The ones who had stayed behind greeted them. The new group was ushered inside. They would be sharing rooms with the people who already resided in the palace. But since the rooms were a decent size, they wouldn't be too cramped.
Aria had managed to stay up, and since it was well into the night, she decided to go to bed, leaving the others.
She looked around for Lex, but again, he looked busy. Deep into a conversation with Katy, Hunt, and Sam.
Aria went to their room. She forced herself to take her clothes off to put on something more comfortable before crawling into the bed and getting under the covers.
She fell asleep in minutes.
When she woke up the next morning, she was alone.
She ran a hand down the side that Lex slept on. It was cold. Had he come to bed at all?
She sat up and looked around, trying to decide what time it was.
And then she saw him, sitting at his desk, his back to her.
She crawled out of bed and came up behind him.
"Good morning," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Good morning," he said. He reached behind him to run a hand down her leg. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah," she said, "Did you sleep at all?"
She looked at the papers on his desk. They looked to be drawings of some sort. Long rectangular cabins, it looked like.
"Yeah. I did."
"What is this?"
"The first thing we're going to build. Well, first, they've got to cut down the trees. Use that wood to make these," he said, pointing at the cabins. "Just a few big cabins so that they'll have someplace to stay while we build their homes."
"Sounds like a good idea," she said. "When do you start?"
"We're leaving soon."
"We?"
"I'm going with them. I'm going to help," he said.
"You're the king. Don't you have more important things to do?"
"I need to be there. And no, I don't have more important things to do. Unless you're offering?"
"Shut up," she said, shaking her head. She let go of him and went to the bathroom.
When she came back out, he was getting dressed.
"Do you want to come with us?" he asked.
"As appealing as the idea of chopping wood in the cold is, I'm gonna have to decline," she said, smiling at him.
"So, you're too good to chop wood for your people?"
"I am the queen, after all."
He smiled at her and took a few steps to close the distance between them.
"Yes, you are," he said, placing a hand on her jaw. He tilted her head up and brought his lips down to hers.
She lost herself in the kiss for a few minutes, ignoring all of the things they still had to take care of.
"I have to go," he said, finally pulling away.
"Come back soon," she said.
After he left, Aria made her way to the throne room.
When she ran into familiar faces, people who had been ushered out of the palace when Warren came, she stopped to greet them.
And to her surprise, they were understanding.
She apologized, over and over, for what had happened. But almost every single person told her that they understood that it was okay.
In the throne room, she ate with her friends. They talked about what happened, about where they'd go from here.
Eventually, almost everyone in their group got up to leave.
"Where are all of you going?" Aria asked.
"We're going to help," Grace said.
"Wanna come?" Mara asked, "They need all the help they can get."
"I'll pass," Aria said. Why is everyone so eager to chop wood? She figured that she'd done more than her fair share of work the past few days.
She was glad to see that Grace and Mara had worked through whatever problems they were having, watching them walk out of the throne room hand in hand.
She decided to head back to her own room. She wanted some time alone.
She spent a few hours in her quarters. Relaxing in bed, reading on the couch. The past few days had been so hectic, she still couldn't wrap her mind around all that had happened.
And somehow, everything just felt right. Like it was all supposed to happen exactly the way it had.
She still felt guilty about what she did. And not only to the people of the palace but all the other people she'd hurt in her life.
And she knew that she would never forget about the things she'd done since she'd come here.
But she thought about Lex. About Katy. About Mara and all of her other friends. They would be there to remind her of all the reasons she'd never stop fighting.
They'd be there to remind her that despite everything she'd done, despite the person she'd had to become, she was loved.
Chapter 55
They started building the settlement faster than Aria thought was possible. It all began in the small clearing near the village that resided below the palace. They started by cutting the trees down and using the lumber to make cabins.
To Aria's surprise, the people in the palace and the village were willing to help.
Seeing all those people put aside their differences and offer their assistance inspired Aria.
She decided to do what she could to help. She was the queen; after all, she had to set a good example. The people would look to her.
Seeing her and Lex working alongside the others gave the remaining people, the ones who were still a bit hesitant, the courage and inspiration they needed to start working with everyone. Together, they built the settlement from the ground up.
After the first two months, Lex had left the palace to visit the other villages in their kingdom to ask for assistance and check on the others. Since the winter had not entirely passed, they needed as much help as possible.
Aria was at their new settlement, named Little Pembra courtesy of Hunt and Sam, one early Spring afternoon when she heard someone walking towards her.
She looked up from her position on the cold ground. Grace had shown
