Page 8 of A Dagger in the Ivy

We knew this day would come.

Uncle Kormak and I have been sitting for hours, the tapers nearly spent, grieving silently for my brother, the king. I keep expecting my uncle to speak, but the sun has set, dinner has gone untouched, and he has yet to breathe a word.

It is a comfort, though, because once he begins, I know I must face what follows. I must face a world without Bennett. And I’m not sure I know how to do that.

As the night owls begin their song, servants come into the room to clear the uneaten meal. Instead of returning to the Garrison, we linger in the castle, perhaps as a way to remain close to Bennett, to hold on for a while longer. The room we sit in is private, composed of a small dining table on one side and a pair of settees and an upholstered armchair on the other, reserved for the gathering of the immediate family. But all that remains of the family is me and Uncle Kormak.

Things would have been different if Bennett and Lady Marette would have married and had children. Not only would there be more family members around me, but his children would inherit the throneinstead of me. I lament the lost opportunity to have a part of Bennett live on in his children, to catch glimpses of him in them.

But it does not matter. Bennett is dead. At last at peace. It brings me comfort that he will be greeted by our mother and father in the netherworld, but I can’t shake the feeling of being utterly alone.

Servants enter the room to light new candles so that we do not lurk in the dark. I stand and go to the window, my eyes settling upon the Garrison in the distance. I feel ashamed that I spent so much time there when I could have been here with my brother in his last days. Time spent away from the castle helped me deal with the deaths of our parents, yet here I stand suffering once again.

“Sit, Celeste.” Uncle Kormak pours himself a drink and gestures at the settee. The gruffness in his voice belies the care he’s tried so hard to conceal. His eyes hold a hint of weariness, reflecting the weight on his shoulders. “We have matters to discuss.”

I nod, maintaining a stoic exterior. Training under his command, I’ve left my soft, childhood demeanor behind and transformed into a hard-shelled soldier. Even now, while my heart is breaking. “We shall honor him with a fae funeral. He would have wanted that.”

Uncle Kormak watches me, his head dipped in a slight nod. “Yes. Of course. But there are issues beyond his funeral of which we must now speak. Matters vital to the fate of Delasurvia.”

I swallow back my emotions and sit across from him, my fingers pulled into fists as my hands lay in my lap. “All right.”

He looks into his drink, quiet for a moment, as if searching for the right way to say whatever it is he needs to say. “Celeste, you understand what your brother’s passing means?”

I do know. But I have pushed the thought away because I never thought it would come to this. I thought Bennett and Lady Marette would marry and have a dozen children, and that Delasurvia would continue on in their name.

But apparently, that’s not what the gods had in mind.

I am not wed. I have no heir. But an heir is what the realm needs to ensure its future.

I want to sigh in defeat, but I don’t. I am a soldier, and even in this hour of turmoil, I must remain strong. “It means that I should be queen.”

“Yes.” There is a hint of surprise in his voice, and I suppose it’s because he didn’t expect me to accept it so freely.

“I never wanted it,” I admit.

He knows this. It’s why I decided to train with him. Why I worked hard and long, mastering my skills, becoming agile with my dagger and climbing the ranks in the regiment.

He sets down his drink. “I understand, but for the sake of the kingdom—yourkingdom—you are bound by your duty to lead the people.”

The soldier in me falters a bit, my shoulders dropping slightly. “I don’t even know where to begin.”

“I guess I should take responsibility for that. I practically stole you away from a royal life.”

I lean forward on the settee. “You did no such thing. Joining the guard was my choice.”

It was also a way of dealing with the absence of my powers. Without my true magic manifesting, I needed to find a way to protect myself. To be strong. To not be seen as a frail, little girl. My dagger became my compensation mechanism, like a fallback while my powers remained dormant.

He presses his lips together with a nod. “Acallingis more like it. I’ve never seen anyone so skilled with a sword, not to mention your unmatched ability with your dagger. But still, I could have refused to take you in. If I were a clever man, I would have known that eventually you would have to return to being the princess.”

“Youarea clever man, Uncle. In any case, none of it was your fault.” I try to offer him a small smile, but I can only manage it for a half second. “And I’m glad you are with me, because I think I’m going to need your advice now more than ever.”

His eyes are glossy. “I am your sworn servant, dear. Whatever you require, you need only ask.”

My heart warms, and I straighten in my seat. “Where do we begin?”

“Before your brother fell ill, he was trying to pick up the pieces of what your father left behind.” Uncle Kormak’s voice is heavy with concern. “He navigated the complex siren situation with remarkable finesse, executing his inaugural diplomatic mission with such skill that it earned him admiration throughout the realm.”

“That was years ago. I’ve forgotten about that.” I knew my father had a hatred for sirens, fearing they could use their glamour power to usurp him. He banned siren folk from Delasurvia and decreed that any siren caught trespassing on our lands would be captured and imprisoned. My brother had no such fear of their power, seeing them as innocent people who had done no harm, and so when our father had passed, Bennett lifted the ban and released all siren prisoners.

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