Chapter 44
After we eat, we spend the next few hours going over everything I need to know, and I mean everything.
By the time we adjourn, I have a splitting headache; but I feel really good.
It doesn’t stop there. The next day, we meet for another ten hours.
This meeting is more active, though. We get to work.
There is so much work to be done, it feels daunting.
But we take it one thing at a time. We assign a work force to start reconstruction on the arena.
Zarreth, the captain of the guard, meets with us for a few hours to talk about the guivre attacks that keep happening.
Jorren and Taren sit in on this meeting.
Zarreth informs me during this time that they had a dragon sighting while we were in the Wolf Kingdom.
After I nearly fall out of my chair from shock, I ask him to explain.
He explained that it never landed. It only soared overhead for a while before it flew away.
I only wish I’d been there to see it. We spend a lot of time on the human that turned into a guivre.
Everybody in that meeting was agreed on the fact that it was absolutely terrifying, and we have absolutely no answers.
On the third day, we call a meeting in the arena.
I’m so nervous, I can barely breathe. I didn’t want to do this, but the counsel insisted.
And I get it. The people are scared. They know their king is gone, the guivre attacks are getting more frequent, there’s the whole human to guivre thing, there’s a new queen.
..it’s a lot. As I walk down the same set of steps I did only a few days ago, I can’t help but think how different this gathering is.
I had no idea what I was in for then. Now, I do.
I take a steadying breath and wipe my hands on my pants.
I’m wearing another jade pantsuit that Rakel made for me.
I look down the row where my five advisors sit.
I can’t help but grin when Mae waves at me, all smiles.
Assigning her as the fifth member of the board was the best decision.
Even though she was only sworn in last night, I can already tell she’s going to be a huge asset.
When she says something, and Eldara laughs quietly, I know it’s the right decision.
Mae won’t allow anybody to not be happy; it’s simply not in her nature.
Veyra brushes against me, reminding me of her presence and calming me.
I rest my hand on her head, grateful she’s here with me.
I sit in the chair reserved for me and nod at Halric.
As the eldest on the board with Vaelor out of the picture, it falls on him to lead this ceremony.
“Good morning,” Halric says in a strong voice.
“It’s been a couple of hard days, hasn’t it?
” A stillness settles over the crowd. “A lot has happened in a little bit of time. That’s why we called this meeting.
We want to address some of these happenings and put your minds at ease.
Before we do that, I want to deal with the biggest issue first.” My body stiffens because this wasn’t what we planned.
He was supposed to simply welcome the crowd and introduce me.
I was supposed to take it from there. I look down at my notes, making sure I’m not missing something.
Nope. He's definitely off script. I panic a moment, wondering if I’m going to have to cut him off.
I really don’t want to. My knee bounces nervously, and I rub my hands on my pants.
“Nobody in our kingdom is not aware of what happened to our king.” I stiffen; I was supposed to be the one to speak of Kaldar.
“And if you aren’t aware, then just look behind me.
You will see that our king does not sit here.
Instead, a young woman does.” My spine is so stiff, I swear I’m going to crack it.
“You may notice that she’s not from our kingdom.
You may also notice that she’s young. You may have also heard that she’s from the banished community.
” I can’t catch my breath. What is he doing?
“Now any one of those things might be enough to decide that she has no right to rule over us.” I close my eyes and dig my fingernails into my legs.
When I open them, I try to project a calm I am not feeling.
“In fact, that’s exactly how myself and the other members of the elder board felt.
” There’s a definite buzz in the crowd now.
I watch as Jorren and Taren both move marginally closer to me, and I can literally feel Mae’s eyes boring into the side of my head.
I will Halric to stop talking, but he doesn’t.
“I say felt because we no longer feel that way. In fact, each of those things are reasons she makes a good leader.” My mouth drops open in shock.
“I will admit, it took us some time. But I am here to tell you that this young woman behind me is exactly what our kingdom needs. She’s not from our kingdom, so she has a unique perspective to add.
She is young, and that makes her willing to work hard and make a difference.
She also grew up in the banished community.
” He pauses, and I wonder if this next part is going to be hard for him to say.
“She knows what it’s like to be part of the banished, and no one should ever feel that.
That is why she is a huge advocate in bringing home the banished.
” The crowd cheers for that, and it startles me.
I notice that not everyone is cheering, but a lot of them are.
“She’s also the mate of our dear king. She loves him with all her heart.
” I stiffen at his words. “And she’s the perfect mate for our king.
Therefore, it is with complete confidence that the elder board presents Queen Kinsley to you today. ”
Applause breaks out, but I don’t really hear it.
I’m too busy trying to get over my shock.
Never in a million years had I expected an introduction like that.
Halric turns and smiles at me as he walks over to his seat.
When he sits next to me, he elbows me lightly.
“I believe this is where you stand and deliver that speech you practiced on all of us.” I jolt and stand to my feet.
I give myself just a moment to compose myself and then I paste a smile on my face and walk to the podium.
“Hi.” My voice carries throughout the arena, thanks to Veyra.
I mentally cringe at my hi and look down at my notes.
I blink when I realize I can’t see the notes.
They’re blurry, and it takes me a moment to notice why.
I reach up and wipe my eyes, berating myself.
Panic consumes me for a moment because I really need to see my notes.
I look up at the crowd and nearly have a panic attack.
There are so many of them. Suddenly, somebody shouts, “Kaldar is our king.” There’s a murmur that runs through the audience, and the words jolt me.
Another person shouts the same thing. I realize I have seconds before this explodes into something out of my control.
I don’t look down at my notes. They won’t help me right now.
I take a deep breath and pray for strength.