Threats, Crowns, and Warnings

“So... what then did you want to discuss?” I inquired, attempting to control my voice.

Rowan stood up and walked away with hands behind his back. You shall be crowned queen in less than forty-eight hours, I told you.

I blinked. "Less than... two days?" My stomach sank. "That soon? I... I haven't even... I do not know anything about the court. How am I supposed to—"

He held up a hand. "I know. You'll learn. However, before you get carried away by robes, ceremonies, and admiration, you must realize that the crown does not come that easily. It comes with danger."

 I froze. "Danger?"

 "Yes," he said. “There are factions who feel that your rise is a threat to their interests. Competitor families, longtime nobles who want to be on the throne, and even strangers. Others might attempt to injure you or to disparage you before you are crowned.”

I swallowed hard. The room seemed to begin to shrink, and the air seemed to grow thick. The palace had always been in my thoughts as a place of luxury and politics, not a place to die.

“They might be foreigners to the kingdom?”

I asked, voice low.

Rowan nodded. "It's possible. You are not only dealing with family competitors—there are kingdoms who are keeping their eyes upon Valeon and are biding their time. I am glad you got here safe, Auri, but the instant you set foot in the house, the risk was increased two-fold. You must be vigilant."

I would have protested, would have said that I was not ready, that I could not be queen, but the words would not come up my throat. He was right. I had no choice. I had to accept this life.

"You will have more enemies than friends now," Rowan said, and his eyes were constant and firm. Those whom you thought you could trust are going to shock you. Your choice, even the slightest ones, will be examined. Your every move observed."

I made the slow nod in an attempt to quiet the anxiety in my chest. My hands twisted in my lap. "I... I understand. I'll try."

Rowan relaxed a little. "You must. And to assist you, you have a special knight allotted to you.

I froze. "A knight?" The first thing that came to my mind was a stoic, armored protector who stood still in the hallway and looked on.

"Yes," Rowan said. It is the knight who must guard you at all times. He will be able to taste your food before you eat, drink before you drink, go with you wherever you go, and be ready to protect you against all perils. His life can be under threat, but that is what he is supposed to do. You must accept it. There is no alternative."

I shook my head and my discomfort pricked me. I cannot... somebody who puts his life in danger of mine? I... I don't even know them. I can't ask that of anyone."

 “You do not have a choice,” Rowan said. “It is not a question of asking; it is a matter of survival. You are queen now, Auri. You must act accordingly."

 I heaved a sigh and leaned against the bed in an attempt to wrap my head around it. "When will I meet this knight?"

 “After your first council meeting,” Rowan replied. “The council can no longer be silent about receiving you, and to have a review of your ascension, and to make plans for the coronation. Then, you'll meet him."

The following hours went by like a whirlwind. I put on formal clothes befitting a royal council meeting and I took care to tuck my hair, and be calm. Each turn I made along the vast corridors of the palace made me understand that I had been away so long. Faces I scarcely knew bowed courteously on my way. Whispers of servants, viewers of the council, I maintained my position, though my heart sank within me.

The council chamber was bigger than I used to know in my childhood. The large ceiling, fancy tapestries, and floors made me feel tiny. Councilors were muttering together, when Rowan gave a signal that I was coming. They all stopped at once with the eyes on me.

Formally Rowan announced it: "Her Royal Highness, Princess Aurelia Valeon," and bowed slightly. "Heir to the Valeon Kingdom."

I smiled, nodded my head, attempting to make myself deaf to the accelerated beat of my heart.

The council received me back in good faith, and recognized the abdication of Rowan and the reasons which resulted in it. They described the arrangements I was to have on my coronation, the responsibilities I should at once undertake, and my advisors.

I felt a lump in my throat. "I... I do not have any experience, I said to myself. I have not been in court in years. I do not know the laws, the regulations, or... honestly speaking, anything that a queen ought to know.

One of the councilors, an old woman called Lady Marwen, bent her head. "That is understood, Princess. Your brother will guide you, and the senior members of the council. You shall be tutored in every state, protocol and diplomacy.

I breathed out gradually, with relief and anxiety. Training would be well, but the experience that danger might fall at any moment still caused my breast to contract.

When the meeting was over Rowan took me back to the royal hall, and touched me in the small of the back with his hand, showing that he supported me. The rays of the sun penetrating through the stained-glass windows caught the gold embroidery on his robe and made him appear taller and more commanding than I had recalled.

I guess you want to know about the knight, he said, and relieved the silence. His voice was composed and there was something that gave me a shiver.

I hesitated before speaking. "I... I am." My voice was almost a whisper. "Who is this knight?"

Rowan smiled faintly. "You'll meet him shortly. He has arrived."

I turned my stomach at the thought. someone, whose whole end was to see after me, to know every action of mine, to expose his life to my safety.

I nodded my head slowly with my mind swirling with questions: What would he be like? How would I interact with him? Could I trust him? Could I even like him?