Page 141 of The Forgotten Queen
Stoddard would be known in history as the one man who had single-handedly killed three kings.
No one had ever done that before.
48
Seran
“Iwant to go to the trial,” Seran said to her father.
King Bryant sat on the edge of her bed, holding her hand. “Doctor Ames said you had another bad migraine in the middle of the night last night.”
She bit the side of her cheek, looking away. The headache in the middle of the night had been severe, and even now, a thick pain pierced the spot above her brows, causing blurry dots in the corners of her vision.
“Why do you even want to go to the trial?” her father asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe I need it for closure. Maybe I should stand before Doctor Von and Commander Stoddard and show them that they didn’t break me.”
Her father squeezed her hand. “The closure will come when you know that the people who hurt you have all paid for their crimes. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to sit there and relive everything again.”
“I’m done with people deciding what’s best for me.” She sat up, ready to get out of bed, but the pressure in her forehead intensified, causing her to wince, sending a wave of nausea through her stomach.
Her father bent over her, gently pushing her back down. “Seran, stop this. You are in no condition to get out of bed and go to the trial today.”
She closed her eyes as she melted back into her pillow. Moisture gathered behind her eyelids. She knew her father was right, but she was tired of being broken.
“I’m only trying to protect you.” Her father’s voice was so kind, so full of love. “Your headaches scare me, and I don’t want to see you in pain anymore.”
Her headaches scared her too. “I know.”
“Give it a few more hours. Take a nap,” her father said. “If you feel better after that, then you can come down to the trial.”
She conceded, only because the pain in her head dulled her resolve to fight. “Okay. I can do that.”
Her father bent over, kissing her head on the exact spot of the pressure. “This will all be over soon.” He smiled back at her as he walked out of the room, leaving her all alone.
She closed her eyes, willing the ache to go away. It didn’t take long until her thoughts drifted to a memory. The memories had been coming back at full speed the last couple of days. Her mind had opened up more as the drug worked its way out of her system. Seran leaned into the flashback, hoping it would lead her to a peaceful slumber.
“Your Highness, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Palmer McKane, the prince of Cristole.” He had blonde hair that was cropped short and stylishly swept to the side. His smile was endearing, and his hazel eyes were big and friendly.
Seran smiled as the prince kissed the top of her hand. “Thank you for traveling the long distance to celebrate my wedding with Prince Ezra.”
“I’m thrilled to be here. I haven’t been outside of Cristole before, so this is a lot of fun.”
“Cristole has an election coming up, around the same time as the election in Albion. Will your older brother be running for king?”
Prince Palmer smiled. “Marx? Nah, he doesn’t want to be the king.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “Why not?”
“He thinks he’d mess everything up, but he’d actually be great at it. In fact, everything that’s good about me comes from Marx. He’s taught me all I know.”
Seran smiled. “It sounds like you look up to him a lot.”
“I do,” Prince Palmer leaned in like it was a secret, “but I don’t want him to know that.”
“Then who will be running for king in your upcoming election?”
“My father is set on me doing it.”
