Chapter 33 Rose
ROSE
We mourned for three days, and then the funeral ceremony was held at dawn the following morning.
As the sun rose, the King’s body was set alight on a pyre in front of the Sun and Moon temple, the same spot where I’d been married.
I tried to forget that memory and focus on the priest’s words as he droned on about what a great leader my father was, while smoke lifted his essence into the Celestial Lands.
My sisters cried and Iris clutched my hand the entire time, but Lily stood apart from the rest of us.
She looked like an ice sculpture, her face perfectly stoic and smooth, her back stiff and straight, her head high as it carried the weight of her icicle tiara, which would soon be traded for a crown.
She was showing strength for her people, but I knew she was as distraught as the rest of us, if not more so.
We could grieve openly, and though our lives would change as a result of this, none would change more than hers.
The rest of the day passed in a haze of food, formalities, and condolences, until the crowds finally dispersed and my sisters and I returned to our rooms, all of us exhausted. But before I could get any rest, I needed to check on Lily and make sure she was all right.
I found her in our father’s study, sitting in front of his desk with her head bent as though she was listening to him lecture us, as he’d done many times before.
I approached her from behind and wrapped my arms around her, resting my head against hers.
She tensed as though I’d startled her, and then relaxed with a sigh.
“How are you doing?” I asked, as I moved to sit in the chair beside her.
“As well as I can be. Aunt Dahlia thinks we should do the coronation soon, but I can’t even think about that right now.
” She stared down at her pale hands, which were clasped in her lap.
“I always knew this day would come and I’ve spent my entire life preparing for it, but I still don’t feel ready to be queen. ”
“I understand. Take as much time as you need. Don’t let anyone rush you, but don’t be afraid either. I know you’ll be an amazing queen.”
“Thank you.” She offered me a weak smile. “That means a lot, since you’re a queen now too.”
I let out a short laugh. “Oh, trust me, you’ll be much better at it than I am.”
She tilted her head and studied me. “You seemed to be doing well when I saw you at the ball. Has something happened?”
“Raith and I…” I spread my hands, unsure how to explain without revealing anything about the threat to our land or Raith’s hidden identity. “Things between us are complicated.”
“I’ve heard that’s true of every marriage. Is he still teaching you magic?”
“He is, but every time I make progress, he tries to hold me back.”
She offered me a kind smile. “You can be a bit…headstrong.”
I blew out a breath and leaned back in the chair. “So I’m told. All I want to do is help him and get close to him, but he always pushes me away. The last time I saw him we had a big fight. He said he didn’t need me and doesn’t love me, and I think he was lying, but it still hurt.”
“What did you do after he said that?”
“I got the message about father then, so I teleported here immediately. I’ve been trying not to think about Raith ever since.”
Her eyebrows darted up. “And how is that working for you?”
“Not that well,” I said with a sigh. “I care about him more than I ever imagined I would.”
“Then you should return to Ilidan soon and talk with him.”
“I don’t think he wants to see me. He told me to return here even before I knew about father.” I tried to keep my voice from trembling, but it was difficult. “He doesn’t want me in Ilidan anymore.”
Lily reached across to cover my hand with hers.
“Nonsense. He’s lost so much, and he’s built many walls around his heart.
I barely know him and even I can see that.
You’re just the person to break them down, and I saw the way he looked at you during the ball.
He cares about you more than you can imagine. ”
“Maybe you’re right,” I said, but my voice sounded defeated, even to me. “Have you had any luck finding anything related to Raith’s first wife’s death?”
Lily shook her head. “I looked through father’s things, but didn’t find anything about the assassination or a connection to Lord Malren. I’m sorry.”
I waved a dismissive hand. “It’s to be expected. If there was anything, I’m sure he destroyed it already. Our father was many things, but he wasn’t stupid.”
“You’re welcome to take a look through his papers and see if you spot anything I missed.” She stood slowly, like her bones ached. “As for me, I think I’ll try to get some sleep.”
We hugged once more, and then she left the room.
As the door shut, I moved behind father’s desk and sat in his chair, taking it all in.
He’d sat here almost every day, plotting against Ilidan, finding ways to continue an unnecessary war.
There had to be something in this desk connecting him and Malren, something tying them to Silena’s murder.
If I could only find it, maybe I’d be able to bring some peace to Raith’s heart and find justice for Silena’s death.
I opened each drawer of the desk and began going through Father’s papers, searching for anything.
If there was anything here it would have to be obscure or encoded, otherwise Lily would have found it already.
The job was tedious, and my eyes quickly grew tired of reading small handwriting and faded words, but I kept going.
I wouldn’t give up, not until I’d found something or had gone through every scrap in this room.
When I was so tired I thought it would be a good idea to take a break and start again in the morning, I found a map of Ilidan with a small marking on it that caught my eye. The small X was on the eastern side of the kingdom, in a forest near a town called Bellsover. Why was that name so familiar?
I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to focus despite the exhaustion sweeping over me.
Bellsover, Bellsover… That was the town I’d teleported into looking for Raith.
We’d fought back the shadow beasts there, which had come from a forest to the east. Why did my father have a map with that location on it?
He would never be involved with magic or the Shadow Lord, so there must be some other explanation.
I searched my memory of that night. Raith hadn’t wanted to investigate that area. He’d become cold and harsh the second I’d suggested it. Could this be where Silena was murdered? Was her death the start of all of this?
I had to return to Ilidan and find Raith.
Not only because I loved him and wanted to do whatever it took to make our marriage work, but because he needed to see this map.
It didn’t prove that Malren was part of the conspiracy, but it might be the key to unlocking another secret—and ending the plague covering our lands and infecting Raith’s heart.
I gathered the shadows to me, pictured home, and let the darkness take me there.