Heavy is the head that wears the crown?
Those words might be uttered with contempt, even in my head, but those who spoke them never really understood. How could they when I barely did?
“Are you sulking again?” I glanced over my shoulder at Wyn, who stood in the doorway to the throne room, leaning against the doorjamb, her arms folded over her chest, feet crossed.
“I’m not sulking,” I said, my voice quite sulky.
“I don’t believe that at all.”
“We’re going to get news soon,” she said, and I turned fully, rolling my shoulders back as I tried to cast off the rest of my bad mood. I wasn’t a fan of sulking, but it was apparent that was what I was doing today.
Something I would have to refrain from doing again if I wanted whoever was left in our realm to see me as a competent leader.
“Of course, we are. That’s why we sent Rhodes and Alura, two of my best warriors. Oh, wait, neither of them is mine.”
“Now you’re just looking for something to growl about,” Wyn said, rolling her eyes. She pushed off the wall and made her way to me. Wyn had always been a good friend. We had grown up together. She understood my moods more than most did. The only one who understood me better was Lyric. The fact that she got me, after such a short time, meant more to me than anything.
“Rhodes will find her. We both know that prince—or is he the king now?—whatever he is, he won’t leave a stone unturned. After all, he found her the first time. He and Alura. They’ll find her again.”
I ground my teeth and let out a breath. “Of course, he found her.”
“Stop it. You’re not actually jealous, are you?”
I gave her a look and then shook my head. “No, I’m not. It’s just habit to growl about him.”
“Because pretty boy prince has always been your rival because he had to be.”
That put a smile on my face as my lips tipped up. “I love that you call him that. And so many other things.”
She shrugged and tossed her long, curly brown hair over her shoulder. “What can I say? He annoys me. So, I enjoy making fun of him.”
I studied her face and frowned again. “Why does Rhodes annoy you?”
Some expression crossed her face, but I couldn’t tell what it was. I moved forward. “Wyn?”
“It’s not important.” She shook her head. But I still studied her.
“Wyn.”
“It’s fine.”
“If it was fine, you wouldn’t be changing the subject.”
“There’s nothing going on. Pretty boy prince just annoys me. I don’t know why he always gets under my skin. However, all I can see now is when he almost died.” She shuddered, and I reached for her. I gripped her shoulder, giving it a squeeze before I let go.
“That was hard for all of us.” And that was the truth. Although we had grown up on different sides of the war, I had always respected Rhodes in many ways. He had never been cruel or callous like the rest of his people. Mostly, he annoyed me back then because he had a family—one who seemed to care about him. I hadn’t realized at the time that they were broken just as much as my family was. And maybe I was jealous, but I would never tell the man that. I had principles, after all. But no, the thing that made me the most jealous was that he had found Lyric first. The person I was supposed to be with, though I hadn’t been able to tell for too long because of the curse.
I fisted my hands at my sides.
As long as we get her back.
“We’re going to get her back,” Wyn whispered, echoing my thoughts. I raised a single brow and turned away from her.
“We will, but there’s a reason I didn’t go. Our people need us.”
“They still call you king,” she whispered.
“They still think of me as one, but it doesn’t mean I deserve the title. After all, the Obscurité Kingdom is gone, just like the Lumière Kingdom.”
“But we’re still at the Obscurité Court. They still see you standing near your throne, where the crystal once was before it shattered.”
“You’re right. Because that’s what the people need to see. They don’t see us in the war room. They don’t see Rhodes’ aunt, the former Queen of Lumière, healing because she lost her sight in the last battle. They don’t see you learning your new element. They don’t see that our family, our people, are struggling on the inside. Because we have to show them that we are strong.”
“That’s our job. To be the strong ones.”
“But it all seems like a lie, doesn’t it?” I asked.
“Maybe. So, perhaps it’s precisely what it needs to be. We can’t decide on titles and who should rule until we get rid of The Gray. Once we do that, the right answers will be in front of us. Hopefully.”
“I never wanted to rule,” I said honestly, surprising myself.
“We all knew that,” Wyn said softly.
“You did?” I asked, letting out a harsh laugh that was anything but humor-filled.
“Of course, we did. If you were to rule, that meant your mother was no longer with us. And we loved your mom, even though she kept secrets from us.”
I ignored the familiar pang I felt at that.
“We all keep secrets. That’s what royalty does, it seems.”
“Yet what are you going to do when we find Lyric and defeat The Gray? When we all survive the war and are forced to make plans for a new world. Do you know what you’re going to do?”
Dread crawled through me, and I shook my head. “One thing at a time.” One thing I did know, Lyric would not be queen. She was a Spirit Priestess. And that meant, in order for us to be together, I couldn’t be king. And I could handle that. I could walk away. I’d never wanted to be king. I’d never really wanted to be a prince. I only wanted to help my people. And so, I had done it in the best way possible. I stood back and let the Lumière find the Spirit Priestess so she could help our entire realm. Because I had known they’d be there to help my dying kingdom, even as they helped theirs. And now, I was the ruler of a lost society.
Or maybe just a ruler in name. Because we all worked together as one. My uncles, Luken, and Teagan. Wyn and the former queen and lady. We worked together to find a way to heal those who were injured, to train those who were able, and to find The Gray.
But all of it would be for naught without the rest of the prophecy. Without my soulmate. Without Lyric.
The ground shuddered, and Wyn’s brows rose.
“Hold back your Earth Wielding, Easton.”
“I’m fine,” I snapped.
“You might be, but you’re still growling.”
“It’s what I do. I sulk. I growl. I don’t get shit done.”
“Now you’re talking like Lore. Or any of the old Lumière that didn’t come to our side. Or anyone who’s ever talked about you behind your back or even to your face to say that you weren’t good enough. Don’t be that person.”
“I’m not. I’m just waiting. As always.”
“Easton.”
“What do you expect me to do? People are starving, and we are trying to find the food that wasn’t tainted in the war to feed them. People are dying because we don’t have enough healers. Rhodes and Rosamond’s grandma is trying to ferret out the deserters and those Lumière who aren’t on our side. They’re using magic that isn’t bone magic, isn’t death, but it’s something I don’t understand, nor can I Wield. They are doing so much for this realm, and all I can do is stand back and organize it all.”