The War of Queens

Chapter 28

Adrianne

 Raphael’s statue stood completed. It was very typical for this age; carved in white marble, it stood as tall as he had. The clothing was made to look like the clothing he wore on the day of his coronation and was masterfully done. It almost looked real. On top of his head, where curls that she had to reach out and touch, they looked so soft and real, there was a crown. One of his arms was outstretched, the palm turned upwards, and coins were carved from it. Adrianne remembered that Clement’s statue had held a flower, wrapped in a thread that fell in waves between his finger, symbolizing the abundance of his reign. Raphael’s coins were a symbol of the wealth that had been restored.

 Today was the day where she had to, as the Queen, make a speech of his reign and welcome the next. She would make the engagement of Raynor and Lady Sybil official, and declare the date of his coronation. And on this night, her husband would be laid to rest forever, giving way to a new reign.  The reign of my son, she thought, but not Christian.

 She wore the black of mourning to court that day, as did her children, and most of those members of court who had come to listen to Adrianne’s speech. She sat on her throne, painfully aware of the empty seat to her right, with her sons and daughters behind her, waiting for the room to fill.

 Once the steady stream of lords and ladies through the double doors had stopped, she stood up, effectively silencing the room. “My lords, ladies,” she began, looking over the room and catching the eyes of a few. “Today, we bid farewell to another King. The twenty-three years that it has been since the last time we did so, since I was given in marriage to the greatest man I have ever known, seem to have passed by so quickly. Today, we bid farewell to our King, and I would have us all remember these twenty-three years that he ruled.”

 She drew in a deep breath, pausing to fight back the tears that seemed to jump forwards whenever she spoke. I don’t feel that sad, she noted, but somehow I cannot stop the tears.

 “When I think back on my husband’s rule, I realize that it is a rule that we can all be proud of. Under King Raphael’s guidance, we found prosperity, peace, and a way to welcome one of the greatest houses in this kingdom back to our bosom.”

 Her eyes found Sybil’s in the crowd as Raynor stepped forwards. He walked until he stood in front of Adrianne, just as Sybil began walking up to the thrones. People stepped out of her way as she walked, and when she was finally there, Raynor held out his hand for her to take. He assisted her up the steps until she was standing beside him, overlooking the crowd, their hands still joined between them. The court cheered loudly until he cleared his throat and began his speech.

 Adrianne has to step backwards. The crow cheered at the love of their new King and Queen now, not at the love that she and Raphael shared. She stood behind them, Queen Regent at the moment, but Queen Dowager soon enough. A fading rose, a memory of what came before, but not something that would last into the future. Now I know what Lucretia must have felt like.

 “My father,” Raynor began, “was a good King. He ruled long and well, and regained prosperity that I have heard was thought impossible at the time of his coronation. He brought peace to a land torn by debt and war. He made alliance with his worst enemies.” He looked at Sybil, smiling. “An alliance that give me the chance to, on this day, declare my love for Lady Sybil Renell, the daughter of one of the oldest, greatest families in the kingdom, and a descendant of the man that once ruled the North as a King. It is with the greatest happiness a man can feel that I now tell you, she will soon rule Etheron as Queen by my side.”

 The crowd cheered happily. A royal wedding was always welcome in the eyes of the people. Adrianne remembered how her own wedding has worked as distraction for the commoners in their poverty.