She sighed and shifted the hefty crown back into place on the top of my head as it had already slipped again. Casting her stare to the floor, her already ashen cheeks paled further, almost as if she'd been replaced by a ghost. "Because, I don't know what's going to happen, Fallon, and you may need to take on the role as king much sooner than any of us expected. If your father...if he doesn't get better, you will need you to step in and take his place."
"But what if I'm not ready?"
She placed her hands on the sides of my face and forced me to look at her. "Of course you are. You've been training your entire life for this. All your lessons. All your time here in the castle has been grooming you for this moment. It's your destiny."
My destiny. I swallowed against the thickness growing in my throat. Every part of my body seemed to weigh more today. Heavier. Harder to carry. “And if I can't?"
“Rumors are already spreading throughout the kingdom. We need to address this now or there will be chaos.” She let go of my face and hesitated with her hand on the doorknob, her shoulders heaved before she turned back to face me. “The announcement is at three o'clock, I'll meet you in the foyer at quarter to three. Please don't be late."
I watched her slide back out the door, her posture stick straight and demeanor flawless, even though her insides were being torn apart. I'd never be that polished. I knew my duty to the family, but I never actually thought I'd have to do it. I'd falsely believed that my father would just live forever and take care of things, even if I became king I wouldn't actually have to do the work. I should've paid more attention to my studies. I should've behaved. I should've spent more time with my father when I had the chance. I should've done a lot of things that regret wouldn't be able to fix.
The mirror on the wall showed a kid playing dress up in the king's clothes. I fixed my collar and adjusted the crown again, the honor still not sitting right on my head.
Sun beat down on the courtyard as transparent waves of heat shimmied in the golden afternoon. The layers of pomp and circumstance cocooning my body did nothing to relieve the tension in my neck and shoulders as I paraded to the makeshift stage, a crowd of people several yards thick already waited at attention. A wooden podium stood in the center, but I couldn’t help picturing stocks, as if I were marching to my execution instead of just a simple speech. I’d made this short journey a thousand times before, but the people didn’t come to see me, they came to listen to my father. To be inspired. To be led.
The swish of satin amplified as my mother sped up beside me and whispered in my ear. “Remember to breathe and don’t lock your knees or you might faint.”
I forced a smile, as I tried to grab onto the small speck of levity in her tone and calm myself down. She smiled back, both of us pretending, each one trying to be what the other needed and not quite knowing how.
We reached the edge of the stage and her gentle hand nudged my lower back, urging me forward, but polite enough not to push. The guards took their positions next to us as their careful stares scanned the awaiting horde.
I shook my hands behind the podium, sweat beading on my palms and against the back of my neck. Almost everyone in the city had come, but as I scanned the crowd I didn’t recognize the faces I wanted to see. My friends hadn’t bothered to support me. Part of me even hoped I might see Veda standing in the crowd, but as I searched row on row of faces, her dark soulful eyes did not appear.
"Er...ah...Welcome citizens of Aboria."
A derisive laugh swam through the audience. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as an unsettling quiet fell over the crowd.
"I’m sure you are all surprised to see me addressing you all today instead of His Majesty King Ezra, and I wish my first public address were under better circumstances.”
A low murmur rose as people began to shift and shrug. I swallowed, the neck on my coat seeming to shrink around my vocal cords.
“The king has fallen ill. We have enlisted the best doctors in the land to attend to him and we hope that he will be back at this podium again soon. He sends his regards, but asks that you provide him the time and space he needs to recover.”
The rumbling of voices grew. Waves of sound crashing against the shore.
“In his absence, Queen Abigail and I, along with the help of the advisory council will be consulted on all matters.”
No turning back now. The wave of mumbling voices peaked again and rushed toward me. I moved my weight from one foot to the other as sweat dripped down my spine. Questions garbled and meshed as the news of the king settled on the crowd.
“What about the monster in the window? The one from the newspaper?” a man’s voice called from the middle of the pack. A chorus echoed his questions, repeating the words over and over but with their own accusatory tone.
I glanced over my shoulder. Mom stood tall and nodded me to continue, although her encouraging smile didn’t reflect in her eyes.
“The pictures aren’t real. There
