Chapter 63 The Weight of Crowns
SERA
Three weeks after Arianna came home, I found her in the training yard at dawn.
She moved through forms I recognized. Shadowborn combat technique. Fluid. Deadly.
The curse made her slower than she should have been, but she made up for it by being accurate.
I stood in the doorway and watched.
Not hiding. Just observing.
She stopped mid-strike. "You can come out. I know you are there."
I stepped into the courtyard. "Could not sleep?"
"When you spend your sleep dreaming about all the people you couldn't save, it's not worth it." She put down her practice knife.
"You?"
"Same reason."
We stood in silence. Two versions of the same woman. One who survived by accepting help. One who survived by running.
Both had scars that will never fully heal. Arianna stated, "The curse is quieter now."
"Shared between us. But it still whispers. Still wants blood."
"I know. I hear it too."
"How do you resist?"
"I do not always." I picked up a practice sword from the rack. "But when I feel it getting too loud, I come here. Beat something until the urge passes."
"Does it work?"
"Sometimes."
Arianna smiled. Bitter. "We are quite the pair. Two cursed queens trying not to murder everyone."
"Better than one cursed queen doing it alone."
She laughed. Actually laughed. The sound was rusty but real.
"Fight with me," she said. "I need to check to see if I still have it."
We went around each other. Testing. Neither of them wants to make the first move.
Then she struck.
Fast. Brutal. The practice blade whistled past my head. I blocked. Countered. She dodged.
We fought our way through the courtyard. Not aiming to hurt one another. Just letting go of some of the stress that came from lugging around darkness we didn't ask for.
"You are holding back," Arianna said between strikes.
"So are you."
"Because I am afraid if I stop, I will not be able to start again." Her blade caught mine. Locked. We stood face to face. "I killed so many people. More than you did. Does it get easier?"
"No."
"Good." She broke the lock. Stepped back. "I do not want it to be easy. That would mean forgetting."
Footsteps interrupted us. Kael appeared looking annoyed.
"Both of you. Inside. Now."
"What happened?" I asked.
"The eastern kingdoms changed their minds. They want Nyx moved to a neutral location for training. Away from our influence." His jaw clenched. "They are claiming we are corrupting her."
"That is insane."
"That is politics." He turned and walked away. We followed.
The throne room was full again. Too many nobles. Too many voices. Everyone had an opinion about what should happen to Nyx.
She sat on a small chair beside our thrones. Seven years old. Looking tiny, tired, and done with all of this.
Ambassador Thera stood at the center. "The agreement was clear. The child trains with neutral parties. Not parents who have obvious bias."
"She stays with us," I said. Voice flat. Final.
"Then you break the treaty. And winter comes without grain shipments. Thousands starve." Thera's smile was sharp. "Your choice, Your Majesty. Your daughter or your people."
The room went silent.
Nyx stood. "I will go."
"No," Kael and I said together.
"Yes." She looked at us with those red eyes. "If people starve because I refuse to leave, that makes me selfish. That makes me exactly what they fear. A child who puts herself above others."
"You are seven years old," I said. "You should not have to make this choice."
"But I do. Because I have power. And power means responsibility." She walked to Thera. "I will train with your people. But I come home every month. For one week. To see my parents. That is not negotiable."
Thera considered. "Acceptable."
"No it is not," Kael said. His voice was ice. "She is our daughter. She does not leave."
"Father." Nyx turned to him. "I need to do this. I need to learn control from people who are not afraid to push me. Who will not hold back because they love me." She touched his hand. "I will come back. I promise."
Something broke in his expression. Pain, he usually hid. "When do you leave?"
"Three days." Thera bowed. "We leave in three days."
The nobles filed out. Thera left. We stood alone in the throne room with our daughter, who was about to leave us.
Kael knelt. Eye level with Nyx. "If they hurt you. If anyone touches you wrong. You tell me. Immediately. I do not care about treaties or politics. No one hurts my daughter."
"I know."
"And you practice your time magic every day. Stay sharp. Stay ready."
"I will."
He pulled her into a hug. Held her like he was memorizing the feeling. "I am proud of you.
Even when I'm scared. Even when I want to put you in the tallest tower and never let you out.
I am proud."
"I am proud of you too. For letting me go even though it hurts."
He released her and stood. Walked away before she could see him break.
I knelt next. "Three days is not enough time."
"It never would be." Nyx hugged me. "But I will be back. Every month. I promise."
"What if something happens? What if they turn you against us? What if"
"Then you come get me. Storm their kingdom. Burn it down. Whatever it takes." She pulled back. Smiled. "You are my mother. Nothing changes that. Not distance. Not training. Not anything."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Those three days passed too fast. We spent every moment together. Reading. Training. Talking about nothing and everything.
Arianna joined us sometimes. Awkward at first. Not sure where she fits in this family dynamic. But Nyx made room for her. Made her feel wanted.
"You will visit too," Nyx told her. "Once a month. I want to know my aunt."
"I would like that," Arianna said. Quiet. Surprised.
The morning Nyx left, the entire palace came to see her off. Nobles. Guards. Servants. Everyone.
She wore traveling clothes. Simple. Practical. Her red eyes were bright with excitement and fear.
"Remember what we taught you," I said. "Trust your instincts. Question authority. Never accept cruelty as normal."
"I remember."
Kael handed her a dagger. Small. Perfect for her hands. "If anyone threatens you, use this. Aim for the throat. Do not hesitate."
"That seems excessive," Thera said.
"That is parenting." Kael's eyes were black. "She knows how to defend herself. Do not make her prove it."
Nyx climbed into the carriage. Looked back at us one last time. Waved.
Then she was gone.