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Big announcement at the end!**
A New Beginning
After the meeting adjourned, the lords of the council lingered to chat while I was ushered out– the royal family was expected to give a speech in little more than an hour's time. I should have been relieved, the meeting certainly could have gone a lot worse, but the threat of my birthright being stripped from me in the future still loomed, foreboding, in the back of my mind.
More pressing, I wished for a moment alone with Angelo. So much had changed in such a short time. I needed to know what he thought of it all.
He walked a few steps behind, eyeing everyone who passed with obvious wariness– as if he feared that it was all some sort of trick and guards would come pouring out from behind each door or curtain along the corridor to send him to the gallows.
Those guards never appeared.
Ava was waiting in my rooms, like a tiger ready to pounce. The moment I crossed the threshold, she was there, shooing me to the bathroom and the lavender scented bath she had already drawn for me. I looked back at Angelo as I passed through the doorway, saw his hesitation as he remained standing just inside the room. I wanted to speak with him, to tell him so many things, but there was no time for that. Not yet.
Ava helped me to bathe. After, just as she lifted up the frilly violet gown she had chosen for me to wear, there was a knock on the door. I pulled my robe tighter around my body as she went to answer it, speaking for a moment with the servant on the other side. She returned with a bundle of clothes, setting them on the bed I stood beside. There was a note on top. I flipped it open to find my fathers elegant scrawl:
The time for gowns and jewels has long passed. It is time for the people to meet their future queen. The defender of the castle and champion of the people.
I stared at the paper, the smile spreading across my lips. They were just a handful of words, easy encouragement, but did he have any idea how much they meant to me? That I had needed to hear something like that for nearly a year? Underneath the note was a uniform, neatly folded and nearly identical to the one I had received months ago. Upon closer inspection, I found that this new version was sleeveless– better suited to the hot weather– and had the Lupian flag insignia embroidered to the chest, the silver wolf snarling before a violet background . I ran my fingers along the fabric and was met with the same whisper of magic as before.
I looked up to find Ava watching me with a small smile of her own. She shrugged, "If it is what the King wishes."
She helped me into the uniform, then wove my hair into a simple braid down my back. For once, I wasn't draped in heavy jewelry, a symbol of my family's wealth and influence. Today I would be a reminder of a different sort of power, the kind that had won my grandfather a crown– one I intended to protect with everything I had.
Ava rested a thin, silver circlet atop my head, my only adornment.
I returned to the foyer to find that Angelo had moved from his place beside the door. He looked up from his seat adjacent to the fire, his eyes locking onto mine, holding them hostage. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came. What could I say? There was so much I wanted to tell him, but nothing that could be said in the scarce seconds we had to talk now. The corners of his mouth lifted in a soft smile and he nodded in understanding. There would be time for us to speak later.
Ava cleared her throat gently, "Your Highness, your family will be waiti–"
I lifted a hand, "I understand, thank you Ava." To Angelo I said, "I'll be back soon, make yourself at home." It would have to be enough, though the idea of leaving him alone with his thoughts after all that had transpired left a sour taste in my mouth.
Ava escorted me all the way to the transports. My mother's brows rose at the sight of me in my uniform, but Franco was similarly garbed, as if we were prepared to step onto a battlefield at a moment's notice.
Our fathers wore formal military dress uniforms, the midday sun glinting off of the medals on their shoulders.
Not a word was spoken on the ride into the Capital. My father stared out the window the entire way, an arm wrapped securely around my mothers waist, a pensive expression on his tired face. Mother's attention remained on little Gianni, cooing and gurgling away in her lap, but I could tell her thoughts were elsewhere as well.
The crowd had already gathered before the City Hall as the transports pulled in. We filed out of the vehicles and I made to join Franco behind our fathers when a hand at my elbow held me back. I looked to my mother, walking beside me with the baby held to her chest. She smiled for the cameras flashing all around, but when she spoke it was directed toward me, her lips hardly moving. "How long were you planning on keeping your little secret?" Her voice was almost silent.
I forced a smile to my lips as well, "The little secret that my mate was the son of our enemy? Forever if I had to. It nearly cost me my crown and that was after he came to our aid during the attack. If they had found out before..." I couldn't finish the thought.
Mother didn't speak as we strode up the front steps and into the building. "You'll be good together," she said suddenly.
Shocked, I turned to find her grinning, mischief dancing in her grey eyes. She continued, "He will challenge you. You need a partner like that, someone strong-willed."
"So you approve?"
"Yes, I knew I liked him the day I invited him to dinner at your uncle's. My opinion certainly didn't change after he helped to protect us last night." She lowered her voice further, until I had to strain to hear her words. "I learned long ago not to judge a man by the actions of his father."
Our company fell silent as the mayor gave his opening introductions, then we filed through the double doors and onto the balcony. I felt the stares of the people boring into me, taking in my uniform, noting the absence of my jewels, the still-healing wound on my arm. I had been in the public eye since birth, but for the first time in a long while I felt naked beneath their gaze. They were finally seeing who I truly was, not just something pretty to ogle but also a fighter, a weapon in Lupia's arsenal– a force to be reckoned with.
My father began speaking and I should have been paying attention. I needed to be on my best behavior to appease the men of the council– I'd won by too few votes to be careless. But I couldn't seem to focus, only catching his words in fragmented bits with no sense of how much time lapsed between, as my mind raced in a direction of its own.
This is a new beginning. Not just showing the people my true potential, but bidding goodbye to the days of lying and sneaking about as well.
"...As many of you know, last night our enemy executed their most bold attack yet..."
All of my secrets had been laid bare, I had nothing left to hide. As my eyes scanned over the crowd, meeting their stares– my own stern and determined– I made a silent vow to do right by them. To perform my duty as heir to the best of my abilities, with the dignity and grace of a DiLuna Alpha. No more scandals, no more secrets– at least not from those closest to me. It was a freeing feeling, releasing all of the anxiety and fear that I'd been living with for so long. Some worry remained, for the coming war and all that was still at stake, but I would face that with the support of my family behind me, and Angelo at my side.
"...Many brave men and women gave their lives defending the castle, but we did not surrender. With the aid of Princess Giuliana and Francesco Ivaldi, your future Queen and Beta, our forces were able to hold off the enemy until myself and the reinforcements could arrive..."
Not exactly how events had unfolded. Franco and I were only just barely holding our own before Angelo arrived. My father made no mention of Angelo at all, or of the sacrifice he had made so that we could survive the night. My fathers rendition inspired hope and pride, but I still couldn't help but feel guilty knowing that this is how the night will be remembered. Not for the man who sacrificed his own father, but for the young leaders who had walked from the scene of so much death triumphant. I took a deep breath. On the exhale I released all of that guilt, and made a second vow. This one, that one day Angelo would get the recognition that he deserves. I would see to it that they would come to know him as I had, not as the son of our enemy but as the compassionate man who had chosen to protect us against everything he had been taught. He deserved their love more than I did in the end.
"...The losses were great, but we persevered. In times such as these, it is hard to think of any good. But for all that was lost last night, there is also much that was gained. We now know that the Blood Fangs, the thugs who have been terrorizing our Kingdom were not working alone, and that they were mere pawns. An army from The Free Lands across the sea gathers, and they have made it clear that they will not rest until they have conquered the continent, and altered our way of life. I say, if it is war that they want, it is war they shall have..."
I made a third vow– though I didn't know if this one was to myself, The Goddess, or the King of the Free Lands himself. I vowed that whatever horrors they had planned for us, we would meet it without falter. They had attacked my people, my home, and now they have thrust our peaceful kingdom into war. After the lifetime of hard work my father had put into securing our peace, to be a king remembered for a prosperous reign, it had all been for naught. But I swore that no matter what they threw at us, we would emerge on the other side of the conflict victorious. Angelo and I would have a chance to be together without fear. And for all that he had put us through, The King of the Free Lands would pay. He would come to regret the day he set his sights on our country.
Of that, I would be certain.
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There are only two chapters left in NMF (ch 48 and the epilogue). Both are already written and just need some minor tweaking. I hope to have BOTH posted next friday!!
Thanks for reading ! <3