World Devoted

by Emily Albert

  Coira looked back and forth between them. “What’s wrong? Have you already met?”

  “Yes,” Joran sputtered. “All because of those amulets…” He started to bite his nails. “I should never have… I just thought it would…”

  Lenna stared at Coira flatly, “I thought he murdered my mother.”

  Coira just barely laughed and said to Joran, “That was you?” Then to Lenna, “Gods, I heard about the poor man locked away in an asylum for carvin’ some wooden amulets.” She looked at Lenna, disbelieving.

  “Like I said, I thought he murdered my mother.”

  “But… he didn’t… You should’ve let him out the second you figured that out. You know you’ve got the power to do that, right?”

  The people could hate you for this if they find out. You have to win them over, remember? It’s the only way to the throne.

  But Coira’s judgmental face kept Lenna’s guard from going down. She could do what she wanted.

  She snapped, “Hey, you know you’re still talking to your princess—your queen—right? Don’t talk to your queen that way! Show me some respect!”

  Joran slid back in his cell and Coira backed down, still bristled. She said, “I apologize, your Majesty… It’s a good thing the guard couldn’t hear you above all this racket.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Let’s just get this over with.”

  “You’re the one who wanted to sneak around… Okay, fine. Ask him what you need.”

  “Joran, come over here. I have questions about my father, and his father.”

  He sat on the floor, pressed against the wall, stroking the bloody symbols. He looked at Coira warily and said, “What if she…”

  “You’re behind bars. She couldn’t get at you if she wanted to, my friend.”

  “Okay.” He crawled over toward the front and said, “I can tell you anythin’ you want to know, anythin’ I remember.”

  Coira sat on the floor in front of the cell as if she had done it hundreds of times. Lenna could only imagine when that floor had last been cleaned.

  “I want to know what it was like when Ollivan went mad. What did he look like?”

  “Well, everyone loved Ollivan.”

  “I know that! That’s not what I asked. What happened when he went crazy?”

  Joran took in a sharp breath. “It was terrifyin’ for all of us. We trusted him. We depended on him to take care of us. He said he would fix everything. He started to, he… Then he started to break down, and we could see it. He would become totally paralyzed durin’ speeches and the like. Someone would ask him a question and he would just stare at a wall.”

  Lenna nodded for him to continue.

  “That’s how it started, anyway. That part wasn’t so bad. A little worryin’, but… Then it got worse, even scarier. We thought he would get better though. He was this superhuman king to us, like he could fix anythin’, includin’ himself. And we watched him break down until he didn’t seem so strong anymore. Well, he probably thought he was strong. He would always yell at people who just asked him a question. They weren’t even hard questions, just like, ‘How are the plans for the new buildin’s coming along?’ But every time he would find somethin’ wrong with it. ‘Why are you so greedy?’ he would say. ‘I told you in the last meetin’ that I would do it, and I will! You’re all so ungrateful.” Joran flinched at his own words. “I’m sorry, your Highness.”

  Coira cleared her throat.

  “Your Majesty! Your Majesty! I cannot apologize enough!”

  “Yes, very good,” Lenna said. “What else do you know? What caused him to start going crazy?”

  “Like I said, I don’t remember much. So the answer could lie in the gap in my memory, but it didn’t seem like there was anythin’ that caused it. It was all goin’ perfectly until… well, until a little after he became King. I don’t know why that would happen. It’s probably nothin’. You’d think he would be happy to become King. There was probably nothin’ in his life that caused it. I mean, he was loved. He had a beautiful wife, and would soon have children…”

  Lenna was quiet, mulling over her life. Ollivan’s story about the thing in his head taking over and making him drunk with power was the only answer she would get. He was the only one who could have known about it, so no one else could confirm. But it made sense. It also made sense that he assumed it would be passed on to her. She would fight harder than he had to stay sane, but she had already gotten a taste of how it could change her.

  Coira leaned closer to Joran and chimed in, “Ollivan just came back, that’s why she’s got questions. She never knew him, so you know…”

  Joran looked as close to Lenna as his nerves allowed and said, “I… I think it started when he became King, so that means it was around the time his father, King Darrian, died.”

  Ollivan had gone mad when he was free to become King. With Ollivan’s leave and Fay’s death… But she wouldn’t go mad. She was stronger than him.

  Lenna nodded and took a long breath. “Yes, I think you’re right. What was King Darrian like when he died? And how did he die?”

  Joran shuddered and looked at Coira pleadingly. “Must I…”

  Coira nodded and jerked her chin toward Lenna. “Go ahead. I know it was hard.”

  He wrung his hands and said, “I wasn’t alive for his full reign, but… it was horrible. It was such a relief to have King Ollivan in power ‘cause under King Darrian’s rule, there was chaos in Haeden. The common people got poorer and poorer, while he just got richer. Amazingly rich, like none of us thought could ever happen. Then we looked at all we had lost—most of our crops, clean water, and strong buildin’s—all ‘cause of the insane taxes. He spent money that was supposed to stay with families, farmers, and business owners on jewels and gods know what else—oh, I’m sorry. I’m not tryin’ to offend royalty, your Majesty. But you can see just from walkin’ through the city that it’s still not all fixed.”

  “It’s better than before, though? My father was able to fix some of it?”

  “Yes. King Ollivan did a lot for us. That’s why we loved him. He sold all the fancy things his father had bought and put the money back into helpin’ us. He lowered our taxes below what they had been before King Darrian’s reign.”

  If a mad king could improve a kingdom and earn their love, even for a little while, she could only imagine what she could do.

  “But there’s so much wrong, and it’s impossible to climb out of the hole King Darrian dug. We’re in too deep.” He shrugged lazily. “Dysfunctional rulers became our normal, but it was tough watchin’ both of our kings crumble. The day after King Ollivan tried to attack someone at an open meetin’, he disappeared. Queen Fay had just had you and Prince Remy. Even with the joy of two new babies, she started to break down. She loved us, and we loved her. She tried to help. She was able to rebuild a bit, but...” He looked down, ashamed.

  “Anyway… King Darrian died in war. He tried to wage war on two countries at once. It was Euris and… I’m not sure. My memory these days…He told us that after he took those two, he had plans to take more. He would take the whole world, he said. He insisted on fightin’ in battle, and he was shot by an arrow and killed. I heard he stepped in front of it to taunt a soldier.”

  There was no hint of grief in Joran’s face. Darrian had deserved to die.

  Lenna said, “Did King Darrian act the same as King Ollivan when he went mad?”

  “Yes, pretty much the same. Strange thought, now that you mention it.”

  “Yes, you could say that.”

  “You won’t be like that, your Majesty. I hope you’ll be infinitely better than them.”

  “I know. I already am.”

  Coira looked at her, then back at Joran with a concerned look.

  He brightened a bit. “Have you started on the broken buildin’s? The food and water?”

  “Are you questioning me? I haven’t even begun my reign yet, not technically. But once I do, my kingdom will be better than it has e
ver been. Haeden will be more powerful than any other country.”

  Joran and Coira exchanged glances.

  Joran said hesitantly, with no passion, “Unfortunate that I won’t be out in the world to see it.”

  Lenna growled as quietly as she could, “What, you doubt me? You don’t believe that you would be living in the best kingdom in the world if you were out of this asylum? You think you’re better off here? That’s okay, because I don’t need anyone in my kingdom with a trace of doubt that I will make the country great!”

  It is no use wasting your energy on tormenting this man. You must calm yourself.

  “He doubts me,” she muttered fiercely.

  He doesn’t matter. He means nothing locked in here. He is not a threat. Calm yourself.

  Coira touched her arm and brought her out of her trance. “Your Majesty?”

  Lenna composed herself. “Joran, I will let you stay in her for the rest of your life, just as you wish, but I have one final question.”

  Joran shuddered. “No, I—”

  “Are you refusing to serve your queen?”

  Coira said, “Your Majesty,” so quietly that it could not be heard when Lenna spoke over her.

  “Is Ollivan the sort of man who loves ruling? Would he take the throne from his child, for instance? His child who has earned it?”

  Joran thought. “From his child? I don’t think so. It certainly fit him. Well, it fit him when he was sane. Later, it fit him a little too snugly. It was attached to him. But if you say he has come back in his right mind, then no, he wouldn’t take it from his kin.”

  “Wonderful. Valuable information.”

  Coira said, “Lenna, just let him…”

  Joran whimpered as Lenna walked back through the putrid asylum halls, trusting that Coira was following her. Though she heard her footsteps, Coira was silent.

  Twenty-Seven

  Lenna’s stomach fluttered as she walked into the council meeting. There was a smile stuck on her face. Her guardian hummed and whispered excitedly. The council had called this meeting. Surely, this would be about her becoming Queen. She had been engaged to Marco for two months, so she was no doubt stable enough in their eyes. This was the day she would hear those words: “You will be Queen.”

  As she faced her advisors sitting around the table, she said, “I can assume what this is about. Go ahead, you can get on with it. I’m ready.” She pulled out the head chair to sit in and clasped her hands together on top of the table. “Well?”

  Every council member looked around nervously and took awkward breaths. They each looked at the others as if daring someone else to speak.

  “Well?” Lenna repeated more forcefully.

  One of the elders, Alea, said hesitantly, “We understand you are eager to move up and become Queen, but—”

  “But what? I don’t want to hear any ‘but’s! I am the most qualified person for the position, I am in a stable engagement, and I want it the most! Is that not enough for you? What do you want? This is madness! You wanted someone to back me up—fine. I have been engaged for a while. I also have a lady in waiting! Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t be coronated right this instant.”

  Alea’s eyes were concerned. “It’s just that…”

  Ricard Mars chimed in, speaking to Lenna as if she were a child throwing a tantrum. “Now that Ollivan is back, and you are not yet married, we think it might be best if he takes over, at least for a little while.”

  “No, I meet all the criteria now! You can’t go back on your word!” Lenna slammed her fists on the table and all her advisors jumped. Some went red and looked as if they might cry. “Did you even consult him about this? He doesn’t want to be King. He wouldn’t take this from me.”

  Ricard said, “Well, not exactly, but we will. We’re fairly certain he will take the throne if asked. We think this is the safest option at this time.”

  “You will have your chance, but seeing as our lost king has returned, it only seems fair,” Arton Stallis said.

  Devon looked down at his hands under the table.

  “Lord Stantio, what do you think about this?” Lenna said. He didn’t lift his head up. “Hey! I said, what do you think about this?”

  Devon murmured something that sounded like an apology.

  “What was that? Speak up!”

  He just shook his head.

  Lenna looked around at her advisors desperately, but they were all flustered.

  “I see… This is Ollivan’s doing. He has wanted to become King this whole time, hasn’t he? I knew it! And now he’s manipulating you all to get you to say this. Otherwise, why would you all betray your queen? Of course…”

  “That’s not it, your Highness. That’s not it,” Alliah Colliff said evenly.

  “What is it then? Give me a reason!”

  “It’s nothing against you, truly,” Alliah said, but Lenna wasn’t sure it sounded convincing enough. “Backup of a spouse is important…”

  “Ollivan doesn’t have a spouse!”

  Alliah looked around for help to no avail. “No, but he ruled for so long… We know you will make a wonderful queen.”

  “The best,” Arton said.

  “But the simple, unfortunate truth is you have had no chance to prove yourself thus far. Ollivan had proven that he has what it takes. He has to be our default.”

  “What are you even talking about? He went crazy, or do you not remember? You’re not giving me any real reasons. You're just making yourself look like liars!”

  She ran her hands through her hair, which she hadn’t realized had been neglected for weeks. She let out a short, exasperated laugh.

  She said, “Ollivan ran away and doesn’t deserve the throne, and you all know it!”

  “Look,” the elder Ora Whistler said tiredly. “We are part of the decision-making here. If we don’t all agree, it doesn’t happen.”

  “It’s supposed to go to a vote. So raise your hand if you think I should become Queen, unchallenged by Ollivan or Remy.”

  No hands were raised; they all fidgeted instead. She saw Devon rub the bridge of his nose, trying to steady his breathing. She stared at him, but he did not meet her gaze.

  Vince finally spoke up. “As a close, friend of Ollivan’s, I believe that he has come back refreshed and strong, and he will be a great king.”

  “I can’t believe this!” She slammed her hands on the table and got the same reaction as before.

  Ora said, “Whether you think it’s fair or not, it has to be this way. Another option is to release Remy and have both of you take the tests, then let the best sibling rule. This will prove that you are truly worthy of it. Otherwise, it is safest to let Ollivan take over for a while, until you or Remy are ready. You’re both so young, after all.”

  “I’m nineteen! There are countless rulers who started at sixteen, or even fourteen!”

  “All of those rulers have proven to be unsuccessful,” Arton said.

  “Do any of you hear what you’re saying, or are you just blindly following Ollivan?”

  They all stole glances at each other.

  “Right, okay. I’m going to talk to my father.”

  Illyn Jarar called after her, “Lenna, wait!”

  Then she heard quiet, hopeless words coming from Devon: “Let her go.”

  She stopped in her tracks for just a moment, then continued to storm through the halls to Ollivan’s room.

  When she got to his room, she burst in. All four guards tried to stop her but failed. Ollivan sat writing at his desk.

  “I know what you did! How could you!”

  Ollivan kept at his writing and said patiently, “And what is it that I did?”

  “Don’t play dumb, I don’t have to explain it to you!”

  “I really, truly, don’t know what you’re referring to. I have been in my room writing most of the time I’ve been here.”

  “You can do an awful lot from your room. It’s not that hard to call a royal advisor to your room and tel
l them to make you King. You told me you didn’t want the throne! How did you pull that off, by the way? Did you bribe them?”

  “That wasn’t me,” he said, finally looking up from his paper. “I was being honest when I told you I don’t want to be King. But I’ll bet it’s your friend Grace. She came to me the other day asking if I would become King. I told her no of course, just like I had told you.”

  Lenna wanted to accuse him of lying, but she believed what he said. She felt the same gut-wrenching fear she had felt because of Grace before.

  “Why did she ask you that?” Lenna demanded.

  “I don’t know. I could guess. Apparently, she doesn’t like you for some reason. She tried all different things to get me to agree to become King, some of which I won’t mention. When I declined, she stomped out of the room, screaming at me like a madman.”

  “I know she doesn’t like me. She thinks I’m not fit to be Queen. She thinks I murdered my mother instead of Remy, so she wants Remy to be King!” The anger she had felt toward Grace came back suddenly; now there was a fire inside her.

  Ollivan must have seen it, and he said, “Well, I can’t say I’m too keen on you becoming Queen myself, but I wouldn’t do that to you. I know it wasn’t you who killed your mother.”

  There was a pregnant pause. “So you have no idea what Grace could have done to manipulate my advisors?”

  Ollivan shook his head regretfully

  He said, “And by the way, I won’t pretend I don’t want your brother released. I would want him to become King over you to keep everyone safe, but don’t think I would hurt you to force it. I want you to believe it’s the best thing for you.”

  Lenna stared at him for a second, then scoffed and turned around to leave.

  Lenna’s next stop was Devon. He had obviously known something in the meeting. Maybe he had been helping Grace. She kicked herself for not suspecting him sooner.

  She looked in every room she could think of to find him, then eventually found him slumped in the same spot in the council room with his head down.