I could feel the connection between me and my court cementing into place. I could feel every single one of the people gathered here before me, and I could feel who had given their heartbeat and who hadn’t.
The difference was incredible. It was like I had a bowl full of marbles before me, and the people who had bonded themselves to me were bright-colored, intricate, almost translucent so that I could see every detail all the way through.
The people who hadn’t—I could still feel them as they moved through my court as a part of it. But they were like black stones. Hard, cold, solid. I couldn’t see inside of them, feel them, connect to them, except to identify they were there.
But the others—those who had bonded themselves to me—I could see in rich colors and vibrant detail. I could feel happinessand sadness and hope and alarm. I could feel their collective heartbeats as if I held a baby bird in my hand and could physically see its heart beating against its chest—so vulnerable. In that moment, I understood I had the power to destroy this island if I ever chose.
I also knew I would die before I ever made that choice.
“Thank you for your trust in me.” I gripped the railing with knuckles as white as the marble they were made of. “I will serve this court until my dying breath. You have my word.”
It was everything I could do not to collapse before I made it to the throne. As if sensing my shakiness, Lily and Silas stood beside me, but they didn’t reach out, as if sensing I needed to do this part alone.
As I finally sat for the very first time on the throne that had been gifted to me by my bloodline, I felt a weight on my head where the small circlet had been.
Lily gasped beside me. “Alessia.”
It took me a beat before I caught my reflection again. My crown had changed, morphed into something new and magnificent. Still with the cerulean gems that represented the Court of Isles, it had grown to a more traditional crown size. In addition to the blue crystals, it now held blindingly clear diamonds and green emeralds that sparkled in the light of the candles.
The gems of all three elements: the symbol for the Triune Queen.
Before I’d even had time to realize what was happening, a new cheer had risen, “All hail Queen Alessia, Queen of Isles!”
This time, the voices were joyous. I wasn’t the only one who could feel the bond. Everyone who had given their heartbeats could feel it voluntarily too—I knew because I could sense it. As if a wave of joy and comfort had surged from the sea of colorfulmarbles, a surge that overwhelmed my chest in a way that had me gasping for breath.
As if on cue, music rose then from a live band. The ceremony was moving into the more stylized portion of the evening. Turning into a real party fit to celebrate a new queen. I was grateful not only for the distraction, but for waves of joy and glee I could feel thrumming through the court.
There was still uncertainty and fear and, yes, even grief. There were those black stones, the people who I hadn’t connected with, moving as well. It was a new sensation balancing all of these things inside of me. I’d thought one person had more than enough in terms of emotions—I’d never imagined holding the emotions of thousands in my heart.
But here we were, and already, I couldn’t imagine anything else. Maybe it was how mothers felt. One moment, it was just them. The next moment, they loved another being with everything in them—and they couldn’t imagine life another way.
The crowd slowly dispersed, and as the shock and awe of the ceremony faded into a more manageable sense of happiness and celebration, I found it easier to take breaths. I’d been seeing stars, but as I calmed my breathing, I found a calmness returning to me too. A stability I’d been lacking for the last few minutes.
“You okay?” Lily asked gently. “Took a lot out of you?”
“Just, you know,” I said, my voice still a bit of a gasp. “A bit overwhelming.”
Silas was at my other side, a hand firmly on my shoulder. “How do you feel?”
“Okay,” I said, and then I quickly revised. “I feel good. Really, really good.”
“It worked?” Lily asked.
I met Lily’s gaze. “It definitely worked. Thank you all for making this possible.”
Lily bowed her head toward me. “Anything for my queen.”
I was about to tell her off for calling me the queen, but when I reached a hand up and felt my new crown, I thought better of it. I obviously wouldn’t make people walk around calling me queen, but I could tell Lily meant it in respect and happiness, and it was my responsibility to accept that.
I took her hand, then pulled her to me and clasped her in a hug. She hugged me back.
“I’ll always be Alessia to you,” I told her quietly.
“Yeah,” she said back in a tearful voice. “But the new crown is a really, really nice touch. Nobody can deny it now.”
As I pulled away and turned to face Silas, a smile blooming on my face, I saw it—the darkness behind him.
“Silas!” I reached for him, spun him around, then stepped in front of him.
