A Queen Conflicted (Alys Book #3)

Chapter 18

An hour later, Endolynn had rounded up Zaiden, Rose, Dastrehan, and a priest. They were all in her sitting room together, waiting to get on with things.
Upon his sister's request, Zaiden was sitting at a table writing out a contract that would hold the agreements that Endolynn and Dastrehan had come to.
Mainly to do with their status in each other's kingdoms.

Though he would be addressed as a king and hold power when he was in Balear, Dastrehan would not hold authority over Endolynn or Zaiden.

The same thing went for Endolynn in Tarkam; she would be queen, but Dastrehan would hold the overruling power.
Their child would be the heir to the Tarkam throne, and Prince Zaiden would get to decide if he wanted the Balearian throne to pass to himself, or a second born child of Endolynn and Dastrehan.

Overall, the contract was something that the king and queen hoped would help smooth over their advisers when they broke the news to them.
Zaiden finished and pushed the parchment away from himself so that Endolynn and Dastrehan could come over and approve it.
After they had read it over and were satisfied, they both pressed the seals of their signet rings into the hot wax Zaiden poured at the bottom of the contract.
"Can we proceed?" The priest asked tightly, making no attempts to hide his irritation. Clearly, he thought they were being foolish and impulsive, but Endolynn did not care. This old man had no idea what the two of them had been through to get to this point; his judgement was irrelevant.

On the other hand, Endolynn knew they were treading on thin ice. The servant Ezan had sent had told him that the priest was reluctant to do this, and if they upset him, he might refuse.
Endolynn cast a quick, shy glance towards the king, nervous that he would still change his mind.
Dastrehan smiled back at her, putting her worries to rest; he was going through with this.
The priest rudely cleared his throat, and Endolynn resisted the urge to throw him a glare.
Instead, she put her hands in Dastrehan's when he offered them to her, letting him pull her into the middle of the room.
The priest followed, stopping beside them.
Endolynn barely heard a word he was saying as he started. As she looked up at Dastrehan, her heart raced. This was easily one of the biggest decisions she had ever made. As happy as she was, she was also terrified of the repercussions they would have to face.
At least, they would be facing them together.
The priest droned on. It felt like such a weird way to marry Dastrehan, considering they were both royals.

Their wedding ceremony should have been a massive event, with no expenses spared. There should have been official announcements, months to prepare, and special guests in attendance.
But as she stood in front of the young king holding his hands, she knew this was better. She did not miss the chaos of a royal wedding, or the fuss that would have been made.
Besides, there would be celebrations down the road. There was no way Dastrehan's advisers would let him get away without doing something for his people once they arrived in Tarkam.
Endolynn realized with a shocking clarity that the people of Tarkam were now her people as well. It would take a long time to get used to being responsible for two kingdoms, and the pressure of such a task was daunting.
Her hands were squeezed, and Endolynn brought her attention back to the present. The priest was starting the part where she and Dastrehan would have to speak, and she knew he had intentionally altered her, knowing her mind was elsewhere.
Endolynn flushed slightly, partially out of being caught daydreaming, and partially out of anticipation.
This was it.
Dastrehan grinned at her, unbothered by her lack of focus.
He repeated the words the priest instructed him to, and there was not a hint of uncertainty in his face as Endolynn watched him carefully.
She still could not wrap her mind around the fact that this was actually happening.
I am marrying Dastrehan. For real.

Suddenly, it was her turn. Nothing else around her existed as she concentrated on the words the priest said so she could repeat them back to Dastrehan.
Then, the priest declared their union, and Rose was clapping excitedly from somewhere in the room.