Kastali Dun

Claire placed a calming hand over her stomach as her ladies fussed. "Breathe, mia cralla," came Talon's soothing voice. She closed her eyes, inhaled, then exhaled. "If it's too soon, we can wait another day."

"Another day will not make a difference," she said.

Desaree pinned the remainder of her hair in place as Selphie settled a golden crown atop her head. It didn't weigh much, and yet, the moment it sat atop her brow, she felt the entire weight of a kingdom settle on her shoulders.

"I think I'm going to be sick," she muttered.

"Aya atiah bahka einshaah." Miera held her hand and rubbed circles on the back of her palm. You should eat something.

"Ni. Then I truly will vomit."

Miera sighed.

"All done," Selphie said, stepping back to admire their work.

She glanced down at herself. They'd dressed her in a long, embroidered tunic and pair of pants. She wore pieces of spriten plate mail over her clothes. Both her spriten blade and Cyrus's sword were buckled across her back. While there was little concern of weapons piercing her body, today she was a warrior. Today she would stand beside Talon to reclaim their kingdom.

"Wait—one more thing." Desaree stepped forward and lifted the lid of a small box. There was an emerald ring nestled inside. The jewel was small and wouldn't get in her way. "We want you to have this. It belonged to Princess Lena—Queen Lena. You should wear it today."

"Queen Lena? I don't—" Claire stopped herself. The name did sound familiar. And there in Talon's mind, she gathered a vague explanation of who Lena was and why she'd heard the name before.

Still, Desaree said, "Queen Lena was born of the royal line eight generations in. The first princess to live to adulthood. The first female to ascend to the throne. The first to oversee a tournament for the crown, which would later expose her mate to the world. The first to marry and mate a drengr who would be crowned king all because of her. She was the first for a lot of things—just like you. I think...I think she would want you to wear this today."

"Oh, Des!" She flung her arms around her friend, pulling her in tightly. The backs of her eyes burned, but she kept her emotions in check. There wasn't room for tears today. "However did you get this, anyway? Have you been holding onto it all this time?"

"We grabbed it when we snuck back into the tower, when we got some of your other things—and Batty." Desaree shared a knowing look with Miera and Selphie. "While we were there, I took a quick look around and saw it in this box embossed with her name and a note, left behind for someone who would appreciate it. Here—"

Desaree pulled free of her embrace and removed a small bit of folded parchment. Like everything else in the tower, magic had preserved it. Otherwise, it would probably be dust by now, seeing as the date placed it at some forty thousand years old.

Claire skimmed the note.

To a future queen of Dragonwall. This ring was a gift to me from my beloved Triston after the successful birth of our son, Theodred. It is dear to me, just as they are. I have lived a long and full life. I have the kind of son and daughter mothers can only dream of. The kind of love ballads are written for. Only now do I remove it from my finger, in hopes that another queen might come along someday and need a reminder. You are enough. You will always be enough. Never let them make you feel otherwise.

So much for not crying! She felt the tear spill down her cheek before she could stop it. When she looked up, it was to find three sets of loving eyes staring back at her.

"You will wear it?" Selphie asked in a tentative tone, as if there was any question.

"Yes!" she breathed. "And when this is all over, I want a history lesson on Queen Lena and all of her accomplishments."

"There are entire books written about her in the library," Talon chimed in. Only now she realized he'd stopped what he was doing to snoop on this entire interaction.

When she emerged from her tent, she was calmer, every bit the queen her people expected. The cave was a rush of activity. She found Talon with several of his shields at the command table. "The others are already in position. As soon as you are ready, we will depart."

She and Talon had already shared many quiet moments together before the start of the day. Sleep had been nearly impossible, her nerves too chaotic. Talon had made sure to keep her thoroughly distracted with his mouth and body most of the night.

"I'm ready," she said. "The sooner we get this over, the better. If I wait any longer, my nerves are going to get the better of me."

She was already this close to slinking away somewhere.

"I understand." He reached for her hand, twining their fingers together. She felt his apprehension, too.

"Everything is ready." Taylynn appeared beside them wearing spriten armor of her own. She looked like a vengeful warrior goddess. Koldis immediately moved to her side. He acted protective, but it was unlikely Taylynn needed protecting. "Spriten forces are in position. Tasar's operatives are in place in the keep and city. Saffra and her team have their orders. The moment you reach the throne room, Feowen will be there. I must get to the barracks."

"Good." Talon nodded. "Then let us go."

Taylynn offered Koldis a brief kiss before disappearing; he watched her go, eyes lingering.

Before they moved out, Claire shared a final hug with Leah and her ladies. Miera and Selphie had orders of their own. Plus, they had plenty of spriten magic. They would protect Desaree and Leah. Verath—and even Jovari—wouldn't have allowed them to accompany her sprite handmaidens otherwise.

"We'll be careful, I promise," Des said, giving her a final squeeze.

"You'd better." She looked at each of them as she said this.

Leah offered her a grin and said, "Just think, when we next see you, you'll be on the throne."

"Don't jinx us," she teased, trying to lighten the moment, trying to keep her stomach from spilling its contents.

"I would never!" Leah said, turning serious. They shared a secret smile that was borne from years and years of knowing each other.

"Let's move out," Talon called. The command was repeated through the cave. Everyone had a part to play.

They'd spent the remainder of yesterday finalizing preparations. There wasn't just Kane to contend with. Osheans had settled in the capital, too. Ships had been arriving for months. Nearly all the guards on Talon's payroll had been replaced by people Kane trusted. Those guards had to be eliminated. Foreign soldiers now occupied much of the barracks.

She thought about the rebuilding they would need to do when this was all over. Everything they would have to fix. Even the things that couldn't be fixed, like the lives lost in Kane's pursuit for power.

The tunnels below the keep smelled like damp dirt. She kept her breathing under control as they walked, climbing higher and higher. She clenched her spriten staff in her left hand, clutching it like a lifeline.

Cyrus, are you ready for this? She nervously reached for him.

I'm ready, he said. I will be here with you every step of the way.

Those comforting words left both her and Talon feeling emotional. She loved that Talon could hear everything Cyrus said. That he was no longer cut off from his beloved shield.

She took a deep breath and said, I can't believe it's finally happening.

I can, Cyrus replied. I knew you would get here eventually. I'm honored that I witnessed every moment of your transformation.

I'm honored that you chose me to be transformed, she said.

The rocky walls gave way to stone passages.

Talon's thumb brushed over Lena's ring on her finger. It felt like fate, that ring. The reminder she needed. She was enough. She would get through this.

"I'm free—we're free." Reyr's voice filled Talon's mind. She caught a projection of Feowen using his magic to suck the dragon's bane from his system, then another of them moving through the dungeon to free Verath and Dallin, Merrian with them. There were others of imprisoned there, too. Many guards that Kane no longer trusted. While he'd killed plenty of subjects, he also liked to keep the cells full.

"Focus, mih cralla." Talon pressed his hand at the base of her spine in warning. They were nearing the exit to the secret passage. Talon's shields were silent, each of their minds pressing in on her. She felt their presence, knew they were a mere thought away should she need them.

Koldis stopped before the door and fell still. The door clicked open, light spearing into the dim passage. Their mage lights winked out. She blew out the breath she'd been holding.

Koldis stepped out into a narrow servant's hall running adjacent to the throne room's atrium. The murmur of voices meant court had not yet started. It was almost comical, knowing that Kane kept court. As if people had any kind of power here.

No, he just wanted to preen like a peacock on a throne.

"Disguises in place?" Koldis looked at each of them. They wore court attire, with elegant cloaks covering their clothes in case they were spotted. They waited in the shadows for the courtiers to make their way into the throne room. When things quieted down, they strode forward.

From across the atrium, Feowen strode into view accompanying Talon's other shields. Merrian was with them. They wore similar clothing, with cloaks disguising their faces.

She breathed a sigh of relief as their two groups converged. "Glad you made it," she said to Reyr.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world," he said. "I would have clawed my way free if necessary."

The doors leading into the throne room were shut, four guards standing watch.

One of them stepped forward, eyeing them beneath their hoods. "You're late. Court already start—" The guard's words cut off in a gurgle as blood gushed down his throat. Feowen had a blade in hand, moving to the second guard. Talon slit the throats of the other two before they could protest.

She blinked. In less than five seconds they'd eliminated everything standing between them and the throne room.

"It's time." Talon sent the silent command to the fort leaders of Fort Kastali. They waited until the count of five and then—

A distant bell began to toll. Then another, closer. And another.

Talon stepped over the bodies, positioning himself at the doors. She stepped up beside him. "Together?"

"Together," she confirmed, throwing a nod at the others behind them to get ready.

"Whatever happens, mih cralla, I love you."

"And I love you."

Talon reached for the doors, pushing them open. Silence fell. They waited several beats before striding forward. Whispers started up.

"Guards!" Kane's voice rang out, irritated by the disruption. "You were supposed to watch the doors."

Two Oshean castle guards rushed forward. Feowen lashed out, blades glinting. Screams sounded as both bodies struck the floor. A surge of courtiers backed away, scrambling over one another to put space between them. She and Talon continued forward, Feowen beside them, their shields behind them.

"What is the—?" Kane surged to his feet just as they lifted their hoods.

Boots pounded on the floor as nearly fifty Oshean soldiers broke away from the perimeter and formed ranks around them, swords drawn, keeping their distance as they awaited Kane's orders. They were outnumbered, but it didn't matter.

"We're here to reclaim our kingdom, Kane," Talon called from beside her, ignoring the blades pointed towards them. "Your days of playing king are over."

The sorcerer's eyes fell on her and widened briefly. That small look of surprise sent satisfaction surging through her. "You," he hissed. "I knew I should have killed you."

"But you didn't," she said, taking a step forward. "Your mistake."

"Don't come any closer." He lifted his fist. She caught the glint of a dragonstone there. Her gaze dropped to his breastplate where four were embossed into the metal. Red, green, blue, and gold.

Her heart began to pound. "What are you going to do, hmm? Turn every drengr to stone?"The mere thought made her limbs tremble. Today had been a gamble, but she trusted Taylynn.

"You don't think I will?" Kane snarled. "I'll turn them before you can so much as blink. Try me."

"I don't think you will," she said, calling his bluff. "Because the second you turn them to stone, I will kill you. Right here in front of the entire court. The game is up, Kane. You've lost."

She slammed the butt of her staff into the flagstones, the sound reverberating through the hall. It wasn't wood against stone. It was a pure, spriten sound, ringing chime that reminded her of trickling water and chirping insects. Of times spent surrounded by greenery.

"I have lost nothing," Kane shouted. She was vaguely aware of Feowen and the others preparing to fight the soldiers surrounding them. "You couldn't kill me before. What makes you think you can now?"

"Because I am not the same girl you banished," she taunted. "And I would love nothing more than to show you. To end you. So, go ahead. I dare you."

"No... You wouldn't risk your king." A flash of something crossed his features. Doubt? He descended lower on the dais, until he was just three steps from the floor. "Surrender now, and I will let you leave here alive."

"No." She scoffed and said, "We both know that will never happen."

Kane glanced at his soldiers, as if contemplating his next move. "Very well, but do not say I didn't give you the opportunity."

Her muscles coiled, waiting for him to give the order to attack.

He didn't.

Instead, he lifted the dragonstone. Her lips parted, eyes widening. He was going to do it—he was really going to do it. Gasps rang out. Kane positioned the stone just over the missing divot in his breastplate, then muttered a word of power to secure it.

It clicked firmly into place..

💕❤️💕Don't forget to heart this chapter!❤️💕❤️

Hi bookdragons! 

Ohmigodohmygodohmygod. WHAT IS HAPPENING?! Did you think I wouldn't stress you out...even just a little bit?! Come on. You know me better than that! 

hehe. 

Don't worry, another chapter is coming soon!

--Mel

PS. If you want to know more about Queen Lena King Tristain and their son Theodred, you can read their stories in For the Crown and For the Rebellion. Both books can be read independently of each other. One covers Lena's quest for love, the other covers Theodred (her son). For the Crown is available for purchase on Amazon and free on KU. For the Rebellion is free right here on Wattpad! I will be removing it from wattpad in a couple of months, so make sure you read it while you can!