“No, Kaelyn,” Roki would say. “Not everyone is a Min.”
But how could I know for sure?
The Grucken’s words reverberated as he summoned the flight of the Crown of Crowns. He was saying, “We implore you to choose wisely from these couples offered by Geniverd, the elite, the wise, the moral. Whomever you choose will be named the Most Courageous, the Shielded Ones, the Most Supreme Majesties. They will rule unquestioned for forty years. They will lead Geniverd into the future.”
The Grucken bowed his head to the current king and queen. “We thank you for your service, the Queen Emerita and the King Emeritus,” he said. “Geniverd thanks you for your service. Please step down.”
As per tradition, Zawne’s parents rose up from the twin thrones at the far end of the square and stood nobly beside them, ready to pass over control of the kingdom. They looked happy, watching Zawne and me with subtle grins. I had to remind myself, They already know!
And that was when the bird appeared. The Grucken raised his jeweled staff and cried out, “The Crown of Crowns has come!” Silence washed over the crowd. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. It was a magical moment. Some of the heirs wore worried expressions. Lady Juni of Nurlie had her eyes shut and her arms folded over her sand-colored gown. The Surrvul heirs straightened their backs and tried to appear their most decent, their most righteous, as if Decens-Lenitas had any importance at this stage of the game.
The bird was just as Papa had described to me when I was a little girl. Its bill was straight and yellow. It had a long turquoise tail for such a tiny creature, yellow breasted with white feathers, and red sprinkles on its feet. It came streaking from the sky as if from Shiol, almost leaving a trail of color behind it. The heirs took a quick glance and then bowed their heads. No one breathed.
The crowd gasped when the bird landed on Zawne’s head. There was a surge of whispers, shouts; every one of the Surrvul heirs cursed under their breaths and stood up angrily. I caught Raad’s eye, and he grinned wider than I had ever seen. Tissa gave me a thumbs-up. Then the trumpets blasted. The cheers were deafening. We were in Gaard, after all, in the capital, and most of the crowd was local. The bird flapped off Zawne’s head, circled the podium, then flew off into the sky.
Everything happened in a series of flashes, almost too much for me to handle. We were being ushered into the middle of the square by the Grucken, who congratulated us quietly while some of the heirs stormed off and some lingered on the fringe with big smiles, happy for us despite their loss. The Grucken said to the crowd, “May I present the Most Courageous, the Shielded Ones, Their Most Supreme Majesties, King Zawne and Queen Kaelyn of Geniverd.”
The people lost their minds. Hats were thrown in the air, firecrackers, fireworks exploding above the city. Flyrarcs diffused special fuel mixtures to create spritzes of rainbow-colored exhaust overhead. Two royal clerics were draping me and Zawne in vestments of gold silk. I didn’t even see who placed the gem-studded tiara on my head or the spiked crown on Zawne’s. Then we were bowing to the roar of our people … our people … my people.
“Thank you,” Zawne bellowed in his strongest voice. “We will serve Geniverd well.”
I said nothing. I couldn’t. My throat was tight, and I was having a slight panic attack. The Grucken led us to Zawne’s parents, and hugs and handshakes were exchanged. Then we sat in the thrones while the ex-queen and the ex-king bowed to us. The King Emeritus and the Queen Emerita were bowing to me! Me, Kaelyn of Gaard! I wept tears of joy while the world worshipped me. The smell of earth and toffee filled my nose. Roki was close by, and it made me cry harder. Later I followed Zawne and the Grucken to our flyrarc with tears in my eyes.
We landed at VondRust Palace to a welcoming committee of servants, Protectors, and a peculiar man who was short and balding. Greeting us with an enthusiastic smile, he said, “Congratulations,” then got straight to business as we walked into the palace flanked by Protectors.
“My name is Torio, as Zawne already knows. I am the head of the council and will be assisting with the royal transition. If you have any questions, my number is already programmed into your visins. You may call me at any time of the day or night. From this moment onward, you will be escorted everywhere beyond the palace by at least five Protectors. This is for your safety.”
I was trying to take everything in. Zawne was so calm, nodding and hemming as he rubbed his chin. But it was a lot for me. I tried to keep up as Torio led us through the grand mansion that was now our home. It was such an extravagant place. Everything was furnished in velvets and golds, the ceilings stretching high, and each corridor was a massive tunnel of portraits and archaic candelabras that must have been gold. The entire palace smelled faintly sweet. It was not a flowery smell, more of a refined scent, like cherrywood or burnished copper. It was hard to define, though the smell of it was easing my panic. I wondered if the atmospheric bubble around VondRust infused a calming herb into its generated scents.
Torio talked quickly as we walked. “Your calendars are already full,” he said. “You can check the schedule anytime on your visins. It’s all been preprogrammed. Tomorrow you will be selecting your councillors.”
“Thanks, Torio,” Zawne said. They had known each other for twenty-five years. “Where are Mama and Papa? Where’s Jaken? He’s Shondur-Elder now, right?”
“Right,” Torio said. He was
