Page 48 of The Forgotten Throne

I couldn’t help but grin at his example. “Hmm, I figured it would have at least been a porcelain jar instead of a standard bucket like the rest of us simple folk.”

“Cute, spitfire, real cute,” Paxton grumbled as he sat up and pulled his legs off the couch. “When Queen Catharine finds out about her sister and what happened to her brother-in-law shit is going to hit the ceiling. I wouldn’t be surprised if instead of an ally you end up with another person conspiring to kill you in your sleep. We can’t let them stay here with you, I don’t trust her to be anywhere within ten feet of you if I’m being honest.”

Placing my hand over his I intertwined our fingers together as I leaned my head on his shoulder. “I love that you want to keep me safe no matter what it takes but this is part of being queen. My life will always be in danger and even after the Lost King is killed there will be someone new to take his place. There isn’t a way to rid the world of evil people, but what we can do is make sure they know if they come after us we will end them. Right now Queen Catharine hasn’t done anything to us but I promise you that I won’t let her disrespect you, our people, or me in my home on our land. If she can’t play nice, then I will gladly send her home tied to a dragon if I have to.”

Leaning into me Paxton slipped an arm over my shoulders hugging me to his side as he kissed the top of my head. “You have no clue how incredible of a woman you are do you?”

“I am who I am and who I’ve always meant to be. As for incredible, that only happened because of you guys being in my life pushing me to be more than I could have ever dreamed for myself,” I answered, snuggling into his hold. “Can I trust you not to stab her or her people until I tell you that it’s alright?”

He let out an exaggerated sigh. “I suppose so.”

“When will Gavin and the others be back?”

“Left to let you know what was going on and to send back some dragons so we could get them here on time. That’s the one downfall to our location, there isn’t really a road to travel in and out of here,” he pointed out.

“Are we sure that’s a downfall? If the rest of the world is what I remember it to be, then I think I’m okay being hard to get to,” I mused as I looked up at Paxton.

He grinned and pressed a kiss to my lips. “There truly couldn’t be a more perfect woman than you. As much as I hate to leave you, I need to lead the dragons to the rendezvou with our guests. We thought it would be faster to get them as close to the border as we could so the flight time was less.”

“Go on, get out of here so we can show this snooty royal what a real Queen should act like,” I said as I stood and pulled him up with me. “I’ve got to get things ready here and you can’t keep stalling, coronation is only a day away.”

“As my queen commands,” Paxton answered with a dramatic bow.

“Oh and send Talia back in please,” I called after him, which he acknowledged with a wave.

It was dinner time when Gavin returned with his aunt and uncle but we were ready for them with all the pomp and circumstance that they would be used to. From what Paxton told me I felt it was best to set the tone and greet them in the throne room rather than escorting them to a private sitting room. Seated on the throne under my guardian’s watchful eye dressed to impress I sipped on the glass of wine I held needing to give myself something to do as I waited trying to appear calm. I wasn’t nervous I just despised having to deal with all the unnecessary theatrics but it was what was expected of me. Once tomorrow was finished and there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that I was queen then I would start changing things.

“Your Majesty, may I present King Thomas and Queen Catharine of Creisal accompanied by their children, Prince Charles and Princess Amelia,” the Harold called as the massive doors to the throne room opened revealing the king and queen.

Since Sheca didn’t have a class system, those who wished to see the greeting were welcome to attend. People gawked and talked among themselves as King Thomas escorted his wife down the aisle up to the throne, their children right behind them. Queen Catharine looked incredibly similar to her sister making it impossible for people not to know they were related. King Thomas was a slight man but made up for his stature with a confident air about him making me notice for the first time that King Edward hadn’t had that—Queen Mary did.

Setting my glass aside I stood and descended the stairs to meet them at the bottom putting on equal footing as we greeted each other. “Welcome to my humble kingdom. It is an honor to have you accept my invitation on such short notice.”

“I must admit I wasn’t sure what the right choice was in this matter but our dear nephew is quite persuasive,” Queen Catharine said, her face softening as she glanced at Gavin who had come to stand just behind me. “It surprised us that he would give up his throne to become your consort but I suppose love makes us do foolish things,” she tacked on, pursing her lips.

Lifting a hand, I waited for Gavin to place his in mine before I drew him to be at my side and gazed up at him. “Love makes honest people out of us and I am the one who is blessed to have such a man by my side. It means a lot to us having your support, many would be blinded by the fact that our arrangement isn’t normal by society’s standards.”

“You mean the fact that you have seven lovers.” She sniffed. “Lovers come and go but consorts are chosen under the eyes of the gods and hold a special place in court.”

“That’s exactly right, I’m delighted to see you still honor the gods after many have forsaken them. In fact all seven of my consorts have been blessed and marked by the gods themselves although they are good lovers too...” I shared with a smirk. “Come, you must be famished after your travels, dinner is prepared and ready for us, if you’ll follow me.” Turning, I tucked Gavin’s arm through mine and as we passed Abbott, I did the same with him as well. I needed to prove my point that all my men were on equal footing in their station and my feelings for them no matter what remarks a bitchy queen had to say.

Dinner was certainly going to be an adventure that’s for sure.

Chapter Thirty-One

It Won’t End Here

As we took our seats in the dining room on the third floor, I could already tell that something was upsetting the visiting queen and part of me wanted to ignore it all together but knew it would only make matters worse. Surprisingly I didn’t have to address anything since it didn’t take her long to blurt out her concern.

“Where is my sister and King Edward?” Queen Catharine demanded. “I thought surely they would be present at this dinner since you are allies and we’re family.”

I glanced over at Phillip and Gavin knowing this was going to be hardest on them. Before I could say anything, Phillip rose from his seat and took his aunt head-on. “Due to some unfortunate events, Mother is being held under house arrest after Father tried to kill Queen Cassarah upon our arrival to Sheca. As I am Crown Prince, I am the one who is acting in Mother’s stead and continue to keep our alliance with Queen Cassarah.”

“What?” King Thomas snapped, slamming his fist on the table. “I will not stand for this! We must see Mary at once. I refuse to sit at a table with the woman who killed my brother-in-law.”

“Uncle, did you not hear what I said?” Phillip questioned, his brow creased. “Queen Cassarah did nothing to warrant being attacked by my father. Sadly, he went too long without his medication and Mother wasn’t able to manage him as she typically does leading to an irrational choice to attack Sheca’s queen. Her guards acted in her defense leading to his death, she did nothing wrong. Calm yourself and think before you make an enemy of both Sheca and Norden because I am prepared to back up my alliance with Queen Cassarah in this matter.”

“You would do this to your family?” Queen Catharine cried.