Fit for a King (The Crown Jewels #1)
1. Nicholas
NICHOLAS
THE KING WAS dead.
The words still didn’t feel real, hadn’t since I’d first heard them. But as the rain poured down, beating against my umbrella, and I walked behind my father’s coffin, they finally began to sink in.
Off in the distance I could hear the bells tolling, could feel the stares and overwhelming emotions from the thousands of people who’d lined the streets to say their final farewell to the king.
For them, he was respected. A man who had ruled Valoria fairly and navigated through years of unrest outside of our country’s borders. The fact that he’d betrayed little warmth didn’t matter. He was the king. Kings couldn’t afford to show their feelings.
Something I was putting to good practice as I kept my gaze straight ahead on the mountain of flowers adorning his coffin, the pile growing as those we passed threw roses.
Because I was the king now.
The dark clouds matched my inner turmoil, but I didn’t show it on the long walk from the Grand Cathedral of Valoria to the burial site.
It was too soon.
I wasn’t ready.
But most of all…I didn’t want this.
Having a choice was a luxury I’d never been afforded, though.
Gravel crunched beneath my feet as we passed through the gates of the royal cemetery, the crowds fading from my periphery.
It had been a long day of events already, culminating in the state funeral that had been televised all over the world.
Now, though, we’d have a private family service before returning to the palace for an evening reception…
and I would continue my new duties, which apparently didn’t stop just because my father had died.
My feet kept moving through sheer will, even as thunder vibrated through the sky and the rain began to fall harder. It felt appropriate, a day like this. Sunshine and a breeze would’ve been wrong.
A large cemetery tent covered the graveside, and as I stepped underneath it, I closed my umbrella and handed it off to my equerry, then stood at the spot designated for me.
I took in a deep breath at the sight of where my father would lie, several feet beneath the earth, and felt a tremor roll through me.
It didn’t feel real, that he could be here one moment and gone the next.
That he’d stay here, all alone, when this was over.
That anyone thought I could take his place.
Like he knew I needed him, my brother was there, putting his arm around my shoulders, giving me a silent show of support that he hadn’t been able to until now.
Though, knowing Gabriel, he wouldn’t stay quiet for long.
As the coffin was moved onto the metal frame of the device that would lower it into the ground, Gabriel leaned in and said, “Think he’ll get cold down there?”
I slowly turned my head, and his lips curved up on one side.
“Should we have given him a blanket?”
He was too much, and I could only shake my head as he gave me a squeeze. Leave it to my twin to try to lighten the mood, even if this wasn’t the place for it.
Born just minutes after me, Gabriel benefited from the prestige of the Valemont name without being beholden to any of the responsibilities.
There were expectations, of course, but not nearly the same amount of scrutiny that came with the crown, and with the attention of the foreign nobility and politicians who were close to our father all on me, the last thing I needed was Gabriel acting the fool.
“Behave,” I muttered, knowing I sounded cold, knowing I sounded eerily familiar to the man now being lowered into the earth.
But I couldn’t afford to be anything but perfect today.
The eyes boring into me were a reminder of just how heavy a burden I now carried, and that I best prepare myself for the weight of it.
Gabriel wondered at our father being cold, but the reality was, his body had barely even began to cool before I was being scheduled for my coronation robe fitting. Strangers had more of a chance to shed a tear for the late king than I did.
But heavy is the head that wears the crown, and today that meant there was no time to grieve. No time to mourn. There was only a country without a leader and people without a monarch. A role I was now destined to fulfil.
As the priest read the Words of Committal, all I could think about was what was expected of me when I left the cemetery. The fact that my life was no longer mine—if it ever had been.
I was now ruler of the people, beholden to everyone’s happiness but my own. It was a somber thought, one that matched the storm still roiling above my head.
The guests began to file out of the cemetery, huddled under their umbrellas, and when my equerry handed over mine, I merely stood there, staring down at the gravesite.
“Nicholas?” Gabriel placed a hand on my shoulder, and while the gesture was small, the impact was immediate. The emotions I’d held back for the entire day now threatened to finally break free.
“I just need a minute.” He went to remove his hand, but before he could, I reached up and held it in place, tightening my fingers around his. “I need you now more than ever.”
I wasn’t one to ask for much—anything, really—but in the days, weeks, and months to come I knew I was going to rely heavily on my brother. A task I hoped he was prepared for.
“I know,” he said from his station just behind me. The place he’d stood all his life.
“I need to know you’re ready for that.”
“Have I ever let you down before?”
I turned to look into a face that mirrored my own, the only difference being the fine lines around his eyes from a lifetime of smiling. I didn’t carry those markings.
“No. In fact, it’s my belief you would’ve been better off in this role than I can ever hope to be, but—”
“I was more relaxed than you even during childbirth?” His lips quirked, another stark difference between us. My lips knew only one position: a stern line. “You always have been a rule follower. A stickler for arriving on time.”
Which was exactly why I felt the need to ask him to be on his best behavior now. I loved my brother, but as much as he was known for being charming, he was also known to be the rebellious one.
I supposed one could be when they weren’t expected to one day rule.
He gave my shoulder a squeeze. “You worry too much. This is the role you were meant for. The one you attended all those dreadfully boring studies for. Can’t let that be in vain, right?”
At that moment, I wished we were still kids who enjoyed switching places without anyone the wiser, because Gabriel would’ve fit this role with ease.
“Your Majesty, the motorcade is ready.”
I nodded once at my equerry’s words, still staring at my father’s final resting place. “Thank you, Graham.”
Gabriel stood beside me in silence, giving me one last moment to collect my thoughts, and then he dropped his hand from my shoulder.
“We should go.”
I nodded again, mindlessly, and felt him prod me in the side with his elbow.
“Fine. I wasn’t supposed to tell you this, but Mrs. Stuart made your favorite sticky toffee pudding with custard. But considering our cousins will probably beat us back to the palace, maybe don’t get your hopes up.”
Enticing me with sweet treats. Wouldn’t be the first time Gabriel had had to resort to desperate measures to get me where I needed to be.
With one final goodbye, I tore my eyes away and followed my brother to the waiting car.
Duty awaited, a lifetime of it. There was no room for anything else, so I swallowed down the last of my sadness and put on the armor they all wanted to see.
The face of the king.