Ashen came to Connor three days after her coronation. He was still in the same cell, though he had been allowed to view her coronation parade from a distance. She told him that she could not pardon his crimes because of the laws that bound her as queen, but she could save his life. He was both thrilled and saddened to see his best friend as queen, a position she never wanted but fit so perfectly.
He was banished to Maldest, the kingdom on the other side of the Sea of Aspertine, for the rest of his life. Ashen could not change the punishment, and so it was with a heavy heart she signed and sealed the document that made it so. Connor thought to all the great times he had had with Ashen and Zarreil, how much fun they had together growing up. He thought about all the missed opportunities after Zarreil had been taken from them. He realized that he would never be able to stand beside Ashen when she needed it, never be able to act as an advisor and friend to his queen. After today, he would never see his best friend again.
And so, with a heavy heart, he embraced Ashen tightly on the docks of the river that fed the Sea. His Bandmates had come to bid him farewell the night before, and Zarreil stood beside his sister now. Connor stood on the deck of the boat that would take him away, staring at the siblings as Ashen cried into her brother's shoulder. Villi was below deck, as Ashen had managed to allow the mare to be sent with Connor. For that he was grateful.
The boat pulled away from the shore, and it was with tears in his eyes he waved goodbye to his best friends in the whole world for the last time. Sometimes second chances were more painful than no chances.
YOU ARE READING
Eye Of The Storm
FantasyCrown Princess Ashen Goldren was the first female to join the ranks of thw Riders when she bonded with her magical horse. Now, two years after the death of her brother, Ashen is finally starting to move past that horrible night. But when Connor, he...
