Golden Crown

by M. Lynn

La Dame’s words ran through Etta’s mind. She is a sacrifice. She’s not my sacrifice, she’s yours.

  She’d tried to get Etta to kill an innocent, hoping it would push her further into the dark corners of her power.

  La Dame knew Maiya to be an innocent.

  “What do you have behind your back, Maiya,” Etta asked calmly.

  Maiya lifted her eyes to meet Etta’s and pulled her hands around, holding up the Basile crown for Etta to take. “For you, your Majesty.”

  Etta’s hands shook as she folded them around the golden circlet, its jewels shining. Alex took it from her and she met his gaze in question.

  He lifted the corners of his mouth. “Allow me, my queen.” He set the crown atop her golden hair.

  A commotion sounded from the door and Edmund was all but carrying Matteo through. “Etta,” he began. “Now that you aren’t super angry or super dead, do you think you can heal Matteo so I can stop carrying him around? I didn’t trust any of the Draconians to do it.”

  Etta laughed despite herself. “Super dead as opposed to just dead? I’m glad to know you’re happy I’m still breathing.”

  “Just heal Matteo and then I can celebrate properly the fact you’re alive, La Dame is dead, and Alex showed up at the last moment to act like he had a hand in winning the battle when all he really did was steal some of our glory.”

  Matteo snorted. “Real funny, but kind of in pain here.”

  Etta’s brows drew together. “I can’t,” she admitted quietly.

  “Etta,” Edmund chastised. “We all know Matteo can be kind of an ass, but that’s no reason to withhold some of your magic goodness.”

  “I think I should be offended,” Matteo said with a wince. “But I just want to close my eyes.” His body started to slump and Edmund caught him.

  “Etta,” Edmund yelled. “Stop playing around.” He lowered him to the ground, his voice growing frantic. “Do it now!”

  Etta slid to her knees beside her cousin. “I can’t.” She looked down at her hands as if they’d betrayed her. Her next words were barely above a whisper but every person present heard her. “My magic is gone. La Dame’s power and the Basile power… they destroyed each other. When I took down the wall, every bit of both magics left me.”

  The room went so silent, they could have heard a snowflake hit the ground.

  Matteo groaned.

  “I can do it,” Maiya’s small voice echoed behind them.

  Etta glanced from Maiya to Alex. Could they trust her?

  “We don’t have a choice,” she said finally. “Do it, Maiya.”

  Maiya knelt beside Etta, laying her hands on Matteo’s chest. Before long, his breathing became more regular and his eyes opened once again. He coughed weakly and the entire room exhaled.

  Alex pulled Etta up beside him. “Is your magic really gone?”

  “The Basile power is. I still have the magic I was born with. It’s all I feel.”

  He pressed his nose to the side of her face. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded, realizing the truth. She was glad it was gone.

  “Etta,” Tyson said, hesitating. “You scared me… before… when we were down here.”

  She thought back on the fight. Tyson had been there. She closed her eyes, wishing he hadn’t seen that. When she opened them again, she walked toward him and wrapped her arms around him.

  “It’s over,” she said.

  After a few moments, his arms circled her waist and tightened. “It’s over,” he mimicked, his voice breaking on the words.

  She repeated the phrase in her head, trying to believe it. Everything was done, finished. The curse. The vengeful power she’d had within her for so long. La Dame. All of it. Squeezing her brother tighter, she released a breath and felt the emptiness she’d had since the breaking of the curse begin to fill.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “As the world ended, all we could do was watch,” Alex said, leaning back on his arms. He sat far from the walls of Dracon in a camp of their own making. None of them wanted to sleep amongst the ghosts of that fallen kingdom for one single night.

  “Um.” Edmund shot him a strange look from where he rested against a sleeping Matteo. “The world didn’t end, dumbass.”

  “It sort of did. At least the world we knew.” Alex had never seen Edmund openly affectionate with another man. He’d always known Edmund’s preferences but through the lens of his friend’s feelings toward him.

  The odd thing was that it didn’t feel odd to him. When his father lived, Edmund would have been imprisoned and perhaps even executed for it in Gaule, but as he’d said, that world no longer existed and his friend seemed happy.

  Etta sat a safe distance from Alex. She’d been different toward him since the shock of the day’s events wore off, but as she watched him, he knew something had changed. She’d once told him the magic was trying to control her. Now that it was gone, she’d become the girl who’d won the tournament in Gaule again. The one who’d created a meadow of flowers in the Black Forest and who’d given everything she had to save him from the tower.

  Alex met her intense gaze as he went on to explain himself. “For hundreds of years, La Dame has controlled this world. She destroyed kingdoms and struck such fear in others that they went to great lengths to avoid crossing her. Her own people served as nothing more than slaves to her whims. Now we’re all free. The Madrans and Belaens can once again control the seas with trade. The Gauleans can break free of the fear that rules their lives. The Draconians can live their lives as they wish.” He looked at them each in turn, finally landing on Etta. “Both La Dame’s magic and the Basile magic are no more.”

  “We’re free,” Etta breathed. “All of us.”

  “I still have a problem with your original statement,” Edmund cut in. “Some of us did a lot more than watch.”

  “You’re right.” Tyson smirked. “Etta broke the chains.”

  Edmund opened his mouth to protest again, but Etta shrugged, a beautiful grin appearing on her face. She touched the crown that sat on the table beside her. “I don’t know what you guys are talking about. I only came today to retrieve my crown.” Her grin widened. “La Dame died of old age.”

  Tyson nodded seriously. “Plausible. She was very old.”

  “The oldest,” Alex agreed.

  Edmund crossed his arms over his chest. “You aren’t going to take any of the glory, are you?”

  “What glory?” Etta asked. “I tripped on my way to the palace and knocked myself out.” She shrugged. “I only woke when I was dangling above a ravine. Missed the entire battle.”

  Alex laughed and Tyson joined him. Soon, a smile broke out on Edmund’s face as well.

  Tyson held a finger to his lips as he glanced toward the sleeping Amalie.

  Ara pushed into the tent and stopped abruptly when she saw the four of them awake. Camp had been hastily constructed and Etta invited all of them to share her tent. It would be tight, but she needed them surrounding her that night.

  “Your Majesties.” Ara dipped her head.

  “Ara,” Etta said. “It’s about time you call me Etta. Although the next time you go behind my back and fetch us some assistance…” She paused, shaking her head. “Thank you for disobeying me.”

  “Uh—you’re welcome, your—Etta.”

  “I’m going to need a council,” Etta said. “Ara, I’d like you to be on it.” She looked to Alex. “I will need a council, won’t I?”

  The words slipped out before he could stop them. “I don’t know. You should probably ask a king.”

  Etta snapped her jaw shut, her eyes never leaving him. “Alex,” she warned.

  “Come outside with me,” he said. “Please.”

  Alex led her to the edge of camp where a fire still lingered. Other than the posted guards, most people had gone to bed. It was too dark to see the ruins of the Draconian walls in the distance, but their presence still loomed.

  Etta breathed in deeply and raised her eyes to the
cloudless sky above. The clear night revealed thousands of tiny winking stars only partially obscured with the waning light of the fire. “Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?” she asked. Since the Basile magic left her, she’d felt like everything was new, fresh, like she was finally alive.

  “Never,” Alex breathed.

  She lowered her gaze to him, feeling the intensity of his words in every part of her. She touched her golden hair self-consciously, knowing she’d never again experience the brilliant glow. Her hair fell loose and wild down her back, still unkempt from battle.

  Alex stepped closer and pushed her hand away from her hair.

  “What did you mean before?” she asked quietly. “When you told me to ask a king.”

  His throat worked to swallow, and he pressed his lips together as he brought his hand up to touch his thumb to her bottom lip.

  “Alex.” She sighed.

  “I’m no longer the king of Gaule.” His voice strained as if the words physically hurt to say.

  His words took a while to sink into her mind and her eyes rounded. “Y-you…”

  “Gaule would never have peace with a king they rebelled against. I love my kingdom, but I had to leave.” He continued to stroke her lip. “I shouldn’t be King of Gaule when that throne is not where my loyalty lies.” He dropped to his knees, his eyes never leaving hers. “Persinette Basile, I pledge loyalty to the throne of Bela. I will fight for the queen until my dying breath. A life spent in service to her will be a life worth living. The Belaen people will be my people, the land my land. If the queen will have me as a loyal subject.”

  Tears built in Etta’s eyes as she saw a future she’d never thought could be hers, but there was one problem. “Get up,” she said. When he did, she smacked his arm. “What are you thinking? You can’t give up your throne. Your entire life, you’ve been meant to be king. You’re such an idiot, Alex. I can’t believe you left Gaule. You will go back tomorrow and tell them that you’re king and no one else deserves to sit their butt on that throne and—”

  He kissed her, cutting off her rant. She didn’t respond at first and felt him begin to pull back, but then she made a sound in the back of her throat and pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around his neck and parting her lips to deepen the kiss.

  He pressed her to him, lifting her off her feet.

  “Etta,” he whispered, dropping kisses down her face to her neck. “My Etta. My protector, my charge, my love.”

  “You’re still an idiot,” she said, shivering under his touch.

  He chuckled against her skin. “The thing you don’t understand about me, Etta, is that I was never meant to be king. I was simply meant to love a queen.”

  “Then yes,” she said. “This queen accepts you into her kingdom for as long as you’ll stay.” She kissed him again. “I love you, Alex. Even when the magic was twisting me up on the inside, I loved you.”

  “I will always love you.”

  “I think you’re wrong though.” She grinned, her eyes twinkling.

  “You always think I’m wrong.”

  She laughed. “What I mean is that you were meant to be king, you were just in the wrong kingdom.”

  “Don’t you dare…” he said.

  “Why not?”

  “We just finished basically saving the world.”

  She raised an eyebrow in response.

  “Okay, you just finished saving the world. Everyone is exhausted. We’re sleeping within sight of the Draconian ruins. La Dame has been gone for less than a day. Right now is not the time for big decisions.”

  She put her hands on her hips. “I think it’s the perfect time. Don’t you contradict your queen, Alexandre Durand.”

  “Wow, you’ve been my queen for not even ten minutes and already exercising your power.”

  She winked. “Basically. Alex, I love you. That’s never going to change. For the first time I’m finally seeing everything clearly. Today has been the most insane day in all the histories of our kingdoms. Please just let me have this right now.”

  When he didn’t respond, she smirked. “Do I have to make some big declaration?” She ran back toward her tent. “Edmund, Tyson get out here.”

  They scrambled out. “Is someone attacking?” Edmund asked. For months, she’d been locked inside herself unable to break free. Now, there were no curses, no chains, only a crown, but the crown didn’t mean anything to her without the people she loved. Etta had never expected to fall in love. She hadn’t imagined having friends or family other than her father. The world she’d grown up in was so small, only existing among the trees of the Black Forest. It hadn’t allowed her to think of any kind of happiness for herself.

  Exhaustion tugged at her, but she wouldn’t wait a moment longer for the future to begin.

  “Etta,” Tyson said carefully. “Are you okay? You look flushed. You’ve been through so much today. You should lie down.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not closing my eyes this time. Not when it’s all right in front of me.”

  Matteo stumbled out of the tent rubbing his eyes. “What are you all doing out here?”

  The fire shrank down to glowing embers. A targeted burst of air brushed past Etta and she grinned as the flames kicked up once again. The Basile magic might be gone, but she loved knowing she was surrounded by other magic every day.

  Edmund flashed his teeth.

  Ara joined them and for a moment, no one spoke as they soaked in the peace none of them had been sure they’d ever see again.

  Etta faced the people she trusted most in this world. The ones who’d put their faith in her. Who’d believed in what she could do even when she doubted.

  “Kneel,” she commanded.

  They didn’t hesitate.

  “Matteo, Tyson, Edmund, Ara… I name you to the queen’s council. Some of you earned this right by blood.” Tyson and Matteo glanced up. “All of you have earned it by sacrifice and courage. Rise.”

  Edmund was the first to break the silence that followed. “I think we’re going to need some more experienced council members.”

  “I agree. That’s why your first task is to decide if there is a problem with me taking a non-Belaen as my husband.”

  Alex started choking beside her and Edmund laughed.

  Matteo, ever the serious one, was the person who answered. “Phillip allowed his son to wed a Draconian when he took Rapunzel to wife, did he not? And now we don’t have to worry about diluting the Basile magic.”

  Etta closed her eyes. She hadn’t thought of that. Just another reminder that her ancestral right had vanished. If the Basile magic were still within her, she’d need to worry about the effects of taking someone without magic as her husband.

  She opened her eyes and sucked in a breath. Alex’s eyes were fixed on her face, the fire reflecting off his irises, making the flames dance in his gaze.

  The Basile power was gone, but perhaps this was a kind of magic as well.

  Matteo continued to speak about Belaen history, but his voice faded into the background. Etta had gone into the day thinking she wouldn’t make it out alive, but she had. Now the question stood, what was she going to do with her second chance?

  “Marry me,” she said, her words cutting Matteo off mid-sentence.

  Alex’s lip twitched.

  “Marry me,” she said again. “This world has worked so hard to keep us apart and I won’t let it anymore.” She took a step toward him. “Marry me because this is the only kind of magic I need. Marry me because—”

  “I love you,” he finished for her, pulling her to him once again. “Marry me.”

  “I already asked you that.”

  He grinned. “Forever.” He kissed her again.

  She smiled against his lips, knowing that forever was something she could finally have. Their lives were theirs now and there was no more time to waste.

  Epilogue

  The queen of Bela sat alone on the edge of the white cliffs. She let her legs drop over the side as
she peered down into the calm waters below. It was a rare day that didn’t see the churning ocean thrashing against the rocky face.

  There hadn’t been a day of such importance since the time of Aurora and Phillip.

  She held her hand at her side, palm down, pulling the grasses from the earth with her magic. It was all she could do now. She created flowers and helped with the clearing of land for new building projects.

  When she wasn’t ruling her people.

  Two years had passed since the day her people were freed from the threat of La Dame. They’d been an uneventful two years, and that was okay with Etta.

  Bela made progress. They’d lost a lot in the battle. Many of her people didn’t make it home, but she was glad for what they had left.

  Behind her stood the royal residence, built right next to the ruins of the old Belaen seat of power. It wasn’t some grand palace like the one before it. Instead, it consisted only of a small throne room and living space the size of a large cottage. It wasn’t opulent, but it was home.

  A presence appeared behind her and she knew who it was before he even spoke.

  “You know I don’t like when you get so close to the cliffs.” Alex sighed indulgently.

  The traitor who called himself Edmund had been filling Alex’s ears with stories of Etta on these same cliffs.

  “I told you before,” she said, her eyes continuing to sweep the horizon. “I was only testing my magic.”

  “And Edmund had to save you.”

  She shrugged. “Payback for all the times I’ve saved his ass.”

  He laughed. “Well, your Majesty, I’ve come to tell you our first wave of guests have arrived.”

  She scooted away from the edge and stood. “Thank you, your Majesty.” She grinned up at him and stole a quick kiss.

  They’d combined a wedding with a coronation for Alex. He hadn’t enjoyed ruling Gaule alone, and she didn’t like the idea of doing the same with Bela. Plus, Alexandre Durand was meant to have a crown on his head.

  He held out her crown. “You need it to greet them.”

  She took it and set the golden circlet on top of her short blonde hair. She’d been pleased to find it easy to cut once the power had left her. She’d wanted a fresh start, separated from the deeds of her ancestors.