Return of the Crown (31 page)

“Don’t let Zelera wake up! Kill her now.”
There was a dangerous edge to Blade’s voice. “She was planning to
send you to hell for all eternity. She’s near destroyed Aigerach.
You don’t know all the evil things she’s done.” Anger burned in his
eyes, his face hardened.

“Yes, she has turned to the Darkness,”
Lareina cried, “but I cannot kill my own sister, even though she
would take my life. We will exile her. We will put her on a ship
bound for Rasport, her powers stripped from her.”

“I would not have her death on my hands
either,” Bryant stated calmly, though clearly troubled. “She is a
branch of the royal line. But I would see her gone far from here
where she cannot harm my family or country again.” His eyes told a
different story, but his hand on his Queen’s shoulder showed why he
did not take her traitorous life. “We’ve been gone so long. Is
Rasport still known for its stance against magic, either Light or
Dark?”

“Yes, sir. They have very strong laws in
place against using the Arts, either Light or Dark. But what kind
of punishment will that be?” Blade felt the color rising to his
cheeks; he wanted Zelera erased forever. “She deserves nothing,
nothing but a long stay in hell.”

“Without her power, living in a place like
that, and having nothing will be hell for her. A living hell. If
she should try to return to Aigerach, she will die,” Bryant stated
the words with calm assurance. Blade let his anger recede.

“By the Light! I forgot about the battle. I
must get the news to the army!” Blade jumped to his feet and raced
to the door bowling into General Joff.

“They already know, son,” Joff laughed,
dropping to knees before his king and queen. “The Crown has
returned.”

Cleaning up the battlefield took days.
Healers scoured the grounds, triaging the wounded and dying.
Makeshift wards were set up in the city to care for the injured.
Families looked through the bodies ready to be released to the
Light, searching for their loved ones. Wagons carved deep ruts in
the ground as they shuttled the bodies from the battlefield through
the city gates.

On the third day a huge pyre was built, and
all the slain heroes were laid out in honor in a glorious meadow
not far from Veris.

Queen Lareina stood on a dais, a river of
tears flowing down her porcelain cheeks. She looked beautiful in
her flowing white robes, the silver circlet gracing her brow.

The bodies lay in still repose, clothed in
gossamer white fabric, lilies and forget-me-knots in their hands.
Lareina raised her hands, and a rainbow of Light spilled from her
fingertips. The Light danced across the bodies, wrapping them in
strands of unequivocal love. The unicorn herd began to play a
melody so harmonious and beautiful that it filled the mourning
crowd with peace and hope and love, gentling the pain that ran so
deep.

Weeping swept throughout the crowd, sad but
proud, as the Light burst into flames. But the sobs ceased as the
glory of the fallen being taken into the arms of the Light caused
every breath to catch. The sky glowed, glorious colored threads
weaving above and about their heads before they swept out the
meadow to flow over all of Aigerach.

“The Blessing of the Light upon you all, the
heroes of Aigerach,” Queen Lareina whispered reverently. “Your
sacrifice will always be honored.”

Repairs to Veris would take seasons, if not
years. Every able-bodied citizen was helping, glad to be a part of
the rebuilding. The guild’s that had long been broken reformed. The
masons’ guild began repairing the bridges and walls. The
carpenters’ assessed the broken-down buildings, and jumped into
construction with fervor. Buildings that were sound received fresh
coats of paint, and the beauty that was once Veris started to
glimmer again. Men worked on the roads, adding cobbles to the lanes
and filling in the holes. The thrum of the energy of the city
filled its people with hope and vitality.

Work in the castle began with intense vigor
the day after the Equinox. The Dark spells surrounding the castle
vanished when Zelera collapsed. But years of misuse had taken its
toll. Dirt and grime were evident everywhere, not just in the dark
corners. People vied for the honor of cleaning the castle, to be
part of the process expelling all the evil taint from their
land.

Men and women poured in from the countryside
to make their homes in the capital city once more. The days of
hiding now over, shops long closed opened their doors once more,
and business started to flow.

General Joff was quick to repair the
country’s defenses and restore order to the army. Patriotic men and
women came from all over to enlist, eager to keep peace in a land
that had not known it for so long. Little sleep did he get over the
first several days, and though his heart was heavy with loss, a
peaceful smile lay across his lips.

Two nights after the battle, Connor began to
rouse. He felt the ache that ran the length of his body. He started
to uncoil stiff muscles.

“Connor, can you hear me? It’s me, Bryant.”
King Bryant leaned over the bed, staring at the wrinkled face.

Connor opened one gray eye, examining the
young King’s face. “Damn, you don’t look a day older, boy. I may be
old, but I’d still know your face anywhere,” he grumped. “I’m not
senile, you know.”

“Well that’s good, because I have several
jobs for you. Are you ready to get your lazy butt out of bed?”

“No rest for the weary, none at all,” he
growled. “What sort of jobs do you have in mind?”

“The first and most important job is to bind
Zelera’s powers. She’s in mage sleep right now, but it would be
nice if you’d add several days to that. We’d like to ship her off
to Rasport.”

Connor sobered. “She’s still alive? Bryant,
she’s committed treason. She should be executed, not exiled.” His
steely gray eyes bored into his King’s.

“I agree, but I don’t think Lareina could
take that. She still loves her sister despite the atrocities she’s
committed. It would destroy her, having her sister’s blood on her
hands.”

Connor frowned. “I don’t like it, but I’ll do
as your majesties bid. What has become of Ravyn and Blade?”

“Ravyn is in mage sleep, but she’ll be fine.
She saved us and the whole of Aigerach. Blade is fine; he had a few
scratches, but nothing too severe. He’s driving everyone crazy
hovering over Ravyn.”

“Well, the two of them have become sort of an
item. A good match, if you ask me.” He winked at Bryant. “What
about Zelera’s tower? No one has gone up there, have they?”

“It’s sealed off, with a twenty-four hour
guard. We were waiting for you to wake up. Lareina didn’t want to
touch any of her tools or books.”

“Rightly so, it takes a Master of the Light
to destroy those items safely. We just got our Queen back; we don’t
want to lose her again.” Connor sat up and swung his legs over the
side of his bed, his toes curled in the soft rug warm at his
feet.

“When you have Zelera bound, I hope you can
send her packing in a ship. Lareina will help with the spells that
need casting, so it will sail without a crew. She will also help
with the navigation spells to send it to Rasport. She would’ve done
it without you, but didn’t think she’d have enough energy to take
on the whole project by herself.”

“I dare say! I wouldn’t be able to do it
alone either.” Connor sighed, and then a big grin spread across his
face. “I hope you’ve got the kitchen cleaned up and running. From
the sound of it, I’m going to keep them employed day and night for
a while.” His stomach grumbled in agreement.

The next morning Ravyn felt the sun warming
her cheek and heard soft murmuring at her bedside. She opened a
sleepy eye to see Blade, her mother, and her father staring down at
her.

She cried in delight, arms reaching up to her
parents, desperate to feel them beneath her touch. Her mother
dropped down beside her, swooping her into her arms. Ravyn inhaled
deeply, relaxing in the warm embrace. Her father sat at her other
side, and he pulled them both into his arms squeezing them
tight.

She laughed and cried, looking over her
mother’s shoulder to her green-eyed wonder. “You better get down
here and get in on this group hug. I’m so glad to see you too!”
Blade leaned over, kissing the top of her head. She managed to
reach past Lareina and grabbed his arms, pulling him down. He lost
his footing and slipped, grabbing onto his King’s shoulders for
support. They lost the precarious balance and all crashed down onto
the bed, Ravyn at the bottom of the heap.

“Hmmmmph,” she cried, “get off! You are all
suffocating me.”

From the bottom of the pile, they heard
Ravyn’s stomach gurgling. Blade pushed himself off the pile, a deep
blush coloring his cheeks. He looked away, trying to compose
himself. Lareina giggled and pulled herself off next, brushing her
blonde hair out of her eyes. Bryant slid off the bed and plopped
himself down in the chair at the side of her bed, smiling at his
little girl.

Ravyn beamed at them and then patted her
tummy. “I need to eat, and soon. If you’ll all clear out, I’ll get
dressed and meet you in the dining hall.”

The next several weeks flew by. The cleanup
of the castle and the capital was well underway. Everyone took joy
in the work, and crews were busy day and night. The business of the
kingdom was falling back in to place, the kinks smoothing with
ease.

It was the day before the formal celebration
of the Return of the Crown. Blade stood before the door to King
Bryant’s study. He rubbed his sweaty palms on his trousers before
rapping on the door, harder than he’d intended.

A young page opened the door, appraising him,
“Ah, Major Blade, the King is quite busy. Is it important?”

Blade stepped back. “No, I can talk to him
later,” he mumbled, his nerves tensing in knots. “It’s something
personal.” He spun on his heel, heart thudding in his chest.

King Bryant looked up from the papers
littering his desk, shuffling them aside. “No, Leland, I always
have time for my son. Besides, my eyes are gritty from staring at
these things for so long. Too much darn paperwork.”

Leland snapped to attention and stepped aside
letting Blade enter. His heels clicked on the hardwood floor.

King Bryant chuckled at the young lad’s
serious demeanor. “Would you fetch us some refreshments, Leland?
How about a bottle of that sparkling wine? And if you’d like, you
can take a few moments to get something for yourself to eat as
well.” He turned to look at Blade, the smile lighting his eyes.
“I’ve been working hard all morning. Come sit down, relax, and tell
me what’s bothering you.”

Leland slipped out the door, closing it
softly behind him.

Blade let out a deep breath. “Thank you,
sir,” Blade said, sitting down in a soft armchair facing his King.
He avoided looking into his King’s eyes and wiped his clammy hands
down his trousers again, color rising to his cheeks. “I have
something important to ask you,” he stammered, glancing up.

Bryant leaned back in his chair, propping his
boots up on his desk. A large grin spread across his cheeks,
fingers casually drumming the oak desktop. “And, this involves my
darling daughter, this question of yours?”

Blade’s eyes flew wide, and he fell back
against his seat as if an invisible hand had shoved him back. “How
did you know?”

Bryant closed his eyes, his hands resting
beneath his chin as he relished a memory. “Many years ago I sat in
that same chair asking my king for the hand of Lareina. I looked
just as nervous as you.”

Blade felt a surge of confidence. “Well, I
hope you have the same answer for me then, sir. I’m asking for your
permission for Ravyn to be my wife. I love her more than life
itself.”

Bryant’s brows furrowed, and he sat forward
staring hard at Blade. His boots slipped off the desk thudding hard
against the floor. “Hmmm, well my good friend and advisor, Connor,
has spoken to me about this very issue.”

Blade swallowed hard, “And?”

“And he said if you did not ask soon, I
should seek you out myself and ask you to become my son-in-law,” he
roared with laughter, leaping from his chair to throw his arms
around Blade. “Tomorrow will be a grand celebration indeed. You
have always been like a son to me, now you shall be. Have you asked
Ravyn yet?”

Blade shook his head. “No, sir. I was waiting
for your permission first.”

“Good man, that’s the proper way to go about
it. Tomorrow during the celebration, you will ask her.”

“But, sir, shouldn’t I ask her in private?
What if she says no?”

“Her answer will be yes, Blade. Ask her
tomorrow.” He pushed a wood box across the table at Blade. The lid
was laced with delicate engravings in gold and mother of pearl.
“Give her this; it was her mother’s, and hers before her. By
presenting it to her, she’ll know we bless your union.”

Blade opened the box, peering in. Inside sat
a platinum ring, a perfect princess cut diamond glimmering in its
center. Loose sapphire and amethyst stones nestled in the velvet
lining.

“The sapphire and amethyst represent her
aura,” he cocked his head, staring at Blade, “and yours as well I
see. Truly a perfect match. Take this to Malino the jeweler to have
the stones set.”

Overwhelmed, Blade could only nod.

“I would also be obliged if you would take a
message to the elves; they’re staying at King’s Crest Inn. I’d like
for you to ask their permission for Rowan to leave his island. He
will be necessary for your wedding celebration.”

As if on cue, Leland entered with a tray of
cheeses, breads, fruit, and sparkling champagne. He placed them
down on the desk and filled two flutes with champagne, handing one
to his King and one to Blade. “Cheers,” Bryant lifted his glass in
toast.