Authors: Cege Smith
Her hand reached up and lightly brushed the tiara on her head. It didn’t seem real. The deep violet hue of the rich fabric of the dress matched her eyes. Her long black hair had been tamed, temporarily in any case, and twisted into a tight bun at the base of her neck. It was giving her a headache. Her pale skin seemed almost translucent and accented the dark circles underneath her eyes. But it wasn’t long days spent sequestered at her father’s bedside that had robbed her of her naturally rosy glow and caused the sleepless nights that haunted her. No one would know the real reason though; her cover story had already been carefully spread. She knew that anyone looking at her would see the vision of a queen, but she had no idea who she really was anymore.
Little more than a month ago she had been so sure of herself and her destiny. She had been ready to take on the world and rule her kingdom as her father had—with kindness but force when necessary, just as he taught her. That was before she knew the truth; everyone she had ever trusted had been lying to her. Even though she understood they thought it had been necessary, those lies had set in motion a series of events that would destroy Altera as it existed today and would certainly take her down with it. Even
he
had lied to her.
In such a short time, he had turned her world upside down.
Connor
. She wanted badly to hate him, to deny that he had any hold over her. But he did. Just as everyone had lied to her to protect her, she was now lying to herself about feeling anything for someone who had burst into her life and left it just as suddenly. She barely knew him. It was especially soul wrenching because she was set to walk down the marriage aisle in three days. She was promised to someone else, someone who had lied to her just as insidiously. Altera law required that in order for a woman’s bid to the throne to be recognized, she needed to be married. It was an old and outdated law, but one that needed to be fulfilled in any case for her to change it now. Clearly the Robarts of old had never considered that their precious bloodline would end with a woman.
Her attendant, Elise, appeared by her side. “What’s so funny, Majesty?”
Angeline saw in her reflection that her lip had curled up in the corner in a smirk. She tried to think of a lie that would make sense. No one could know what she was really thinking. “Nothing, Elise. I was just thinking of when I was little and would dress up and crown myself queen. Do you remember playing that with me?” Angeline saw the young woman flush.
“I should never have done something so imprudent, Majesty. You were always so kind to me that it was easy to forget my station when we were young,” Elise said as she stooped to straighten Angeline’s train.
Angeline turned and caught Elise’s hands. “Elise, please forgive me. I didn’t mean to offend. Today is a big day for me and I am nervous. My father’s passing was so unexpected, but I hope he would be proud of me today. He always said that I had too much of my mother’s impatience to ever stand still long enough to have the crown actually set upon my head.”
The words were true. She felt like her childhood had disappeared as she ran from one obsession to another. Birds. Astronomy. Swords. Magic. She hadn’t had many friends as a result, but she didn’t think she missed much. Even then she couldn’t stand the posturing of the noble children and their parents, who clearly wanted to gain favor with the king by associating their children with the young princess. The children of the servants had been better playmates, when she could get them to play with her at all.
“I know your father would wish you well today, Majesty,” Elise said as she bowed her head. She looked at Angeline from head to toe. “Your fiancé is going to be very proud of you today too. Everyone in court is excited to be part of your Ascension. We’ve never crowned a queen like this before; we are watching history in the making. And you look lovely.”
Angeline snorted and looked back in the mirror. “You’ve been in court long enough to know that my fiancé has many motivations, Elise. I think it’s clear what his motivation is now.”
“He is eager to marry you, Majesty, and give the kingdom new heirs,” Elise said.
Angeline shook her head. She adjusted her skirt to avoid looking into Elise’s eyes. “He never liked me, even when we were children. No, I think Malin has other things on his mind.”
“He will be a good king, Majesty, and despite what you say, anyone can see how much he cares for you. He didn’t sleep at all while you were missing. He led many of the search parties himself,” Elise said quietly.
Everything inside Angeline railed at the idea that her life wasn’t her own. The other thing that queens did not have the luxury of was love. She had accepted her fate long ago, thinking that the idea of soul mates was the stuff of fairy tales, something that was illogical and therefore not for her. Meeting Connor had made her question almost everything that she believed in. But when you were royalty, someone older and wiser than you chose who they thought you should marry, and there was no choice in the matter. Her father had picked Malin.
“I can’t believe how accepting everyone is of him now, considering he never really endeared himself to the people. My father was so worried that everyone would not take to him,” Angeline said.
“That has changed over the last few years, Princess. The Chief Advisor was often the one who held audiences even while the king was here in residence. He has shown himself to be wise and fair. It is a good match,” Elise said as she started picking at Angeline’s gown. “Everyone agrees that your father made an excellent decision. You are securing the Robart lineage for years to come.”
“Not exactly in the way that he expected,” Angeline hissed. Her father would turn over in his grave if he knew what was going to happen now. Angeline had failed him.
“There has always been a Robart on the throne, and there always will be,” Elise said, reciting a line that was common in Altera. She seemed unflustered by Angeline’s tone.
On one hand, Angeline wanted to stomp her foot and scream, but on the other, she wanted to leave the titles and her throne and run. The crazy voice in her head said that if she gave up Altera, she may be able to convince Connor that there was a possibility that they had some kind of future together. The thought was so intoxicating that she had to will herself to stand still.
Then in the mirror she watched the huge double doors behind her begin to open. It was time. Once she was queen, she would have no choice anymore. And that thought made her want to break something
“Majesty!” she heard Elise yell. “Are you hurt?”
She thought her vision had blurred, but then realized it was the mirror. It was broken. She looked down at her hand. It was covered in blood, which started to drip onto the brilliant violet gown. She wished for a different time or a different birthright. But most of all, she wished for Connor.
He watched her move down the aisle from deep in the shadows of the upper balcony of the grand hall. He knew that she was embarking on the destiny she had been born to do. He wondered if she had any idea of how absolutely stunning she looked. The thoughts of the audience were easy to pick out because almost everyone was thinking the same thing; they were proud of her. Even though the people deeply mourned the loss of their king, there was an inherent optimism that as long as a Robart sat on the throne, everything would be fine.
Connor had tried to ignore the tug that had pulled him from the confines of his solitary cave in the Solera Valley. He had taken refuge there after being commanded by the Clan to return to the coven. The tug brought him back to Brebackerin. He didn’t understand exactly how Angeline had been returned to her home, but through his quiet inquiries it appeared that something had happened to her after she left the cellar that had guaranteed her control over her demon. Given his own encounter, the whole situation reeked of the Clan’s influence.
Caspian and Searon seemed to have forgotten that Angeline even existed. The three of them had split from the cellar and each gone their own way in a kind of fog; Caspian back to his clearing to see what damage had been done by the spirits, Searon back to wreak havoc along the border, and Connor had turned his attention back to the coven. He followed Caspian back to the clearing intending to shortcut through the Amaron Forest when he saw a small round piece of gold metal near a huge tree at the edge of the clearing that had bindings around it.
When he inspected closer, he discovered a gold locket with the letter “A” etched into the top. That was when the fog cleared and he remembered everything that had happened. But a much larger force was at play, and he had needed time to think. Ultimately, his need to see her won out.
He knew that he couldn’t talk to her. He had tried getting closer to the palace grounds several times since arriving in the capital, but it felt like there was an invisible barrier surrounding her that stopped him. The Ascension Ceremony had been his last-ditch effort. If he couldn’t talk to her, at least he could see her one last time, just to make sure she was okay.
Angeline reached the front of the church and stood before the high priest. The ceremony began. Connor leaned back against the wall and drank her in. With his enhanced hearing, he was able to clearly hear her every response.
“Do you accept the responsibility of leading the people of Altera?”
“I do.”
‘Do you swear to protect the people of Altera from harm at all costs, including loss of your own life?”
“I will.”
“In the name of the high gods and all that is good in the world, I proclaim you Queen.”
The audience erupted into a roar as the crown was placed on her head. Because of that, he missed the warning in the back of his mind that he was no longer alone on the balcony.
“You aren’t supposed to be here.” The voice emerged from the darkness behind him.
Connor turned as Malin Baford stepped in front of him to block his view of Angeline. Connor had seen the Chief Advisor during one of the customary truce visits to the Master, but had never spoken with him. Connor was starting to see the emergence of a pattern—a scary one. Baford was playing multiple sides.
“You can’t stop me from being here,” Connor said quietly. “You and your Clan may be able to keep me from getting close to her, but you can’t stop me from being here.”
“You have no idea what game you are stepping in the middle of, Connor. If you truly do want your wish to be granted, the Clan insists you return to your coven and do not try to interfere. The Clan thought that we had an understanding.”
Connor wanted to argue, but he knew it wasn’t the time or the place. But his educated guess had been confirmed: Baford was working for the Clan. He pushed away from the wall and looked down at Angeline one more time. Then he shoved past Malin and left the balcony.
It was because of the meditation the nuns had taught her shortly after arriving at the convent that she was able to clear her mind and allow for serenity. As she approached the high priest, Angeline willed that trancelike state into being. She had never been so nervous in her entire life.
The meditation helped her tune out all the noise coming from the audience around her, both what was being whispered out loud as well as the voices of everyone’s minds. She had been able to actually hear the priest’s words and answer confidently. And as the crown was placed on her head, she heard the words float down to her as clearly as if he was standing next to her.
“
You can’t stop me from being here. You and your Clan may be able to keep me from getting close to her, but you can’t stop me from being here.”
And then Malin’s reply.
“You have no idea what game you are stepping in the middle of, Connor. If you truly do want your wish to be granted, the Clan insists you return to your coven and do not try to interfere.
”
Angeline’s heart wanted to sing. He was here. Or at least, he was close by. As Angeline turned to the people,
her people
, she suddenly felt certain that someone was looking out for her and she would find a way out of her situation. She had not forgotten her promise to him in the cellar. She wasn’t one to go back on her word, and it appeared that he was fulfilling his as well. He was her loyal servant, and he was waiting for her to find him. And so find him she would. But she only had three days until she became Malin Baford’s bride, and her window of opportunity to make her own decisions may end forever.