The Blood Of The Rainbow

.:Chapter 27:.

"Alex? Oh, excellent, you're already dressed," a voice called from the doorway. "I am blessed to have such punctual children."

Alex turned away from the standup mirror, just finishing buttoning up his suit, and saw that his mother was waiting for him at the door.

Arianelle was dressed in an elegant black gown with lace sleeves; a silver pendant hung around her neck and there were pearls in her hair, as well as a translucent, black silk cape that fell from her shoulders. Alex felt awe strike his core, for he thought that his mother looked immensely royal and fancy.

"That's quite a lot of black, Mother."

"Yes, well, today is my last day as queen," Arianelle said airily. "I must step down from throne with a bang."

"You look lovely." Alex strode over to his mother and offered an arm, to which she took. "Let's go. I think Violet is waiting for us. The coronation will start soon."

"Do you think she'll be a good queen?" Arianelle asked as they walked down flights of stairs from the hallway of bedchambers to the foyer. Her voice wasn't challenging or doubtful, but simply curious.

Alex nodded. "I know for a fact," he said. "I don't regret my decision, nor will I ever."

"That's good to hear. There is no room for hesitation on the throne," Arianelle advised. On the way to the grand entrance, they saw Arian, dressed modestly in black like his mother.

"Good morning," he said. "Mother, you look nice. Are you trying to impress somebody?"

"I'm too old for that," Arianelle said, a mirthful twinkle in her eyes.

Arian went to Arianelle's other side, and the two princes walked their mother to the foyer, where the to-be queen awaited them in front of the entrance doors.

"Finally!" Violet exclaimed, hurrying over to Alex to steal a quick kiss. "You took forever."

She was beautifully dressed in a silver, glimmering gown, with her hair plaited in a braided bun. Though Violet looked impressive, it didn't hide the fact that she had a look of extreme worry.

"Are you nervous?" Arianelle said to Violet, and Alex took this chance to really look at his wife. She was rubbing her hands together nervously, small bolts of electricity dancing across her fiddling fingers.

"A little nervous," Violet mumbled, which was a lie. She looked rather miserable.

Arian wasted no time pointing this out.

"You look like you want to die," Arian said bluntly, with absolutely no shame. Alex would've laughed, but reassuring Violet was obviously the better choice.

"You'll be fine, I promise. It's just a quick ceremony: my mother will crown me, and then you. After that, we can relax. Anywhere you want."

Violet looked unconvinced, but she accepted his comfort. "I still think this is a bad idea," she said. "What if the townspeople do anything crazy?"

"The least they can do is throw food at you," Arian interjected. "The presence of the king would be there, so they wouldn't dare try anything too extreme." Like the assassination. Though he didn't voice it out loud, everybody knew that it was what he meant—the words hung in the air, and surprisingly Arianelle was the one who broke the slight tension.

"There will be high security. Nothing will happen, my dear," the queen assured Violet.

Alex was happy that his mother was warming up to the purple. He was about to say something when there was a line of trumpets blowing outside, signifying the start of the coronation ceremony, followed by a mild applause.