Two days passed as subjects from Zolar and Zilva tried to wake the Zilva princess with a single kiss. Even the crew tried, and much to the First’s dismay, his kiss had not woken her. They all knew deep down that only one kiss would do, and that was gone. So all they could do was helplessly watch as the queues of men, both common and royal came and tried to break the spell.
Darkness had soon fallen and with it a similar mood. The First and Clues were keeping their usual vigil at Bri’s side while the others slept.
The situation was becoming dire and Xander was already preparing a state funeral for her. He had also started to gather other Zilva royals in the hope of finding an heir to rule in Bri’s place.
This was proving the most difficult as Bri’s ancestors had long been High Kings and Queens and now it was time to find another bloodline to replace them. The only real alternative was Bri’s mer-cousin, Brandish and he was reluctant.
The throne room had never felt so cold and quiet and Clues was struggling to keep himself awake, much to the disgust of the First. Every now and then the room would fill with a low grumble as sleep took him and the First would respond by punching him in the arm.
The sound of small footsteps reached the First’s ears and slowly he got to his feet and reached for his sword. He nudged Clues and held a finger to his lips as he noticed a movement in the shadows. Clues got to his feet, though not as elegantly and he too reached for his sword. The First stealthily moved around the edge of the room and slowly crept up behind the intruder and held the point of his sword at its back.
‘What is your purpose here?’ he asked.
‘First, wait!’ Clues said suddenly.
The First moved so he could face the hooded figure and seeing him, ripped the hood from his head.
‘You have no right being here.’
Clues shouted a servant to get the others as Orlson stood between himself and the First, whom by the looks on his face was still eager to run him through with the blade.
‘I came because Bri needs me,’ Orlson whispered.
‘It is Royal Highness to you.’
Orlson barely flinched as Xander’s fist connected with his face, but everyone was surprised enough to take a step back. Breathless from running Xander was not deterred as he still held his fists up.
‘I am not here to fight,’ Orlson said. ‘I will do what I need to and then I will leave. You will never see me in Zilva ever again.’
‘Go and hide in Nepta with the salamanders just like your father did,’ Xander spat.
Surrial stepped forward and placed himself between his prince and his newfound nephew. For once he looked at Orlson with some sympathy.
When angels matured, the phase from child to adult was an immensely intense time, which was why they went into the military. The excess aggression was able to be burned off and controlled in a constructive way. But Orlson had only just come into that power and when he had seen the Queen going towards Briganti with the dagger, the reaction would have been on a basic instinct to protect. Not his fault at all, but making others see it that way was another story.
‘At the end of the day we need him,’ Surrial said, ‘and if Briganti wants him to stay once she awakes then we have to accept her choice.’
The First grunted as he lowered his blade and Orlson gave a sigh of relief. Xander returned to Dorcus’ side and she gave him a reassuring nod and squeeze. He knew Surrial was right, but it still did not excuse the guardian’s actions. Taking the lead, he and Dorcus led Orlson towards where Briganti lay and they heard Orlson choke back a sob.
Since her changed form, Dorcus and Briganti’s ladies and dressed her naked body in robes of green silk and in the candlelight it shimmered just as her tail had done. Her face had now started to pale in colour as it seemed she, herself, was preparing to give up the fight.
Orlson looked down at her and felt heavy in heart. He had done this to her. He had allowed his own ego to cloud his judgement and now his princess was paying the price. Being seven years older, it was assumed once he reached a certain age he would resent his duties, but that had never been the case. They would fish in the sea for hours or chase each other through the muddy streets, finding a tree to huddle beneath and just stay there for hours. He loved her and now it was down to him to do the very last thing as guardian and that was to save her.
He stood beside the cold slab that she was laid upon and looked down at her. His heart was beating hard and he quickly looked back at the others. They all, apart from Dorcus and Surrial glared at him coldly, but the two of them gave him the smallest of smiles and a nod.
Reaching a hand behind her head, he was surprised how warm she still was despite the room holding a chill. He lifted her head gently and took a deep breath. It was now or never. So leaning in, he kissed her gently on the lips. He had no idea how long it would take for it to work as time seemed to tick away slowly.
‘You know we never tried the ship,’ Decks said, breaking the tense silence, ‘What? It’s an option,’ he defended, as they all looked at him.
Tears formed in Orlson’s eyes. They had all been certain that he was the one, but clearly Orlson’s kiss was no better than anyone else’s. He started to lower her back on to the slab when he felt her body twitch. His breath caught in his throat as her eyes fluttered open and he was met by their greenness. Then, suddenly she grabbed hold of him and was kissing him hard on the lips.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Though still in a state of disrepair there was no stopping Zolar from celebrating. Flecks of gold and silver confetti filled the air and crowds from both kingdoms filled the streets in joyous celebration. Zilvans and Zolans mingled together and enjoyed the party atmosphere. Children dressed as princes and princesses and enjoyed the freedom of playing in the streets, while their parents drank themselves merry and sang songs of hope and goodwill.
Inside the palace, drapes of gold and silver filled the throne room as well as subjects from each kingdom. Even King Aquim and his mers were in attendance causing the room to smell of the sea. Upon the thrones dressed in their finery, were the new High King and Queen of Celestia, Briganti and Xander. The wizards had placed the crowns of gold and silver on each head. Xander wore robes of silver, while Briganti wore a golden gown that matched her still-golden locks to honour the other’s kingdom.
Both rose from their thrones to a thunderous applause. Zilva had promised to do all it could to bring Zolar back to its glory and each had put their differences to one side for the good of Celestia. Hand in hand, Briganti and Xander descended the steps where Orlson and Dorcus waited. The four stood together as the room erupted once more. Briganti and Xander promised to rule as true partners, just not married ones, each marrying whom they chose.
Briganti, still in her gown boarded the Crux as Clues and Decks prepared the ship for home. Waving at Xander and Dorcus she felt a sense of relief flood her. Orlson’s arm was still at her waist and all she could think about was getting back home. It had seemed a lifetime ago that she had first arrived here with her mother preparing to marry the prince of Zolar and now she was the High Queen with the husband she never thought she would marry. But the question was after all that they had gone through, would they ever live happily ever after? She looked up at Orlson’s blue eyes as he smiled down at her and she shook such thoughts from her head. Of course. It is how every faerie tale ends, no matter what, she would live happily ever after.
Celestia's Tales: The Lybiria Scales Page 34