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Celebrations last only an hour before we are carted off to the palace, I imagine we will be sat in a room similar to the one on the farm, and told of our places in the world. Told of the state of affairs. Of expectations.
On every side of me stand mint-green trees of varying height, covering a rocky path at the back entrance of the palace gardens. But this isn't the garden I once knew. To the left of me stands a marble tomb. Above it the words say:
THE GRACIOUS QUEEN, A LOVING MOTHER, A SELFLESS PILLAR OF STRENGTH.
I think I would vomit if I looked at either of the twins now. Their mother was more than those eleven words. As we continue on the path to the door, a place once filled with grass and a stable house hosts a small pond and a hundred Chrysanthemum-like flowers stand. A once happy place signaled never-ending grief.
The palace is partially rebuilt. A wing that was once gold-like is now a darker, more daunting material. The palace's aura is beautiful, but it is far less bright than it was once. The stables are deep wood, no longer light blue, and the flowers aren't pink, yellow, and orange anymore. In the distance, an old religious building lay half destroyed.
I wonder if they kept the ruins to remind us of what was done to our people. I wonder if they keep it so that if war comes again, we are ready with anger. The palace halls are darker, too, a deep wood with navy blue and crimson red details across them. The rugs are as soft as I remember. I wish Luca would grow up in the old palace, this one is much more sad.
In a room I was once excluded from, we take our seats, the King and his sons at the head of the table, my family, Luca and I to their left, Annora and her father across for us, and everyone filling in until every seat is taken.
"We are filled with profound joy to see you children return and have happily received updates from your guardians about your training, schooling, and upbringing. As much as we wish it were different, preserving our youngest was our best chance of future survival." The twins look like royalty now, their backs are more straight, their jaws set tighter.
"Your parents and I are ready to guide you through this transition, but much of this will, at the right pace, become yours, and you will take our seats at the tables. Kian, Tasia, Cassian, Giada, and Luca, you will watch and learn and train with your schools as you re-enter society. You will finish your schooling and will be prepared for the day you take your own place in our government. Annora, Blair, Ezra, and Santi, you are now the leaders of Wiffryn's Republic. There will be much to do and much to learn."
My blood heats again, threatens to boil, we're ready to play, Blair, to fight, my fire tells me everything I should feel. I should be ready to play, fight, and use my abilities to better my world. I must be. Here, my fire is an esteemed part of myself, an entity that is me entirely, not a small part of me.
"The coronation will occur in three months' time," says the King. Ezra's face pales.
"Father, actually, on that note, we have come to a decision—something we discussed on the trip back here." Ezra's color returns, his diplomatic voice turned on with a smoothness. Blair and Luca will be joining us in the palace. The southern wing of the castle will be there for us to live in."
YOU ARE READING
In All the Other Worlds
Viễn tưởngAnother Planet, a different hope. Nine children, all the youngest of their families, were sent to Earth to avoid civil unrest on their own planet. They were to be well-crafted machines by the time they returned home. They were to rule. They were...
