The Missing Crown ⚜ Ch. 14

Faline turned around as he walked onto the bridge. "Teyrn! Where did you run off to? I thought you'd left me..." Seeing the spell sticking out of his pocket, she furrowed her brow. "What is that?"

Removing his mask, he decided to tell her the truth. "Faline, it's time you knew. My family has kept this crown for centuries so that a good king could wear it one day. When these castles were being built, Irish workers hid pieces of a spell that the crown had come with, creating four tests to ensure that whoever got the pieces was worthy." He pulled out the spell and showed it to her. "I passed every test. This spell, now that it's complete, can give me the power of all the ancient Celtic kings. With it, we will return Ireland to a monarchy and change the way the world treats us forever."

Her eyes were wide as he told her this. "Tern... This seems wrong. You can't force people to let you be king. What were you going to do to get what you wanted?" Tears welled up in her eyes and she set her jaw. "What was the point of getting close to me? I'm don't have a drop of Irish blood. What were you going to do to me?  Marry me to forge your first alliance? Or just walk away?"

He frowned. "Faline..."

She took a step back, her fear plain to see. "Well? What are you going to do to me? If I try to stop you?"

"No, I want to protect you," he said earnestly. "Nothing's changed in that regard. Faline, my family has been trying to win the throne for generations, and now Ireland is at a crossroads. A constitutional monarchy-"

She held up a hand. "Stop. Please just leave me alone. Leave me out of this."

"Faline, let me cast the spell. I'll be powerful enough to protect the kingdom and you. A castle will be raised in the ancient land and we'll build a place in the new world order."

She was quiet for a moment. "Is this right Teyrn?"

He nodded. "My people have been oppressed, persecuted and starving for centuries. Shouldn't we give them the security they deserve? I would have the power to keep them safe in a modern world - better than their current system can. We would be strong and be able to hold our heads high for the first time in ages. Is that so wrong?"