Till Death Do Us Part

Epilogue

It's been a week since the battle with the Blighted Lands, and life was slowly going back to normal. The fallen had been mourned, and armies returned to the capital or their respective bases under the noble houses. The danger seemed to be fended off for a time with a new natural barrier between the Blighted Lands and Lamyria.

And so, the people turned to do what they loved the most – celebrating.

The ballroom in the palace was full to bursting. Even the nobles from the farthest corners of the kingdom gathered here today to witness yet another coronation. Some might think that the thing would get tedious with the last one happening three years ago. But excited whispers and hardly contained agitation were clear indicators that people adored such an exquisite occasion to show up at the royal court and confirm just how significant their presence was for the kingdom.

Skylar was standing at the podium next to Gawyn, trying to listen to Chamberlain droning on about the monarch's responsibility. But she couldn't focus on what the man was saying, as her thoughts were still lingering on what happened barely a few days back.

She didn't expect to be here. 

She didn't expect to see the palace and this ballroom again.

 And yet, here she was, standing at the very centre of this enormous chamber, looking over the most important people in the kingdom. A few months ago, the sole thought of being in this place and having all those eyes on her would petrify her. But not anymore. She was aware that not many of those eyes were friendly, and most of the smiles were fake, but it didn't bother her. After everything that happened, she knew it was just something that she had no way of changing. But she could work on other things that would perhaps change some of the people's minds in the future.

She reached out and laced her fingers with Gawyn's. He looked down at her, a question in his eyes. She just smiled and squeezed his hand.

"And so, without further ado," Chamberlain boomed, his deep low voice echoing through the vast chamber. "Let's greet your new monarch! Aliyah Gryphonheart, step forward!"

Aliyah raised her chin and walked gracefully to the centre of the dais with a beautiful smile on her face. Her hair seemed even bluer than before, but her dress was more traditional this time, no doubt thanks to Gawyn's never-ending nagging. But even though she might look exotic, there was no doubt Aliyah was a Gryphonheart.

When the Chamberlain was putting a crown on her bowed head, Skylar noticed how striking her resemblance to late Alarat was. If she had left her hair in her natural colour, she would probably saw it earlier. She couldn't help but smile seeing the faces of some of the nobles, who weren't as proficient in wearing their court masks yet. The new Queen was certainly sensational and not what most of them were expecting. But then, none of the noble houses protested when her candidature was proposed.

"Long live the Queen!" Chamberlain bellowed, and the ballroom erupted with loud cheers that shook even the crystal chandeliers on the high ceiling.

***

The party was as lavish and as elaborate as anyone could dream of. The food was a never-ending stream of delicacies, and the most famous performers from Lamyria and other countries came to entertain the crowds. There were so many musicians they were changing every hour. Gawyn, of course, was appalled when they were preparing it, but Aliyah was even more stubborn than him, and Skylar had to admit that she was even better than her at handling the grumpy General. The bottom line was, after the rough couple of months, the people deserved to have some fun.

At some point, Skylar and Gawyn found themselves on the dancefloor, and it was the first moment that evening that they could talk without bothering with mingling and making polite small talk with others.