Page 2 of Queen of Stone and Iron
“Noted,” Aurelio laughs.
I almost drop the bracelet as I place it around his wrist. His laughter catches me off guard. It’s sweeter than honey, but smoother than the softest melody. I’ve heard him laugh a couple times tonight, but never like this, with his whole heart in the reaction.
I like it.
I frown. That’s an entirely unnecessary thought. It doesn’t matter if I like Aurelio’s laugh or not; he’ll serve a purpose, and he’ll serve it well, regardless of who he is and how tolerable his personality is. I need the crown’s authority for the good of my nation, so I will do whatever is necessary to receive it.
When the bracelet is on, I take his hand, lift it high into the air, and turn to address my people, exactly as I’ve been taught. Gemma recites a line from our ancient language, one that has been lost to the world. It roughly translates to “Praise be to the Celestials, our Founders, and our ancestors!”
The people chant the line back to her seven times. Their voices echo across the space, swelling in volume with each chant, until it feels as though their voices may bust through the windows. Their final chant rumbles in my chest.
Then, it’s finally over.
I’m officially queen. Awesome! Yay! Woohoo!
It’s time to leave.
I tug on Aurelio’s hand, and I lead him down the seven steps of the Protestation Stage and into the crowd. I’m praised, greeted, and congratulated as I fight my way through the crowd—which, in my terms, I call noble harassment, since they have no consideration for my time or personal space, but such is the life of royalty.
At long last, I reach the ten-foot pair of oak doors that lead out of the central hall. I pull Aurelio around the corner, run down the hall, and careen around another corner, finally disappearing from view of the guests. I let out the huge sigh I’ve been holding in all day.
“Thank the gods, I thought I’d never get out of that stuffy room,” I say.
“Do you not enjoy being queen?” Aurelio asks.
“I do. I just hate formalities. And crowds,” I grumble.
I duck into a tower, run up the spiral staircase, and exit at the third floor. Passing by the suit of armor from three hundred years ago, I run to the end of the hall, then open the doors on the left. I hear a tiny gasp from Aurelio as we enter my room. I turn back to look at him and find his eyes wide with wonder.
“This shouldn’t be anything unfamiliar,” I remind him. “You’re an aristocrat. Your home must be just as impressive as the palace.”
Aurelio shakes his head. “No, it’s not that. It’s just…I’ve never seen this many books in my life. I wish my home had a room like this when I was growing up.”
I turn back to look at my room, shrugging. I’ve made it my own; although the marble and limestone patch worked walls remain the same as ever, I’ve built bookshelves upon bookshelves that stack to the top of my three-story tower suite. There’s a spiral staircase that moves via telekinetic magic so I can reach them all. My bed, dresser, and shelves full of plants sit on an overhang one story up, right beneath a giant glass window that provides a beautiful view of the sprawling palace and city below. My bathroom is an enclosed room at the top of my tower, only the wooden flooring visible from down here. There’s another spiral staircase in the far right corner of my room that I use to get up there, although this one is permanent and unmovable.
Magically secured to the bottom of my bathroom flooring are several vining plants that trail halfway down to the floor. In fact, there’s so many windows in here that my room is always bright, no matter the time of day, so I’ve put in at least one hundred vining and flowering plants from across Celestia. My room resembles a greenhouse-library more than a princess's bedroom.
Princess. A tiny smile lights up my face. Not anymore. I’m Queen Alessia Moonbreaker now.
I feel a small tug on my hand when I try to move. My thoughts vanish in a millisecond when, to my horror, I realize I’m still holding Aurelio’s hand. I immediately toss it away, a jolt like lightning zipping through me. Aurelio looks at me with a frown.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“No, not at all. I was being unprofessional, that’s all,” I say curtly.
Aurelio rolls his eyes. “So unprofessional. We’re married now, Alessia. I’ve already given up my last name for yours. I really don’t mind.”
“Well, I do, so don’t go assuming it’s alright to hold my hand whenever you please,” I snap.
I turn on my heel and head toward one of my bookshelves before he can see my burning face. This is so unlike me; it’s downright shameful to blush from such a simple comment. It’s a fact that we’re married. There was no intention of flirtation in that comment.
Get a hold of yourself, Alessia!
I try to distract myself by watering one of my plants. I summon a bit of water from the rain barrels outside, then pull it through the pipes I built into my walls. In a basin at the bottom of the bookshelf, the water comes rushing in through the pipe, and I grab a handful to sprinkle over top of my ivy plants. It falls from the sphere of water hovering between my hands, plip-plopping on the leaves like a gentle summer rain shower.
“Did you build that system yourself?” Aurelio questions.
I turn to look at him, only to realize he’s standing right behind me. I nearly drop my water, I’m so shocked.
