Crown of One Hundred Kings (Nine Kingdoms Trilogy Book 1)

by Rachel Higginson

  “Arrick Westnovian,” I hissed.

  He turned around to offer an arced eyebrow. “Lost princess of Elysia? It’s a little anticlimactic, don’t you think?”

  “I didn’t come up with that! My kingdom was stolen from me before I was old enough to receive my titles.”

  I heard him mumble, “And aren’t we all excited for you to collect those.”

  It was customary for visitors to bow before king and queen, but both jumped to their feet before I had made it halfway through the room.

  “It isn’t possible,” Hugo gasped.

  “How?” Anatal demanded. “How, dear girl, are you alive?”

  I didn’t know what to say or where to go. I didn’t know how to answer them without revealing everything. I wasn’t prepared for this moment. I stumbled forward and Taelon grabbed my hand steadying me. He directed me to the base of the steps leading to the royal thrones. I would never admit that I was grateful for his touch. But I wouldn’t have been able to speak without it.

  I swept into a rusty curtsy, only rising again when Anatal exclaimed, “Oh, we’re past that, child! Please speak before I collapse with heart palpitations. Where have you been all these years?”

  Suppressing a tremor, I said, “Heprin, Your Highnesses. On the day… on the day that my family was murdered, I escaped the castle with a brother of the Eternal Light. He took me to his temple, where he allowed me refuge for the past eight years.”

  “Refuge?” Hugo bellowed. “He had a princess hidden away in his monastery and he called it refuge? He should be tried for war crimes and conspiracy!”

  I stepped forward, raising my hand with desperation. “No! Please, no. You misunderstand. Father Garius was helping me. Truly, he saved my life. He fed me all these years, educated me. He gave me a home because he believed if I were to leave, I would suffer the same fate as my family.” Hugo and Anatal’s expressions fell.

  My father and Hugo had been fast friends. I had once heard my father tell my mother that if he had to lose his daughter to marriage, he would at least send her to the only palace in the realm he trusted.

  My hand tingled where Taelon held it in his.

  “Aren’t the monks of Eternal Light mute?”

  I nodded, this was more comfortable territory. “They’ve taken a vow of silence, Your Highness.”

  “And… and did you also?”

  I wanted to smile again at his concern. “No, Your Majesty. They allowed me to speak as often as I liked.”

  Hugo seemed satisfied with that answer. “And what of the rest? Tell us how you came to find my son. Tell us everything.”

  I cleared my throat against a wave of exhaustion. I hadn’t realized how the journey had affected me until now, until I was safe. My muscles seemed to unravel one by one and the determination I’d built as a wall slowly began to crumble.

  Hugo was a wise king, but would he believe my dreams? Or would he think me insane? “It was time,” I told him. “I couldn’t ignore the call to come home any longer. The monks felt it too. Together we decided that my place was in Elysia.”

  Hugo nodded, respect flickering over his face. Whether it was for me or the monks, I did not know.

  “And my son?” he prompted.

  I fidgeted and tried to pull away from Taelon, but his hand closed tightly, holding me fast. Fresh anger buzzed through me. “I found him quite by accident, My Lord. My companion and I had just reached Tenovia, when Taelon assaulted us in the Tellekane Forest. He trapped us, tied us up, and stole our possessions. It wasn’t until later that I was able to retrieve everything that belonged to me.”

  “Taelon!” his mother gasped.

  Hugo took a step forward, his skin turning a speckled red. “Is this your great mission? You assault helpless females in dark forests and call that revolution?”

  Taelon’s mouth moved open and shut a few times before he was able to say, “She trespassed on our ground! I assumed she was a spy. And I did not tie her up. She did that herself when she walked into one of our traps.”

  “I would not have walked into your traps, had you not riddled the forest with them! How was I to know that was your land? How is anyone supposed to know what a menace you are to—”

  Hugo broke into my rant with an amused, “I see your easy friendship was not preserved over the years.”

  A blush crept up my neck and blossomed across my cheeks. “Forgive me, Your Highness. I am exhausted from the journey.”

  “And my son’s company, I should expect,” he grunted.

  This time I could not hide my satisfaction. He waved a hand for me to continue my tale. “After he stole my satchel, I had no choice but to get it back. Oliver, er, my companion and I followed the crown prince and his men to their encampment. By the time we caught up with them, we realized our mistake. We were extremely outnumbered and without defense.”

  “What did he do this time?” Hugo sighed.

  “He helped, Your Highness. By the time we caught up with him, he was willing to escort us to Elysia.”

  Hugo’s gaze swept to his son. “Is that so? What changed?”

  Taelon waved at the pendant hanging around my neck. “I gave this to her when we were children.”

  Hugo leaned in to inspect it. “How did you know it wasn’t simply similar to the one you gifted?”

  Taelon’s spine stiffened. “I had my doubts at first. In truth, I have been looking for this necklace on every dark-haired female since the moment I lost sight of her. I didn’t know whether to believe that this was truly Tessana Allisand or if it was simply wishful thinking on my part. But over time, the more I got to know her, I knew. After spending time with her, I couldn’t deny that this was the lost princess.”

  A smile lifted the corner of Hugo’s mouth while I tried to remember to breathe. “Fair enough,” the king admitted. “Once you found each other again, you headed off to Elysia?”

  “Not exactly, Your Highness,” I added. “The crown prince hid his identity from me. I thought I was in league with a bandit and a rebel leader.”

  “You were.” Hugo waved a meaty hand at Taelon. “He just also happens to be the crown prince of Soravale.” His eyes drifted to his wife, then his son, then back to me. “It’s realm law, you see. I would have happily picked one of the other children to be the next in line. But it wasn’t up to me.”

  I nearly smiled again, but this time I knew it wouldn’t have been a wise move. Taelon became stone next to me.

  “I have a hundred more questions to ask you,” Hugo admitted with a sigh. “But it is late, and I know you are anxious for bed. I just ask… If I could…” He ran a hand over his face, and I was shocked to see this imposing force struggle for words. When his gaze lifted to meet mine, I caught a weariness there that surprised me. “Would you show me the crown? It is not that I don’t believe you. You are the spitting image of your mother. But I would like to erase all doubt.”

  “Yes, of course.” I reached into my bag. Shiksa jumped out of the way as I dug for it.

  Hugo and Anatal walked down the seastone stairs to join us. Their presence hovered over me, casting a shadow and making me fumble. I clasped the crown with ice cold fingers and pulled it from my satchel.

  It needed to be polished, but its identity could not be mistaken. Even Hugo’s seastone and silver diadem paled in comparison to the Elysian Crown of Nine.

  Hugo’s hand shook as he reached out to trace one finger along the center jewel. “Your father always wore this with such pride,” he whispered.

  Fresh grief poured through me at the pain in this gigantic man’s voice. But just as quickly as the tortured expression had appeared, Hugo shook it off and stood straight once more. “To bed with you,” he ordered. “We have much to discuss, but in the morning.”

  I curtsied low again and allowed Taelon to lead me from the room.

  Hugo’s booming voice chased after us, “Not you, Son. You will answer to me tonight.”

  Taelon turned and gave a dismissive bow before continu
ing to lead me down the carpet. At the doorway, he paused with my hand in his. His voice dropped low and he asked, “Will you be all right?”

  I nodded. “Yes. I’m safe now.”

  “Tessa, I never meant to bring you here. I had wanted to spare you from this.”

  “Why?”

  He shook his head and glanced back at his impatient father. “I’ll find you tomorrow. For now, sleep. Enjoy your reinstatement to royalty.”

  A moment of vulnerability seized me, and I clutched his hand. “I’m not sure I’m ready for this.”

  He hunched over to catch my gaze once more. “Tessana Hadlyn Allisand, lost princess of Elysia, if anyone is prepared for what’s ahead, it’s you.” He bent over and pressed a quick kiss to my forehead. “Go,” he ordered. “Sleep. Tomorrow there is much to do.”

  Releasing my hand, he left me to face his father. Haemon waited in the doorway for me. We stepped into the hall where we found Oliver slumped over on the floor, snoring softly.

  “I’ll take you to your rooms, Your Highness,” Haemon offered.

  I looked at Oliver and then at the long hallway. The crown felt heavy in my hands. “What happens if I try to run?”

  Haemon’s lips twitched. “Then I show you to your rooms and lock you inside.”

  I sighed. “Very well. Lead the way.”

  18

  The entire kingdom of Soravale ran along the Great Cliffs of the Crystal Sea. The country extended from the palace in Desmondin in either direction. Ancient dragons were rumored to sleep in the deep crevices of the cliffs, guarding their vast treasures. Soravale was rich with fish and shipping but mining the gems closer to the surface of the cliffs was what made it wealthy.

  Soravale had always been Elysia’s strongest ally. When the sovereigns of the Nine Kingdoms got together, the kings of Elysia and Soravale ruled the conversation.

  That said, Soravale and Elysia had never been united through marriage. It had been my father’s and Hugo’s hope that, after all these ages, my marriage would permanently unite the kingdoms once and for all.

  But tragedy had interrupted our fathers’ best laid plans.

  I was now on a different path, fated to go back home to Elysia, a country that, under original circumstances, I would have left in the pursuit of allegiance and marriage.

  I didn’t know how I felt about that. I had grown to feel something for a man I thought was called Arrick, but knowing Arrick’s position as a rebel commander, I hadn’t let myself consider a future with him. Now that I knew that same man was Taelon…

  There was relief that I hadn’t fallen for a true rebel. But there was also something else. Something like grief. I couldn’t explain it. And honestly, I didn’t even want to try. I simply wanted to take a bath, go to sleep, and pretend that my problems didn’t exist.

  The servants, a tall man and a short, squat woman, led us up silver-carpeted staircases and down corridors with more sapphire chandeliers and seastone candelabra. At last, we came to a set of doors that led to apartments.

  Of course, Oliver and I would be separated. That only made sense. Especially since he was a common male and I was a royal female.

  But it had been two months that we’d slept side by side. We’d kept watch over each other at night and pressed against each other in the cold. He had protected me. And I had protected him. And before we ever set out on this journey we had only been a wall away from each other.

  When the woman opened the door to my chambers, my heart thumped in protest. I couldn’t be separated from Oliver. He was the only thing I knew for certain. He was my only friend. My only real ally.

  I turned to him as he crossed the hallway. “This is strange, Oliver the Silent.”

  He rubbed his eyes and fought through a yawn. “But, my dear Tessana, in this too, we shall prevail.” Then he stuck his tongue out at me.

  Apparently, I was the only one that felt any sentimentality toward our quest.

  Crossing the threshold into my own rooms, I felt a little of what Oliver must have felt. The guest chambers were as stylish as the rest of the palace. In the center of one room sat an enormous four-poster bed. The bedding was of the finest silk, embroidered in Soravale’s colors. The furniture was crafted from the gleaming black cedars just across the border.

  A massive seastone fireplace took up one wall. A fire had already been started and made the room warm and inviting.

  The main room opened up to a balcony that overlooked the Crystal Sea. The Soravalian palace was built directly into the cliffs so that the balcony reached out over the water itself. And the sparkling salted mist danced across the horizon, making it shimmer, making it seem like I was looking into the reflection of the sea and not the sea itself.

  “A hot bath is waiting for you, Your Majesty,” the servant said with a stiff bob of a curtsy while she started forward to help me undress.

  “No, thank you. I am quite capable of bathing myself.” She did not look convinced, but I didn’t need to convince her. Maybe if I’d had the luxurious life of a royal I would need help, but there had been no one to bathe me at the Temple. Or dress me. Or coddle me in any way. “Are there clothes?”

  She bobbed again and opened the door to a wardrobe where nightclothes and undergarments hung. “The seamstress was called in as soon as the messenger arrived. These are what she had in her stores, but there will be more tomorrow. His Highness has spared no expense.”

  I turned away. “That is very kind of him.” I hated charity. And I hated even more that Hugo’s charity had to stretch to my undergarments. I would have to pacify myself with paying him back. With interest.

  I looked at the wardrobe. What exactly was the interest on brassieres?

  “Will you be needing anything else, my lady?”

  I turned to the plump woman, wondering how to respond like a royal. “I don’t think so.” I told her. She stared at me without moving. I nibbled on my bottom lip before I came up with, “That will be all. Thank you.”

  She disappeared into the hall, shutting the door behind her. I followed, anxious to lock it and be done with the night, the day, all of the days before now.

  The lock clicked into place and for the first time since before Father Garius had shown me the lost crown, I felt safe.

  I didn’t know whether Haemon would be standing guard outside all night or if he’d only been jesting with me. But I hoped he’d been telling the truth.

  Now that I was with allies again, I realized the danger of enemies. I wouldn’t have minded at all if the Soravalian royal guard decided to make a permanent camp outside the door.

  A tray of food had been left near the fire. After setting my satchel down where I could keep an eye on it, I picked up Shiksa and gave her a dinner of rich toasts slathered in spiced butter and a small helping of potatoes and green roots. Once she had her fill, I made a bed for her near the fire and left her to sleep off her meal.

  It was time to take care of me.

  My bath was as perfect as I’d hoped it would be. For the first time in months every last bit of me was scrubbed red and spotless. I even smelled good.

  I stayed submerged in the blue water until it grew cold, then I stepped onto a rug made of white fur and wrapped myself in a lavish robe. I had not felt luxury like this in as long as I could remember. I stood there drinking in each second until the fur at my feet started to move.

  “Shiksa!” I squeaked. “You scared me half to death.” I scooped her up and cradled her against the down of my robe. She yawned her reply and stretched in my arms. Her tiny claws snagged at my robe and her clear green eyes blinked up at me.

  “Are you afraid to be alone?”

  She stretched her neck and mewled. I walked from the bath into the main living room, deciding that just for tonight she could sleep with me in that huge bed.

  “I suppose Oliver isn’t the only sleeping companion I’ve had for the last few weeks.”

  “Are you talking to me?”

  I screamed at the top of my lungs a
nd nearly squeezed Shiksa to death. “Dragon’s blood, Arrick!” Arrick, grr! Taelon, was perched on a writing desk near the fire. The bath was tucked away in a separate room, but even if he had peeked in on me I wouldn’t have noticed. I’d been too absorbed in my own thoughts. And the shampoo. The shampoo had been very enthralling.

  “Tsk, tsk, Your Highness. That is not how a future queen speaks.”

  My heartbeat danced wildly. I clutched at the opening of my robe and decided now would be a magnificent time to die. If I could combust or crumble or fly away, that would be just perfect.

  “How did you get in here?”

  His slow smile was wicked. “I’m the Rebel King, remember? Surely all rebels know the ins and outs of poor locks.”

  I scowled at him, remembering the village that nearly burned in Tenovia. All rebels, in fact, did not know how to pick a lock. “How difficult it must be to manage two kingdoms. I’m not sure how you keep up with all your responsibilities.”

  “Are you very mad at me, then?”

  I ignored the repentant look on his face. Especially when it brought a sharp slice of nostalgia. “Yes,” I told him. “Very.”

  He stood and walked over to me. I clutched the seam of my robe even tighter. “You lied to me as well, Tessana Allisand. You cannot be upset with me for refusing to disclose the same information you kept secret from me.”

  “I can be mad at you,” I told him tartly. “And I will be.”

  “But it’s the same thing!”

  “No, it’s not. Firstly, you knew who I was. I was not keeping anything a secret from you, even if I had planned to. And secondly, you should have told me. The second you recognized me, you should have confessed.”

  “Ah,” he sighed. “So, I’m the villain because I did what you failed to do? Since I recognized you, but you could not see the truth in my features, I am the one to be punished?”