AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Amelia told you?” I summarized in a somber tone.
“She did, and I'm sorry for your loss, my Šeš,” he said, using the Sumerian term for brother.
“As am I…” I paused at this and looked up, telling him what my daughter had not long ago told me,
“Although not all is lost, for we will have our time.” He clasped a hand to my shoulder and with that gentle squeeze, I felt his unspoken comfort.
“Speaking of Amelia… tell me, where is my Queen, Dariush?” At this he smirked, before replying with the shocking truth,
“Where do you think she is?” Then before I had a chance to tell him to stop fucking around, he dropped the biggest bombshell of all. One I should not have been surprised to hear, not considering this was Amelia we were talking about.
A woman who had the canny ability to continually rock me to my core, and I would never stop loving that fact.
“Why, she is where a Queen should be…” He paused again before whispering with glee at knowing of my surprise when finally telling me…
“…Sitting upon your throne.”
IF THE CROWN FITS
AMELIA
Two days.
That’s how long I waited. At least that’s how long I think I waited because, in all honestly, it felt like much longer. But I also knew that time worked differently here, so for what may have seemed like only minutes for him, was most likely hours for me. Yet, I also knew how important this moment was for him, as I still couldn't even imagine the pain he had endured all these years. The immeasurable heartache that must be experienced when a parent loses a child.
It was no wonder that when my mother told me this, told me of what I knew Lucius hadn’t had the strength to, well I had cried. I had cried so hard, with every tear weighted like an anvil lifted from my soul. Each one filled with so many different emotions it felt as if my heart had fractured for him.
The bitterness of injustice.
The heartbreak of unmeasurable loss.
But more than anything else, the burning hot hatred I had felt for the two responsible. It had been nearly enough to consume me whole. Which made me understand why the man Judas had renounced his faith at the end of it all. And why he had seemingly easily endured all the pain and agony he had done at the hands of Lucifer just to be turned into the powerful being he was today.
Because he had already endured all the pain he could as a mortal.
But it also made me realize why King Lucius had become who he was today. How that hard shell had formed around his heart that had only started to crack when being faced with his Fate.
When finally meeting his Chosen One… Me.
Meaning, I could understand why he didn’t tell me, as the Gods only knew how hard that conversation would have been to endure. How difficult it would have been to speak of and, for once, I hadn't been paranoid or hurt by my mother knowing this before me. No, if anything, I had been thankful, just to spare him the pain of reliving it. Because sometimes the hardest things to say were made even harder when you were forced to tell those you care about the most.
So, I endured this time apart and so as I could make him proud upon his return, I took my rightful place on his throne. Of course, it did help when my father walked in behind me like a badass when entering the throne room. Quickly snarling like a wild beast when they didn't automatically all fall to their knees. Although it had to be said that in the days since the battle, word had spread far and wide and people now knew they had an extra ruler to fear. Because Lucius was right, in a place like Hell, respect came in the form of fear. It was a twisted form of loyalty at best, but who was I to dispute, not only in my father's world, but that of Lucius’s who had ruled this realm in Hell since his rebirth? These were his people, as Demonic and scary looking as they were. Which meant they were also now my people.
So, with the grateful guidance of my father, and the welcomed instructions from Dariush, a man I was glad to see gained consciousness quickly after the battle,I took to the throne.
As for Lucius’s brother, well once I was safely situated upon the throne, he had been keen to get back to the battlefield, knowing this was where Lucius would most likely return to. In truth I had been wanting to wait there myself, but my father made the point that if I was ever to gain the respect of Lucius’s Kingdom, then now was my time to act. Now was the time to carve my place firmly within this Realm.
But then I hadn’t been on my own, even after my parents had left me to it. This despite my mum worrying about leaving me and clearly being reluctant to do so. No, because I now had my own council standing by my side and giving me strength when facing the unknown. In fact, I had just been saying goodbye to my parents at the time, when something unexpected had happened…
* * *
Two turnsof the Hellish sky ago…
“Mum, I will be fine,”I said, despite not exactly feeling a hundred percent confident in this statement. It was at this point that Dariush stepped up behind me, placed his hands to my shoulders and assured them,
“She won't be alone.” My mother nodded a few times, and I could see her trying to hold back her tears, something she did not accomplish when I pulled her to me and hugged her. The room gasped, clearly not used to this display, making me put my foot down addressing the room,
“What? Have you not seen one badass woman hugging another badass woman before!?” At this my father smirked and there were a few chuckles among the crowd.
