CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

Amara and the coven had been tasked with helping Kaida to imbue magic on the armor and the weapons, and so far so good.

They had worked all night since the coven's arrival, and now, the bows of all the archers in my army were now enchanted to never miss a target.

Kaida and I walked through the stone archways in my courtyard. I explained to her all that Amara had told me, "I have never heard of this spell. My grandmother never spoke of it, perhaps there is something in her other grimoires, I'll send them to you later"

"Thank you Kaida" I smiled, grateful.

A female servant ran towards us, "My lady, Lord Acrisius is awake and has decided to wait for you in the throne room."

"Thank you. Call the others as well, I have an announcement"

I had something planned for my friends today, they had risked so much for me by going on their various missions, and their efforts were not lost on me, so i planned something to show them my gratitude.

~

The large stone doors opened to reveal a large circular space, lit chandeliers hung from the ceilings and four large windows allowed for sunrise to illuminate the space.

At the end of the room, stood a large luxurious chair made of oak. My mind drifted to the throne room in the capital.

My throne.

Acrisius, Drazhan, Amenadiel, Damon, Kaida and Nathaniel stood at the side as I walked towards the throne, their heads lowered in respect as I sank on the seat.

They all now stood before me.

"I called you here today to offer my thanks to you, I am aware of the risks you all took on my behalf and i wished to reward you accordingly"

They looked at each other in confusion, perhaps wondering what their reward would be.

"My queen, we need no rewards, we live to serve you" Nathaniel said, I smiled at him and pressed on.

I stood from the throne and unsheathed chaos from my side, "Amenadiel, Nathaniel, Drazhan and Damon, please kneel"

They did without question.

I placed my sword on both of Amenadiel's shoulders "Rise, Ser Amenadiel, Lord commander of my guard, and knight of the realm."

He rose, his chin held high in pride.

I repeated the same action on the rest of them, and they all rose as Knights of the realm.

Acrisius came forward at last and knelt before me, I opened my palm, green flames enveloped it and a silver Coronet appeared a second later, the men let out a small gasp as I placed it on his head.

"Rise, Acrisius Darrowmere, Prince of the realm" he looked up at me from his knees, a single tear dropped from his eye. "Thank you, your majesty" he said.

Warmth spread through my body, they were my inner circle, my friends, my family and with their help, I would take back my kingdom.

~

Nathaniel walked into the throne room, I was speaking to a soldier who was giving me an weapons accounting. The witches had successfully enchanted three thousand weapons and armour.

"Forgive me for the intrusion, my vassals have arrived"

I nodded to the soldier and thanked him for the accounting as he exited the room.

"Call the rest of the council"

He exited the room and came back with the rest of my council. Drazhan and Damon stood by my side, their hands on the hilt of the weapons, Acrisius and the rest stood at tha left side.

The double doors were opened, two guards walked in and stood at th sides, spears in hand.

Three men and one woman walked in and stood in the middle of the room.

The men wore luxurious noble attires, red blue and green, while the lady wore a velvet gown, her blonde hair rested on her shoulders in curls.

They were adorned with jewelries of gold and silver as I stared at them with a look of authority.

I didn't recognize the two men and the woman, but the man who wore the red attire I recognized. His hair was a deep brown with streaks of gray, he looked like a man who had fought in a hundred wars.

Count Nikolai Verdant, Drazhan's father.

Drazhan's jaw tightened as I turned to him, his gaze never departing from his father's.

I knew how his father loathed him, the reason for this is still lost on us all. I sat upright, preparing to speak, but Drazhan beat me to it.

With a voice I've never heard from him, he announced, "You stand in the presence of Queen Natalya Kastillion the first, Rightful ruler of Korghon, protector of these lands, high priestess of the triple goddess and last of her kind"

His gaze was still fixed on his father, even as he mentioned my titles. Did he just use me to brag to his dad?

Pride swirled within me, but I quickly pushed aside the thought, and focused on the vassals before me.

"Thank you for making the journey to Temeria my lords, my lady. I hope the ride was a pleasant one"

Count Nikolai stepped forward, "When our Lord calls, we answer. He tells me you need our armies to fight Herbert and depose your brother"

His gaze turned to his son for a moment before returning to me.

"He speaks truly. But I like to consider it an exchange. I require your loyalty and your armies and you require my protection."

"And how is that?" The Lord who wore green robes asked.

Before I spoke, Nathaniel injected "My queen, this is Count Trevor Rosewood, his lands supply weapons to the capital"

I stared at him indifferently. I'll need him on my side.

"Because any loyalty you had to my brother is non-existent, your presence here and that of your lord guaranteed that. My brother will reward your treachery by taking your life and giving your lands to some undeserving Lord or lady."

"What do you propose?" The lady spoke at last, her curly blonde hair bounced as she stepped forward and stared at me with green eyes almost identical to mine.

"Swear loyalty to me. I offer to protect you and grant you rewards beyond your imagination once the war is won and I sit upon my throne"

"She speaks truly, she is a good leader, a powerful one as well." Nathaniel added.

The air of indescion blew through the room, everyone was silent, no one spoke.

All but her.

The lady walked further away from the men and came forward and curtseied deeply.

"I, Baroness Liandra Sendryl offer you my loyalty and that of my house" I smiled and nodded to her in thanks.

The other lord stepped forward did the same.

Lord Christopher Draken.

Nikolai and Trevor were the only ones who hadn't spoken.

"It's disrespectful to keep the queen waiting for long" Drazhan told them.

"Quiet boy!" Nikolai spat, "the adults are speaking"

I gripped the sides of my throne so hard my knuckles turned white, who does he think he is?

"Our answer is no!" He said, presumably speaking for Trevor as well.

"Choose your next words very carefully" I warned.

He held my gaze with defiance. "You have neither the strength, or the wit to depose your brother, let alone fight Herbert. You are simply incapable of fighting a war on two fronts, and we will not lend our forces to a lost cause"

Cold fury enveloped me as I stared him down.

"I could kill you both where you stand" I threatened.

There was no fear on his face, none. Nikolai Verdant wasn't afraid of me.

"You could, but it changes nothing. Both our houses would revolt against you and you'd have a war to fight on four fronts"

I was half tempted to snap his neck right here, or torture him in some vile way, but it would not serve me, and also, he was Drazhan's dad.

"I will fight this war Nikolai, and I will win. When I do, both of you will regret the decision you made in this room today" I said, my voice ice cold.

"I doubt it" he said, then they both turned and exited the room.

I looked to Drazhan, and his face sparked with rage, he hated his father as much as he hated him.

"Escort them out of the city, they are no allies to the crown"

He stomped out of the room without so much as a word.

~

Lord Christopher and Baroness Liandra were given proper accomodations in the palace. The entire council would have dinner tonight in order to celebrate our new alliance and I would prepare to ride to the Ashwood residence tomorrow to secure Cerys'.

The corridor was quiet, save for the faint rustle of banners and my own footsteps echoing against the stone. I stood outside Drazhan's door,

I raised a hand and knocked.

A pause. Then the door creaked open.

He stood there, as I expected, still in full armor, silver plating catching the candlelight. The pauldrons, the chestplate, the bracers, all polished, all pristine. He looked like a statue carved for war.

My brow arched, dry amusement slipping into my voice.

"Do you ever take that off?"

Drazhan's mouth quirked slightly. "Habit."

I stepped past him into the room without waiting for permission, though I felt his gaze follow me, warm and heavy. I stopped near the small hearth, arms crossed.

"It's a poor habit." I glanced at him.

"You'll rust."

He gave a low chuckle. "Not if I move fast enough."

I rolled my eyes, then turned to him, more gently this time.

"Let me help you take it off, you can't wear that to dinner."

He hesitated, not because he doubted me, but because he wasn't used to being tended to like this, especially not from me. Drazhan and I have had our moments, but above all we were friends. I still cared about him.

He nodded, wordless, and turned his back to her.

The room grew quieter.

I stepped behind him, fingers moving to the buckles along his shoulder. The metal was warm, holding onto the heat of his body. Slowly, carefully, I unfastened each clasp, easing the pauldrons free. My fingertips brushed along the chainmail beneath, then the fine linen of his undershirt as I worked. His breath hitched slightly, not loud, but enough to make my fingers pause.

The armor came away, piece by piece, until I drew the chestplate over his head and set it aside.

His frame was powerful, muscles honed from battle, not vanity. Scars ran across his back and shoulders, old ones faded into pale lines that spoke of swords, flame, and survival.

He turned to face me. The light played along the angles of his jaw, casting shadows in the hollows of his collarbones. There was something quiet in his eyes now, stripped of armor in more ways than one.

"Come," he said softly, nodding toward the balcony.

We stepped into the cool night air together, silence stretching between us. The sky above was deep and full of stars, the wind carrying the scent of pine and something distant snow, perhaps.

I leaned on the balcony rail. He stood beside me, arms resting loosely, gaze fixed ahead but I knew his thoughts were elsewhere.

"Your father and Trevor have been escorted out of the city?" I asked.

He nodded once. The muscle in his jaw tightened.

"How do you feel about it?" I asked, placing my hand on his shoulder.

"He's a proud man," Drazhan said, voice edged and low. "I knew from the moment I saw him walk in here that he'd be a lost cause"

I glanced at him, letting the silence fill in the unspoken things.

"You hate him."

"Nikolai is not my true father," he said after a brief pause.

"What?." I breathed, confusion lining my features.

He looked down at his hands. "My mother was unfaithful with another, but he loved her so much he forgave her, but has always loathed me for her indiscretion"

I didn't respond immediately. I only reached out, my hand rubbing his shoulders. He looked down at our fingers, surprised, but didn't pull away.

"I'm sorry Draz" I said.

That silence returned, thick as velvet. Then Drazhan turned to me, his expression soft as happiness flashed in his eyes.

Before I could speak again, he leaned in and wrapped his hands around me in a hug.

He clung to me tightly, as if he was desperate to let all these feelings out. My hands wrapped round his cool back, rubbing slightly.

He whispered in my ear "Thank you Natalya,"

Warmth enveloped me at his words, when he broke the hug, he leaned into me slowly, I placed a hand on his chest and stopped him from coming any further.

"No," I said softly "Not anymore, what we had was youthful fun. Now, we've grown and we can't afford to continue this. We're friends and that's it"

His head dropped low as he said, "I understand"

I lifted the sides of my gown and left his room.

" See you at dinner."