After the funeral, things went by in a blur.
Darkmoore Castle had become a hive of activity as new servants polished every surface they could get their furry hands on. The air was electric with anticipation as news of the new king's coronation filled every corridor. This change from Blood Moon back to Crescent was welcomed by almost everyone in Aelurus. No one wanted to be under the Shadow King's influence any more.
The vast, cavernous-like halls of the castle were returned to their former glory, their high arched ceilings draped in luxurious gold fabrics, needlepoint crescent moons ornamenting their ends. Paintings of Sebbi and Lucy's bloodline, including one beautiful picture of Queen Lorelianna at a desk with maps strewn across it, were hung back up in the Hall of kings.
Fresh cut flowers of white and red were placed in every room. The castle's oppressive atmosphere that'd been so suffocatingly thick during the ball, had been stamped out thanks to diligent Aelurians who maintained the castle's many hearths, creating and stoking fires. Cooks and kitchen staff kept the lofty space smelling of spiced stews, roast fish and fragrant herb-infused milks.
A change of linens and a deep scrub of all the floors and walls had gone a great way of masking the coppery odor of blood, though Abby caught a whiff every now and then when she passed the door to the dungeons or entered the grand hall.
Still, Abby found herself happy inside the castle's walls though it was growing tedious trying not to step on the myriad of swooshing and swaying cat tails that sprawled across almost every inch of stone or tile.
Her mornings were filled with peace, and a good helping of dragon's porridge which she was growing to despise. The viscous sludge stuck in her throat and its seeds lodged themselves in between her teeth. The stuff was worse than the all the potions Mimi had forced her to drink on the days when she'd been sick.
Aside from that, Abby found herself in the castle gardens, which after years of neglect were filled with weeds and browning flowers. Still, among all the dying plants, Abby felt comfortable. The place reminded her of the grove, and discovering a tree with twisting bare branches that reminded her of Sir Simon, she'd found herself lying under it for hours, drinking in her Aelurian surroundings.
This world really was magickal. Margo had called on a few of Fraga's order to reconstruct parts of the wall, which they did by summoning earth magick to alter the objects base gravity. Apparently this type of magick was considered small and didn't drain their life force as much as when one stopped time for example.
Finally, the day had come for a new king to sit upon the throne and for a new moon to take to the skies. Only problem was, Abby didn't know which brother it would be. Everyone thought it would be Lucy since Lain had said he was the eldest of the two, but something in Abby's gut told her it wouldn't be so straightforward. Sebbi had grown quiet, more so than what he usually was, and he never made eye contact with her anymore. She'd barely seen him in the past few weeks and that made Abby nervous.
The morning the announcement of King would be made, Sebbi had snuck onto the balcony to watch the sunrise. Soft pink light spread across the land, gilding the leaves and flooding Darkmoore Castle with an ethereal light.
"So I guess I'm to be king," a voice said.
Sebbi grunted. "You never knock, do you? That's hardly kingly behavior." He turned and faced his brother who had a thin smile on his face.
"I guess I have a lot to learn," Lucy said, striding up to join his brother on the balcony. He leaned over it, peering onto the gardens below. "We always seem to have such heart-to-hearts on a balcony," Lucy remarked.
"So let's have one now," Sebbi said after a moment of heavy silence. Lucy looked up at him in surprise and for the first time in his life, Lucy saw his brother smile at him. "I know you don't really want to be king," Sebbi said.
Lucy turned his back on the sky and, facing the castle again, slumped onto the ground. "You know me too well," he said and chuckled. "And here I thought you were too busy chasing leaves and squishing beetles to notice anything else."
"I notice things," Sebbi said in an embarrassed voice.
"You clearly never noticed when you had twigs jutting out of your ass," Lucy remarked and Sebbi shot him a glare. Lucy motioned for his brother to sit on the ground beside him. "But you're right. I don't think I'd be a good king."
"Because you're too handsome?" Sebbi asked.
Lucy shook his head. "Something like that," he grumbled and then added, "Aelurus deserves a good king."
Sebbi nodded and plopped down beside his brother. The two sat mired in silence watching the burgeoning sun take to the skies and paint the world in muted shades of rose and gold.
"You want to stay and protect Abby, don't you?" Sebbi said, breaking the silence.
Lucy smiled. "Of course I do, but," he looked at his brother, "So do you, I know you do."
Sebbi placed his hands together, extending and retracting his claws. "I want to," he said in a low voice. "But I also want to know what my home is. Aelurus is our home and I want to know about that part of me even if..."
Lucy nodded. "I know. For me," he said placing his hands over his head. "My home is wherever Abby is." He turned toward Sebbi. "So, should I start calling you your highness or do I wait until they place that crown atop your head?"
Sebbi chuckled and Lucy continued, "And what if you have twigs in your ass? Can I still make fun of you for that or will I get beheaded for treason?" He narrowed his eyes. "Would you be the one to be removing them yourself or would you have a servant do it? Maybe a designated royal twig remover?"
Sebbi elbowed his brother and Lucy caught it in his hand. Without looking at his brother he said, "I know what you're doing. Thank you."
"I'm not doing anythi--"
Lucy released his brother's arm and stood up. "Sure you are. I know you. And I know where your heart calls home. We might have been born here, but it will never truly be our home."
That afternoon, in the grand hall, with lesser lords of each of the great Moonborn bloodlines in attendance, Sebbi was crowned king of Aelurus to roaring applause. Abby beamed as the black crown was placed a top his head. She laughed when Sebbi scratched the back of his head, and sat on the throne, shifting uncomfortably as the gaze of hundreds fell on him.
He took the kingdom's name and became Sebastian Dinn' Aelurus, Ben'nessren, King of Aelurus. Though to Abby he would always be Sebbi, the cat who hated bows, who chased the wind, and who despite outward appearances, was a blushing, softy at heart. He was not mangy - he was beautiful, he was hers and now, he would be the King Aelurus needed.
That night, the first of many crescent moons hung high in the sky, a smile of brilliant, celebratory gold shining down on them, ushering a new age in Aelurian history.
Abbernathy Fun Fact 18: When I started writing this story, I hadn't written anything in a long, long time. I was struggling with my writing then, only doing it when inspiration struck. Abby was my attempt at getting back to doing something I had grown up loving. So, every morning after I'd gotten home from working overnight, I'd sit at my computer and write about the things I knew. I'm a girl, I love fantasy and adventure, I'm a constant dreamer, and I had two black cats at the time. And seven years later, here I am with a finished draft, two bunnies at my feet instead of cats. I guess there will be a rabbit realm sometime in the near future.