“It’s not mine, Lennox, it’s yours.”
“I know it’s not technically yours right now, but the title is yours. It was always supposed to be you. You’re supposed to be High King. I understand if you need some more time to adjust, but this is your crown, your title, it was never supposed to be mine. It doesn’t belong to me.”
“You don’t get it, do you, Lennox?” He stood.
“Get what?”
“Don’t you think it’s strange that even though I didn’t die, when mother and father did, the power transferred over to you?”
“Yeah, but?—”
“I don’t think it was a coincidence, Lennox. The crown was never supposed to be mine. It was always meant to be you.”
“Nol, you’re crazy.” I stood, still clutching the crown in my hands. “I was never supposed to be queen.”
“Think about it, Lennox. You’ve said it yourself, we’re all pawns in a much bigger game, being played by the Stars and the Goddess. You have more power than me, your witch side is strong. You’re mated to the Blood Court heir. You led our continent through fucking war and came out on the other side victorious. You’ve stood toe to toe with enemies and the Goddess herself and come out stronger. That prophecy from Hecate and Astria? That was no fucking coincidence.” He took the crown from my hands, placing it back on my head.
“It might have been hell getting here, but this title was always meant for you. There is no better High Queen than you, Lennox Adair. It was always supposed to be you.”
“He’s right.” Luka came from the doorway, the rest of our friends behind him.
“You are Lennox Adair, High Queen of Lethenia, you can’t take that away.”
Emotions clogged in my throat. “But I wasn’t supposed to be queen.”
“I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve never met someone more equipped to be queen,” Luka argued.
“You don’t understand…”
“We understand, Lennox,” Kara interjected. “You’re strong and passionate.”
“You care about the well-being of others, of all of Lethenia in a way I’ve never seen before,” Declan continued.
“You speak with a passion people can’t help but follow,” Nico added.
“You handle yourself with grace, even when you’d love nothing more than to slit someone’s throat,” Luce continued.
“You’re perfectly suited for High Queen, Sweetheart.”
“They’re right.” Astria’s starry form appeared, Hecate at her side.
“It was always supposed to be you, Lennox Adair, Queen of Blood and Stardust. For that, it was written in the stars. You rose from the ashes of destruction, rose from the blood and death that threatened to suffocate you.”
“But you didn’t let it,” Hecate continued. “You clawed your way out. You hoped. You hoped for a future where you might again be happy. You chose the path of light, and even when the darkness tempted you, you never strayed.”
“But—”
“There are no buts; this has always been your fate, Lennox Adair, the stars themselves wrote it.”
“Long live Lennox Adair, High Queen of Lethenia, Queen of Blood and Stardust,” they said in unison.
As soon as they appeared, the two disappeared. Leaving me staring at the empty space they once occupied.
“I told you we were written in the stars.” Luka pulled me into his side.
“You’ve never once said that.”
“But I could have.”
