Page 71 of The Mirror in the Mountain

Myanimasucked in a sharp breath, her gaze going distant. Her lower lip quivered then her entire body started to tremble. Shock and anger and grief streamed across our bond in waves, each larger than the last. Taking her into my arms, I tried my best to buoy her.

“Big breath in,” I murmured, rubbing her back in slow circles. “Count each second. Breath out. And count the same.”

I breathed with her, needing the release of my own uneasy thoughts, trying to let go of the automatic, primal urge to seek vengeance at her pain. Matching her slow, shuddering exhale before her eyes met mine, those golden crowns shining with her tears.

“The False King.”

It wasn’t a question. Velan had joined Morehaven’s forces in the High Queen’s attempt to stop her would-be usurper. But the False King’s might had only grown, his supporters stirring dissent in our ancient hierarchies, promising change with poisoned words, even as it was clear that the False King would only ever serve himself. This war was for his own gain, his own greed and lust for power. His aims for the human realm were evidence enough of that, even as his supporters cheered the promise of finally revealing themselves so the mortals would kneel in servitude.

“He was killed during the battle,” I said, wishing I could assuage the pain on her face. The choking sense of sorrow down our bond.

She seemed far away as she whispered, “At least he wasn’t captured.”

I winced. It was no secret how prisoners of the False King fared.

Then, in a hoarse whisper, “I should have gone with him.”

I was already shaking my head. “Your father wanted you here, leading our people in his stead. He wouldn’t have wanted you in danger.”

Estelle let out a choked laugh. “The whole realm is in danger, whether we hide in Soleara or not.” She slowly shook her head side to side as if attempting to clear it. “I didn’t think losing him would affect me like this. Not with our disagreements over the years as he ruled down below. But we were finally finding some common ground. And now I’ve lost both of them, and I never even got to tell him…”

She dissolved into sobs. I pulled her back into my arms, needing to hold her. Needing to fix what couldn’t be as her arms tightened almost painfully around me.

“I don’t need to tell you what else this means,” I whispered into her hair.

Estelle blew out a breath, stepping out of my embrace. “That I’m now the Queen of Soleara, and you’re my king?” Her mouth twisted to the side, almost dismissively. “Or that, should the False King succeed in murdering Queen Amerie as we all know he intends to, then it will be time to battle for my birthright?”

“We’ll deal with that if it comes. Until then, I take it you aren’t interested in a coronation?”

Her eyes snapped to mine, the fire in them liable to consume me whole.

Finally.

“How can you joke about this?”

I reached for her hand, but she jerked away. “It’s not humor, it’s hope. Because no matter the circumstance of how your reign began, I know exactly how lucky this kingdom is to have you.”

Her eyes softened, then her mouth twisted to the side as she said, wryly, “He would hate how I plan to rule.”

I smiled as I thought of the stacks of leather-bound notebooks piled in our room, each filled with plans for how to turn our aristocracy into a more democratic society. Most had been modeled after some of the more successful approaches from the human realm. We had spent months there, undercover as foreign dignitaries, despite her father’s strenuous objections, getting to know the ways of their world and learning from many of their brightest minds. We had even built a home there, in a quiet town we hoped to return to visit one day.

But Estelle’s aspirations for what we had learned didn’t stop at just Soleara. Not with the future we knew awaited her when this war was won.

“They were able to retrieve Duskbane for you. He would have wanted you to wield it.”

Estelle blinked, the only confirmation she heard me.

“Princess…”

She gave me a watery smile. “It seems that title no longer fits.”

“Fair enough,” I said softly. “What can I do?”

“Nothing,” Estelle sighed. “There’s nothing we can do to change what already happened. All we can do is deal with the aftermath.” Her eyes hardened. “And plan for the day we make him pay for what he took from me.”

“There you are.” My knuckles brushed lightly against her jaw, and she leaned into my touch. “I was starting to get worried.”

A ghost of a smile crossed her lips before she let out a weary sigh. “I need to go help.”

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