I moved farther down the path downhill and approached the dais that had been constructed as a stage for everyone to see. It was still hazy because it was such a great distance away, but the closer I got, the more the details emerged.
Horns and trumpets started to play to signify my arrival, my approach to take the crown. My heart started to beat fast as I heard the crowd below, as this moment became more and more real.
I finally could see my father, standing there in his armor and cape, facing me with his arms by his sides, looking at me like I was a vision rather than his daughter. There was a line of guards on the dais also, Hawk as the general, along with the commanders…and Callum, who had asked to be my private guard.
When I was close enough, I heard the loud clapping and cheers, even over the music that played. When the distance to my father grew short, the horns and trumpets stopped, and then there were just drums. Drums that matched my footfalls as I approached my destiny.
I stopped feet from my father—and so did the drums.
The sound of the crowd died away, and a powerful silence filled the air, a silence even more powerful, considering the number of people crowded together.
My father stared at me for a long time, the emotion and pride visible in his eyes as he looked upon me. He took a slowbreath before a film of moisture entered his gaze. When he blinked, it was gone. And then there was a smile. It was small but true.
He stepped toward me. “I, Talon Rothschild, have served the Southern Isles faithfully and selflessly as my father did before me, and his father before him. Battles have come and gone, and I raised my sword for my people and will continue to do so. But it’s time for someone new to take that power and responsibility, and no other should have it but Lily Lena Rothschild, my daughter.” He took a step closer to me. “When I was unable to serve our kingdom, you took up your sword and led our people to victory. Overwhelmed by enemies we couldn’t possibly defeat, Lily Rothschild found a way to persevere. I have no doubt you will continue to do so. We all will sleep soundly in our beds tonight knowing Queen Lily Rothschild, Queen of the Southern Isles and Protector of Free Dragons, watches over us all.” He reached behind his neck, where his cape was secured to his armor. With a single tug, it came free, and he displayed it to me. Instead of the solid black like I was used to, it had a silhouette of the cliffs and the castle, and the sky overhead was covered with dragons, one of them breathing an impressive trail of fire. Because it was the new reign of a new monarch, it would be a different design, specific to the person who ruled.
A breeze moved through the valley and lifted the cape slightly, showing its beautiful artwork. He stared into my eyes before he gave it to me, holding on to the moment for as long as he could before it was over.
Then he took a step forward and circled it around my back before he clipped it into place. The cape was weightless, butsomehow it felt like a mountain range across my back. He stepped away to look at me in my full uniform, now wearing the cape of the monarchy. “The reign of Lily Lena Rothschild has begun.”
We returned to the courtyard after the ceremony, and that was the first time Callum got to look at me head on and take me in, wearing the same pride in his eyes that both of my parents wore. But he didn’t say anything. He never needed to say anything, not when he could convey so much with his stare.
My father watched us together before he motioned for my mother and brother to head back to the castle.
“Dad?”
He turned back to me, his eyes tired from the emotionally draining day.
“Would you marry us?”
He looked to Callum then me, like he didn’t quite understand. “Now?”
I looked at Callum, asking if this was also what he wanted.
“Yes,” Callum said as he looked at me, staring at me like I wore a beautiful dress that showed most of my skin, even though it was all hidden under rock-hard armor. It didn’t matter what I wore—he desired me the same. Seemed to desire me more this way, like he found my power attractive.
“Let me notify Khazmuda and the others.” My father stepped away to communicate with the dragons closest to us.
Callum stepped closer to me and looked down at me, his eyes taking me in like it was the first time he’d ever seen me. “You’ve never looked more beautiful than you do right now.”
And I knew he meant it. Because he loved my strength and my fire and my sass. Loved me the moment I’d cut him down with my words and fought back. While other men found me too direct and aggressive, he found me perfect. He expressed no issue at the power imbalance between us. He was happy to serve me as a monarch while he would remain an ordinary citizen, wanting to marry me for me, not my position.
The dragons arrived a moment later, landing in the courtyard, Khazmuda and Shardnada and their children. It was a tight fit with the dragons, and their bodies were pressed close together to accommodate everyone.
My father stood before us, the former king of the Southern Isles, the most powerful person who could unite us in holy union.
I stared at Callum, seeing him standing tall with his arms by his sides, strong and relaxed, wearing a confidence in his eyes.
My heart fluttered, not in trepidation but pure joy.
Callum suddenly reached for his sword that sat across his back in the scabbard and slowly drew it forward, the metal scraping against the scabbard until it came free. He changed his grip on the hilt, from a battle stance to an inward grip, and then he placed the hilt against his chest, against my family’screst, a name that he would never share. Then he took a knee before me. “I forsake any claim to the throne as your king because all I want is you,Xivin. But I pledge my loyalty to your regime, will serve as your queen’s guard and protect you at the cost of my own life, and I will vanquish all enemies that try to compromise your power.” He rose to his feet and returned the blade to the scabbard across his back. “To you, Lily Rothschild, I vow to love you for all my days. From the moment I laid eyes upon you, my heart was snatched out of my chest. I’ve loved you from afar and loved you up close, allowed myself only to dream about a moment like this. I sacrificed all of me to serve you, and when I least expected it, you did the same for me.” A thin film of moisture moved into his gaze.
I was already on the verge of sobs.
“I’ve suffered for centuries with a slowly decaying soul in my broken chest, and then you landed on my shores and brought the light back into my life. Returned love to my heart. Others have turned their backs on me, but your loyalty has remained ironclad. There is no woman in this world, in any century, who could ever make me feel the way you do. I stand before you now still unable to believe that this is my reality, that we stand here on the precipice, not of horror and despair…but joy.” My eyes continued to water. “The love I feel for you…is indescribable. There are not enough words in the language of dragons, Xian, or humans that could ever convey the depth of this love. I will love you and cherish you every day and never forget that one thing could have been different…and these moments would never have been ours.”
Tears slowly dripped down my face as I looked at the man I loved with more than just my heart, but with my wholesoul. “There is no man in this world who’s man enough for me but you, Callum Riverside. You were my shadow in my hardest battles, my adviser when I didn’t know what to do next. You gave me your power and your strength and asked for nothing in return, even when you thought we would never be together. I’ve never met a man with a purer heart than you. Never met a man who made my heart sing like a songbird on a spring morning. It was never my desire to have children, but now I know I’d simply never met a man I wanted to share a soul with. We helped each other during the most difficult times in our lives, and we’ve both worked so hard for this, just to be together. It’s all we’ve ever wanted, despite our circumstances and the opinions of those who never truly knew what we had. And now, we finally have it, and I’ve never been more excited for anything in my life. The throne is a familial obligation, but a life with you is what I truly want. And I’m so grateful to marry a man who allows me to have both.”
He hadn’t blinked once since I’d started speaking, absorbed in my words like always, because this man listened to every damn word I had to say.
