A Game of Crowns

“We are not set apart to rule, but chosen and set apart to serve.”

-Theodore M Burton

“Penelope,” Georgiana called.

Her mild-mannered voice pulled me from the swirling pit of emotions that lumbered through my mind. I turned to face my best friend. Her blonde hair was pulled into a neat bun that landed at the base of her neck. I missed her severely over the course of the last month and a half.

“It’s time. The council has called for your presence.”

“Very well,” I answered.

Her blonde eyebrows furrowed as her narrowed eyes watched me closely. I couldn’t blame her for her worried manner. I had been distant and had yet to say much of anything. Viktorya had kindly let her in on all that happened in Clearwater.

She was smart enough to pick up that something had happened with Rowan. He had tried to visit me every day since arriving at the palace. Georgiana kept him away after that first day she let him into my room.

The vase shattered upon impact. Rowan hadn’t dodged my aim, but then again I wasn’t really trying to hit him.

Poor Georgiana. The shock was apparent over her soft features. I hadn’t felt like explaining what had happened between Rowan and me so I couldn’t blame her for allowing him past the door.

“I do not want to see you,” I said flatly. I turned away from him, facing the single window that looked out into the palace grounds.

“Moonstone, please,” he begged roughly

I turned to face him. I hated the way my body reacted to his presence. It hungered for his touch, for his kisses, and for his love. My traitorous body yearned to comfort him in his pain. It cared nothing of its own heartache.

The dark circles around his eyes blended well with the black pupils of his eyes, the specks of grey nearly invisible. His mussed hair hadn’t seen a brush in days. I tore my eyes away from the details that made up the man I loved.

This wasn’t healthy.

“I told you not to call me that,” I said darkly. “Get out.”

Georgiana shuffled from foot to foot, unsure of how to fix the situation.

Rowan turned around and moved to leave. He stopped at the door and whispered, “I’m sorry, Penelope. I’m so sorry.”

I finally let myself cry that night. It was the only night I allowed myself to wallow. Georgiana held me as the tears soaked into my blouse, as the sobs wreaked havoc on my body, and as I fell asleep in her arms.

She hadn’t asked what happened and I hadn’t told her. I wasn’t ready to put it into words. I wasn’t ready to share the amount of betrayal I felt by Rowan’s deceit. I couldn’t give voice to the fact that I had given myself completely to a man who had lied to me. I couldn’t begin to voice the shame I felt at my treatment of Tobias. I had thought the worst of him.

I had pushed my feelings for him aside and allowed myself to fall in love with a man based on a lie. How could I trust my instincts again when I couldn’t even trust them when it came down to matters of my heart. My heart was a fickle organ and I hated myself to for it.

If this taught me anything, it showed me I wasn’t ready for love.

“Penelope,” Georgiana called again.

I squeezed my eyes shut and slid on a mask of indifference. It was time to face the music. Thankfully, I didn’t have to do it alone. Georgiana gave me a small smile before opening the door for my partner in the game.

George’s warm smile and kind brown eyes soothed my pain. He was a wonderful friend and I was grateful he had forgiven me for nearly ruining a future that could be his and Kealie’s.

The small parlor room’s walls had begun to close in. I wasn’t ready to face George after having him disqualified. What awful things must he have thought of me?

The door opened and I held my breath. George walked in with an easy smile gracing his face. His soulful brown eyes held no malice, only genuine happiness to see me.

“Penelope,” he smiled.

“George,” I replied hesitantly.

I stayed rooted to my spot, unsure of how to proceed. He did. He held his arm open for a hug. A weight fell from my shoulders.

He said exactly what I needed to hear. “I don’t blame you for anything that happened. If I had a chance for love in all of this, I would have jumped at the chance as well.

After a long night of talking and catching up, we went to bed, ready for what the game had in store for us.

“Ready?” George asked.

“Yes. Yes, I am,” I smiled confidently.

I would work my rear end off if it meant I could make it up to George and Kealie. I would help George create a life for Kealie and make Iron Forge a better place. That would be enough for me.

“You look beautiful,” he added.

“Thank you. So do you,” I replied.

He smirked at me as we walked to claim our future.

I blushed, realizing what I said. “Handsome, I mean.”

He chuckled. “I’ll take beautiful.”

Georgiana followed behind us, walking with Tanner. George’s staff had yet to say anything around me, so it was hard to get a read on him but he seemed to genuinely care about his charge.

“Do you think Thelonious will be caught soon?” he asked.

I hadn’t been thinking about Thelonious, but he had been on my mind since I heard the news. It had been nearly a month since that night on the water. Somehow, he had managed to escape our Guardians but had yet to make a move against us. We hadn’t heard anything from or about him since that night and it left an ugly knot in the pit of my stomach.

“I hope so,” I answered. It was all I had to contribute to the conversation, but George seemed to understand all my thoughts behind those three words. It was all we could do. Hope for a quick end to his continued reign of terror.

Lucas had come forward and testified of Thelonious’s involvement in the murder of the King and the royal family. He replayed his role in the gruesome night of the Kings death. He had no idea what his organization had been hired to do. He was simply an extra body that night. He had a first-hand account of how Thelonious paid his organization for their services and how Thelonious himself ran a blade across the king’s throat.

He had been murdered in the circular room where I had received my brand. I shuddered at the thought of being alone with Thelonious and his Guardians in that room. That situation could have had so many different outcomes.

Lucas would pay for his crimes and he wasn’t shying away from the consequences of his actions.

George took my hand in his and squeezed gently before he opened the door to the throne room. Tanner quietly objected to George opening the door for himself.

“To our future,” George said calmly.

“To our future,” I agreed.

The throne room was ornately decorated. A crowd of roughly a hundred people turned as we were announced by Georgiana and Tanner.

The Trinity from Terra stood at the front of the room, ready to begin the trial. Alongside them were Viktorya and Tobias, both regally dressed in gold and black. Just as George and I were.

Tobias and I had yet to speak. He’d made one attempt but upon my request for time, he’d agreed. His azure eyes followed my every move. He’d made it clear he still loved me but would follow my lead. If George and I won, my future would be set. George would be it for me and I was content with that.

The Trinity from Terra had taken over our game, relieving Rowan and his sisters from their duties. Rowan had crossed a line by getting involved with me and he had to pay the consequences. The red-haired triplets from Terra were ordinary looking women but still commanded respect in their every move. Their sharp features were almost severe.

Rowan and his sisters looked on from the crowd. I would not look at Rowan. I wasn’t ready to forgive him. He had put me in a precarious position. He knew I was reinstated into the game but he still allowed our relationship to move to the next level. If anyone other than our group knew that we had crossed a line, It would mean a heap of trouble for me.

The Terra Trinity moved in fluid synchronicity towards the marble thrones and stopped just ahead of them, not taking the extra step to where they rested. Only the new king and queen would rise above everyone else.

“Welcome citizens to the final trial. Your new king and queen will emerge with the blessing of the Great Mother and lead Iron Forge into prosperous times. In this trial, the remaining two pairs will cross into the Hidden Realm, but only one will emerge as blessed by her holiness. Let us commence.”

Their sweet and girlish tone cut off abruptly. They moved aside as palace staff brought out four standard sized cots for us. They motioned for us to lay down. We were each passed a small gold chalice to drink from.

“Blessed be,” they called out.

The crowd quietly murmured as they waited for us to drink the clear elixir. I wished my mother and father could be here for this, but I had received no word from them. The month they had said they’d be gone had come to pass, but yet they were still missing. I tried not to let fear eat away at me, but it was difficult to ignore their absence.

George sent a firm nod my way before emptying his glass. A second later, I did the same. A serene feeling filled my body and an angelic voice sang me a lullaby that lulled me to sleep in the cot where I laid.

My eyelids were heavy, but the same angelic voice that had sung me to sleep now urged me to open my eyes. My eyelids fought their way open and widened upon seeing small lithe bodies frolicking around me to a melody only they could hear. Their pointy ears gave away their race, fairies. They looked to have been dipped in gold glittering paint and they were all naked. They were unbothered by their nudity.

I averted my eyes from their lack of decorum and rested them on the temple I knew well. Both Xandra and Kaitha had spoken to me in the white stone building. All that was left was Meylee. Maybe it was she that I would be meeting today.

I stopped just beneath the entrance and read the inscription. ‘All who enter and come feely shall find solace in me.’ It was a nice thought, but neither visit had left me feeling very consoled.

I stepped in and was greeted by the most breathtaking being I’d ever laid eyes on. Her thin lips held a genuine smile. She radiated pure sunshine and comfort, long brown hair was braided down the side of her neck and ended below her waist. Her tawny beige skin shimmered radiantly under the natural pink light shining through the double pane windows. Eyes that had seen the creation of man beheld me in their gaze.

Great Mother have mercy.

I fell to my knees, vaguely aware I was no longer wearing the golden floor length gown Georgiana had forced me into. I wore a simple white frock.

“Rise, Penelope,” she said.

And so I did.

She glided towards me and held my cheek in the cusp of her hand. Her soulful sea green eyes held me as their prisoner. They searched every nook and cranny in my mind, soul, and heart.

“I find you and your partner worthy,” she said in her melodic voice. “Take of my essence and be blessed,” she said smiling radiantly.

She turned her back and disappeared into the light. My hand went to my face automatically. Heat burned my cheek, but the sensation wasn’t uncomfortable.

The Great Mother had blessed me. That couldn’t mean....

A gaggle of voices ripped me away from my thoughts. Where were they coming from? The voices continued to get louder until I was able to pinpoint their location. They were coming from the doors I’d passed through.

I hesitantly pulled the door open and a flood of light washed over me.

Voices whispered around me in awe and surprise.

“Ssh, don’t wake her. It may not be time,” a woman whispered.

Another agreed.

“Enough. She will be awake soon. All of the other contestants have awoken. Give her space,” the Trinity commanded.

The whispering voices backed away.

I forced my eyes to open and swung my legs off the cot. The crowd that awaited the announcement stood watching me in awed silence.

I wobbled a bit, but I managed to get to my feet with the help of George’s sudden appearance. I took hold of his offered hand and faced our audience.

One after another they began to kneel. It couldn’t be...

I faced George, who didn’t seem all that surprised. It was when he smiled that I noticed the silver crescent moon on his cheek, nearly transparent. I lifted my hand to my cheek. The burning sensation was gone, but it left behind a cool spot. Was it a matching symbol?

I turned to face the crowd again and there knelt Tobias and Viktorya. Both wearing very different expression. One annoyance and the other acceptance.

The Terran Trinity stood before us and fell into a synchronized swoop of respect.

“Your Majesties.”