Page 140 of Uncrowned

Vaughn let out a low growl. “She’s here.”

The Magister opened his book.

“Let us begin. Penelope, take your place.”

He paused as I cautiously stepped forward.

“Today, you stand before The Order of the Unavowed. Not as queen but as the Intended. You are not a woman bound by crown, but by oath. Not by throne, but by blood.”

I stared into the darkness of his veil, lost in the mystery of who this man was. The darkness that stared back at me gave no hint.

“As we begin, you must know if you take these vows, they remain forever. Vows are only broken through death. You have already vowed before…”

My chin lifted.

“I have, and I stand by those vows to the guard. I am already a part of The Order. A little or a lot doesn’t matter. I wish to remain.”

“Then you will swear these truths…”

His voice echoed through the chamber, and I could hear Vaughn shifting behind me. Trembling had my body shaking. I fisted my hands, trying to search out my true motivation for my decision to strengthen my vows to this place. Was it because I had no family left? Was it because I fell in love with the man behind me? Or was it a twisted yearning for both? No… It was because I believed in truth. Vaughn was the real king.

“Loyalty comes before life: The Order stands before country and kin.

Silence above mercy: What is seen within The Order remains within The Order.

Blood above comfort: Trial above fear.

The Crown above all: The rightful line must be restored, no matter the cost.

Betrayal is death: No soul who breaks this oath lives.”

“Do you understand these vows?”

I stood taller, feeling every declaration find a home inside of me.

“I do, and I swear and accept all of them.”

The Magister nodded.

“Turn and face The Unavowed. Repeat after me.”

When I turned, the anger was no longer present on Vaughn’s face. It was devoid of anything at all… As the Magister began to talk, I repeated, keeping my gaze locked with Vaughn’s.

“I give my loyalty… To the Order… To the lion who has fallen… To the blood that was betrayed… I swear my voice to silence, my strength and my life to the restoration of the throne.” The Magister circled around me, still talking, and I continued to echo his words.

“If I break this oath… May my blood be spilled as sacrifice, and my name be erased from history forever.”

Vaughn shifted again. The Magister waved to someone in my peripheral. I turned, taking a deep breath as my stare jumped back to Vaughn’s. I wouldn’t look at the glowing end of the poker the man held as he walked up to me. I wouldn’t look. I wouldn’t look…

Pain.

I knew pain.

It was life.

It was love.

The man stepped between me and Vaughn, and I closed my lids, not prepared for the amount of pain that took over. An inferno of heat melted my skin, searing the fire into my very soul as the upside-down crown was pressed over my heart. All of my life I’d cried over everything. Emotion was just part of who I’d always been. But there were no tears as I accepted my fate, only a bright white flash in the darkness as a cry escaped me. I held still feeling the blistering pressure ease almost as fast as it appeared—but the burn didn’t subside.