Chapter 13

Aymeri inhaled sharply as she looked at herself in the embellished mirror that was slightly taller than she was. A few moments earlier, Jorlyn had dressed her to utter perfection, the way her mother would have for the joyous occasion. No longer was she in the dark color of mourning. She boldly and proudly wore the crimson color of her kingdom. As she smoothed the anhari—the traditional dress of Treoles—she smiled softly, imagining what her mother might say if she were present. There was no doubt she would be signing her daughter's praises while the princess blushed and asked her to stop. She might have insisted she had the most beautiful daughter in all the land. But all Aymeri saw when she looked in the mirror was a plain, rather ordinary princess. Yet there was nothing ordinary about the way her life was panning out.

She had hopes that it would get better after the day was done.

A light, rhythmic knock on her door pulled her out of her thoughts. She had grown accustomed to King Drystan's knocking habits over the past weeks, and wondered what would happen when she no longer heard them. After all, he had to go back to his kingdom sometime. He couldn't live with her forever.

"You may enter, King Drystan." She turned toward the door in anticipation, her hands folded in front of her stomach.

As the door creaked open, Drystan took her breath away. His emerald wool tunic that reached below his knees was trimmed with gold silk embroidery that seemed to make his light eyes glow as if he captured the moon within them. His shoulder-length blond hair was pulled back, and on his ring fingers were the most beautiful sapphires she had ever laid her eyes upon. As he entered the room, he was toying with a rather large square box.

He let out a breath and whispered, "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes on, Princess Aymeri. Your eyes put my sapphires to shame."

Heat rose into her neck and cheeks as she turned away from him before he could see her blush. In the weeks she had spent with him, she had never known him not to be honest with her, yet his compliment caught her by surprise. She may have been quick to judge, but she didn't think he could be so romantic. He just seemed hardened by life and hardships.

"Too late. I've already seen the color in your cheeks."

She bit back a smile, but she couldn't hide it from her voice when she responded. "If I didn't know any better, King Drystan, I would think you were trying to court me."

"And if I am?"

Her stomach felt as if she had swallowed a dozen butterflies, more than when she had instinctually touched him when they were eavesdropping on her balcony. "No one has ever laid eyes on me before, King Drystan. Let alone spoken to me so boldly as you have. I wouldn't know where to begin."

"Looking at me is a start, Meri."

The princess stiffened at the shortening of her name. Her mind replayed it over and over again, until an image of children running and laughing slipped into her mind, followed by the taunting. You can't hide forever, Meri, I'm going to find you! The voice was high-pitched—a young boy's. But she couldn't see his face, let alone anyone else's. Everything was blurry.

A rapture at the door pulled her out of her enchantment. "Princess! It is time!"

"I will be there in just a moment, Ser Parzival. You may start your announcements."

There seemed to be a long moment of hesitation before her royal advisor spoke again. "Have you seen King Drystan? He is nowhere to be found."

The princess stole a look at her admirer, who shook his head with a finger to his lips. Clearly, he didn't want the elderly man to know he was trying to court her. She should have given him away, a playful gesture to his bold behavior, but she didn't want to lose the opportunity to know what it felt like to be courted, even if the king needed to leave.

"Perhaps he has found the people he sent for from his kingdom?"

A moment passed before the man spoke again. "Perhaps. Though I haven't seen any. It is a trivial matter. Please be hasty, Princess. My announcements are not long."

"Very well, Ser Parzival!"

She waited for his footsteps to retreat before turning back to Drystan. "Do you mean the words you say, King Drystan?"

"They are not words I have spoken before, Princess. May I have the pleasure of being your highness' escort tonight? It would be a great honor to me."

There wasn't any reason for her to decline his offer. In fact, it made sense for him to be her escort instead of Ser Parzival. Not only would it solidify their alliance, but it would give her a chance to experience her coronation ball the way her mother always wanted her to.

"My mother set this up, didn't she? She knew you would take a liking to me. That's why she sent you."

Drystan chuckled. "It is much more complicated than that, Princess. But there's no time to explain everything. Let today be about you and you alone. Forget everything else for a moment and let your people know they have a queen who will protect them, no matter what it costs her."

There was no arguing with him there. For just one day, she could forget about everything else in her life and just enjoy being the ruler of a kingdom. Tomorrow, I can go back to hunting for my mother's murderer and discovering all the secrets the castle holds.

"Before we go. I want to give this to you." He opened the box he had been playing with when he first entered the room. What was inside caught Aymeri by surprise. It was a pearl drop necklace with rubies. "This was my mother's, and based on how close our parents were, and given how much Jorlyn hates jewelry, I know she would have given it to you today."

The gold was cold at her fingertips as she ran them over the exquisite piece. "Drystan, I can't take this."

"You can and you will, Meri. Please. Turn around. I'll put it on you."

"Drystan, I—"

Instead of letting her finish her sentence, he turned her back around to face the mirror and clasped the necklace at the base of her neck. Leaning down, he whispered against her ear. "Now, you look like a queen, Aymeri."

And she did. She looked just like all of her ancestors in the portraits that were hanging in the palace. She could see every prominent feature she shared with her mother. She was her spitting image.

"I'll meet you at the ball."

He took her hand in his and kissed it gently. As it gently fell back to her side, he straightened and winked at her before leaving the room. She walked down the corridor and down the winding staircase before entering the corridor that led to Maudlin Hall where all coronations were held. She waited in great anticipation for Ser Parzival to finish his spiel, and when she heard her name, followed by the music of the conch shell, she took a deep breath. The rush of air from the doors opening gave her all the bravery she needed. As she walked down the carpet lining to the altar, she sought the blessings of each of the ancestors who had been king or queen before her. When she came to the end of the carpet, she stared inquisitively at a covered, life-size portrait.

"A gift from the kingdom of Aixeris," Ser Parzival announced.

Aymeri cocked an eyebrow. Why would Queen Dimia send me anything when my mother declared war on the kingdom?

Not to raise suspicion, she humbly accepted the gift. She immediately regretted doing so when the portrait was revealed to be of Queen Dimia holding both Aymeri's and her mother's heads, decapitated from their bodies, in her hands.

"Conceal it at once!" Ser Parzival belted. "What blasted ignorance the self-proclaimed empress must have to send such a vile gift to the young queen! Who allowed this monstrosity into the new queen's coronation?"

No one owned up to it as hushed conversations blossomed throughout the Hall. If Dimia wants a bloodbath, she is going to get one.

"My apologies, Princess. Perhaps we should put off the coronation until the culprit is caught."

Aymeri shook her head and turned toward her people, speaking loud and proud. "I will not allow a person like Queen Dimia to ruin a joyous occasion such as the one before us today. Let the queen do as she will, Ser Parzival. Treoles will not bow to her."

Thunderous applause and excited shouting swirled throughout the entire room. She waited for the cacophony to die down before she spoke again.

"Not only do I accept my rightful and inherited place upon the throne of Treoles, but I am also taking this opportunity to announce Treoles' alliance with the Kingdom of Bréīn. It was my mother's last wish to support Bréīn. Queen Dimia has cut off all trade to them, and Mother wanted to see to it that Bréīn would be short of nothing as our sister kingdom."

Gasps resonated through the crowd and a few voices wondered if this was a declaration of war. "If she sent me a portrait of my beheading with the expectation that I would surrender and let her ruin Dramolux, she largely underestimated me. As of tomorrow, we are at war with Aixeris and anyone who dares to ally with them. But tonight, we rejoice!"

Roars of approval sounded, alighting Aymeri with joy and hope for what was to come.

"It is with great pleasure that I, Ser Parzival Hyshel, Royal Advisor to the late Queen Ismana Maudlin of Treoles, bestow the royal crown upon Princess Aymeri Maudlin, second and only surviving daughter of the late Queen Ismana Maudlin. I crown her Queen Aymeri Maudlin of our beloved Treoles! May titles follow your name, my queen."

The crown was cold and heavy upon Aymeri's head, but she knew she would get used to its weight, just as she became used to carrying around the grief of her parents' deaths. The evening was not about sorrow. It was about happiness.

"Open the doors! Let us rejoice!"

The people emptied the hall as fast as she assumed they gathered in it. Just as she was about to follow, Ser Parzival stopped her. "What is the meaning of this declaration of war?! Your mother must be turning in her tomb!" Anger—or was it simply disbelief?—was evident in Ser Parzival's voice, but Aymeri didn't care.

"What was I supposed to do, Ser Parzival? Allow a threat to my life? Smile and thank Queen Dimia?" She shook her head. "Mother would not have thought twice about declaring war."

"You are unfit for war, Aymeri. You have not been trained yet."

Aymeri chuckled. "I have trained for war since I was a child, Ser Parzival. Before dawn. After dusk. In the dark of the night. Mother and I would spar for hours. I am surprised you have forgotten."

By the look on Ser Parzival's face, she was certain it was the first he had ever heard of it. "Were you not aware?"

Ser Parzival cleared his throat. "It is possible your mother might have mentioned it to me and I forgot."

Aymeri wasn't convinced. It was clear to her that he had no knowledge of her combat training. But why would Mother hide such a thing?

"Queen Aymeri?" an older woman curtsied before her. But Aymeri placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"My mother would not like to see you bow before a young queen. It is I who should be showing you respect," she stated, curtseying to the older woman. "How may I help you?"

"Pardon the intrusion, but if I may have a word with you in private, Your Highness?"

"I don't think that is wise, Princess."

She laughed it off. "There is no need to worry, Ser Parzival. I will be there in time for the first dance."

"Very well." He took his time leaving the hall, turning back every so often in anticipation of their conversation. But much to her surprise, the elder woman was waiting for him to leave before she spoke.

"I tried to speak with you when I came last," the woman responded. "But only royalty was allowed in the castle at that time. Forgive my glamor spell."

"Glamor spell?"

The woman hit her hand on her forehead. "Forgive me! I forget that magick is forbidden in Dramolux. Glamor spells are used to conceal one's identity. When you first met me, I was concealed as a royal, young woman to not let my true self be seen. But today, there was no need. I must speak with you urgently."

"What about?"

"I have information that may help you understand what happened to your mother. I do not want to ruin your night, Queen Aymeri. Go in haste to your ball, and I will follow. Could we meet back here tonight, after the doors have closed and your guests have left?"

Aymeri had no idea what she was getting herself into, but she refused to pass up an opportunity to learn anything about her mother. Especially from a woman who openly used magick.