Chapter 239

“We love you, Kit. We’ll always be here for you,” Jate said to her right.

“Even when we’re broken,” Danyen added, getting a giggle out of her and the others.

“It’s our privilege to be with you,” Drake said in his deep, steady voice.

Reeve took her hand. “Your belief in us has shaped us into who we are.”

“And given us the confidence to stand with you as you become queen,” Landon said in her ear.

“It’s all been well-worth it, Kit, to see you take the throne.” Cassius was still battered, but he looked much better now, with a smile on his face, than he had since Kit had found him in the dungeon.

Kit shifted her eyes to Eli, assuming he would also say something. His eyes darted around several times, and she could tell he was attempting to come up with something no one else had said, but they’d all expressed themselves so well, it was a difficult task. So he said the only phrase she hadn’t heard yet that confirmed for her beyond any other that they would be with her far into the future, no matter what happened. “Le atsa.”

Kit’s smile widened as she looked into his emerald green eyes. Her knowledge of the ancient language came back to her, and she responded, “Te le suplice, iber le.” He smiled back at her, clearly understanding, and she hoped the others would as well. It was an honor for her to serve the ones that she loved as their ruler.

Jecob was standing by the door with the crown in his hands. He cleared his throat to gain her attention. “My lady, when you are ready, the sun has risen. It is a new day, and your subjects are waiting for you.” That cocky smile she had admired so well spread across his face, and Kit was glad to see it.

She moved to stand but had so much help, she was practically lifted off of the floor and stood on her feet. Drake helped Danyen up, and then, they all walked together through the shattered chambers, out into the throne room where workers were already putting the room back together. They stopped and bowed as she approached. “Please, still not necessary,” she insisted, waving them off. “Thank you for your service.”

The men and women nodded, smiling at the change in their treatment, and continued with their work as Kit followed Jecob out into the hallway. He led her to the closest balcony. Two guards opened the doors for her, and Kit stepped through, astonished to see how bright the sun shone on the horizon. Dawn had broken while they were in the midst of seizing the crown, and the sky was cast in pink, yellow, and orange. It was a glorious sight. Even more marvelous were the people gathered below her, shouting her name, waving hands and handkerchiefs, smiling and cheering as Kit came up to a railing decorated with red bunting to address them.

She’d given little thought to what she might say but chose to speak from her heart. “Ladies and gentlemen of Yewforia, today is a wonderful day! I stand before you now to tell you that you are free from the oppression of the former queen. No longer will your children starve, your roofs cave in, or your backs ache from working too many hours for little pay. Just as the sun rises in the eastern sky, so too does a new day begin here at Castle Wrenbrook. While I regret to say that my mother lost her life in the fray, I will tell you that her last words were a wish for me, and you, the people of Yewforia, that we shall go forth with the blessings of the goddesses. Now, I stand before you, humbled and honored to serve you, the citizens of Yewforia, as your new queen.” Cheers went up all around her, and Kit looked to Jecob, who was standing to her far left, beyond her inner circle of Representatives, as she imagined he still had the crown.

He tilted his head the other direction, and Kit turned to see her grandmother approaching, cutting between some of the others and stepping around Kit’s men. She held the crown in her hands, and while her cheeks were tear streaked, likely from mourning the death of her daughter, her smile lit Kit’s heart

Junno held the crown in front of her, and Kit tipped her head so the slight woman could reach. “Hail Katrinetta, Empress of All the Lands East of the Galacial Mountains and Queen of the Provinces South of the Compazional Sea!” her grandmother declared. The crowd shouted, “Hail! Hail” in response, and Kit stood, kissing her grandmother on the cheek, before she turned back to the crowd, bowing to them in gratitude, waving, and blowing kisses.

A familiar voice in her ear had her turning her head slightly to listen, though she did not stop the fanfare. “Your Majesty, as much as you love your people and they adore you, we have much work to do.”

Kit turned to smile at Eli, knowing he was right but not wanting to let go of this moment she’d dreamt of for so long. “All in good time, Commander,” she replied. “All in good time.” Eli chuckled and took his place back in line behind her.

Kit’s eyes traced over every single face before her as she concentrated on remembering her reason for taking the crown in the first place, to give these people the lives they deserved. With all the blessings the goddesses had bestowed upon her, she intended to visit them upon her people tenfold, and when her life was over, and she was laid to rest, she prayed she’d be remembered as the queen who put her people before her, who was a servant and a leader, and that it would be known, in Yewforia, the lives of every single person, commoner or noble, man or woman, were important not just to the goddesses but to their queen and the men she’d chosen to rule beside her.