Magnus shakily rises and steps off of the throne.
"Ariana-"
"It's 'Your Highness' to you," I say cutting him off.
He swallows. "Of course."
Darien leans down to my ear. "What do you want me to do with them?"
"Lock my mother in her room, put your father in one of the guest rooms. I have bigger problems to deal with right now, like getting this kingdom back in order."
Darien nods and signals to the two royal guards standing on either corner of the room.
They march over to my mother and Magnus. Each taking one, they drag them struggling out of the room. The doors slam shut behind them.
Darien moves to stand in front of me. "Are you okay?"
I stare at him for a long time before replying.
"My kingdom is falling apart, and I haven't even had a coronation to be queen yet. I have a dungeon full of Julius's pirates who want to kill me, half of my royal guards deserted me, and on top of everything, instead of caring where her daughter was or if she was alive even, my mother has been sitting here, eating grapes."
I inhale a shaky breath. "No, I'm not okay."
Darien cups my chin in his hand.
"Hey, you are going to be fine. Okay? We'll get the kingdom under control. We'll take care of Julius' pirates, and who needs royal guards when you have some very loyal pirates backing you up?"
Tears threaten to spill out of my eyes. Darien releases my chin and pulls me to his chest. I breathe in his familiar scent, the sea, and roses. I wrap my arms around his waist as his arms tighten around me.
"Thank you," I whisper into his chest.
He rests his chin on my head.
"You are going to be an amazing Queen, love."
I lean back, my arms still around his waist. "What happened to not wanting me to be Queen?"
His lips pull up into a soft smile. "We've come along way since then."
He rests his hand on my cheek and leans in so close, our noses touch.
His lips part slightly. "Ariana-"
"Your Highness!"
I release Darien and turn to the pirate standing in the doorway, breathless and panting.
"What is it?"
"Ailee is requesting to see you."
My eyes grow wide. "So?"
He swallows as his eyes lock with mine.
"She's brought an army with her."