The Souls Between

An Alliance Forged

The sun came streaming in through the large bay windows. Even the deep blue velvet curtains couldn't keep the light out as they bounced on the polished wood floor. I groaned and slowly sat up in the large bed, eyes falling on Alicen. She shook her head at the sight of it all. Whatever it was, it wasn't up to her standard. I had to admit, I don't exactly remember coming to bed last night, and the trail of water had a story to tell about the whole situation. "Thank the Gods Simeon wasn't here." She tutted, turning her attention to the puddles on the floor.

The cool breeze on my exposed shoulders confirmed both of our fears. A heat rose to my face as I yanked the blanket over my figure. How did I get to bed? I reached for the dressing gown Alicen had strewn across the nightstand. "Simeon is the least of my worries now." As the queen following the death of a sovereign, I shouldn't spend time on silly boys, right? Whatever feelings Simeon and I had felt in the past had to change. "Besides, I'm a queen now. Doesn't that change the way these things work?" The fabric fell over my figure as I rose from the bed, peering into the bathing chamber where Alicen worked. I thought that my role was to be a lady of the court until Berel could pop out enough kids that I could stay miles away from the throne. Alicen made it a point to teach me enough to get by, but leading Sopren was going to be a whole different story.

Alicen trudged back into the bedroom and pulled a gown out of the armoire for today. It would be my first day before the court. If there was one thing Alicen was good at, it was knowing how one should dress. "You're queen, you can change how everything works." She quipped in response, turning on her heels to get me ready for the day.

The dress was a beautiful mix of deep green and silver. It was cut square across the shoulders to let my auburn curls frame the top half of my figure. As ridiculous as I felt, the crown did help to add height to my shortened stature. "Well I'm not changing how you dress me", I replied, sweeping a hint of red to my lips.

As queen of the land, you could either dazzle them with your mind or let them find themselves falling to their knees at your beauty. 

A swift knock on the door was all we needed to know that it was back to business as usual. Alicen rushed for the oak drawer as I picked up the crown from where I left it last night. I stood, crossing to the desk as she slowly lowered the powerful symbol atop of my head. The golden crown of rubies and diamonds seemed to only get heavier each time I put it on.

"My Queen" A rough voice spoke as the male's large frame lowered in the doorframe. His tone was formal, but his posture told me where his intentions lie. Now, this level of formality would take some getting used to. There was no hiding that charming smile as his emerald eyes slowly rose, devouring the sight of the queen before him. Thank the lords Alicen enjoyed our little game, or she may have had both of our heads.

"You know that is just a formality." My eyes dart between Simeon and Alicen as a warmth rises to my cheeks, "for the both of you" They were my rocks in all of this. The two of them were the ones who raised me, cheered me on, and now have to bow before me. Formality or not, I knew that they would always be an exception.

A second figure loomed behind Simeon, coming up as quietly as the deadly cat we all knew her to be, "It is a formality you should enforce." Her tone was sharp yet deep. The woman didn't need to be loud to be respected. That voice was unrecognizable to all of those in Sopren, the Queen Mother Coulperd.

It was as if all life was taken out of that room. A newly coronated queen or not, the Queen Mother was someone you didn't disrespect. Our happy trio turned to frozen statues, and with a simple nod of mutual understanding to the lean woman, we found ourselves once again rid of her presence. The queen mother was like a ghost - only to be spoken about.

The man finally crossed the room and threw himself into the second lounge chair. It took Alicen's decades of devotion to the crown not to slip into the hallway to give us some space. She always thought Simeon would end up being my consort, and frankly, Alicen is never wrong. "I don't know how you do it, Ves" The man was shaking his head as if HE held the fate of the kingdom on his shoulders. Yet his gaze drifted to the door, "She'd be enough to drive me mad, let alone having to remain responsible for the whole -" He cut himself off at the sight of the disheveled bed. The nights still remained restless, even with the crown.

My gaze shifted from the man to the sheets. Alicen sighed as she made her way towards the piles of fabric on the mattress. "Responsible for the whole kingdom." I finished his sentence, Taking the fabric of my sleeve to the corners of my eyes to tap out the silent tear. The wound was too fresh...too new.

If only I could bring myself to tell him the whole story. As far as the kingdom was concerned, Brerel died protecting the Tree of Souls from the greedy hands of the Epinae. They didn't know he was there because of me - because of a disillusioned idea of peace.

At this point, Alicen had enough. She knew we had places to be, and none of us wanted to be there. All we were doing was stalling and wallowing in what was, "I suggest we all get moving before the Queen Mother has our heads." She spoke with the flick of the bedsheet. With that, the stout woman swiftly left the room. Simeon and I both looked at each other and had to crack a smile. Alicen would make a better queen than us all. 

"Let's get on with it. The human realm is counting on its new queen.", Simeon joked as he peeled himself off of the lounge chaise. We couldn't continue delaying the inevitable, and in one swift movement, the walls were up and we were back to our roles of the queen and her guard. The charming boy who held my hopes in his hand was left in the bed chamber as we crossed the threshold.

As we walked towards the throne room, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was the start of something bigger. With the death of Brerel and the rising tensions between realms, we all knew that this crown could swallow me whole. I couldn't help but focus on Simeon's words as the doors to the court loomed ahead.

The human realm is counting on its new queen.

If only that silly boy knew how much those words would eventually mean in the months to come.