FOR HER, HE WILL SET EVERY KINGDOM ON FIRE.
Kyron LeFur never wanted to be king. He may have united a torn people and ended a bloody war, but none of that matters without his queen. She sacrificed her crown for him, and now he will stop at nothing t...
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I have never fought so hard to remain upright in a chair. A constant flow of people have come to me to solve disputes and request extra provisions to care for their families and land. I've listened to old men fighting over property lines and single mothers beg for food to feed their children. Their worries tug at my emotions, pulling them from one extreme to another—frustration, heartbreak, anger. I wish I was numb to it all, that I could hear their concerns and make a judgment without it draining my mental state. Tossing my crown on the floor and taking a nap in my throne has major appeal most days.
I adopted the practice of making myself available to my people without an appointment once a month from Micah. He had always given the Lucent people the opportunity to approach him, no matter their status in the community. His openness made him a fair and beloved ruler. So much of what I'm trying to do is modeled after his reign. But our differences make it impossible. Micah put his entire heart into listening to his people's concerns. It didn't matter how trivial those worries were. I can't bring myself to genuinely care, turning my full attention to bigger troubles on the horizon. He was quick with his problem solving, and I take ages to consider the outcome. His parah sat at his side, and I miss the fuck out of Raelle.
The moment we returned home, her attention turned to her family. She was surrounded by adoring siblings, and an over-joyed mother, and a grateful father. I've known Abrum almost my entire life, and I've never seen him so emotional. Tears spilled from his eyes as he pulled Raelle in his arms and kissed the top of her head. She gripped his jacket, buried her face in his chest, and sweetly whispered reassurances to him. When he finally let her go, Abrum fell to one knee and bowed his head. Until the day I leave this world, I will remember that moment. Not because of the way he humbled himself before me, but the words he spoke. I can never thank you enough for loving my daughter so much that giving up wasn't an option. You have made my family whole again. A family I consider you a major part of. I'm proud to call you many things: friend, mentee, savior, king, and most importantly... son. I helped him to his feet, and he pulled me into a hug. It was at that moment that I understood the emotion overflowing from Abrum.
The Mansi family's joyous reunion had me putting my selfish wants aside. I was desperate to take Raelle to my room in the palace's tower and lock us away for weeks on end. It was when I saw the way Ansley stared up at her big sister with big brown eyes that I changed my mind. In her young world, Raelle had been away for what felt like forever. She needed time to reconnect, to make new happy memories. The entire family did. I had the palace staff pack their trunks and insisted that they return to their family home in Lucent.
As much as I wish Raelle was here, I have had little time to dwell on her absence for the past two weeks. From the moment I step foot out of my quarters, I'm challenged with one issue after another. Tensions have been running high since my return. Everyone from my counsel to the merchants selling vegetables on the street debate whether I broke the treaty with Allaji. When I found Raelle, she had escaped Zek's palace on her own, and she and Ulric were already under attack. I just assisted them in their getaway. And that is where the waters get murky. Would she have escaped if I wasn't there? Was the act of stepping on Allaji soil—my enemy's soil—an act of war? Do my intentions matter, especially when Raelle and the Cyffreds were taken against their will?
