Princess Of The Skulls - Chapter 83: Chapter 83

The castle looked like a battlefield between gods.
Entire sections of the ancient structure had been warped by dimensional instability, their stone walls twisted into impossible angles that hurt to look at directly. The great hall where we had gathered for so many feasts and ceremonies was now open to the sky, its roof torn away by the forces we had barely managed to contain.
But we were alive. Against all odds, against cosmic forces that had been planning this invasion for centuries, we had survived.
Most of us.
I knelt beside the place where Mother had made her final sacrifice, my hands pressed against stone that still hummed with residual magical energy. There was nothing left of her physical form—the spirits who had followed her into the nexus had been consumed entirely by the working, their essence transformed into the magical seal that now protected our reality.
"She knew," I whispered, my voice hoarse from the battle. "She planned this from the beginning."
Father's consciousness was quieter now, diminished by the enormous power he had channeled during the ritual. But I could feel his grief and his pride in equal measure as he struggled to find words for what his wife had done.
"She saw the possible futures," he finally said. "The skull magic doesn't just let you speak to the dead.
At its highest levels, it lets you glimpse the paths that might be taken. She saw what was coming and prepared for it, even knowing it would cost her everything."
Kael moved to stand beside me, his hand finding mine with familiar warmth. "She saved us all," he said . "She saved everything."
"The question is," Aldric said from where he was helping Master Dorian tend to the wounded, "what do we do now? The political situation hasn't changed. Our kingdoms are still at war, our people still think this marriage alliance is the only path to peace."
I looked around at the destruction surrounding us, at the evidence of forces that had nearly unmade reality itself, and felt something fundamental shift in my understanding of what truly mattered.
"Then we tell them the truth," I said, rising to my feet with new resolve. "All of it. The conspiracy, the invasion, the real reason our kingdoms have been at war. We show them that the enemies we should be fighting aren't each other."
"And us?" Kael asked quietly, his eyes searching mine. "Where does this leave us?"
The question hung in the air between us like a blade. Through everything we had endured, through betrayal and revelation and the near-destruction of our world, the fundamental conflict remained. I was still betrothed to Aldric, still bound by political necessity to a marriage that would unite our kingdoms.
But I was also something more now. The ritual had changed me, transformed me from a princess who inherited power to a queen who had earned it through sacrifice and choice. The old rules, the old limitations, no longer applied.
"Aldric," I said, turning to face my betrothed with the honesty he deserved. "You know I care for you.
You've proven yourself a true ally and a good man. But we both know this marriage was never about love."
He nodded slowly, his expression resigned but not bitter. "I know. And I know where your heart truly lies."
His eyes moved to Kael, then back to me. "The question is whether we can find a way to serve our people's needs while also serving our own."
"There might be a way," Master Dorian said quietly from where he was bandaging a wounded soldier.
"The old laws, the ones that governed royal marriages before the recent treaties they allowed for what was called a 'war marriage' in times of existential threat. A temporary alliance that could be dissolved once the crisis passed."
I felt a spark of hope, but also a hint of caution. "What would that mean, practically?"
"A marriage ceremony that fulfills the treaty requirements," he explained, "but with a built-in dissolution clause. You would be wed for one year, long enough to establish the alliance and deal with the aftermath of all this. After that, you would be free to choose your path."
"And the political implications?" Aldric asked, his strategic mind already working through the complications.
"Both kingdoms get what they need," Master Dorian continued. "The alliance, the stability, the combined resources to rebuild. But the personal costs are minimized. It's not ideal, but it's a solution that serves everyone's interests."
I looked at Kael, seeing the conflict in his eyes. He wanted to fight for us, to demand that I choose love over duty. But he also understood, as I did, that the responsibilities I carried couldn't be set aside simply because we had won a battle.
"One year," I said slowly, testing the words. "One year to stabilize the kingdoms, to rebuild what was destroyed, to prepare for whatever comes next."
"And then?" Kael asked, his voice carefully neutral.
"Then I choose," I said, my voice carrying the authority of the crown I had truly earned. "Not as a princess bound by duty, but as a queen free to forge her path."
The sound of approaching footsteps interrupted our conversation. Soldiers and servants were beginning to emerge from the deeper parts of the castle, their faces showing the relief of survivors and the determination of those who knew there was still work to be done.
"Your Majesty," one of the guards said, dropping to one knee before me. "The dimensional disturbances have stopped. The rifts are sealed. What are your orders?"
I felt the weight of that title, the responsibility it carried, and the power it represented. But I also felt something else—the support of those who had chosen to stand with me, the love of those who had sacrificed everything for our victory, and the freedom that came from earning my authority rather than simply inheriting it.
"Send word to both kingdoms," I commanded, my voice carrying across the ruined hall. "Tell them the
Princess of Skulls is dead, consumed in the battle against forces that threatened our very existence. Tell them that in her place stands the Queen of Bones, and she has terms to discuss."