I clutched my skirt in my sweaty hands and stared at him.
His gray eyes shimmered in the moonlight as he gazed at me for one heart-wrenching moment. “I guess this is goodbye.”
Rafe bowed briefly and took my heart with him as he walked away along a starlit path and into the autumn night, leaving me standing confused and alone in the moonlit gardens of the Summer Palace.
The Council
The next day, I lazed about in bed the whole morning, nursing my broken heart. Since I didn’t want to meet anyone, I ate in my room.
Finally I pulled myself from my slump and dressed in a pale-gray silk dress with a high collar and long sleeves. I wanted to be dressed properly, as I was to meet with the Eldorean council. The king was going to announce that he supported my claim to the throne of Illiador, and Uncle Gabriel had said that there was to be a meeting to discuss the upcoming war.
Would Rafe be at the council meeting? I hoped so. If I had any sense, I would stay away from Rafe, but the thought of never seeing him again was too upsetting to even consider.
I stepped out of my room. “I’m ready.”
There were two guards posted outside my door, and I felt a bit like a prisoner, even though Aunt Serena had said that they were only there for my protection. One of the chain mail–clad guards grunted a response and gestured for me to follow them.
Two footmen in blue-and-white livery opened the huge double doors to the council chamber, and the guards posted themselves on both sides of the massive entry. Did I have to enter alone? I hesitated a moment, but I didn’t want to let everyone know how scared I was. I had to meet the council, the lords of Eldoren; they, along with the king, would decide my fate. If Eldoren refused to accept my claim to the throne of Illiador, then I would have nothing: no army, no kingdom, probably no life.
Even if I did manage to stay one step ahead of Morgana, what would my life be like? I would have to run and hide forever. I would never be able to have a family, as they would be constantly under threat from Morgana. This was the only way. Even if I didn’t end up as queen, Morgana had to be stopped.
I entered the room slowly, dragging my feet so I had some time to look around. The council chamber was a huge, bright room overlooking one of the inner courtyards of the palace. Benches rose in tiers on two sides where the lords of the council sat, and the king was seated on a raised platform facing me.
The Marquis of Greystone was there, as was Lord Rothguard, my father’s friend. Uncle Gabriel sat next to two extremely old lords who didn’t look like they could even stand, let alone hold a sword. I noticed, much to my dismay, that the Duke of Blackwater, Damien’s father, was also on the council. Leticia’s father, the Earl of Glenbarry, was among the gathered lords. These were the people who would decide my fate. I noticed one chair closest to the king was empty. Was that meant to be for Rafe?
Where was he? Why wasn’t he here?
I stopped in front of the benches as everyone ceased talking and turned to scrutinize me. Lords Rothguard and Greystone smiled at me reassuringly. Aunt Serena told me that I didn’t have to curtsy anymore. I was royalty, and no one would follow a queen who bowed to others.
“Let us proceed,” said the king loudly so everyone could hear. “We are pleased you are alive, Princess Aurora. And Eldoren would like to offer you our support against the forces of Morgana.”
The Duke of Blackwater stood up. “If I may, Your Majesty.” He shot dark eyes toward me. “How can we be sure that this person is indeed the Princess Aurora? Last I heard, Morgana massacred the whole family and all of Azaren’s friends and supporters. She could be a shapeshifter sent by Morgana herself to find out our plans. She may even be an assassin, Your Majesty.”
I snorted very inelegantly at this. “Assassin, oh, please!”
Uncle Gabriel, who had remained quiet until now, stood up. “I have inspected her myself, Devon,” he said to the Duke of Blackwater, “but if you are not satisfied with my word, would you like the princess to remove her amulet and show you who she really is?”
The Duke of Blackwater didn’t look too pleased at his answer. “You saw what she did to my son in Evolon.” He pointed his bony finger at me. “She is a monster and should be locked up.”
“It was a mistake,” I interrupted. “I didn’t mean to hurt him.”
The Duke of Blackwater ignored me. “All we know for sure is that she is a rogue fae-mage and wears the amulet of Auraken.” He glared at Uncle Gabriel. “That doesn’t prove her to be Azaren’s daughter.”
I wiped my sweaty hands discreetly on my dress. I was getting worried. What if they refused to support me because of what I had done? After all, Damien was from an important noble family, and now it looked like many people were actually scared of me. I wanted to be liked, not feared, and I didn’t particularly like being called a monster. But I figured no one wanted an episode like what had happened at the test in Evolon. Everyone had now heard about it, and the whole city was abuzz with the news that I
