by J. E. Taylor
“Don’t let the world into the castle just yet. I’d like to show Maggie around first, so she can see what we all have done before we open the doors,” Henry said.
“Yes, my lord,” the handmaidens said in unison and left the room.
Henry escorted me out of my sick room and into the castle proper, into the chaos of servants running around setting up for the ceremony.
Amusement peppered my skin with warmth as I walked the halls of the newly decorated castle. The dark and dingy drapery had been replaced by festive colors. The rooms had brightened without the stifle of black magic. Windows glowed in the sunlight, and it was as if all the darkness shrouding the kingdom had fled with the death of Queen Odette.
Outside, the streets sparkled with activity and laughter. People seemed to be flourishing in the absence of evil.
The queen’s quarters were completely transformed. Henry had replaced everything with the modest furniture we had at the cottage. It was endearing to see all my stuff laid out the way we’d had it. Even my mother’s sword was mounted in the exact position it had been back home.
I stood and stared.
“Is something wrong?” he asked and fidgeted next to me in his royal colors.
I turned to him. “No. Not a thing is wrong with this room. And I have to admit, you have done a fine job with the rest of the castle. But there is one more room I need to see before the coronation.”
He paled and shifted his weight. “It’s not ready yet.”
“Is it clean?”
He nodded.
“Then I want to see it.”
“Fine, but Blackie isn’t going to be happy.”
“Blackie?”
“He’s overseeing the remodeling.” Henry pushed his hands into his pockets. “He wanted to be the one to show you what he has done to the space after the ceremony.”
I knew I should have been patient and waited, but I wanted to see what he had done up there. I wanted to see what he could possibly be doing to erase the horrors that still plagued my nightmares.
We approached the room, and I stopped, staring at the polished wood door. It was stunning in comparison to the marred door that had once been in its place. I ran my fingers down the soft grain and wondered whether the transformation of the room would do anything to quell the horror it once portrayed.
I pushed the door open. The ominous creak that had been there was no longer. The door swung open in a silent swish of air. I blinked at the brightness inside. Gone were the gray walls and the gullies in the floors, replaced by shining white stone.
Despite the beauty, my heart filled with trepidation as I crossed the threshold. I guessed visiting the place where you’d been meant to die would do that to almost anyone, but I still stepped inside, stubbornly swallowing the bitter taste of fear.
The blood pool had been transformed. Pristine water filled the white basin, sending refracted rainbows throughout the space. The throne remained on the now white pedestal, but it had been embossed in gold and jewels, adding to the brightness already blanketing the room.
Even the grand columns sparkled in white marble. My gaze didn’t know where to go. The room was stunningly beautiful. Sentries marked six spots around the room, and I blinked at the five I could see.
They were so detailed that I thought they were real. I gasped, covering my mouth. Motion in front of the sixth spot yanked my attention. Blackie swiveled and nearly dropped the palette in his hand.
“For the love of...” He glared at Henry.
“She insisted,” Henry said, putting his hands up in surrender.
I stared at the painting he stood in front of.
Bernard.
Blackie had even managed to paint Bernard’s wispy white hair perfectly. I had no idea Blackie was so talented with a paint brush. My gaze drifted back over the rest. Simon, Domino, Ruse, Klen, and Wally were just as flawlessly portrayed as Bernard. And every painting had them at their best moment, with their personalities captured on their painted smiles.
Blackie turned back to the painting and made a few final adjustments before hobbling back.
“I know they died in here,” he said with his back to me. “And I know it is hard for you to be within these walls, but I needed a place to honor their sacrifice without reliving the horror of their deaths. I needed to replace those memories with something capturing the beauty of each of their souls. A place to remember them in all their goofy glory.” He put his palette and brush on the table next to him and adjusted his crutch to turn towards me. “I thought about painting a waterfall on that wall and streams leading to the pool, but I like the feel of the white walls.”
“It feels purified.” I didn’t know where that word choice came from, but it felt right, purged of the darkness like everything else in the kingdom. “And you captured them at their finest.” I waved at the murals, blinking back the heat in my eyes.
I bit my lip and looked at the throne. The mirror behind it caught my attention, and I climbed the steps and crossed to the wall. My chest tightened at the sight. I stepped closer and ran my fingers over the gilded frame.
“Where did you find this?” I asked with a choked voice.
“In the storage area under piles of junk. Why?” Blackie asked.
“It was my mother’s mirror,” I whispered and stepped in front of it to see if the glass still contained a touch of magic after all these years.
“Mirror, mirror, on the wall...” I whispered before I touched the glass.
The image rippled like a pool of water. Just beyond the reflection of the room sat a bridge surrounded by the most colorful flowers in full bloom. The entire area was bathed in light. All six dwarves stood smiling at the foot of the bridge, and when my parents stepped from the light to welcome them, they all turned towards me and waved before being swallowed by the golden glow.
The image faded. I blinked back tears and laid my palm on the glass, saying my silent goodbyes with a much lighter heart than when I’d walked into this room.
I turned to Blackie and Henry and nodded. “You did a beautiful thing,” I said and sniffled.
Henry patted Blackie on the back, then climbed the steps and took me in his arms. He gave me the kind of kiss that made my knees weak.
When the kiss broke, I palmed his cheek and whispered, “Thank you.”
He leaned his forehead against mine. “Are you ready to rule this kingdom?”
I stepped back, took a deep breath, and smiled. “I am ready to accept my crown.”
The End
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About J.E. Taylor
J.E. Taylor is a USA Today bestselling author, a publisher, an editor, a manuscript formatter, a mother, a wife, a business analyst, and a Supernatural fangirl, not necessarily in that order. She first sat down to seriously write in February of 2007 after her daughter asked:
“Mom, if you could do anything, what would you do?”
From that moment on, she hasn’t looked back.
In addition to being co-owner of Novel Concept Publishing (www.novelconceptpublishing.com), Ms. Taylor also moonlights as a Senior Editor of Allegory (www.allegoryezine.com), an online venue for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror.
She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children and during the summer months enjoys her weekends on the shore in southern Maine.
Visit her at www.jetaylor75.com and sign up for her newsletter for early previews of her upcoming books, release announcements, and special opportunities for free swag!
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You might also enjoy other Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy novels from J.E. Taylor’s backlist:
NIGHT HAWK TRILOGY
Damian Andreas is an ancient vampire tasked with keeping the archangel bloodlines safe. Blinded by his hatred for Lucifer, he snatches Naomi Hawk from the devil to claim her
as his own. The moment his teeth sink into her neck, he realizes he has just broken his own vows.
When Naomi bites him back, his blood transform her into an immortal shadow, and puts Damian on a collision path with an angry archangel.
Single titles in this series:
NIGHT HAWK (Book 1)
TIGRESS (Book 2):
TRINITY RISING (Book 3):
THE RYAN CHRONICLES
Tom and CJ Ryan harbor the power of the Gods. Refusing to stand with Lucifer puts both of them, and everyone they love, on the devil’s hit list.
There are only so many ways you can break a man before his wrath changes the status quo. Rekindled by family, by love, by home and memories, the ruthless son of Ty Ryan steps into the shoes left under the family tree by his dad, and this time he’s out of mercy.
The series includes these single titles:
CJ’s Story:
ANGEL GRACE - Book 1
ANGEL HEART - Book 2
ANGEL WRATH – Book 3
Tom’s Story:
ANGEL BLOOD - Book 4
ANGEL FIRE - Book 5
ANGEL FURY – Book 6
MAGICK TRILOGY
Paige Turner’s magick skills are rusty, but she needs to refine her spells or her determination to save a very special soul will prove to be disastrous.
Single titles in this series:
MAGICK
BLACK MAGICK
PRACTICAL MAGICK
THE PARADOX FILES
A protector. A lost soul. A siren looking for salvation.
Kylee Paradox never expected to be a protector of humankind, but when hell’s portals open and let loose the creatures of the underworld, she can’t see any other way.
Armed with an ultimatum, Kylee has no choice but to embrace her new position as bounty hunter of the damned. Sending these monsters back to purgatory becomes her life’s mission.
The only glitches in an otherwise noble pursuit are those who hold her fate in their hands. They forbid her from using her deadly siren song to lure the beasts back to the pit.
If she harms even a single innocent soul in her quest, Kylee herself will become one of the hunted.
SILENCING THE SIREN – Book One
WAKING THE SIREN – Book Two
HUNTING THE SIREN – Book Three
FRACTURED FAIRY TALES
2018
RED
CINDER
BRAVE
TANGLED
FROZEN
SNOW
SPINDLE
BELLE
ROBYN
Look for more information about these titles and all of Ms. Taylor’s books on her website!
Sign up for Ms. Taylor’s newsletter HERE.