City of the Enchanted Queen Read online

  She nodded. “Excuse me.”

  The servant stopped and turned to face them, keeping her head down at all times. “Y-yes, Your Highness?”

  Madison approached the woman and used the tips of her fingers to lift the woman’s face up. “I’m not that dreadful woman. You don’t have to cower any longer. You are able to make this your home, not your prison. Please, let me know what I can do to help with your comfort.”

  The woman made eye contact, tears brimming, making the browns of her irises glow like sunlight in the woods. “Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you!”

  “Tell us of your knowledge of the castle’s set up. I’m curious to know what that woman had changed and what you would like to see restored.”

  She nodded. Sophia felt proud of her cousin. She stood so tall. The way she interacted with her people showed she cared for them instead of seeing them as beneath her. The world needed more rulers like her.

  Madison would make a great queen.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Sophia

  Later that night, in her new chambers, Sophia moved throughout the room fingering the expensive linens, running her fingers over the intricate designs on the wooden furniture, and taking in the elaborate space of the room that used to belong to part of her family.

  And in essence, still did.

  The sheer size of the room and the expensive furnishings were nearly overwhelming. She wondered if she would ever remember running through the halls as a young girl. It was different being in the castle without it attacking her. But it was also peaceful and freeing. She was relaxed for the first time in as long as she could remember.

  She pondered how things had come full circle and wondered if Madison could be as great a ruler as her uncle once was.

  Of course, she would. She would be greater.

  A knock on the door pulled her from her reverie. She answered with a soft, “Come in.”

  Edric stepped into the room, freshly bathed, bandaged, and wearing a clean uniform. He smiled as his eyes took in her form. After clearing his throat, he said, “I wanted to check in on you and make sure you were comfortable.”

  She nodded and softly smiled. “I am.”

  “Do you need anything?” he asked.

  She shook her head and let her eyes roam over the vast, lavish room again. His feet shuffled and she set her attention on him as he went to leave.

  “I may need one thing,” she said, stopping him.

  He faced her, eyebrows raised in arches on his forehead. “Anything.”

  “Stay with me,” she said.

  He lowered his head, obliging her. She met him halfway through the room and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face into his chest. His scent was intoxicating and eased the musings of her mind.

  He pulled her closer into him, and she melted a little, wanting more of him.

  She pulled him toward the bed as a gentle breeze blew in from the windows, making the curtains dance into the room. The bed that was far too big for just her seemed perfect for the two of them. He didn’t need any coaxing, picking up on what she needed. And that was just to be comforted by him, being wrapped in his arms with his scent all around her.

  She lay next to him, with her head on his chest. She listened to the beating of his heart and wrapped her fingers around the lace of his shirt. The fire in the nearby inglenook created soothing shadows and light and warmth.

  She sighed as he placed a kiss on the top of her forehead.

  Tomorrow, her cousin would be crowned queen. For now, she just wanted to relax and enjoy the peacefulness of not having to fight, feeling safe in the arms of her love.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Sophia

  This was too much fussing for Sophia’s taste. But her cousin, Madison, insisted on being pampered before the coronation. She cited something her mother always said, and Sophia couldn’t recite it if her life depended on it.

  Women—Sophia had lost count—danced through the room, performing random tasks while she relaxed in a steaming bath full of suds and flowery extracts. She loved the feel of the water against her aching muscles, and the soap stung a bit on her wounds, but she enjoyed the moment, nonetheless.

  “Not bad, huh?” Madison asked from the bath next to hers.

  Sophia shrugged. “This part isn’t.”

  “Well, get used to it, Cousin. You are going to have this and so much more.”

  A weight formed in the pit of her stomach. Sophia didn’t know if she was cut out for this to be a reoccurring thing. She had spent much of her life depending on herself, taking care of her own grooming, and wearing clothes that were meant for a warrior and not a lady.

  “Let’s just stick with today and call that good,” she said.

  “Why?” she asked, sitting forward in her bath and angling herself to face Sophia.

  “It feels…” What word could she use to describe the feeling deep within her. The uncomfortable attention and pampering that most higher-class women took for granted but was never afforded to Sophia. She wasn’t a lady. She wasn’t raised with a silver spoon in her mouth, luxurious clothing, or even bubble baths. She was raised a fighter, an anima contritum. A thing that was never meant to exist, regardless if she was turned into one or not. She finally settled on a word. “Unusual.”

  “That’s understandable,” she said. “I feel that way too.”

  Sophia leveled her gaze on her cousin. “You do?”

  She nodded. “Though I am used to being prepared for gatherings, despite a decade in a crystal coffin, I’m not used to addressing the kingdom. Honestly? I’m nervous. And a bit scared.”

  “Of being queen?” Sophia asked.

  “Of letting my people down.” Madison leaned back into the tub, holding up handfuls of bubbles and letting them drip from her hand. “There is so much to make up for. So much learning and catching up on events affecting my people. My father made it look so easy. I just hope that I am as good and as just as he was.”

  Sophia reached over the edge of her tub and grabbed her cousin’s hand, pulling Madison’s attention to her. With a smile she said, “You were born to lead these people. You are kind and strong. You have your father’s blood within you. If not as great, you will be greater.”

  Madison beamed. “Thank you. For everything.”

  “It’s what I do,” Sophia said.

  Then a woman poured fragrant water over her head, washed her hair, wrapped it in a thick cloth, and ordered her out of the bath. Sophia raised an eyebrow. This was too much pomp and circumstance. She wasn’t used to it, and she felt uncomfortable with the trouble and lengths the number of women went through just to make sure she was dressed in luxury.

  But she wouldn’t give it up for the world.

  SOPHIA

  The dress she wore didn’t feel nearly as foreign as the one she had stolen from the duke she pretended was her uncle’s house.

  It was free flowing around the waist, hugged her hips just right, and supported her breasts comfortably. She could breathe freely as well. Her hair was pulled back and adorned with a silver diadem that held a small ruby dangling from the tip at the center of her forehead. Golden curls fell along her shoulders and dangled down her back.

  She walked down the aisle of the chapel, the halls filled with people who once feared her, but now beamed with pride. They finally had their monarch on the throne once more. As the music of harps, violins, and flutes swelled, she held her chin high in defiance, doing her best to hide the broad smile that wanted to break free.

  At the end of the aisle, Madison sat on a lavish throne, a temporary replacement to the one in the throne room as repairs were currently being done to restore it to its former glory. On her right was a smaller, backless seat. Next to it was Edric. To the left of her cousin stood Andreas and Ezekiel, each of them wore their most expensive dressings.

  She climbed the few stairs of the dais and stood before her cousin who smiled. Regal in her red and gold dress.

  Elder
Velderdash nodded from the side as he grabbed the crown off a puffy pillow. He handed the crown to Sophia, and she once again faced Madison. As she placed the crown on her cousin’s head, she couldn’t hide the smile any longer.

  She had done it.

  She finally, officially, restored the heir.

  But more than that, she truly had a family and home again.

  She took her seat next to the queen as she addressed the people.

  “People of Nighthelm, it is an honor to serve you as queen. And,” she paused to look at Sophia, “my first act as queen is to officially pardon Sophia Delmonte, Edric Axton, Andreas Hilt, and Ezekiel Wickham of all charges and allegations brought against them.”

  As her cousin continued, Sophia slyly looked at her men. They beamed with pride in their own ways.

  Madison finished her speech as the people began chanting her name.

  Sophia Delmonte, the child of two nations, here to unite two worlds at war. She smiled at her cousin, faced the people and said, “Long live Queen Madison!”

  The people repeated the chant. She bowed her head to her cousin and mouthed “thank you.”

  Madison bowed her head and looked at her people proudly.

  Sophia had never been as happy as she was in this moment. She didn’t want that feeling to end.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Sophia

  Sophia stood on her balcony overlooking the entire city below her. She watched as the lamps were being lit and wondered at the sight. She used to watch the lamp glow from the rooftops of the buildings or from within the shadows. Never once did she ever think she would stand on a balcony of the castle to experience the same thing.

  From up here, it was like watching the birth of tiny fairies.

  From just beyond the city, the red sun was setting along the horizon, spreading its final light over the world in shades of orange and yellow, fading into light blue that darkened into the navy of night above her.

  A gentle breeze blew through her hair, bringing with it the crisp smell of drying leaves, warm fires, and the twang of evergreens along the mountain. She smiled to herself as she breathed in those scents.

  This was what she had fought for. This moment. To have this peace. This accomplishment. She had fought long and hard for this moment. And she was doing all that she could to take it in.

  The laughter of her men and casual chatter floated to her from within her room. She turned and found them heading toward the balcony where she stood. Edric carried a tray of fruits and cheeses. Ezekiel carried tall mugs, and Andreas held a carafe of wine.

  When she met his gaze, he smiled and said, “We stole these from the kitchen. Sorry, there weren’t any sweet cakes.”

  Edric added, “Or an angry cook to chase us down.”

  Sophia laughed and her men joined in.

  While Andreas poured wine into the cups and passed them out, Sophia plucked a cube of cheese from the tray Edric placed on the wide edge of the balcony wall. She took a mug that was handed to her and waited until Ezekiel’s was filled.

  “A toast,” she said, once everyone had their drinks.

  “What are we toasting to now?” Andreas asked.

  Ezekiel said, “To a destiny fulfilled, completed quests, lasting love, and a new peace.”

  “Wow, Zeke,” Edric said. “How long did you rehearse that one?”

  Sophia laughed. “I’ll drink to that!”

  Everyone clanked their mugs together and took a long pull of their wine.

  Sophia faced the majestic Ripthorn Mountain. Her legacy. Her cousin was officially crowned the first Queen of Nighthelm from a family of a long line of kings. She had no doubt they would both leave their mark, each in their own way.

  She relished in her victory, remembering her past, and seeing where she had come to. With her men, she restored the throne of Nighthelm. They deserved this moment of celebration and peace.

  Sure, darkness waited for her within the depths of the mountain. Dark magic and shadows that won’t be contained forever. If they could defeat the Nameless Master, they could face anything. She believed that more than ever. And the dangers in the mountain would prove a long fight, for certain.

  But for now…

  For the moment, at least, she can simply enjoy her victory.

  “What comes next?” Ezekiel asked. “Do we stay here in the castle for a little while or head straight for the mountain to track those assassins?”

  Sophia thought about that for a moment. “First, we will need a better way to keep you and Edric safe from magic poisoning. Then we head for the assassins.”

  “I would like to set up an elite force to guard the queen as well,” Edric said.

  “I like your thinking,” Sophia said. “You can work on that. Zeke, you can research ways to recharge and reinforce the amulets the elder arbors gave you, and Andreas and I will help around the castle with repairs and wherever else we are needed.”

  Wind whipped through her hair blowing it into her face. Laughing with her men, she embraced each of them. She was grateful for them, for their power, and for the deep sense of wholeness she finally felt.

  At long last, she was healed.

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  About the Author

  OLIVIA ASH

  Olivia Ash spends her time dreaming up the perfect men to challenge, love, and protect her strong heroines (who actually don’t need protecting at all). Her stories are meant to take you on a journey into the world of the characters and make you want to stay there.

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