Chapter Two
Nash
Eron’s face morphs from curiosity to devastation as Gwyneth recounts the fateful night we lost him, then her. My mind formulates plan after plan of how we can turn back the hands of time and defy the Idols, but nothing works.
Charming stands behind Gwyneth, a hand on her shoulder while she explains everything.
The exhaustion is wearing her thin. We lost the woman we fell for, but she lost her entire family.
When we had to return to our castle, it was not even a question that she would follow.
Protecting Daphne’s sister is the least we can do after she sacrificed herself for us.
My gaze falls on the most hated sword in the realm.
Malachi can’t accept that he’s worthy of it, because he never imagined he would be the Stirling to wield Excalibur. But Daphne saw every facet of our light hidden in the shadows and brought them out for the realm to see.
The unique and special way she approached every diurnal can’t be replicated or replaced, meaning she has left a giant hole in our lives. None of us understands how to keep moving forward without the woman who couldn’t put one foot in front of the other without chaos and sweet destruction.
Her soul haunts me. At night, her ghost sits heavily on my chest, making it impossible to breathe.
When the sun comes up, there is no warmth, no excitement for what the day might bring.
I squeeze my eyes closed and sigh. By tomorrow, our kingdom will have a new ruler, and if we follow the narrative, he needs to look for a wife to produce the next line of Stirlings.
I already know in my gut that Hart won’t do it.
This story is going to die right alongside him, and at the rate he’s choosing violence to cope, that might come sooner than any of us are ready for.
People move around me. Hart returns, bloodied, mirrored by his twin.
They retreat to their chambers to wash up for the night’s festivities while Gwyneth explains how her latest idea is a nonstarter.
I nod along, while inside, the beast stirs in my chest, and my heart breaks all over again.
When will this pass? I fist my hands and drag in another breath. Each one hurts more than the last.
The genie swirls into the room. Gone are his elaborate displays used to make Daphne smile. He, like everyone she touched, is missing something vital.
“Is the coronation tonight?” he checks.
I nod.
“Then you have everything you need.”
I glare at him. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about. You converse in riddles and cut off your sentences. And I have everything I need for what?” He’s been doing this for weeks—checking in, nudging, and sending us down rabbit holes of information that lead us nowhere.
“What you desire. A wish.”
“I’m not making a wish,” I snap. “We already discussed this when you said it is one of the golden rules of lamp magic. You cannot bring anyone back from the dead.”
He folds his arms and glares. “For someone so smart, you are so stupid.”
“You spew too many words for someone with nothing useful to say.”
The capons run out of Hart’s room, signaling he’s almost ready.
The genie lowers himself and swipes a hand down his face. “Just think, Nash Stirling. For once, think beyond everything you know and toward what you don’t.”
I shake my head. “Leave me in peace, Genie.”
“If you mess this up, this one opportunity, I will never forgive you.”
I raise a brow. “Genie, either speak plainly or leave.”
“I cannot speak plainly.”
“So leave.”
He poofs out.
Hart walks into the room, fresh from the shower with all evidence of his torment washed away. My gaze catches on his bruised knuckles. Well, not all the evidence.
“Did they deserve it?” I ask.
“Always.”
I snort. “Are you ready?”
“No.” He shifts his gaze to the darkening sky outside. “You think he’ll come back?”
I shrug. “If I had an animal to retreat into and stop this pain for even a moment, I would.”
He sighs. “Agreed.”
Malachi joins us with a glare at the damn sword.
Tonight, he will need to stand beside his brother.
This is the first time in history we have had one brother kill the dragon and another claim the sword.
But that’s because it was our maiden who slew the beast. Hart can hold Excalibur for a short time so long as Malachi is near.
We’ve tested it out a few times. It’s not comfortable for either of them, stating it’s like a force is pulling them apart.
“Let’s get this over with,” Malachi mutters with a huff.
“I’ll follow shortly,” I say.
Hart frowns at me, shakes his head, and pushes on Malachi’s back, both of them heading to the throne room.
My head drops, and I try to center myself.
I can’t lose control, not now, not ever.
I was never a contender for the throne; that isn’t my lot in life.
I was born for a much darker purpose. I never expected to find happiness, and I was content with my brothers finding theirs.
Then she happened, and it fucked everything up.
I rise, my muscles stiff and aching. How long have I been sitting here?
I shift to the door leading to the balcony and step outside into the clear, chilly night, the stars shining brightly from their velvet blanket.
My breath mists the air, and I spot a shadow sweeping across the sky, making the lights blink.
Hello, brother.
I fold my arms and will him to come back to us, even though I can’t fix his pain. I can’t even deal with my own. Maybe it’s best he stays locked inside his dragon. If I pleaded with him for a fiery ending, would he give it to me?
A star hums brighter than the others, like it’s watching me and witnessing the grief tearing apart my soul.
My hands drop to my sides, and I take a few steps to the edge of the balcony. My hands curve over the cool iron railing.
“Why, Daphne?” I murmur as my eyes fall closed.
“Why did you die? Who gave you the right to decide? Can’t you see how it’s tearing us apart?
You didn’t just condemn yourself that night; you took four hearts right along with you.
We might breathe, we might walk, but we aren’t living. This isn’t living.”
A breeze brushes along my jaw, and my eyes snap open.
“I wish you had let me die instead,” I say as I lean over the railing, daring gravity to take me while I glare at the bright star.
Genie already schooled me on this not being a workaround for death, but I still need to say it, even though changing history is an impossible feat.
“I wish you had never reunited with Excalibur and become the Lady of the Lake. But most of all, I wish you would come back to us permanently and never leave us again, never be at the whims of the Idols you defy.” Why do I bother?
All of this is for nothing anyway. Genie already said he can’t grant wishes asking for the dead to return.
With a sigh, I turn away and steal my spine. It’s time to usher in a new era of Stirling rule. It should have been a joyous occasion, one filled with light and hope, with Daphne holding us together. Now, I fear for our kingdom, because like my brothers, I’d happily let the place rot.