Page 35 of Queen of Legends and Lies
The council’s doubt is like a physical weight on my shoulders, heavier than the crown I’m about to wear. Most of them think I’m not up to this, that I’m too young, too inexperienced.
“Unbelievable,”Councilor Serle had snapped, voice sharp enough to slice through the tension in the room.“To think you’d be so careless on the day of your own coronation.”
“Your duty is to Tirene,”Vicar Moise had added, his stern face chiseled with condemnation.“Not gallivanting across the ocean to help other kingdoms.”
Their words reverberate in my head as I walk the path to the altar, which looms ahead like a promise. Or a threat. The people deserve better than an errant, soon-to-be queen who’s faltering before her reign even begins.
However, once I take the throne, I can start enacting changes…beginning with who sits on the royal council.
Overhead, dragons swoop and hover, their presence bolstering my courage. They know I’m to become queen, and they want to be present for the ceremony. I see the recently rescued Aclarian dragons standing at a distance. Though I’m glad they’re here, dampening their emotions is an additional strain.
Each step is measured, deliberate. Though the long, flowing gown hides my trembling, my shoes are another matter. They’re new, stiff, and utterly unforgiving.
One misstep, and down I go, a spectacle for all of Tirene.
I keep my eyes glued to the petal-strewn path. I can sense the anticipation in the air, the collective breath held by a kingdom awaiting its new ruler. Their aspirations, their dreams, their fears are all mine to shoulder now, whether I’m ready or not.
I’m halfway up the aisle when a flash of gold catches my eye. Not the gleaming adornments that many of the nobles wear but something far more precious.
The golden curls of Agnar’s niece shine like a beacon among the sea of people. She’s barely tall enough to peek over the crowd, but she’s impossible to miss.
I deviate from my path just enough to reach her. “Rose.”
She beams up at me in her pale pink dress tailor-made just for her. A leather satchel lays over her new gown. It’s a tinyreplica of my own travel-worn one. I stretch out my hand and give hers a reassuring squeeze.
Her fingers wrap around mine, small but fierce.
A guard inches closer, eyes sharp with protective intensity.
I swing around, fixing him with a glare that could scorch even without my magic. “Don’t you dare.” He pulls back, dipping his chin to acknowledge my warning. I turn back to her. “Rose, you look beautiful.”
“Thank you.” She touches the skirt of my gown, hero worship lighting up eyes that are the same shade of blue as her uncle’s. “You’re so pretty!”
Her admiration cloaks around me like a warm shawl, bolstering my courage as I continue my path to the altar.
For her, for all of them, I have to be more than I fear I am.
Alone, I finish the walk to the throne where the priest awaits me, along with priests and priestesses from all the temples. Every god and goddess represented.
They watch with rapt attention as I kneel, careful not to tear my gown. The high priest holds a magnificent silver crown with too many diamonds to count over my head as I repeat the vows.
Though he doesn’t smile, his kind, grandfatherly air puts me at ease.
“I, Lark Axton, do so swear to govern the people of Tirene justly, that in all judgments I will enjoin equity, justice, and clemency, so that the gods and goddesses may grant us their mercy, and that all persons may enjoy a firm peace through my commitment to protect the sovereign lands, to promote the blessings of the gods, to uphold the good laws and customs of Tirene, and to provide sanctuary and provisions for the people to the best of my abilities.”
The crown is heavy on my head, a tangible reminder of the burden I carry as I stand. Careful of the new addition to my wardrobe, I slowly pivot to face the crowd.
The people’s cheers rise like a tide, washing over me in waves of expectation.
My people.
My gaze settles on Alannah. Her eyes light up as they find mine, and I am certain, in that moment, that she understands everything I have only just realized.
Elation, fear, hopelessness, joy, and a protective nature I’ve never felt before all rise up in me. I push them all down, stamping them flat with an iron will.
Holding back tears, I lift up a whispered prayer. “Gods and goddesses, please, help me live up to the responsibilities you have placed upon me today.”
Musicians strike the first chords, bonfires crackle to life, and dancers find their rhythm.
