Chapter 61
Chapter sixty-one
Lenna
Lenna barely saw Esmeray and Keerian during the long days following. A week had passed since the showdown at the Opal Palace, and the new normal that followed took some time to get used to.
Adara resided in the dungeons deep below the Obsidian Palace, locked in a cell that nullified all magic–thanks to the runes and handiwork of witches who ruled from the Obsidian Palace long ago.
Esmeray had only visited her twin once, to question her on the disappearance of the beings they had still not found, and even though reports of beings going missing had ceased, Adara yielded nothing.
Much to Esmeray’s mounting frustration.
Merrick and Laurent both volunteered to reside at the Obsidian and Opal Palaces respectively, handling any chaos or disorder that cropped up from Adara’s imprisonment and Esmeray’s coronation as Queen Absolute.
Lenna offered to help with whatever Esmeray needed, but Sparrow put her foot down, begging Lenna to stay at her house and keep her company while everyone else was away.
Lenna enjoyed the first week of relaxation.
She slept deeply, with no troubling nightmares.
She helped Sparrow work in the garden, clean the house top to bottom, and spent the mornings sipping coffee on the patio with Esmeray.
The evenings consisted of Sparrow and Lenna reading in the living room while splitting a bottle of wine, while Esmeray and Keerian waned off to the waterfalls to–as Sparrow called it–“fuck each other’s brains out. ”
The new routine felt peaceful, and Lenna reveled in the slower pace. It was the first time since arriving in Irridessen that she could truly sit back and not worry about anyone trying to murder her. Plus, staying in the same house as the King and Queen had its perks. One being the crowns.
Esmeray had more crowns than Lenna could fathom.
Apparently, after taking up the throne, Esmeray joyfully waned down to the dragon lair and raided their trove, choosing her fill, as Resso snored in his cave, aware of the Queen’s presence, but too tired from a single day of “ruling” to ultimately be bothered.
Esmeray had nudged Lenna playfully, asking if she wanted to join. Lenna did not. Her feet still got a little sweaty as she recalled the dragon’s cavern, the sheer drop into darkness, those little ledges, and the huge beasts that Lenna was still not convinced wouldn’t try to eat her.
But every morning, a new crown sat atop the Queen’s head–some golden with dark stones, some with uncut gems and filigreed metal, some were heavy looking, with thick bands and fat, precious stones that cost more than Lenna’s entire Estate in Doortan.
And a few were thin, with dainty pearls and diamonds cresting between Esmeray’s curled horns.
Those were Lenna’s favorite. The diamonds were so sparkly in the morning sun as Esmeray trudged up the stairs in varying dresses to have coffee with her and Sparrow before waning Keerian to either the Obsidian or Opal Palace to bicker with royals all day–as Esmeray put it.
Apparently, multiple advisors, Dukes, and Lords were jonesing for the Regency position, but none of them were up to par for the Queen Absolute.
Esmeray and Keerian would get back to Florra each night and Esmeray would toss the crown off her head onto the closest surface–much to Sparrow’s dismay.
There were crowns in the kitchen, crowns atop lampshades in the living room.
Lenna even found a crown with an emerald the size of her fist hanging off the outside handle of Sparrow’s pink door.
It was early morning on the eighth day, when Esmeray stepped off the staircase and onto the patio, that Lenna noted no crown adorned the Queen’s head, and the usual dress of the week had been replaced with loose fitting black linen pants and an oversized sweater.
“No crown today?” Lenna asked flippantly as Esmeray let out a deep sigh before sprawling onto the reclining chair on the patio. Her midnight black hair was tied into a top knot resting between her horns. It was much more “normal Esmeray” than any of the finery she’d worn all week.
“Even Queens need a damn day off,” she muttered, tipping the coffee cup to her lips.
Sparrow sent her friend a feline grin before turning to Lenna. “Esmeray mentioned going to see Hale today. Want to come?”
Lenna felt the blush creep into her cheeks and Esmeray laughed. “Hale is a good male, Lenna. You know, as Queen, I can grant divorces–Merrick told us you have a pretty shit husband in the Slate Kingdom.”
“Really?” Lenna squeaked. Her hands trembled, and she squeezed them together around her coffee mug.
Divorce was unheard of in the Slate Lands–and there were only a rare few that even went through the exhaustive steps to try and get one.
Typically, women who requested divorce were shunned and exiled from most social standings.
Lenna felt a weight lift from her shoulders as she considered.
If Irridessen had taught her anything, it was the importance of facing the truth–no matter how difficult. And Lenna knew the truth of her marriage now, and knew what she deserved. She deserved more than the feeling of being a burden, of being unloved. Because she was loved by her new family.
And Leon–he was her past, something that she had grown stronger than. She could stand on her own two feet, stand in the light, no longer cast aside in the shadows.
She was the Oracle of Terramere. And a seer. Which was pretty neat when she thought about it.
“I could also just kill him,” Esmeray offered, her eyes glimmering green with malicious intent.
Lenna cocked her head, pretending to ponder her options.
“Hmm, as tempting as that is…I think I’ll take the divorce,” she said quickly, laughing as Esmeray feigned disappointment.
The happy memories of the beginning of her marriage had finally faded away, leaving the ugly stains behind.
Exposed for what they truly were. Her past.
Esmeray nodded. “I’ll have one of my priestesses draw up the paperwork, and we can have it sent out quickly.”
“But Leon has no clue you exist here… He knows nothing about magic. He only knows there are Kingdoms outside of the Slate Kingdom, but I don’t think he really gives them much thought.
How will he know it’s a legitimate divorce?
” Lenna questioned, realizing now just how isolated from the rest of the world she had been.
“I was thinking about that,” Esmeray said, spreading her wings and tilting her head back to take in the bright blue sky above her. “I think it’s about time we stopped being so isolated from the Slate Kingdom.”