13 Crowns Novels & Stories

Without raising an alarm, I marched over to where he stood and started to study every part of him before me. He raised a questioning brow utterly thrown off when I grabbed one of his wrists and gave it a firm squeeze, though my strength counted for nothing. "What in the devil's name are you..." "See!" I pointed out, amazed by my obvious discovery, his majesty deflected his crimson red eyes to a pink patch decorated on his pale wrist. "Your blood is red." I reiterated. Little did I expect his Majesty to titter at my sense of humor, and I did not know when I found myself giggling.

The council chamber smelled of smoke and polished wood. Candles burned in tall brass holders along the walls, their light reflecting off the gilded edges of the maps spread across the table. The city of Valoria lay in miniature there, every district rendered in ink and precision, the heart of the kingdom marked by the symbol of the crown. Adrian sat at the head of the table, but he did not feel like its master. His fingers drummed against the wood while the nobles murmured around him, their voices a tangle of fear and calculation.

Aameris spoke almost in a whisper, but everyone in the room heard him. The three couples kissed, then turned to look at the crowd. Lindaat started to glow, and a crown appeared on her head. Twisted silver and bronze metals looking like a tree being held by silver roots. Around the crown, small diamonds rose, looking almost like trees. When she turned to look at Teleraamon, he had a circlet of the same silver and bronze on his head. Ailive gasped when a crown appeared on her head, with a solid silver band with sapphires around the edges that looked almost like tears. Dakkaath had a circlet of silver with a hint of bronze in it. Xylia smiled brightly at the two, then felt something on her head

“Thank you for the dance, Miss Ellwood.” “The honor was mine, Your Highness,” she replied, curtseying once more. Before he could turn away, she summoned her courage. “Your Highness, if I may… that ring you wear. It bears the falcon crest of your house, does it not?" Sebastian glanced down at his hand, seemingly surprised by her question. “A variation of it, yes. This was my grandfather’s ring, given to me when I was a boy. The royal crest has since been modified, but I prefer this simpler design.” His gaze returned to her face, curious. “Why do you ask?”

Mahagino is altogether more afraid to be executed than for his house to be burned by piratical incursions of the Viraiz clan. For Mahagino’s relief, Darina called Rowen, the cavalryman to bring a bag filled with golden coins and jewels. Rowen revealed that the bag has one thousand golden coins, three hundred pieces of silver, ten rubies, and ten sapphires. Darina commanded the cavalryman to record the amount. “Your fishes will be of Clapestris, is that enough?” Darina asked Mahagino giving out the bag to the scholar. Mahagino, being a cunning merchant, was supposed to say that it is not enough. But the cavalryman notices him still thinking and tarried his time to answer. The cavalryman nudge

“So… It is not because you want the throne?” Prince Cornelius looked at Emery as if she was some kind of great disappointment. Disbelief was plastered all over his face. “Of course not,” he snarled. “Being the head of an empire is a total headache. Why would I waste my good looks for the sake of some people I am not even related to? You saw my brother… He looked so old now compared to his age.” He was yet about to speak, however, some kind of movement from behind them caught their attention. Hence, Emery grabbed the bow and nocked an arrow as fast as she could. Her eyes scanned the vicinity, ready to shoot anyone who found them.

Never! He smiled with a proud glint in his eye as she lifted her head. One of the attendants offered a rough-looking black circular crown, the top spike in the center adorned with a massive black gemstone. Around the circlet's base are four long horn-like thorns. Nothing about the crown screamed glamor; everything about it roared status and dominance.

He laid it flat on the wooden bench between us, and to my astonishment, the metal continued to ripple softly after he let go, pulsing like a creature breathing in its sleep. “Look at the inside face,” he instructed. I leaned closer. Seven distinct notches had been carved into the Crown’s inner curve, evenly spaced and no larger than a fingernail. Six of the grooves were entirely dark. The seventh held a vibrant thread of light, pulsing in the exact rhythm of the burning mark on my wrist. “They match,” I whispered. “They are identical.” “That shouldn’t be possible,” I argued, shaking my head. “This mark only flared nine weeks ago because a boy in Silverfang looked at me across a courtyard.”

His imperial crown sat perfectly on his head, demonstrating his importance and status. It had white fur lining, which supported the solid gold frame that had aquamarine stones dotted around the core before growing into a solid gold cross in the centre. Two studded arches rose from the sides of the gold frame, meeting in the centre of the cross. The crown was finalised with aquamarine lining from the gold frame up to the centre of the cross. He looked magnificent… breathtaking. His eyes fixated on mine and I almost choked on my own breath, taking in all his glory. How was he mine? I felt my knees go weak as I admired him across the room.

I am Chief Witch and Queen, and she has no right to speak before me. I pursed my lips and went back to the bedroom, a little angry. Nuri is mine, and I will never let Azariah win. …… After dawn, the ceremony went on as planned. Compared with the coronation, it was a simple ceremony, but a lot warmer. I stood among the witches, enjoying their blessings, and then, in everyone's smile, took the crown of power. I have three crowns. The gold crown for the Queen, the crystal crown from Lowa, and the laurel crown for the chief witch.