I shook my head. “Of course he will. I have the crown.”
“And he has eight years of claim to it.” Hugo argued. “He will not happily give the position over to you. He will not walk away without a struggle.”
“He will,” I insisted. “Everyone recognizes how powerful that crown is. I have it. He will have no choice but to concede.”
“Tessana,” Taelon insisted. “You cannot be serious.”
“I’m quite serious.”
He shook his head and took a step toward me. “You have no army. You have no power. You have nothing but a crown that can easily be stripped from you. Your only bargaining piece is a relic that could have been forged. Perhaps not easily. But there are those in the realm, people of power, people loyal to your uncle, that would testify to its falsehood.”
“It’s not a replica,” I snapped. “It is the Crown of Nine.”
“Yes, we know that,” Haemon agreed. “But it is anyone’s guess as to how your uncle will react when he finds out that you’re alive.”
Taelon’s gaze burned into my face. “Alive and ready to be queen.”
A chill slithered down my spine. I knew the journey would be difficult, possibly treacherous. I knew the royal guard would look on me with suspicion. I knew it would be a challenge attempting to see my uncle and making my case. I also knew that it would be nearly impossible to prove my identity outside of the crown in my possession. But I had never once accounted for my uncle’s desire to keep the throne.
Hugo let out a grumbling sigh. “That’s the other problem.”
“What other problem?”
His steely gray eyes held mine. “You, my dear, are a woman.”
White hot frustration steamed through me. “I am quite aware, Your Majesty. But what does my gender have to do with anything?”
He pressed his hands down on the map, resting his weight on thick fingertips. His gaze swept over the miniature replica of the realm, taking in every tiny tree, every pile of painted sand. He lifted one hand to trail a finger over the raised cliffs of Soravale and the white-crested waves of the Crystal Sea.
“The Crown of Nine is called the Crown of One Hundred Kings, is it not? Not One Hundred Kings and Queens. Not One Hundred Royal Houses or Bloodlines or Persons. Only a man, a king if you will, has ruled the Nine.”
The breath sucked from my lungs as if a great vortex had opened up above me and pulled all of the air straight from the room. “Is there a law that says…” I shook my head, desperate to find my balance once more. The room spun. My vision danced with black dots. “That says a woman cannot hold the Seat of Power?”
Hugo slowly lifted his gaze to mine. “A law? Written down and made permanent? No, there’s not. At least not to my knowledge.” He looked to his son and then back to me again. “But your legitimacy could and probably will be contested. Your uncle has the right to a hearing. Any king of the realm does when confronted or challenged. It is called Conandra. Tyrn will most likely call a council of the nine sovereigns to hear your case. They will weigh evidence of your birth, bloodline, and whether or not you will be fit to rule. At the end of the trial, you will either be called to the crown or condemnation.”
“And Tyrn?”
“The same for him. Although if he is found lacking as king, he will not be imprisoned.”
My voice was barely a whisper when I spoke again. “You’re saying that if I should go on to Elysia and claim the throne as my own, my uncle will hold Conandra. And if the nine monarchs do not legitimize my rightful place as Queen of the Realm, I will be imprisoned?”
Hugo held my gaze. “For the rest of your life.”
I struggled to swallow.
“But it is more difficult than that,” he continued. “You undervalue what it means to be queen instead of king. The Council of Sovereigns would be handing over the entire realm to a seventeen-year-old girl. Do you see how they might struggle to agree to your bloodline? Or your right to the crown? A woman under any circumstances would have a disadvantage. But you are a child. A child who has been hiding in a temple for the last eight years. Forgive me, Tessana, but you barely appear civilized after your years stashed away on the edge of humanity, let alone capable of reigning over an entire realm. Your chance at success is slim.”
“What are my other options?”
“You stay here. You are welcome to stay in Desmondin for as long as you’d like. You will always have refuge here.” He shook his head and leaned forward, “You will always have a home here.”
My heart thudded once. Twice. “Are you suggesting I keep the crown hidden? That I don’t let my uncle know I am alive or that the kingdom he rules does not belong to him?”
Hugo did not hesitate, “Yes.”
“You can’t be—”
“I’m quite serious, Tessana. Your father was my closest ally, my most beloved friend. How can I claim to revere his legacy when I send his only remaining child to the wolves?” When I did not appear convinced, he added. “Or you could stay for a few years. Take refuge with us while you add years to your life so that when you present yourself to your uncle and the sovereign council, you will be considered old enough, royal enough.”
Fear beat in my blood, yet the rhythm of my heart steadied.
I could not ignore the purpose that had been given to me the second I saw the crown again. I could not ignore the call to fate that had led me this far. I could not ignore that I had been born into a bloodline that belonged to the Seat of Power as much as
