The Lost Princess of Grerin || A Merlin AU

XVI. Long Live

~~~

Ryia looked at the lifeless king's body for a second before looking at Atlas, a but of panic rushed over her, "we have to leave now."

"I-" Atlas said as he looked at the body of the now late King Viktor, "what did I do?"

"Atlas we don't have time to think about that right now," Ryia said as she grabbed his arm, "we can't be in here when they find him."

Atlas snapped out of it as he looked at Ryia, "but people will see us leave through the doors and figure it out anyway."

"You underestimate me," Ryia said as her eyes turn yellow and she begins to enchant a spell in latin. Suddenly the doors to the throne room unlock and both Ryia and Atlas are in the room Ryia had been staying in.

Atlas looked around confused as to how they got there for a second before remembering her magic. The panic then began to set in again as he began pacing back and forward, "this is going to be impossible to cover up. Do we frame someone? But that would be even wor-" he stopped when he looked over to see Ryia had fallen to her knees on the floor, looking a bit weak with a bloody nose. He quickly rushed to her and helped her onto the bed, "are you okay?"

"Yeah," Ryia said weakly as she wiped the blood from her nose, "I just over used my powers a little, I just need to go on another magic rest."

"Magic rest?" Atlas repeated in a question.

"It's basically not using my magic for a little so it doesn't fully drain from my body," Ryia explains.

"That's possible?" Atlas asked in concern.

"I don't actually know but I don't really want to test it," Ryia told him. That was when they both heard a knock on the door.

"Princess Ryia, it's Sir Cassian," the knight said from the other side of the door, "there is urgent news and I need to talk to you."

Ryia and Atlas shared a panicked look before both of them took a deep breath. "Come in," Ryia said a bit reluctantly, having a feeling she knew what this was about.

Cassian opened the door to see not only Ryia, but Atlas too. "Oh Prince Atlas, you are in here. That's perfect as this involves you too."

"What's going on?" Ryia says, acting confused and clueless.

"I regret to inform you that King Viktor was found dead in the throne room," Cassian says with a sigh, "we didn't see who did it but the knights are looking in to it."

"You guys have no idea?" Atlas asked, a bit hopeful.

"King Viktor had many enemies, even if he didn't admit to anyone but me," Cassian said with a sigh, "it could be countless people, but we need to discuss the plans to move forward as a kingdom."

"What plans?" Atlas asked, wanting to move on from the death of the king as quickly as possible.

"Do you mean Atlas becoming the new king?" Ryia questioned as she shared a look with Atlas.

"Not exactly," Cassian said as he looked directly at Ryia, "I mean you becoming the queen, Ryia."

Ryia pointed at herself in confusion, "me? I'm sorry but my grandfather made Atlas the next in line."

"Before your grandmother passed, she declared that if you were to be found before the passing of your grandfather that you would resume your rightful role of next in line," Cassian explained, "you are the rightful heir to the throne, Princess Ryia."

Ryia looked over at Atlas who had a mixture of emotions ranging from confusion to a little relief and then to heartbroken. She took a moment before looking back at the knight, "Sir Cassian, may I speak with you about this in private?"

"Of course, princess," Cassian said as he walked out of the room, Ryia following after.

~~~

The boat carrying the body of the late king was pushed into the water as Cassian got the flaming arrow ready to shoot it once it got far enough. Ryia sat next to a tree, a bit away from the crowd as she watched the boat set aflame, one last send off to the king.

"It's weird seeing him being honored as a great king after everything we found out," Atlas stated as he sat next to her, "I wish we could tell them the truth."

Ryia looked over at him, "sometimes it's better to let things happen," she told him before looking out at the water, "even if it would make you feel better to stop it. We can't tell anyone the truth without the risk of not being believed. Especially since my magic was a big part of it."

"I know," Atlas said with a sigh, "I promise I won't do anything to expose your magic," he said before changing the subject, "how to you feel about your coronation tomorrow?"

Ryia looked at him, "a little nervous but, I think it'll go good."

"You'll make a great queen Ryia," Atlas told her with a smile although she could still hear the bit of hurt in his voice.

~~~

As Ryia was crowned Queen of Grerin, the girl stepped forward to address the people. "I'd like to thank you all for being here," she told them before looking over at Cassian for some reassurance. The head knight gave her a nod and smile and she took a deep breath before looking back at the crowd of people. "As the new Queen of Grerin, I would like to make my first and last decree as queen," as she said that, people started to whisper amongst each other as to what they thought she meant.

"I hereby declare Prince Atlas of Eldoria," as Ryia said his name, Atlas looked over at her in confusion, "the new King of Grerin as I step down from the role of queen."

"Wait, what are you doing Ryia?" Atlas says as he steps up to her.

Ryia looked at him before speaking, "no one knows these people better than you do, Atlas," she told him, "I've seen how deeply you care for all of them. You are going to make an amazing king."

"It's your birthright, not mine," Atlas told her, not wanting her to give up something like this for him.

"I get that, but it's your dream, not mine," Ryia told him, "I don't want to be tied down to running a country and there's no one better than you."

"Are you allowed to give it up like that?" Atlas questioned.

"That's why I wanted to talk to Sir Cassian the other day, to figure out how to do this. Everything has been signed and you are now the rightful King of Grerin," Ryia told him, "if you accept that is."

"I do," Atlas says with a smile as he looked out of the crowd of people, his people. He then looked back at the girl, "what will you do now?"

"I don't know, go back to Camelot or even the back to my father's shack in the woods," Ryia told him with a shrug, "that much is undecided. But I definitely will try to visit every once in a while if you'll have me, King Atlas."

Atlas smiled at her, "you're welcome anytime, Ryia."

~~~