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“Because they no longer possess a kingship to give.”
I lifted a brow. “I don’t quite follow.”
“No, I would suppose not. That answer was a bit ambiguous after all,” he chuckled, and I was amazed at how poised and perfect and regal even his laughter sounded. “Allow me to start from the beginning.”
I nodded as we continued forward.
“Twenty-five years ago, on the day of the summer solstice, I reincarnated here in Edenvale. Arkyn brought my infant form to the king and queen, who were barren at the time, due to the Great Pox they suffer from. A highly esteemed priestess confirmed I was indeed who Arkyn told them I was. As they were, and still are, followers of the New Gods, they took me in.” He paused for a brief moment. “When I was old enough and within some control of my ability to create life, the queen asked me to bless her unfruitful marriage with children. I told her I would, but in exchange, I would need the king to give me what he held dearest—his monarchy. Originally, the king was not willing to part with his crown, but when the queen reminded him that they had no children and the next in line was his estranged nephew, the heir of his deceased brother—a man the king viciously hated—the king was all too eager to accept my deal, and so he named me as his heir.”
“So upon his death, the crown will transfer to you,” I stated, piecing things together.
“Exactly.” Aurelius nodded, his white, silky hair and thin gold chains catching on the rays of the late morning sun.
Questions spun abound.
Would Aurelius be a good king? Would he end the Cleansings? Or would he let them continue? The Cursed were the distant descendants of the Old Gods—the enemies of the New Gods, which was what Aurelius and I both technically were. But I didn’t consider the Cursed to be my enemies—in fact, for most of this life, that’s exactly what I had believed I was. In truth, I still felt a bit like one of them. But Aurelius had grown up in this castle, under the rule of the king, so had that influenced his feelings surrounding the Cursed?
There was only one way to find out.
“When you become King . . . will you continue the Cleansings?” I dared a glance at him.
Softly, Aurelius shook his head. “As I told you before, I plan to do good for the people of Edenvale. Besides, the mortal kings have allowed the Cleansings to go on for far too long.”
I didn’t know exactly what it was—perhaps the brilliant gleam in his golden eyes or the warm smile he offered me—but I felt inclined to believe him.
His words filled me with hope. And they made me even more sure that I was on the right path. I decided to leave the rest of that conversation for another day, especially the part about me vowing to kill the king.
“And your memories? Your powers? How are they progressing so far?”
“Unfortunately, in this reincarnated form, I am just like you, Moonbeam—my memories from my past life are severely lacking. I know a bit about myself, and the basics of you and I—that we were wed and that we loved one another greatly, once upon a time.”
Lead filled my belly. There it was again,thatword.
I put it in a box and shoved off from it.
Aurelius continued, “Apart from my scattered memories, my power is not even a fraction of what it once was. I can create life, yes, but my ability to control the elements is limited. I am no better than an un-nursed infant.”
It was too bad that Aurelius’s memories were as lacking as my own—if he remembered more, it might help me find my lost memories as well.
All of this was confusing.
“Can I ask you a question?”
His regal voice pulled me from my thoughts. With the number of questions I had, I was not sure if I was qualified to answer any of his. Still, I said, “Alright.”
A white brow raised ever so slightly as he offered me a cheeky, lovely grin. “Have you read any good books lately?”
I smiled, thankful for the mundane question.
“I’m afraid not. It’s been a while since I read.”
“Well, we can’t have that now, can we?” he said with playful charm. “The castle has an expansive library. Would you care to accompany me there sometime?”
I grinned. “I would like that.”
“As would I.”
“Are you a fan of literature?” I asked, curiously.
