The king narrowed his eyes on the younger prince. “The girl has invoked a lesson that I was aiming to teach your brother. You need more than just a crown to rule a people. Loyalty comes in many forms—fear, power, and occasionally, trickery. Don’t be a fool to assume that inheriting the throne is the final step to becoming king.” The king paused, glaring at his reflection in his glistening ruby ring. “As for the true princess... I dealt with her twenty years ago. Her future was snuffed out the moment I laid eyes on her.”
A dark chill swept through the room, but neither prince flinched at the grim truth lingering in their father’s gaze. The king allowed a small, pleased smile, then straightened to meet both of their gazes. “The battle for the Ashbourne throne now rests between the two of you. I will be observing each of you with a close eye. Our kingdom shall only be ruled by the strongest, so if either of you decided to display the same weakness your brother has succumbed to...” the king paused, allowing the chill of his warning to seep into his children’s bones. “then you can join Killian with the swine.”
The two men exchanged a tense glare, neither flinching from their father’s intimidation. The king rose from his chair, resting his hands on his scepter as he stood. “You are both dismissed. I’ll summon you when the next opportunity arises for you to showcase your strength.”
“That should be everything! I guess it’s time for us to get going.” Aurelia pulled me into a quick hug and I squeezed her tightly. “We can’t linger any longer if we want to make it to the border before nightfall.”
We parted from our embrace, and I gave my half-sister a sad smile. “I know. I just hate to see you go so soon.” I sighed. “I only met you a few weeks ago; I would have liked to spend a little more time with my long-lost sibling.”
Aurelia let out a soft giggle as Elias snaked a hand around her waist. “We’ll be certain to visit when we can,” he said. “But it’s about time that we bring Sybettal’s rebellion to the attention of the Isallan court.”
I nodded, knowing perfectly well that they were leaving for good reasons. Once the rebellion had cemented itself, we decided it would be best if Aurelia and Elias acted as ambassadors for our cause. Aurelia held high influence as a Lady, and also maintained a personal relationship with the current Isallan queen, and Elias was a court judge. With their influence, we could likely expect the support of the Isallan court within the next few months. It was a long road to liberating our kingdom, but our people grew stronger with each step and the task only grew easier.
Killian swept up beside me, mirroring the Oberons by slipping a hand around my waist. To my relief, Aurelia seemed entirely relaxed by his display of affection. It had taken a few weeks for her to warm up to the ex-prince, but just as I had hoped, she had begun to notice the genuine qualities he possessed.
“Safe travels, you two.” Killian waved, grinning broadly as they hoisted their bags over their shoulders. “Be sure to write as soon as you get back. We’ll probably be at the northern outpost by the time you get back home, so send any postage there.”
Elias laughed, then took his wife’s hand. “We will. Take care!”
“Bye, Nixie! I’m sure we’ll see you again soon!” Aurelia shouted over her shoulder with her typical sunny smile and an oddly placed wink.Is she planning to return soon for any particular reason?
Killian and I waved until they had fully disappeared from our view. Once they were gone, we made our way back inside the safety of the newest rebel compound—a previous Ashbourne military outpost. Our numbers had grown exponentially after our first raid. As soon as the rebellion’s status spread throughout the kingdom, most of the Sybettal citizens who had joined Ashbourne fled their compounds to join us. Now that we had gained control of the military trade routes, it had become simple for us to provide for the citizens who were previously facing starvation. The kingdom was slowly becoming whole once again through the collective efforts of the citizens who fought to protect it. Everything was finally starting to look up.
Killian and I found our way into the main tent, where I was surprised to find no one else inside.That’s odd... Mother is usually at least inside organizing supply routes.I turned to question Killian about everyone’s whereabouts, but when I looked back at him, he had a nervous blush creeping up his neck.
“Are you alright, Killian? You’re looking a little red. Do you have a fever?” I raised my hand to press it against his forehead, but he caught me mid-movement, holding my hand with a gentle touch. I froze, allowing him to calmly rub soft circles on the back of my hand.That’s odd... he usually only does that when he’s nervous.
He placed his second hand on my cheek, and I could feel his heart racing through the touch. His eyes held mine with such intensity that I feared he truly was ill. I opened my mouth to question his odd behavior, but he silenced me with a gentle shush. “Nixie, there’s something that I’ve been wanting to ask you for quite a while now.” His voice was low and soft, and my breaths grew shallow as he leaned in closer. “I would have asked you sooner, but I had to smooth things over with your sister first.” He chuckled nervously. “Your mother was actually a lot easier to sway, but I didn’t want there to be any opposition when I finally got the chance to ask you.”
I sucked in a silent gasp, as Killian dropped to his knee, his hand still holding mine. “I know you’ve had enough proposals to last you a lifetime, so I’m hoping this will be the last one you ever receive.” Never shifting his gaze from mine, he pulled out a delicate silver ring from his pocket and held it up to glint in the light. “Nixie Greene, will you, a fake princess, make this ex-prince the happiest man in the realm and become my wife? No crowns, dowry, or kingdom required. All I ask is the chance to spend the rest of my life with the thief who stole my pride and replaced it with a humble desire to always stay by your side.”
My heart swelled with joy as I pulled his hand to jolt him to his feet. Killian wrapped his arms around me looking down at my lips greedily as I smiled back in pure bliss. “You already failed at stealing my crown... but I suppose I can let you steal my heart instead.”
And then, we kissed.