It is a bleak Winter night when Kaida visits Maven's tomb.
The sky is moonless, and nothing exists but a dark expanse of navy blue sky.
The stars twinkle away in their millions, acting as the only companion Kaida has as she crosses the Courtyard.
She carries with her a stem on which clusters of white petals are bunching together to form little flowers that make up an orchid.
Gently, she places it on the plaque of his name beneath the stone statue that captured his likeness.
Kaida grips the velvet of her coat tightly.
It had been 2 months after her coronation.
Norta had moved on, they were in the middle of a renovation.
Things were moving fast.
Kaida and Cal had to destroy the foundations and start again, rebuilding from the ashes.
And so like a Phoenix, Norta would rise.
But it seemed like Kaida was the only one hanging on to the history.
It was just as Macanthos said, she could not forget.
He was right though. No one wanted to mention the bloody past, the country had washed their hands clean of the sins of the previous monarchs.
Maven's name was dead in the Palace walls. But Kaida refused to let him die in her mind.
Silent tears spill from her eyes when she speaks.
"Maven. I am ready. I am ready to commit to this Queen thing. All the weeks I've come here, I've been...hesitant."
Kaida often came down here to speak, to him. Wherever he was.
She voiced her anxiousness, at receiving control of the Kingdom.
How could she be different to those that came before her?
How could she avoid the mistakes he made?
"But there is no going back now. I will be the spine of the new age."
Kaida's eyes had a hard determination.
The tears stemmed.
"I will know exactly what you went through. But I won't let them control me or speak for me. You refused to be a puppet. I refuse too."
She looks up at the heavens.
"The only thing I can ask for now, is strength. You were always so confident, so sure of yourself. I want to be that. I have to be. The only name I can believe in, is my own."
Kaida takes a step back.
From now, there would be no more crying.
The fog clears up, replaced by an unwavering sense of clarity and resoluteness.
Kaida remoulds herself and when she steps out into the chill of the night, she feels born again.
She is Queen Kaida, first of her name. The chosen Queen.
And there was much work to be done under her rule.
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Author's notes :
Welcome back Everyone !!!!
So much has changed from when I first started this series, but in my mind it was always meant to be a trilogy!
But even after all this time, I'm still a bit nervous about posting 😂
I know I'll probably get a lot less reads but this is all for the sake of finishing the story and for those who still follow and look forward to more, thank you so much, this is for you 🥹
Chapter 1 is also out now, so feel free to just continue on
And as always, you know the drill, don't forget to vote, comment and share! 🫶🏾
Lots of Love,
Pearl