Page 48 of Calling of the Crown

Before I could respond, another voice called, “Hello, Your Highness.”

Rune and I faced forward again and found what looked to be a family of three Water Fae bowing at the base of the stand.

Shoving the discomfort from the previous interaction away, I smiled and greeted, “Hello, everyone. Please, rise and step forward.”

The trio raised their heads, and as they climbed onto the platform to speak with Rune and me, something strange seemed to hide behind their plastered on grins. The hair on my neck immediately stood, and unease prickled in my gut.

The man—a short and slim gentleman with salt and pepper hair and a goatee—watched me with guarded gray eyes. The older woman—a tall and thicker lady with a black bob and green eyes—surveyed Rune and me cautiously as though she expected us to bite. The girl with black curls who looked about mine and Rune’s age didn’t even try to smile as her dark eyes scrutinized Rune.

Shit. Not again.

Forcing my apprehension back, I greeted, “I don’t believe I’ve had the honor of meeting you all.”

The man’s smile tightened. “My name is Tommaso Ricci. This is my wife, Emilia,” he said as he gestured to the woman on his right. He waved a hand at the other girl and finished, “Our daughter, Bella.”

Bella’s rosy cheeks puffed out as her eyes narrowed more, but she seemed to dip her head by way of greeting to hide it.

“It’s nice to meet you all,” I said as evenly as possible. “I’m glad to have you all back in Morardia. This is my fiancé, Rune.”

Rune, now back to appearing calm, bowed slightly, but I noticed the stiffness in his posture and fox ears remained. He must’ve also sensed the hostile energy coming from them.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Rune said, and I was impressed by how steady and calm his deep voice sounded.

Tommaso’s smile cracked slightly, and his eyes bore into Rune’s. “Your last name is Beckett, right? As in the high-ranking Fox Fae family?”

Rune nodded. “That is correct.”

Tommaso’s air of forced friendliness suddenly vanished, and his eyes turned into thin slits. “So you’ve killed Water Fae then?”

My nerves immediately coiled tightly, but Rune didn’t hesitate to answer honestly. “I have.”

Emilia’s green eyes squeezed shut as she covered her mouth to stifle a gasp, and Tommaso’s fists clenched tightly as his sides. Bella’s rosy cheeks darkened until her entire face matched, and her shoulders shook with what had to be rage.

“How can you stand here, acting like our future King when you’ve murdered our brothers and sisters?” Bella spat.

Rance closed in on Rune’s side, and his brown eyes darkened in warning. It looked as though he was about to intervene, but Rune held his hand up to keep Rance in place.

Rune’s eyes never wavered from Bella’s. “I’ve done many things I regret, Bella. I’ve hurt innocent people, and that’s something I’ll always live with. It doesn’t matter that I did it in the name of what I thought was right for my kind. Those were still lives lost, loved ones stolen. I can’t change what’s been done, but I can change going forward. That’s what I plan to do here by Bria’s side. I plan to make sure no more Water Fae are lost to the war between our kinds.”

“That’s not good enough,” Bella hissed.

“It’s not,” Rune agreed. “I understand that. But it’s a place to start. If you have suggestions for how I can make up for my past in the war, please share them. I’ll do what I can.”

Bella bared her teeth, and tears sprang to her eyes. “You could bring my dead husband back.”

My brow furrowed at the impossible demand, and I said, “That’s not fair.”

“Not fair?” Bella seethed, whipping her head to glare at me.

Dallas immediately stepped close to my side, but Bella didn’t seem to notice as she barreled on to say, “What’s not fair is that our Princess has chosen the side of the very people who slaughtered us. I won’t stand here and pretend to support such a treacherous decision!”

Bella quickly turned on her heel and shoved her way through the confused crowd, stampeding for the doors. Her mother ran after her, but Tommaso was rooted in place as he narrowed his gray eyes on me. “So you intend to stand with Land Fae?”

Bella’s dramatic exit had garnered us attention, and the room was suddenly silent as all eyes bore into me expectantly. They were all waiting to hear my answer, and I felt the weight of each and every stare like bricks stacking on top of me, pushing me further and further down, yet I had to keep fighting against the pressure. I had to fight to stand.

I held my head high and answered, “I stand with Fae. I stand for Water Fae. Land Fae. All Fae. I stand for what’s right and what will be good for us all.”

Taking a deep breath, I spoke louder so that my message was clear and heard by all. “It is my wish and goal to strengthen Water Fae as individuals, as a Kingdom, and as neighbors to Land Fae. Right now, Ambrolia feels the strain of two warring peoples. You have surely felt that same strain through loss. Grief. Anger. It has been those emotions that have driven Water and Land Fae to continue our war. A war that has hurt far more than it has benefitted either Kingdom.

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