A grave shadow cast over their faces, as Lord Anwar stroked his hand over the lower half of his face and the dark stubble that grew there. "Without a competent king in place, the entire kingdom is vulnerable for takeover."
I dug my fingernails into my palm, the sharp pain soothing the humiliation building in my cheeks. I should already know this. I should've paid more attention.
I stretched up on my toes, trying to force myself taller, maybe channel some of my father’s charisma. “Then I am willing to do whatever it takes to maintain the throne for my father's eventual return."
"And we hope that he will be returned to us swiftly as well, but our job is to be practical,” Lord Covington said.
"So what do I need to do?"
"We would like you to hold a conference at the town hall. The people need to know that the castle has the situation under control and we are willing to continue business as usual."
I darted my eyes toward my mother who smiled back with the confidence I didn't have.
"I don't think that is the best idea. The last time I addressed the public it did not go well. They all think I am a liar, I doubt they will even listen to anything that I say."
The Council began a low rumble as they shifted in their chairs, my words hitting their mark. They didn’t want me as their leader as much as I didn’t want to be a leader. They were simply out of options and I was the best they could find on short notice. Fantastic.
"Yes, that was indeed a disaster, however, the city is unstable at the moment. No one knows who is in charge anymore. The marketplace has been destroyed causing huge problems for our merchants trying to earn an income, and we received word this morning that many of our neighboring trade partners are refusing to do business with us. They feel that the economy is at risk the longer the castle fails to regain control. If this continues, the word will reach all the way to Draconis, and we will have no suppliers for gold." Lord Marchand glanced over at my mother, pleading to her best interests, but with a heavy glare telling her to fall in line. "Of course, you are free to do as you please even if it goes against the Council's wishes, however, we feel this is a necessary step to cleaning up the mess."
My mother sat up straighter in her chair, clearly not willing to be talked down to by anyone. "I don't think that will be an issue, Bruno. I'm sure my son will do a phenomenal job. I doubt any of you would not have apprehensions with delivering news as delicate as this. Isn't that right, Fallon?”
My chest tightened, the reality that I was not getting out of this settling in. "Of course. I'll do whatever you need."
"Splendid." Lord Marchand clapped his hands and nodded until the other lords joined him. "I will make the necessary arrangements as soon as we have adjourned.”
"Is that all you require?" I asked, hoping the answer would be yes and knowing it likely wouldn't be.
"For now," Lord Anwar said.
I exhaled and let the tension slide out through my mouth then rushed toward the door. As my hand gripped the doorknob, Lord Covington spoke again.
“Before you go, can I just provide one word of caution. We know you have quite the reputation around the kingdom, specifically in regards to the taverns and some of the young ladies in the city. Stepping into the role as king requires an image of flawless decorum to help maintain the respect of your people. Anything less should be handled as discreetly as possible to avoid any more controversy. I'm not sure how much the kingdom would be willing to forgive during the Aldric reign.”
"Noted." I nodded and twisted the handle, the air already lighter on the other side of the door as it wafted in from the hallway. I rushed out of the room and clicked the door closed behind me, then rested my head against the wall, the cool stone helping to bring my temperature down. I shook out the tension in my arms and shuddered as each of the new truths landed on my shoulders. The Council had already given up on finding my father and they confirmed the one thing I dreaded — I would be the king now. The kingdom would look to me and I would need to devote everything to them. My life would never be my own again.
2
28th May
"And I'm certain that through working together we'll be able to overcome the recent events and build a stronger community in spite of it."
I ran the speech over again for about the thousandth time since yesterday. My palms still sweating every time I said the words, but the rest of my nerves seemed to be held at bay. Somewhere between midnight and dawn, I'd accepted my new reality. Either that or practicing my speech put me under some kind of hypnosis as I repeated the same monotone words over and over again.
Voices boomed on the other side of the curtain as the citizens of Mosa and likely half of the neighboring villages piled into the theatre. My mother thought the theatre may feel more non-threatening than another speech in front of the castle or the town hall that was suggested before. The large stone structure of the castle looming over them would serve as a reminder of the anger and resentment building through the people instead of fostering hope as we’d planned.
Lord Marchand appeared around the corner, a glossy black walking stick in his hand and his long hair tied low at the back of his neck. Polished. Proper. All the things I tried to be. Needed to be.
"Remember what we discussed,"
