The War Of Crowns | #ONC2023

Chapter 10

Dakath's POV

Cries of outrage filled the room and Dakath's voice strained against the noise of the royal council members chattering.

There was a slight knock at the door and Dakath blew out a breath, the sudden silence from everyone was just as loud as they turned in unison towards the double doors. He sat back in his chair, not realizing that he was gripping the edge of it, and relaxed at the sight of his brother.

Roarke walked quickly, nodding to each of the council members as he made his way to Dakath, who sat at the head of the large oak table. His sunken eyes were rimmed with shadows from using too much of his power in too short a time, and frustration seeped from his expression.

He kept his back to the occupants of the room as he spoke low to Dakath. "The undersea won't answer any of my scrolls and they aren't at their usual hideouts."

Dakath nodded. "And Leia? Is she okay?"

There was a flash of annoyance in Roarke's face but it was gone as fast as it appeared. "She's fine, Atreyu's with her now."

"My prince, without the pearl, what value do you have to us now?" A silver scaled faerie stood from her seat at the table. Dakath's jaw ticked at her tone when she addressed him. It felt like no matter what he said or did, he was still the Exiled Prince, deserving of the respect you would give a glamoured human in the Land of Faeries.

Dakath noticed Roarke had taken his seat next to him and wished he had Atreyu's power to thank him for his support without the council members overhearing.

Worry etched at his mind as he tried to focus on the faerie who was bold enough to take the seat directly opposite from him. Roarke looked terrible, having spent the last couple of hours underwater looking for Lxora. His hair was rustled and he hadn't bothered to change out of his damp clothing before the meeting.

The council had gathered on the island for the upcoming ball. What was meant to be a reassuring meeting to cement their support for him, was instead an admission that Dakath had lost the heavily enchanted item to the undersea. One that was given to them by the old gods and preserved by the sea folk and was unquestionably irreplaceable.

He sighed as he watched the members losing themselves in their arguments amongst each other. Only his father's personal advisor, Lady Calixte, stayed focused on him, her seat remained pushed back as she waited for him to respond to her question.

"This is a waste of time. You have failed to keep a tighter leash on that human and there will only be more death and wasted coin in the future because of it!"

Dakath clenched his jaw as he stared at the royal treasurer. His red eyes burned with his annoyance as he contemplated his response.

"We are rallying behind you in hopes that you would be the king to end this ridiculous war that your father's consort has started." Lady Calixte said, not accepting the lack of response from Dakath concerning her earlier question. "Tell us now, will you make a better king? Or should we reconsider our loyalties?"

His head thrummed with a vile headache and the clothes that the brownie picked out for him were itchy. Usually those things didn't bother him, but after what happened in the cave with Leia, the last thing he wanted to do was to have to sit through this meeting.

Roarke had engaged in a debate with the military advisor, whose position he was set to claim after Dakath becomes king. There was only slight interest in the military advisor's face and Dakath wondered if the faerie was truly ready to retire from his post.

"I will tie the dimension to myself," Dakath said. It was a moment of impulsivity but when he thought about it some more, it was the only other option. There was a sliver of silence that he wanted to lose himself in. If only he could just close his eyes and disappear from this dreaded room.

The uproar that echoed through the room was deafening, especially for a faerie with heightened hearing.

"Brother, you could die!" Roarke's raised voice assaulted his ears.

"What sense is it to give our support to a king who would die before he even takes the crown!" Lady Calixte shouted above the noise. She remained standing with her hands placed on the long table. Her forked tongue lashed out of her mouth at the middle of the table as though to show her disapproval.

"I am my father's first born and I certainly do have the power to bind it to myself. Where is the faith in your future king?" Dakath spoke, his voice vibrating through the earth below them.

"Say you survive, what then? Do we listen to the human's demands? No more glamoured humans?" Roarke dared ask him in front of everyone.

Dakath looked at him with controlled anger. "It is part of our agreement and so it shall be done."

There was another burst of noise as every council member tried speaking at once. Dakath touched the wooden table between them all and with the anger and annoyance he felt, it was easy to turn it to dust.

The room went silent and Lady Calixte resigned to her seat as they all looked at him with slackened jaws.

"The undersea took the pearl so they shall stay in the human dimension. Let the humans find them and hunt them like they did to us. We shall remain on course to complete the plan," he said.

Dakath looked at the members one last time, stepping into the remains of the wooden table so that he was in the middle of them all. "We will host the ball at midnight. There you shall meet the princess, who will play a key part in my plan, and decide your loyalties to me once and for all."

He left no room for argument. What he said was final, and with that he walked out of the dreaded room to leave them to discuss amongst themselves.

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Author's Note

Hello dear readers. I have added in this extra chapter after chapter 9 and edited and pushed back the other chapters to accommodate the change. I am doing my best to stay well under the 40k word limit for the ONC but after reading the comments and following my gut, I felt like there was a time jump where some further expanding was needed, even in the novella form of this book.

So here is the extra scene to further explore the plot and what the characters are thinking as this novella is coming to an end. I hope it fits and you enjoy <3

(20,766 words minus Author's Notes etc.)

With Love,

Miriam <3