Aliana. Queen Aliana. Not a bad name for a queen.

“Does the name sound familiar, Maya? You are not saying anything.” Queen Aliana mentioned.

Saying anything? Should I be saying anything because she told me her name? When I tell my name to someone, I don’t wait for them to say something, I just move on to the next subject, unless I didn’t know their name, then I expect them to say their own.

The queen knew mine. What was she expecting me to say?

“You have no questions at all to ask me, do you?” she asked, and I shook my head without wasting any time.

I needed to...