I feel the strain in my shoulders as I rip at the collar of my jacket and loosen the shirt I wear. Gods I hated this suit.
"Your Highness, guards have been posted around the Queens wing and the chosen's wing as ordered. More guards have been posted around the palace gates. Is there anything else?" Rhaeven, one of the captains, says as he stops near me while I continue to pace back and forth in front of the closed doors.
"Where is Varis?"
"On his way Your Highness." He answers with a nod.
"And my brothers?"
"Alvaryn was with your father when I last checked waiting for the healer, Aeris is with one of the chosen, the one that collapsed at the selection." He answers quickly.
"Daella," I mutter to myself, I suppose my words had not changed his feelings towards her and he was with her instead of with his family. "I want both of them here." I tell him and he nods with a stamp of his boots before he turns and leaves.
Guards stand at attention as I continue to pace and forth.
What the hell just happened?
Mother attacked Father, he was unconscious in his rooms and Daella lay fitting on the ground.
It wasn't a coincidence.
What had mother said before she attacked? We will not stand by and watch you ruin your Kingdom. We? Who was she speaking of? And why did they not want this selection to happen?
All I can think of is Arden and his adverse opinion on the selection and our choosing wives from the humans. But he wasn't here. He would be half way back to his Kingdom by now.
"Your Highness," Varis says a little breathless as he rushes into the waiting room with a bow. "Your mother?"
"She is in her rooms, still unconscious, The healer said he couldn't see what had happened, it was just darkness in her mind." I answer, looking at the closed doors to her room.
"But we all know she would never consciously attack the King, she refused to use her magic, let alone use it against her own husband." He says looking at the closed doors with an earnest and fearful expression.
"Of course she wouldn't," I snap. "But there were over a hundred fae in that room that just witnessed that exact thing happen." I say pointing back to the ball room where everything had just taken place.
I had been moments away from announcing who I had chosen to marry and now the palace was in complete chaos.
"Well, until your father wakes, you are acting King." Varis says with a nod of acknowledgement.
I take a moment and look at him, stoned faced he stands watching me, waiting for instructions or acknowledgement but I stand frozen.
Acting King. I knew this day would happen, eventually, just not like this, not here and now. I wasn't ready for this kind of authority.
"I assume you have already secured the palace and all its guests." Varis says warily and I nod stiffly, it was my role as general to maintain palace security, it was second nature. But King, acting King, perhaps it would be better to just see it as I did with being General, just another role I had to fill.
It would help to have my brother's here, instead of wherever they were.
"The palace has been secured, a healer has visited mother and another sent to my father, Alvaryn should be with him now." I look at the closed doors again, seeing my mothers' unconscious body looking so small and frail as I set her on her bed.
The shrill sound of her scream still fills my mind.
I couldn't just stand here and wait for her to wake up. I needed to find out what happened, I needed answers and to assess the damage and stop unnecessary rumours being spread, though I'm sure it was too late for that now.
"I need to speak to my brothers, and we need to announce a council meeting. This wasn't an accident, it was an attack, my mother had spoken before she attacked, they weren't her words." I tell him trying my best to sound confident in my orders.
"Of course, I will round up the other council members and send word to your brothers to meet us in the council chambers." He says with a firm nod before turning and leaving.
I stare at the closed doors once more wanting to go inside and check on her again, but it was pointless, the healer said she would be asleep for some time. She hadn't used her magic in years and to have an outburst so suddenly would have drained her energy until she passed out. And father, I didn't know how injured he was, or what condition he would be in when he did wake up. How long did they expect me to be acting King? Would I make the right decisions?
It was just another role. I knew the role of being King, had watched and learned from my father for years. I would listen to the others, make decisions and act as he would have.
I stand behind fathers chair in the council room staring at it angrily while gripping the back of the chair. It wasn't my seat, not yet at least, I always sat at his right.
Council members begin to enter with Varis amongst them.
"Your Highness," Each one bows as they acknowledge me, taking their seats at the table. I stand, waiting for my brothers but neither walks in.
The head healer walks in and sees me, acknowledging me with a bow he stands close to me.
"Your Highness, I have assessed the King, he is in a stable condition, your mother's magic travelled through an extensive part of his body but has not injured any major organs. I have made sure he is not in any pain and that he may rest. I will check on him again soon to maintain his rest and recovery."
"How long will he be unconscious for?" I ask quietly.
"I am unsure Your Highness, it could be days until his mind has recovered enough for me to allow a conscious state. If I wake him too soon he would be racked with pain and seizures which could cause more damage." He answers solemnly.
"I understand, please keep me updated. Thank you Oenus."
I stand waiting for my brothers as the men chatter quietly, Varis sitting to my left waits quietly.
"Did you send word to my brothers?" I ask impatiently.
"Of course Your Highness." He answers with a nod.
I grit my jaw as I continue to wait for them.
"Shall we begin the council meeting?" Varis asks hesitantly and I shake my head.
"We won't begin until my brothers are here." I answer with a low growl under my breath. And I have a good idea of where they both are.
I pound my fist against the closed door and wait, breathing hard.
Alvaryn answers the door with confusion and concern in his expression.
"Is Aeris in there?" I ask and he nods. "You were both told to join the council meeting, why are you here instead?"
"Because Daella needs us." I hear Aeris yell at me from behind Alvaryn, Alvaryn turns, letting me see into the room. Aeris is beside the bed holding onto a small pale hand as a healer hovers over the bed, glaring up at me.
"Leave her with the healer and come to the council meeting now!" I say angrily.
"Is that an order?" Alvaryn asks with a cold calm voice and I turn back to him.
"It's a request, all the council members are there waiting for us."
"So it's not an order, then we will politely decline. I'm sure you and the council will be able to take care of business without us." Alvaryn answers ready to close the door in my face. I stop it with my hand and he looks at me in frustration.
"Did you not see what just happened? Our entire Kingdom is in chaos and you are both in here with a chosen instead of serving your Kingdom as Princes or with your family." I want to scream, to yell, to shake them both until they came to their senses.
"Of course we saw what happened Demwyn!" Alvaryn snaps. "I checked on both father and mother and the healer said both are resting and not in any pain, there is nothing we can do until they wake up. Whatever you have planned for the council meeting will happen with or without us. Even as acting King you can't make any decisions until Father is awake, so why does it matter if Aeris and I are there?" He demands.
"And why is one human more important than your Kingdom Alvaryn? Why is this woman more important than fulfilling your duties? If a healer is with her then she will be in the same position as mother and father, useless until she wakes up." I say fisting my hands at my side.
He looks at me like he is deciding on his answer, studying what words he is about to use before he says something he can't take back.
He takes a steadying breath before replying. "We aren't leaving Dae, so unless it is a direct order from the acting King," He says, studying my reaction. "just leave."
He knows I won't order them. I may be acting King but I couldn't use it against them. I know it would only make the situation between us that much worse.
I let out an angry breath and take a step back, he closes the door and I let out a low growl.
I don't know what it meant that they were both in there with her or what they had planned for the selection. I couldn't think about it. My mind was already a mess with visions and memories of mother and father and what was supposed to be the first day in the next chapter of my life.
I think about the Selection.
Was I mad or upset that it didn't happen? Honestly, no.
Had I been ready to marry a women I barely knew? Yes, I knew it was my duty.
But I would be lying if I said I wasn't relieved that it didn't happen and now the selection was the last thing on my mind.
The first being who or what attacked our Kingdom and I planned to do in order to make them pay.
Andif my brothers wanted to sit around and ignore their duties then they will bethe ones to answer to Father when he wakes up. I will perform my role to the bestof my ability, even it meant not having them at my side as I had always plannedthem to be.