Page 11 of The Final Battle

“Alright everyone, that’s it until we’re ready to get her dressed,“ Becka announced, clapping her hands. “Thank you all for your hard work but I think we should make sure our queen gets something to eat before all the pomp and circumstance.“

All the women curtsied as they left, wishing me good fortune, only to giggle as my men started to file in with trays of food. They were a welcome sight and I couldn’t help but smile as they came over to greet me.

“No funny business now, we don’t have time to fix the whole look if you mess it up,“ Becka warned, giving me a wink as she left to give us time.

Zan held out his hand to me, pulling me to my feet. “We didn’t know how hungry you might be, so we brought a little bit of everything. Paxton even managed to get the kitchen staff to part with some of the cake they made early.“ My stomach grumbled at that, making us both laugh. “Cake it is.“

He settled me on the couch and hurried over to get me some cake, while Paxton plopped down, putting his head in my lap and smiling up at me. “You sure look pretty, but I have to say, I think I like you better without all that stuff on your face.“

Combining my fingers through his hair, I pressed a kiss to his forehead, leaving behind a red mark from my lip paint. “There, now we match.“ I teased. “If I have to look like a jester, then so do you.“

“Hey now, I didn’t say it looked bad!“ Pax defended. “It’s just that I like your natural beauty the best, you don’t need all that stuff to get my attention.“

I felt my cheeks heat with a blush at his words. For a woman who had eight men, I still wasn’t used to getting compliments. “Thank you, Pax.“

“Hey now, stop being a goddamn brown noser,“ Dayson grumbled. “Making us look bad for not saying smooth romantic things like that to her. Some of us just aren’t gifted with our words.“

Pax sat up as Zan handed me my cake, freeing me up to eat it more easily. “Dayson, I don’t need sweet words or gifts, having you each here beside me means more than anything. The trust I have knowing you’ll always have my back is priceless.“

“Never doubt that, Cassy-Bear, Izel might have been the one to jump after you, but any one of us would have done it in a heartbeat,“ Dayson shared as he came to sit on the floor, facing me. He picked up one of my feet and started to rub his thumb up into my arch, making me moan. “But I’m sure there are less dramatic ways for us to show you how much we love and care about you.“

“Feel free to share like this any time,“ I sighed, leaning my head back on the couch.

I felt someone take the plate out of my hand and replace it with another. Sitting back up, I found the cake was gone and the new plate was full of meat and cheese with some fruit.

“While I know Zan was trying to be sweet, you really need to eat something that will stick with you for the rest of the afternoon,“ Jade explained, crossing his arms like he knew I wanted to argue with him.

While the cake had been tasty, I agreed with his choice to feed me real food. I sat and munched, while the guys talked about their parts in the upcoming coronation, giving me time to just be. Sooner than I would have liked a knock came at the door, before Becka and May joined us, along with Talia the dressmaker. Two more ladies followed shortly after with the pieces of my outfit, signaling that our break was coming to an end.

“Thank you guys for making this happen,“ I said, kissing each of them before they left. “I’ll find you guys out there, if you can’t find me, I’ll be the one getting crowned.“

“Look who’s got jokes,“ Pax teased, blowing me a kiss as he left.

Slipping out of my dressing gown, I stepped up onto the platform to be dressed. With all the leather and layers, it took us a few moments to get everything into place, but once we did, I just stared. Everything about my outfit exuded power and authority, while showing off that I was very much a woman under it all. The pewter and black contrasted the warmth of my skin and hair, making me stand out from the garment itself. Talia had outdone herself and I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome.

“They have the crown already and will place that on you during the proceedings. With how detailed the gown is, I don’t know that we need to add much more jewelry unless there is something you want to wear?“ Talia asked as she gave me a final look over.

“No there’s nothing, I was never big on collecting accessories,“ I answered, running my hands over the leather scales that had been carefully sewn onto the sleeves.

May came to stand before me, wearing her uniform noting her as one of my guardians. Black leather pants, a black floor length shirt with slits up the sides, and a fitted leather breastplate with the royal mark on the front. It made her look even more fierce than she did naturally and that was saying something.

“Are you ready, my queen?“ May asked, holding out a hand to me.

Taking one last glance at myself in the mirror, I took a deep breath and shoved all my scattered emotions into a box to deal with later. “Yes, I think I’m ready.“

Taking her hand, she helped me off the platform, and I placed my hand on top of her forearm as she escorted me from the room. Becka, who was dressed the same as May, followed close behind, watching my back. Once we reached the second floor, a pair of palace guards led the rest of the way into the throne room.

The space was full of flowers and other decorations the villagers had pulled together, making the space beautiful. The giant space was full of people watching as I was escorted to the steps leading up to the throne. What unsettled me slightly, was how silent the room was with so many people in it, almost as if everyone was holding their breath.

The four Viceroy of Sheca gathered at the top of the stairs, each in their colored robes matching the clans and associated dragons we’d joined together. The guards left to stand at their posts on either side of the steps, while May and Becka walked up to join my other guardian’s standing in a row behind the dragon throne.

“Who stands before us?“ Lawrence called out, his voice filling the space of the room.

While I’d memorized the normal response to these words days ago, I felt led to answer them in my own words. “The woman standing before you is but a humble servant to her people, who has been called by the fates to lead them in this time of great need.“

The Viceroy looks a little thrown by my answer, but Sal just grinned and stepped up to ask his question. “What gives you the right to claim this throne?“

“I, Cassarah, ancestor of a man who walked away from the clans for the promise of a title, was picked by the black dragon Vasin. But the truth is—I have no right to this throne, other than that given to me by the people standing here with me.“