My King of Darkness (Maven x OC)

Chapter 42

Maven

               I massaged my forehead with one hand, listening to the somber silence of the throne room. I felt Lydia put a hand on my arm. I started, sitting upright. My nerves were fried from the month of solitude in my cell. But I wouldn't let the crowd see my weakness. As far as they knew, I was in mourning.
               Nothing more.
               I raised my voice, "Queen Elara's death was a tragedy. Not only did the Scarlet Guard rob Norta of a dutiful queen, but me of a caring mother," I leaned heavily on the arm of my throne, feigning broken-heartedness over the woman I murdered in cold blood.
                "Not a day goes by where I don't miss her. Our kingdom will never forget—must never forget—her wisdom, her grace..." Her cruelty, her bitchiness...
                    "But Mother would want us to continue on," I locked eyes with Lydia, before standing and stepping closer, arms outstretched as if trying to embrace every member of the High Houses in front of me, "She would want us...to focus...on the silver lining."
                 As soon as the last word left my lips, the tension snapped as the room dissolved into chaos. Screams and gunshots rang out. Silvers dropped like flies as my glorious plot came to its head. Children turned on their parents, wives on their husbands, sisters on their brothers. Sentinels turned on each other, the looks of shock, pain, or rage on their faces hidden from view almost comically.
                   And through it all I stayed standing where I was, arms outstretched, smiling at the carnage. The familiar scent of blood and death wafted up into my face. It was everything I hoped it would be.
                   I was shaken from my bliss as a stray guard charged me. I lifted an arm and turned him to a pile of ash without a twitch in my facial expression. His rifle fell to the ground, glowing red with the heat. Disregarding this, I snatched up the weapon and mowed down a group of Sentinels that were making a run at me. One somehow survived the onslaught and fired at me, the bullet tearing through my left shoulder. Before he could aim another, more fatal shot, he dropped, a bullet hole between his eyes.
                   With some difficulty, I looked over my shoulder to see Lydia pointing her own smoking pistol. Lowering it, she smirked at me before scanning the thinning crowd directly below us. After a moment she dove into it, coming back dragging a healer by the hair. She threw the woman at my feet. "Heal him," she demanded.
                     Once it was done and my shoulder was good as knew, Lydia put a bullet in the healers head.
                     About another minute of chaos passed and then, just as suddenly as it started, the room fell still. Less than half of the room's former occupants still stood, gazing around at our work. Then, slowly, they all turned their gaze back to Lydia and I, expectantly. "My dear," I took Lydia by the hand and twirled her. As she spun, the billowing skirts vanished and she morphed into her true self.
                     For all to see.
                     My Red queen.
                      Still holding hands, we held our arms out and took a large, mock bow. The whole room applauded and laughed with us. When the sound began to die down, I began gesturing about the room, "Enact the first set of new laws! Send out messengers to every corner of Norta! And...bring everyone some champagne!"
                       The champagne was poured and toasts were made.
                       "To King Maven!"
                       "To Queen Lydia!"
                       "To The Silver Lining!"
                       "To all of you, without whom this wouldn't be possible!"
                       "To the new Norta!"
                       We took turns sharing stories, some even of how they'd just killed their loved ones, laughing together, as if the blood of our friends and family wasn't soaking into our expensive shoes. Lydia's eyes were alight with happiness, and I'd rarely seen her smile so big. If I had succeeded in nothing today except making her happy, it would all be worth it. Within the hour, her family would know what she'd done.
                         I hoped they'd be proud.
                         A hope I clung to throughout what happened next.