Kellan
The raised, favoured voices shout their opinions around me, and it’s hard to tell who says what in the chaos. I rub my temples before bringing my fist down on the table with such force, it shatters the room to silence.
“Please, all of you, I understand this is a tumultuous time, and uncertainty faces us from every side, but please act like the adults and diplomats you are. Shouting over each other will get us nowhere.”
Emily stands and announces to the room. “Your Majesty, perhaps if you were able to explain exactly what is going on, we might be able to come to a reasonable conclusion, rather than arguing amongst ourselves based on whispers we hear in the streets. You are meant to be our just, and unbiased leader. You ask us to follow in your stead, but I cannot help but think you would not consider even having this discussion if the girl was not your daughter. It reeks of nepotism and surely you can understand this concern – and the concern that this will raise in your people.” There is such venom in her voice, I think if she had the opportunity to overthrow me, she would. I need to tread carefully.
“While the child is my daughter…”
“She is no child! She is the Reborn!” Emily counteracts.
“That she is, but that has nothing to do with this particular situation.”
“Maybe you are just blind to these matters. The Reborn wishes to change our laws to suit her needs. Maybe this is the beginning of the prophecy. A world of chaos. Changing the world as we know it,” She says.
I need to reign her in as quickly as possible. Each time Emily speaks, it’s a potential nail in Addie’s coffin. I watch as the men and women in the room take note of her words, seeing how they taste. She is powerful and her voice is popular. Murmurs erupt across the room as they debate her words. I have never had such an issue over controlling the council before. These are turbulent times. Maybe Emily’s words carry more truth than I would like to admit.
“Can we please focus?” Rayne DeVaux calls out. “This is about more than the girl: this is also about my son. He is one of us.”
“And what are his thoughts on changing our laws to suit the girl?” Emily asks scathingly.
“He wishes for Addie, our Princess, to be happy. He has confirmed in the sacred way; the marriage was not consummated. and so the vow has not been completed.” Julian DeVaux confirms, inducing further murmurs and nods from around the room.
“And how can we be sure of that? Is Addie willing to undergo examination to confirm that she is still virgo intacto”
My anger is literally about to burst out of my chest. I cannot believe that one of them dares to suggest such an antiquated humiliation – and besides, I am not certain how Addie has approached her maturity. If she had been raised a princess knowing of her duties, then it might have been a different matter, but she was raised outside the Palace – and then there is Xander. I would not wager my kingdom that he has been entirely a gentleman with my daughter. No, subjecting Addie to such an indignity would not prove anything about her and Dante, and might only lead to more confusions.
“No. Absolutely not. Addie is your Princess. She does not need to prove anything. Her word is enough,” I say in such a way that the idiot, Garrington, visibly backs down under my quiet wrath.
Callun Alder stands and the room falls quiet again. “I believe we all need to take a few days and think over all that we have been told. Until we can hear from our Queen’s lips, there is no real premise for the breaking of their bond.”
I am grateful to him for curbing today’s nonsense. He holds much sway with the council members, but fighting Emily’s witch hunt of Addie is proving tiresome and harder as each day passes. I need to think on how to handle Emily appropriately.
Each of the council members filter out, leaving me alone in the room with Julian & Rayne DeVaux.
“How are you holding up, old friend?” Julian asks, his hand clasping my shoulders as he takes the seat next to me.
“I’m still breathing,” I joke. “Truth be told, I’m not even sure I want the bond to be broken, but to be the one to deny my daughter’s wishes… I just can’t do it.”
“I have to say, I’m in agreement. They’re just children, and they haven’t been around as long as we have to understand what such changes can mean for the world.”
“But maybe we’re at a point when change is needed?” I counter. “This is their world now, while we sit in our halls, our fine houses and eat our rich foods, they are out there, tending to the needs of the people, interacting with them. All of them. Fae. Fallen. Human. Wolf. How are we to know what is right and what is not?”
“Our ways have kept us safe for millennia, I don’t see why they wouldn’t keep us going,” he says. The frown lines are etched deep on his forehead.
“Yes, but it was not us who stopped this war with the Demon King. It was not us who bargained with the Demon Queens to ensure peace prevailed across our lands. That was them. The Fallen. More precisely, it was Addie and Xander. Together or apart, they seem to overcome all evils in their way. Separately, they each represent a significant power. Imagine what that could be combined. The Fallen not following us, protecting us, because they have to, but because they want to. It could be a powerful alliance, don’t you think?”
“Hmmmm, you have a good point. Maybe that was Eolande’s thinking all along. Do you think?” Julian asks.
I let out a deep sigh. “I’ve had no idea about what that woman has been thinking for over two hundred years. I’m not going to presume to know her thoughts now. I can hope that was her thought, but her absence speaks loudly – and it says that whatever she had planned, it isn’t working out her way.”
“Perhaps,” Rayne interrupts. “Or perhaps this is exactly what she wanted. To turn the people on Addie, turn the tide of favour against her. She already stopped her daughter’s marriage to Xander, and we all know Eolande had a soft spot for him. Maybe that soft spot was larger than we thought?” she says, not caring about the fact that this is my queen she is speaking of. “Maybe her plan all along was to be rid of her daughter, and make way for herself?”
I cough uncomfortably but Rayne doesn’t seem to see anything wrong in her overly bold statements.
“How manipulative could one person be?” Julian asks.
Unfortunately, I know my wife. Her sharp mind and ability to scheme had been one of the things I found most alluring about her – that was until her brilliant mind got well out of hand.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t even put it past her at this point. That woman is capable of anything,” I say standing. “I beg your leave, friends. I need to get back to day to day duties. As a child, they had me believe that being a King was all fun and games. What they neglected to state was a King’s work is never done.”
I bid them farewell and make my way back to my rooms, securing the locks on the doors as I enter. I’d give anything for just a moment of peace.
“What on earth were you thinking, Eolande?” I say to myself as I slump down into the chair. In here, I don’t have to be a King. I can be myself with no walls to put up and no masks to adorn. I let the weight of the day wash over me, when I hear Eolande.
“Oh dear, Kellan. What a foolish old man you’ve become,” the voice taunts. I look around the room and see nothing, but that means little in our world.
“Show yourself,” I demand.
“No, I don’t think that would be wise. Just know, you will never see me again, and your harlot daughter will perish. I regret the day I ever let her live. I won’t make the same mistake again,” she cackles. “My people are everywhere, Kellan. There’s no way you can win this. You don’t’ even know who you can trust anymore – because let me assure you, you can’t trust anybody.” Her voice fades until there is nothing else.
I can’t know for certain if she was in my mind, a figment of my imagination – or whether she was here but cloaked. Her gifts were always something she played close to her chest. She never revealed her true powers.
I close my eyes, trying to get my mind in order. I hate the way that Eolande makes me feel – powerless. I’m coming to the conclusion that she planned this all along, but I have no way of proving it.
I also have no doubt that she planted the seed of rebellion with Emily. Eolande had always been fond of Emily and it was clear that Emily worshipped the ground her Queen walked on. Yes, Eolande nurtured it and is watching in delight as it blooms.