Page 46 of Queen of Legends and Lies
“I’d suggest taking it easy for a few days. Rest. Eat. Don’t be afraid to talk about the emotional trauma you endured. No one will think you’re weak.” Her tone dares me to believe in miracles. With a final pat on Sterling’s shoulder, she stands.
I nod, mute, my throat tight as I watch Sterling. He’s waiting for something. Maybe for me to cross the room, maybe for another battle. But what if it’s all a dream? A vision of what might be?
Doubt keeps me rooted in place, even as Luci walks past me to the door.
“Yes, yes. He can have visitors now.”
She’s cut the ribbon on a new beginning.
The door swings wide open with a sense of ceremony. People crowd into the tiny room, with Alannah at the helm. She wraps her arms around her son, motherly and fierce, and a knot of emotion forms in my throat.
As overjoyed as I am for both of them, their reunion reminds me of the ache of my own mother’s absence.
Bastian and Leesa follow, hovering and talking over each other while I stare in shock. But it’s Agnar who causes a fresh wave of tears to emerge.
“Hey there.” Not caring who sees him cry, he swoops in as soon as Alannah’s out of the way, all his soldier’s strength pouring into his hug.
Sterling laughs, clinging to the man who’s more like a brother than a friend.
Agnar steps back with a shaky chuckle, wiping his face and looking anywhere but at us. The room fills with chatter, bright and hopeful, a tapestry woven from threads of sorrow and joy.
Still, a shadow darkens this reunion. My gaze strays to the council members huddled together, their faces drawn tight.
Can’t say I’m surprised.
I sidle up to Eldor, who’s also come to wish Sterling well. “What’s their problem? They love Knox. They don’t even like me.”
“They don’t.” Eldor sighs. “You don’t play by their rules, Lark. They can’t control you.”
I snort, unable to help the burst of laughter that bubbles up from my chest. “They can’t control Knox either. Trust me. I’ve tried.”
Eldor’s elevated eyebrow conveys his doubt. “No, but Knox knows this world. These systems. Their systems. He knows politics and diplomacy and how to play the game.”
“Then why aren’t they throwing confetti?” I watch as the councilors exchange glances like they’re trying to solve a riddle written in a dead language.
“Because now there are two rulers in the same palace. At the same time.” Eldor lets that idea linger in the air. “They’ve never faced this kind of situation before, and they have no clue what to do. That makes them uncomfortable.”
For once, we have something in common.
Sterling breaks away from the throng of people in the crowded room, and his eyes find mine. The room fades awayuntil it’s just him and me. Thick, expectant silence wraps around us. He crooks his finger, beckoning me.
My heart’s a wild thing in my chest as my feet carry me forward.
The moment I’m in his arms, the world rights itself. I kiss him madly, infusing every fear, every shred of relief into the embrace. The council, the guards, the damn rules, the weight of responsibility…they all disappear under the weight of his lips on mine.
I brush a lock of hair out of his face. “Welcome home, my love.”
For the rest of the day, all of that night, and the next morning, Sterling and I play catch up in my chambers.
Every now and then, there’s a knock at the door. But unless they come bearing a meal tray, we ignore the outside world.
I’m certain we’ve made every guard in the palace blush by chasing every visitor away with our breathless insistence that we’re busy. Neither of us care. We only care about each other.
For those wonderful hours, nothing’s more important. It’s not until the next afternoon, as we soak in the outdoor bath, that I manage to fill him in on everything that’s happened during his absence.
My fingers brush against Sterling’s as he hands me a glass of water. The corners of his mouth twitch upward in the kind of smile that’s all for me, and I can’t help but grin back. At first, I’d thought it was a little ridiculous to have a bathing tub so large. Or outside. Now, with his arm over my shoulders as we lean against the smooth side, I can see the appeal.
Sunlight. A gentle breeze. Privacy. We’re far enough away from the doors that random knocks can’t bother us.
