Page 23 of Crowned

I pant at the onslaught, each kaleidoscopic rush of the past – of my past – whizzing by too fast for me to comprehend.

“The time has come for you to remember who you truly are. Embrace your legacy, my child, and you shall light the way through the darkness.”

“What do you mean?” A new voice demands harshly.

I gasp. “Vance? What are you doing here?”

Vance strides through the courtyard, his expression a mixture of relief and concern. His presence sends a wave of familiarity and comfort through me, though it’s marred by the tension in his stance, the lines of worry etched on his face as he takes in the scene before him.

Justice turns to face Vance, her veil fluttering slightly in an invisible breeze. Her gaze holds a weight that seems to transcend time itself, as she regards him with a knowing look. “Vance, Omí Saidé, protector of the realm and the people of Aerwyna,” she begins, her voice resonating with power.

The furrows in Vance’s brow deepen. “You know me?”

“She knows everything,” I whisper from the corner of my mouth, trying to be subtle and failing.

Justice reaches up to clasp her veil and slowly lifts it up over her head. “You’d forget the voice of your queen so easily, but what about her face?”

Vance’s eyes widen in shock and recognition. He falls to his knees, his head bowed respectfully.

No, it’s more than that.

It’s with reverence.

Total devotion.

For a moment, silence descends upon the courtyard, as Vance kneels before the unveiled figure of Justice, now revealed to be the Queen herself. The long lost queen of Aerwyna.

Her regal presence seems to magnify tenfold without the veil that had shrouded her features before. I watch in awe as Vance, with a mixture of astonishment and approbation, utters a single phrase that reverberates through the air like a sacred oath.

“Yemaya, My Queen.”

The Queen nods, acknowledging his fealty, and then turns her attention back to me. Her gaze is penetrating, as if she can see into the depths of my soul, unravelling the mysteries that lay hidden within.

“Yemaya?” I ask, confused.

“Queen of the ocean. Ruler of Aerwyna,” Vance explains.

She’s the queen of the ocean? The entire ocean? Aeweyna is…what? Under the sea? A water-realm?

My head feels like it’s going to explode.

“Asteria...or should I say Malia,” she begins, her voice carrying a weight of ancient wisdom.

“Why do you call her Asteria?” Vance cuts in.

The queen smiles at him – and it’s radiant. A thing of beauty so dazzling it steals my breath.

“There’s so much to explain, and I fear there’s little time to make sense of it all. But even without all of your memories, you must remember who Asteria is?”

Vance nods. “The goddess of the stars.”

I gape at both of them. “Why are you calling me that then?”

“So we were right?” Vance asks, ignoring my question. “Malia was the star. We didn’t get it wrong?”

The Queen shakes her head. “My daughter was never the star, Vance. You were.”

“Elder Halim has just sent a message asking if he can meet with us,” Reef says as he strides into the chambers we’ve taken as our own within the palace. His expression is tense, his usual calm demeanor strained. “Could this be down to Kehinde?”

---