Page 114 of Heart of the Summer Queen

Elaric regards him steadily. “It is no tale but the truth. I am Elaric, Theron’s second son. My elder brother, Caltain, died from disease many years before Isidore cursed me for killing her sister.”

“If Theron died centuries ago,” the king says, knuckles bleaching around his throne’s arms, “then my kingdom...”

“Has slumbered under her spell all this time,” I finish gently.

He slumps back in his throne, horror dawning in his eyes. “It has been mere moments since Isidore froze us... How can three whole centuries be lost?” He clasps his head in his hands as if battling inwardly with our words.

In that tense silence, unease ripples between the guards. But none dares to speak, to intrude upon our audience with their king.

At long last the king sighs, heavy as the truth now weighing upon him, and regards us once more. “If your words hold merit, then how did you defeat the witch? How did you arrive here? And what role does this other witch play?” His brow creases. “Might we fear her return?”

As I meet Elaric’s eyes, he gives me a tight nod. Bracing myself, I return my attention to the king.

Then I tell him of our quest to break Elaric’s curse, how Belinda demanded an elusive herb in exchange for the mythic Sword of Veliantis. I recount crossing kingdoms and sailing the seas to reach Eruweth, and battling Isidore against impossible odds.

As I speak, astonishment overtakes the suspicion upon the king’s face. And when I finish, he releases a strained breath and sinks deeper into his throne, as if the weight of all we’ve endured presses down upon his shoulders.

When the king next meets my gaze, his voice is a murmur. “It seems I must offer my sincerest apologies for how you were brought before me.”

“It is understandable,” Elaric says. “Your kingdom was plunged into chaos, and the two of us were reported as being involved. It’s natural you sought answers to restore order to your city.”

“Nonetheless, Eruweth owes you an enormous debt, one we can never repay.”

“No repayment is necessary,” Elaric replies. “We pursued our own interests in coming here.”

The king lowers his head. “From this day, Avella will have a loyal friend in Eruweth.”

“And Eruweth will have our enduring friendship in return,” Elaric vows.

The king studies us again and then says, “Though you waive repayment, I cannot in good conscience allow you to depart empty-handed.”

Elaric goes to say something, probably to refuse him again, but I speak first.

“A ship,” I blurt. “A ship is all we desire, and then you may consider all debts cleared between our kingdoms.”

The king smiles. “Very well. A ship it shall be.”

forty-two

Elaric spends the rest of the afternoon with the King of Eruweth, explaining all which has happened over the last three centuries.

As for me, I sleep.

The king bestows us his finest chambers, treating us as his most esteemed guests, and provides a change of clothes far more splendid than our tattered rags. He wastes little time in making our standing as the King and Queen of Avella known to his court.

And that means later in the evening, when he holds a banquet in our honor, there’s no end to the countless nobles who approach us, offering earnest expressions of gratitude. Our only respite comes while dancing together at the hall’s center. I keep Elaric there with me for as long as propriety allows.

When at long last the music and revelry fade, as well as our energy, we retire upstairs to our guest chamber, which comes equipped with the fluffiest pillows I’ve ever seen.

That night, before succumbing to sleep, I study Elaric’s face while wrapped in his arms. Just yesterday I feared losing him forever. Now, having glimpsed such anguish, I will always cherish even simple moments like this: lying together withmoonlight bathing us from the open windows, both of us too weary to get up to close the curtains and shut out the night’s splendor.

“What is it?” Elaric murmurs. His fingers trace a meandering path from my shoulder to my hand.

“Just...” I falter, searching for a distraction from my true thoughts. Too many emotions swell within me, and I have no wish to burden this peaceful moment. “Still adjusting to your hair and eyes.”

“Does it bother you?” Concern shadows his features.

I quickly shake my head. “Of course not. It’ll just take me a while to adjust.”

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