Princess Of The Skulls - Chapter 89: Chapter 89

The throne room of the capital was a graveyard of marble and gold, its once-pristine floors now cracked and stained with the evidence of the battles that had raged through its halls. I stood before the Obsidian
Throne—my throne now—surveying the assembled lords and ladies who had survived the political upheaval of the past weeks.
"Your Majesty," Lord Harwick began, his voice carefully neutral despite the fear I could see in his eyes.
"The northern provinces are still experiencing difficulties with the dimensional aftereffects of your working."
I nodded, unsurprised. The anchoring ritual had stabilized the worst of the damage, but the magical energy I had channeled to defeat the ancient evil had left scars across the kingdom that would take time to heal. "What kind of difficulties?"
Reports of time distortions in the Greenvale region. Crops are aging decades in days, while some animals appear to be aging backwards. The people are concerned."
Concerned. Such a diplomatic way to describe the terror that my newfound power inspired. I had saved the kingdom, but at a cost that made many of my subjects wonder if the cure had been worse than the disease.
"I'll ride north within the week," I decided, ignoring the sharp intake of breath from several council members. "The instabilities respond to my presence. I can stabilize them permanently, but it requires direct intervention."
"Your Majesty," Lady Morwyn interjected, "perhaps it would be wiser to send representatives. Your safety —"
"My safety is not the priority," I cut her off, my voice carrying the cold authority that had become second nature since I claimed the crown. "The stability of the realm is. I will not rule from behind castle walls while my people suffer the consequences of my choices."
The silence that followed was heavy with unspoken concerns. They had accepted me as queen because I had the power to protect them, but that same power terrified them. The skull relics around my neck— now numbering in the dozens—served as a constant reminder of the forces I commanded.
"What news from the Thornfield territories?" I asked, turning to Lord Blackwood, who had assumed temporary governance of the conquered lands.
"Prince Aldric has been cooperative in the transition," he reported carefully. "He's asked to meet with you privately to discuss the terms of his house's surrender."
Of course, he had. Aldric had kept his word throughout the final battle, fighting alongside us against the ancient evil even as his father's forces crumbled around him. The complex political situation of our marriage contract—now dissolved by his father's death and my ascension—needed resolution.
"And Kael?" I asked, my voice betraying none of the emotion that name still stirred in me.
"Still recovering from his injuries, Your Majesty. The healers say he'll live, but the damage from the demon's touch ." Lord Blackwood shook his head. "It may be permanent."
The guilt twisted in my chest like a blade. Kael had taken a blow meant for me during the final confrontation, and the dark magic that had nearly killed him had left marks that went deeper than flesh.
He could still fight, but the easy grace that had made him such a deadly assassin was gone, replaced by a careful deliberation that spoke of pain he tried to hide.
"I want to see him," I said, then caught myself. "That is, schedule a meeting to discuss his future role in the kingdom."
The knowing looks exchanged between my councilors were not lost on me. My personal feelings were an open secret, but as queen, I had to maintain the pretense of political objectivity. Everything I did now was weighted with the stability of the crown.
"Your Majesty," Lord Harwick said carefully, "there's also the matter of succession. The noble houses are expectant regarding your marriage plans."
I felt my jaw tighten. Six months had passed since I claimed the throne, and already the vultures were circling, eager to secure their positions through matrimonial alliance. The irony wasn't lost on me—I had fought so hard against an arranged marriage only to find myself facing the same pressure as a queen.
"The crown will marry when and if it serves the realm's interests," I said coldly. "Until then, I suggest the noble houses focus on rebuilding rather than matchmaking."
After dismissing the council, I retreated to my private chambers, where the weight of the crown could finally be set aside. The rooms were lavishly appointed but felt hollow compared to the simple quarters I had shared with my small band of allies during our fight for the throne.
A soft knock interrupted my brooding. "Enter."
To my surprise, it was Aldric who stepped through the door, his formal court attire replaced by simple traveling clothes. The months of political maneuvering had aged him, adding lines around his eyes and a gravity to his bearing that spoke of hard-won wisdom.
"Your Majesty," he said with a slight bow that was more courtesy than submission.
"Aldric." I gestured to the chairs by the fireplace. "I understand you wanted to discuss terms."
He settled into the chair across from me, studying my face with the same intensity he had shown during our brief, complicated courtship. "Not terms, Seraphina. Truth."
"What truth?"
"That you're destroying yourself trying to be the queen everyone expects rather than the woman you are." His words were gentle but direct, cutting through the formal distance I had been maintaining.
"You've won the crown, secured the realm, and proven your power beyond question. When do you get to be happy?"
The question hung in the air between us, heavy with implications. Aldric had always been perceptive, able to see through the masks I wore to the person beneath. It was one of the reasons I had genuinely cared for him, even as my heart belonged elsewhere.
"Happiness is a luxury queens can't afford," I said finally.
"Bullshit." The profanity was so unexpected from the usually courteous prince that I smiled.
"You're using duty as an excuse to avoid making the choice you're afraid to make."
His words stung because they carried truth. I had been avoiding the personal reckonings that came with victory, focusing instead on the endless demands of governance. But the kingdom was stabilizing, the threats were contained, and still I hesitated to claim the happiness I had fought so hard to earn.
"What would you have me do, Aldric? Abandon the crown for love?"
"I would have you remember that the woman who saved this kingdom did so because she refused to let fear make her choices for her." He leaned forward, his expression earnest. "Don't let the crown make you forget who you are, Seraphina. The realm needs its queen, but the queen needs to remember she's also a woman with her own heart."
As he rose to leave, I found myself asking the question that had haunted me since the battle's end: "Do you think I made the right choice? Taking the crown?"
He paused at the door, considering his answer. "I think you made the only choice you could live with.
Whether it was right. That's something only you can decide."
After he left, I sat alone in the growing darkness, the skull relics around my neck whispering with the voices of the dead. They had given me the power to save the kingdom, but they couldn't tell me how to save myself from the isolation that came with absolute authority.
Tomorrow, I will ride north to heal the dimensional scars left by my magic. But tonight, I would finally allow myself to consider Aldric's words and the choice I had been avoiding for too long.
The Queen of Bones had conquered her enemies and claimed her throne. Now it was time to discover if she could conquer her fears.