13 | ACT I, SCENE XIII

P R E V I O U S L Y

The end was finally here.

CALCHESTER CITADEL, STEFFITH.

EDWINA

"TRISTAN VALMONT, I NOW PROCLAIM you High King of Endollon," Cosmo stepped back with a quiet smile, as Tristan knelt, dropping to one majestic knee.

The crowd broke into a huge, tumultuous applause, threatening to never die out, roaring and unceasing. The grim memory of the afternoon visit to Cosmo was slowly wiped out of my mind, intent as I was on the task at hand.

It had been Eric first, proclaimed as King. Then Valmont, as High King.

And now, my turn, to be proclaimed as Queen Regnant.

I waited patiently, listening to the loud hall around me. The throne room of Steffith was gorgeous, with sky high ceilings and large, golden chandeliers. Larger than life paintings with elaborate tapestries hung from either sides, with tapered rosemary candles set in elegant candelabras every few meters.

All the gods and goddesses, right from the elder gods like Cosmo and Titania, to Eric's daughter - the youngest goddess - everyone had gathered here.

Among them, sat nearly the entire civilian population of Endollon. Golden haired Valkyrie, who were worshippers of Helios. Green eyed Grendel, a race which was wholly dependent for survival on a drug grown only by the river Derwentwater. Tight lipped Halflings, the people residing in the rebel states of Elleria, Azura and Rentis, the place where the Monarch Trials were held.

Soldiers, lords, knights, men, women, children. So many people, with admiring and curious faces clapping as one, with grins and smiles brighter than the sun.  All of them dressed in their finest silks and leathers.

As the Capital State of Endollon, Steffith would be our official place of business after the coronation. And yet, all of us, Eric, Tristan and I, had duties back at our respective castles, so that would be where we would stay most of the time. Eric lived in the Kingdom of Ellesmere, Tristan in Stormholt, me in Dracnesse.

The Everlys - Deimos, Fayette and their blasted children - lived in the Kingdom of Normount. Emerick's family, House Rotavelle, lived in the Kingdom of Allington. The most peaceful House, House Emmerson, occupied the Kingdom of Vertgate.

Together, these six kingdoms and Steffith made up the country of Endollon.

The country I would soon be Queen of.

I was still shaken, shaken by the morning's events as well. I was a married woman now. And I could still not believe it. It was late evening at the moment, which would soon give way to night as the coronation ended, followed by a lavish banquet.

Night.

Wedding night.

Things were... expected of me at night. With my new husband, the High King. Wedding night meant... consummation!

'I wonder what Tristan will say when he sees it tonight?' Fayette had taunted me in her vile voice, with eyes quirked.

How on earth was I going to manage being alone in one room with him? When I was around him, all my blood did was sing with burning desire for him, whereas my head kept on pulling me the other side. That man drove me insane to hell. And after our dreadful fight, I had absolutely no idea what to say to him. Especially considering that we were married, for crying out loud!

And what with my pounding headache since the second I woke up, I might as well have been sleeping away than being coronated here.

"Excellent, excellent," Cosmo muttered, raising his hands and pausing so that the roar of the crowds died out.

Slowly, the sound of cheering faded, and everyone looked expectantly at me now. Titania smiled confidently at me, resplendent in a sea blue gown. Cosmo gave me a rare grin, now moving to me with his longsword in hands. He had used it to anoint Eric and Tristan, now it was time to do the same with me.

The pounding up my brain increased tenfold as the King took another step to me, and I felt like someone was trying to beat their way out of my head.

"Kneel, Lady Tremayne," Cosmo ordered firmly, repeating the same words he had used twice already. "Kneel, and prove to me your humility as a goddess and future Queen. Humble yourself before life does it for you."

The entire room waited with hushed breath as my muscles cranked to prepare to kneel. Instead, to my utter horror, I found myself unable to bend, as if the voice and throbbing in my head were holding me back. I tried harder, pushing down on my knees with full force, but my knee refused to drop to the ground.

"I told you," Emerick reproached his elder brother, Cosmo, in his disapproving tone. "I told you. Someone with all pride and zero humility does not deserve to wear the crown."

I tried to think of something witty to reply, but my mind was only focused on why my leg seemed rooted to the spot. I began to spot dissension in the crowd, swimming hushed whispers.. My father was mouthing something, eyes stern.

"Is there a problem?" Cosmo asked softly, disappointment clear in his voice. "Or are you so proud, Edwina, that you know not how to kneel?"

"There... is not -" I managed to spit out in a strangled voice, trying harder as cold sweat broke out on my brow.

I nearly pushed my bones to the breaking point, trying to force my knee to the ground, and at last, managed to do the task.

Relief washed over me in waves as I dropped to my knee, yet there seemed to be a loud wailing in my head, voices screaming so loudly that I could hardly understand. I trained my eyes to the floor, the image of the scratches on the tiles burned into my mind. I closed my eyes for a moment, opening them again to see the hem of Cosmo's robes and Titania's gown brush the floor as they both towered over me.

I was completely terrified that I would pass out any moment, because the pain was so blinding, nearly toppling me over the brink of what I could tolerate.

I felt Cosmo lower his sword onto my right shoulder, and its weight pressed down on my cape. We had changed after the wedding, and all three of us now wore ceremonial robes of black, with fur trimmed capes and resplendent sleeves that dropped to the floor. Amphitrite had insisted on spending the whole afternoon on braiding my hair into her desired vision of perfection.

"Lady Tremayne," Cosmo's voice broke my thoughts, and I felt the edge pressing in harder, weighing on my flesh through the layers of silk and cloth.

"Yes, your Grace," I replied dryly, trying to prevent myself from falling over, nearly all my concentration on holding it together till the end of the ceremony.

"Will you, as far is it within your power, let equal measures of justice and mercy be executed in all your judgement?" the King asked.

"I will."

"Will you grant to hold and observe the just laws and customs that Endollon determines?"

"I will."

The sword moved from my right shoulder to my left, and I clenched my fists tightly. The voices in my head seemed to be fading now, against my iron strong will, and I fought harder, trying to make them vanish completely.

"Will you, even so far as in your lies, do all in your power to defend and strengthen them?"

"I will."

"Will you offer your life to the people of Endollon?"

Silence. You could have heard a pin drop in the dead silent throne room. I felt my own heart beating loudly in my ears, tensed and strained as I was. Say yes, the eyes staring into me seemed to speak. Say yes, say yes, say yes.

"I cannot offer my life," I replied out loud, my voice strong and firm in the quiet hall.

Alarmed, the crowd began to whisper stealthily, voices growing louder and louder and I saw panic and regret on their faces. It seemed to seep into Cosmo too, whose face was broken into harsh disappointment. Emerick was repeatedly busy spreading more negativity into Titania's ear, who was looking at me with horror. Beside me, I saw Tristan and Eric both turn, their faces a picture of surprise. My father and Amphitrite looked at me with shock. Aidon was turning red, taken aback. Everything was tumbling into chaos and I knew that this had a very slim chance of ending well.

"Why, may I ask?" Titania questioned me, her cheeks white and cold. "You are to be a Queen, Edwina, but we did not expect you to be so drunk on power that you cannot-"

"Proud princess, come to claim her crown of lies," Emerick seethed, his hand on his sword, and the crowd threatened to break out in riots, as I looked ahead into ever loving chaos.

"The Queen asked you a question," Cosmo said. He put two fingers under my chin, tilting my head up. He forced me to look into his eyes, moss green and dark as spring rivers, looking right into my eyes. "If you ever hoped to be Queen, remember that I once moved both sky and ground for you."

What did he mean by that?

We looked right into each other, proud and defiant, and I held my head high, refusing to cower or break my gaze.

"Why do you refuse to offer your life, child?" Cosmo asked again, now his voice was quieter, gentler and heavy with meaning. He held up a hand to stop the din of the crowd, which slowly shrunk back to expectant silence.

"I refuse to offer my life," I repeated, uncompromising. "Because my life is not mine to offer. A Queen must possess nothing to rule because she must give everything she has to her people. Even her life."

Cosmo smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners, as waves of relief washed and settled over everyone. I cranked a small smile and Titania looked at me with unconcealed pride, happy and joyful.

"Your father's daughter, through and through," she muttered.

"I require one more promise from you," Cosmo said softly.

"What would you have?" I asked.

"Declare it, out loud. Promise that you will never execute, sentence to death, or kill a god without good reason."

I gritted my teeth, furious. I would have killed Apollo Valmont for what he did to my mother, and this vow now held me back in check, preventing me from ever getting revenge. I wanted to refuse. I so, so badly wanted to refuse. And yet, my voice came out of its own accord. Because my duty to the crown would always come first before my personal vengeance.

"I promise. "

"Asteria would have been proud," Cosmo declared nobly, to everyone's delight and smiles, and the claps began again. "Very well, Edwina Tremayne, I now appoint you Queen Regnant of Endollon."

My knees trembled, my head spun, my voice shook. But there was only one thing burning into my mind. I was now the Queen. I wasn't born to be fragile or delicate and quiet, no, I was born to rule. I was born to be. I was born to make the skies shatter and the oceans shake at my fingertips.

The sword lifted off my shoulder and I looked up to see Cosmo take off his crown. It was a solid, powerful thing, with platinum spires, studded with diamonds, quiet, powerful, dominant.

Suddenly, he tossed the crown into the air!

We watched as it turreted up, reaching for the sky blue ceiling, then began to fall down again, eliciting gasps from the crowd. Suddenly, the crown stopped midway, floating in the air, circling and rotating.

Out of nowhere, Titania snapped her fingers and the crown broke into three pieces!

The fragments broke apart, flung by the force of repulsion, and Cosmo caught hold of the first one as the other two kept on flying about. The piece in his hand shimmered lightly, and suddenly molded and transformed into a new crown.

There were more excited gasps and squeals from the crowd as he held the iridescent crown in his hands, a perfectly sculpted masterpiece of iridium and aquamarine. He placed it on Eric's golden head, and stepped back with a smile.

"Rise, my son," Cosmo said happily. The god of the oceans got up slowly, his eyes dazed and delighted, and I spotted Amphitrite in the crowd, waving wildly at him, blowing him kisses. Eric grinned back at her and she blushed, making me smile.

Meanwhile, the King got hold of the second piece, and closed his eyes. A moment later, the piece shone with a bright flash of light, and then its features transformed to another crown.

This one was a handsomely crafted piece of obsidian, gilded and studded with sapphire, ending in tall, proud spires with sharpened tips. He walked to Tristan, who had dropped to one knee as well.

To say that Valmont looked regal was an understatement. I could not begin to fathom how majestic he looked with his black cloak, resplendent in his ceremonial robes. Powerful and quiet and deadly, he waited silently, his lethally attractive face giving no sign of impatience.

Like... did he even comb his hair? It was messy black again, and jaw droppingly sexy too.

Tristan's dark blue eyes lit up as Cosmo approached with the other crown in hand, and placed it on his proud head. Oh, what a fine sight it was, the bright crown on the dark head.

"Rise, my son."

This time, the King had an extremely proud smile like that of a patronizing parent. He stepped back and Tristan got up. Now everyone approached me.

Titania caught hold of the third piece in her outstretched hand and handed it to Cosmo. I waited with bated breath, as did the thousands others in the throne room with me.

The platinum of the broken crown slowly melted and cast itself into beaten gold, pulling back to reveal rubies, garnets and blood coronets studded in its gilded depths. It was breathtaking, elegant, and fit for a Queen.

The King finally settled my crown onto my head

"Rise, my daughter," he ordered. I tried to fight back the demons in my head, and with a catastrophically huge amount of resolve, got up.

"Pledge your final oath of fealty to Endollon," Titania said in a powerful voice, and now the three of us held out our right hands at the front, ready to take the pledge. Three voices now spoke as one.

"To the streams of the sparkling night, we give our raw and bloody knuckle bones, then our knee joints, then our teeth. To the radiant rose gardens of the sun, we give our immortal flesh. To the open heavens, we give our blood."

Cosmo flicked his fingers, and all the lights in the room went out. I stared, amazed, as the fires seemed to flow through the air, landing in a hovering golden aura on his palm. He let the fiery sphere wisp in his hand for a moment, and the next moment, he gave a jerk of his wrist as the sphere exploded in a shower of sparks.

The sparks suddenly rained on the three of us, and I watched them alight on my wrist. They didn't hurt at all, slowly going inside my skin as if it were water and they were sinking in at the surface, and the skin was literally changing, twisting.

In a moment, it was all over.

My bare wrist now had a little six pointed star on it, the size of a nail head. Small enough, but a noticeable mark. It appeared to shine like quicksilver in the darkness, but light flared up once again in the hall as Cosmo lifted his hands again.

"The three of you have the Mark now," Titania said, "that you are truly the people's chosen. Do not make Endollon regret it."

"Drink from this chalice now," Cosmo announced, pressing a golden chalice to Eric's hands, "and declare your willingness and good faith to all the realm of Endollon."

Eric took a hearty sip, passing it to Tristan. He downed a fair amount of it, as he turned, passing it to me, blue eyes blazing, complementing the crown resting on his fine head.

I took the golden chalice. The drink was berry purple, rich, and inhaling it made me feel warm.

I saw Aidon smile at me as I savored the last sip of the wine, and the wailing in my head rose higher than ever.

The moment I drained the glass, the throbbing in my head stopped at once.

The pounding, the hammering, the voices and demons in my head, all disappeared as I drank up the wine Cosmo had offered me.

"And now," Titania said gently, "it is time for us to say goodbye."

It was time for them to take the potion of Reincarnation and leave the immortal world of Endollon, to be reborn as mortals among humans.

At her words, I noticed the crowd, and the people in tears. Many wept for the King and Queen, many stared ahead at the doom of impending chaos. Cosmo had always been one for trying things new, and all were curious to see how this worked.

"Come, my love," he said softly to Titania, taking her by the hand. She leaned in with tears in her eyes, and their lips brushed like young flowers in the wind.

"Father..." Helios came forward, but even his brightness had dimmed, not glowing so bright. "Mother..." he whispered, touching her cheek fondly.

"Despair not, my son," Titania said, hugging him, and nodding to Nyx beside her, who came forward and embraced her.

"You stood by us when we needed you the most," Cosmo said in a gentle voice to Helios, clasping his back with a nod. "I wish you all the happiness in the world, my child."

"And I hope you can find our other children one day," Titania whispered, with chafing sorrow. "Tell Atherton and Cymbeline I was sorry I couldn't say goodbye..."

I watched the exchanges take place with my throat choked, squeezed shut by sadness and pain. I had known Cosmo and Titania for a very long time. They would leave a void in my heart when they were gone, an irreplaceable void.

The only time a goodbye was most painful was when we knew we'd never say hello again.

The former King came to meet the new King, Eric, who had a sad smile on his face.

"Perhaps we will meet again, my son, in another life," he said in an anguished voice, taking his hand and shaking it.

"I do hope so, Cosmo," Eric said, distress clear in his eyes, and the King moved to Tristan, who had a miserable frown wedged between his marble brows.

"Some people are born with tragedy in their blood, my son," Cosmo said, placing a hand on Tristan's shoulder, who nodded sadly in some sort of understanding. Another meaningful look passed between both of them and Cosmo finally moved to me.

"Great grandfather," I whispered in an unbearably sorrowful tone, and he hugged me to his chest, then kissed my forehead in a paternal embrace.

"Forgive your father when you find out what he did for you, Edwina," he whispered in my ear, green eyes sparkling like new moss and before I had the chance to ask him what he meant, he left my side, joining Titania.

Helios had a gold rimmed flask in his hands, and all I heard was the sound of everyone's tears falling to the floor. The god of day slowly approached his parents, pouring out the potion of Reincarnation into two small flutes of glass. It was colored like quicksilver, that little, lethal potion.

Cosmo took his offered glass with a smile, so did Titania. They both held on tightly to each other, savoring their last minute alive.

"We now leave our immortality and crown both in your hands," Cosmo announced, squeezing his Queen's hand, and on impulse, they tipped the drink down both their throats, decision and joy shining brightly in their eyes as the last drop left the glass.

The moss green and ocean blue eyes stopped shining at once. The skin stopped glowing. I felt the ground begin to rumble and shake, trembling under my feet, as both the bodies went limp.

The glass fell to the floor and shattered as the cries of the crowd grew quieter.

The King and Queen were dead.

At the same time, I was conscious of another feeling inside me. A strange and insane feeling. My heart seemed to be pounding stronger, my lungs seemed to be working harder. Oxygen and powerful heat sizzled in me, and divinity stained my fingers and mouth like inferno. Divinity curled its way through my veins, unfurling like thick smoke.

That was when I realized, that never in my three hundred and eighty six years of life, had I felt so insanely powerful and undefeatable. I felt like a blind person opening their eyes for the first time, I felt like a true goddess, invincible and undefeatable as ever.

The roaring and clapping of the crowd washed over my eardrums like waves, and I saw the attendants hold up the body of the dead King and Queen, placing them in black coffins lined with red velvet.

I felt divinity in my bones, aching, like fire.

The King and Queen were dead.

But now I was the Queen.

And there were two powerful Kings who would rule by my side.

We were invincible, undefeatable, lethal, deadly.

My touch was lethal. My touch was power.

It was time to build my empire.

• • • • •

Was it theatrical? I certainly hope so! I'll keep the a/n short this time, lol! So now, we have three new rulers, and one mystery woman, along with a dozen contenders for the throne who all are ready to kill Edwina! Shit is going down in a few chapters :)