw no issue with things as they were. Hamish was male, she spoke to birds. Everyone had their secrets, as she was coming to understand. The castle alone was a treasure trove of knowledge she wasn’t meant to have, but was freely given thanks to every bird she knew. At least she had the good sense to keep quiet on that, though; people already whispered about her and Mathias because of where their family came from, they didn’t need another thing to talk about. They didn’t need a concrete reason to never trust her.

“Your Majesty,” it was past midday by the time Mia entered Hamish’s quarters, her styled hair a ruffled mess, some dried mud still on the top of her shoes. “I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long. But, ah, I have all my lessons done for today!” The girl tried for a bright smile, her fingers combing through her hair. Even if she wasn't dressed as richly as some courtiers, she knew she could at least try to look presentable. Perhaps then chasing after some birds outside wasn't the most becoming activity she could engage in before going to the queen, but it was too late to fully fret over that. “I hope you are doing well today, Your Majesty?”

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Hamish Stuart

[Hamish Stuart]

Had it not been for discovering someone had learned of his secret Hamish might have been a queen without a handmaid far longer than normal. Since moving into the kingdom the court attempted to assign him someone to attend to the queen and yet each time the queen met this with thanks but a polite refusal would be issued with the queen stating something along the lines of not being interested in having an extra hand. Mia having been the person who discovered the truth had quite possibly been the luckiest break for the current queen. Having been related to one of the guards there wasn’t suspicion when Hamish requested the young girl to attend to him. It wasn’t wise to allow anyone with personal knowledge to wander too far from his view, the girl was kind but seemed at times a little too trusting. It was unlikely she would betray the queen but it seemed possibly she would allow the secret to slip if the pair did not remain careful.

With time it seemed possible that the many secrets kept by the young girl would come to aid Hamish if not the entire kingdom. When guests visited Hamish would surely be sure to request a bird perch at the windows to catch any sort of foul play that pay be underway. One could not be too careful when they risked their head daily as a member of the royal court.

Spotting the messy girl there was a bit of a chuckle from Hamish as he motioned to a seal on the floor showing he desired for the girl to stand within the design. There were many seals covering the room that all had different purposes for Hamish to allow him to do task the might have not been simply enough to do alone but among all these marks there was a spell he place for Mia, the girl often got carried away causing her to chase birds and dirty her dress. A small spell but it would result in Mia appearing in fresh linen instead of mud stained. “Yin o' thae days someone wull scold ye fur goin awa foot prints a' ower th' castle. Wur ye playin' with th' birds again?”

Someone had to believe Hamish would grow tired of the girl but something about her optimism was refreshing when everything in the kingdom was far too quiet for someone like Hamish. Growing up on a farm meant he was a bit more use to constant noise of his parents workings and the animals on their land. This all was far too calm.