She walked with me past the small crowd of people until we reached Kohl, standing in front of the line of thrones. Jayde looked like a vision in the gown she had picked out. Everything about it complimented her to perfection. Her dark curls framed her face in perfect ringlets. She turned to me and smiled as she took the first step closer to Kohl. It felt like I was giving her away for good and it sucked. There was no other way to put it. I had lost. I had put everything on the line and I still lost. I couldn’t get past what she had said and what I’d seen. She said she loved me only not as much as she loved Kohl. She cared but not enough to amend the treaty. It sure didn’t feel like she loved me. Yet, I still loved her and I was struggling to keep the smile plastered on my face as we walked.
Kohl leaned toward me and motioned for me to sit at my parent’s thrones. It was meant as a good gesture I wasn’t cynical enough not to see that, but the smug look on his face told me he already knew he had won Jayde. I stood before my throne, or my father’s old throne. I looked quickly at where my mother used to sit and I had to quickly focus on Jayde before I thought about my mother again. That bandage didn’t need to be ripped off again during Jayde’s Ceremony.
Since I had opened up to Jayde about my mother, it was all my mind could focus on. It hurt and I wasn’t prepared to deal with that pain with so much else going on. I had a queen to win at the time. Jayde kneeled on the step as Kohl officiated the ceremony. I hated hearing all the traditional words said and repeated. My father’s right hand man had officiated my ceremony. He passed away a few months after my father. It made me realize how much I disliked tradition. With the traditions that passed to me came death. I had enough death to deal with. I was hoping this Coronation was different.
“It is time for Jayde to make her vow to Encante.” Kohl started. Her eyes were red like she was about to cry. This was a big deal to her. She never expected any of this when she was growing up. I loved her not just because she was beautiful, but she was right we were kindred souls. She had never thought she would amount to much and Encante had given her the chance to prove she was strong, talented, and a natural leader. I just wasn’t so sure that the second chance she’d told me I’d get would ever come my way. I was here slowly losing everything I had ever known to Kohl.
“I, solelmly swear to adhere to the laws of Encante. To be a servant to the needs of every individual that resides in Encante...”
Kohl. I couldn’t even remember that picture I had seen of the three of us. Sure we were young but I was the oldest. Shouldn’t I have remembered how close Kohl and I had been as children? As I stared at the pictures memories flooded my consciousness. Memories I didn’t remember until that moment. Kohl used to follow me everywhere the moment he had learned to walk. I wasn’t much older and we both walked on shaky legs around the throne room. We played hide and seek, we scared our mothers to death and we shared a mutual protectiveness over baby Jayde. She was ours as much as she was her parents’. Kohl and I had spent hours watching her, playing with her. Attempting to teach her how to speak our names. She had never gotten Kohl’s name down, but maybe it was because mine was easier.
“My heart, my thoughts, my life will be lived for Encante.” Jayde finished. I looked at her and gave her a proud smile. She was officially a queen. I moved toward Kohl helping him with the items he would give to Jayde to make it official. First was her crown, he handed me the crown she had been wearing and placed a larger, more traditional tiara on her head. Next, I handed him the orb with the Encantado crest. Finally, he handed her a golden mace that had been passed down to her father during his coronation. We each had received one when we were coronatated, passed down through our families. Kohl and I stepped forward and helped Jayde up from her knees. Is this what it would have been like if we were still the tri-ruling families? I shook the thought away Kohl was following Jayde’s wishes he didn’t trust me as much as I didn’t trust him.
“I present to you Queen Jayde, true heir to the Rais Throne.” Kohl said over deafening applause. Kohl dropped Jayde’s hand begrudgingly and we made our way to the ballroom where the party and the crowd were waiting.
Jayde looked over me, her eyes still glassy, the smile plastered on her beautiful face, and her hands trying to balance the heavy orb and mace.
“You did wonderfully.” I said leaning toward her as we walked.
“I was so nervous. Did I sound nervous?”
“You sounded like a queen.”
“Thanks, Sy.” She said as we waited for the guards to open the doors to the ballroom and announce our entrance. “Thank you for helping Kohl. It made everything feel right like we were all supposed to be there.” She finished voicing my thoughts.
The announcement for Jayde to enter came and we walked into the large room overflowing with people applauding their new leader. Isadora and Philip came to Jayde’s side to grab the royal objects so she could mingle with her people.
“Finally.” She said as she grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the dance floor.
“Shouldn’t you be introducing yourself to your people?” I asked as she pulled me to the center of the floor.
“One dance, Sy. Then we can greet our brains out the rest of the night.” I shook my head and led her into the first waltz. “This place is like a dream.”
“You planned it weren’t you prepared for this?” I teased before I spun her around. She laughed and I couldn’t help but notice everyone openly staring at us. “Jayde, people may be taking our dancing together as something it isn’t.”
“Let them take it as they want. If I can accept you they can too.” There was her hidden meaning. She wanted to show everyone that I was someone she trusted. Maybe she really did care. Maybe she was pissing people off seconds into being queen. The song ended and she grabbed my hand mingling into the crowd. We talked to a few of the officials from the coronation along with Kohl. He solemnly introduced us to people. It was odd considering that Jayde chose Kohl and was parading around with me. It didn’t bother me. I was sure it should, but if Kohl accepted it. Where was the problem?
“Oh Sy, I have someone I want to introduce you to.” Jayde said suddenly getting too excited for her own good. I looked over the crowd trying to make out who it was that she wanted to introduce me to.
When my phone began to vibrate. I looked down at the number, it was my emergency cell phone I kept in my top drawer in my office. It must be Reggie. Why would he be calling me from that phone? He knew I was here.
“Jayde, I have to take this.”
“Wait until you meet her.” She insisted. I showed her my phone.
“It’s Reggie I have to take it.” She sighed and let me go.
I walked out of the noisy ballroom toward the only quiet place I knew about: the library.
“Hello.” I snapped ready to give him an earful for interrupting my night.
“I’m sorry, King. We were unable to save it.”
“Save it? Save what?” I said panicking.
“The castle. It just ... A fire started. No one is sure how, but it was so strong. We barely got all the staff out.” I slumped onto the sofa barely registering what my assistant was saying.
“Is anyone injured?” I closed my eyes trying to process how a castle burns to the ground. “How long was the fire burning?”
“A few minutes. I was in your office finishing some filing I grabbed important records, the phone, and made sure all the staff made it out safely.” Hell, how could this happen?
“You did well, Reggie.”
“I... I... Excuse me your majesty?”
“You did well, don’t make me repeat myself. Do you think that this was an act of war?”
“It had to be no normal fire would have......ahhhhhh!”
“Reggie? Reggie?!” I screamed into the line. It was muffled and blaring static. “Answer me Reggie.” I growled not believing what I had just heard. Was my castle under attack while I was at this damn coronation? W
as this Kohl’s plan all along? Get me away and destroy everything? He would not be getting away with this. I don’t care if Jayde loved him or not. He would pay for hurting my people.
“The...There was an explosion. I’m so sorry. It is all gone your highness.” I slammed my crown on the cushions hitting one of Jayde’s albums. Was she involved in this? Did she betray me too? Had she let Kohl do this to me? I closed my eyes trying to get past the betrayal. She loved me too. She wouldn’t do that to me, but Kohl...Kohl would.
“Gather everyone up and make sure everyone is okay. Take whoever needs to go to the hospital to one. That is an order, Reggie.”
“Yes, sir. Are you on your way?”
“No, I’m making who did this pay.” I growled, slamming my phone beside me. I kicked the table trying to stop seeing red. If I attacked Kohl. I would be outnumbered, but he had just broken the treaty Jayde and I worked so damn hard to maintain. The more I thought the more I realized Jayde would have never betrayed me in this way, but the ass that I knew Kohl had always been was coming out. Jayde would know that he is weak soon and I was going to make sure everyone else knew.