It was midnight when the bell sounded five times, announcing the passing of King Baswein, taking everyone by surprise. King Baswein rarely got sick.
When the bell stopped, silence fell upon Athea. Then, from the Royal Palace, Prince Liam's scream of sorrow could be heard all over Athea. Soon, other voices joined the one of Prince Liam, for many have loved King Baswein. He had been a good king, and the kingdom had prospered under his rule.
Mina, too, spent the night grieving, for King Baswein had been like an uncle to her. She wished Jayden was home. She missed him more than ever.
Her face was buried in her palms, crying and feeling as lonely as the night her parents died when the door to the room opened, and the children entered. Without saying a word, they climbed into bed, hugged Mina, and comforted her.
On the day of the Yeltane Festival, every soul living in Nodor grieved the passing of King Baswein. The masquerade ball was not to take place, all festivities had been canceled, and people spent the day grieving instead of celebrating.
Hours after King Baswein's death, Prince Liam locked himself in his parents' former room with a big bottle of wine and refused to let anyone inside.
It was early morning when Mina, wearing a black dress Ivy lent her, got out of the carriage and stared at the Royal Palace. While she was still upset with Prince Liam, she wanted to be there for him. For a long time, he had been her only friend. He might have thought she was not the person he thought she was, but she had seen the regret in his eyes.
An air of sadness and grief floated in and around the Palace, and tears were in the eyes of maids and Royal Guards. Not wanting to bother anyone, Mina made her way to Prince Liam's room. The door was ajar, and she was about to knock when she heard Rosalyn and Duke Tedric talking. By the tone, Mina's uncle seemed very angry. Mina froze in place while listening to their conversation while looking through the small crack that was between the door and the doorframe. Rosalyn and Duke Tedric were sitting on armchairs, facing each other.
"How dare you betray my trust?" Duke Tedric snarled.
"He has a right to know!" replied Rosalyn.
The Duke laughed bitterly. "Do you have any idea what you have done? If the Order finds out, Alvey's punishment will be seen as mild compared to what will happen to you!"
Mina tried not to make any sound upon hearing the name Alvey. She recognized it as one of the two names from the parchments found under the dead maid's mattress. Duke Tedric was present when Jayden, Prince Liam, and King Baswein talked about the parchments and the names with Lord Ferry, but he said nothing about knowing who Alvey was. She made a mental note to inform Jayden as soon as he returned home.
"The Order had already cost me so much. But when the truth is finally out in the open, and King Fherax—" said Rosalyn but stopped when Duke Tedric leaned over and slapped her across the face. Her face turned red with anger.
"You will do what you are told to do!"
Mina was so shocked about her uncle's actions that she almost missed the maid coming her way. She didn't want Rosalyn and her uncle to know she had been listening to their conversation and seeing Duke Tedric hitting Rosalyn, so she rushed to the maid.
"Where is Prince Liam?" asked Mina in a low tone.
"He is in King Baswein's room," replied the maid.
Mina nodded. "Don't let my cousin and uncle know I have been here," she said before rushing to where Prince Liam was.
Her mind was racing, analyzing each word Rosalyn and Duke Tedric had said. She needed to send out a parchment, but first, she needed to see and talk to Prince Liam.
When she was standing in front of King Baswein's room, she tried to open the door, but to her dismay, it was locked. She knocked, but no response came. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before knocking again.
"Go the fuck away!" Prince Liam sounded drunk and miserable.
Mina sighed. After the death of Queen Zineth, King Baswein poured all his love into Prince Liam. She understood why Prince Liam was suffering so much. "Prince Liam? It's me. Mina. I know you probably don't want to see—"
The door suddenly opened, and Prince Liam pulled her in before closing and locking it. He hugged Mina tight and buried his face in her hair. It was the first time he had done something like that, and while his actions took her by surprise, she returned the hug. When Prince Liam's shoulders shook, and he said over and over again, 'he is gone,' she cried with him. They stayed like that until their tears dried on their cheeks.
Prince Liam was the first to speak. "I am so glad you came." His voice cracked. He guided her to a sofa, and they both sat on it. "You have no idea how your presence helps me. Will you sing for me?"
Mina said nothing for a while as she thought about what ballad to sing. Except for Hugo and her parents, she occasionally had sang for Prince Liam. She remembered an old legend of a warrior who fell from the sky, his eyes red and his fangs long. Where ever he went, people dropped dead, their blood gone. For many years, Kings, Queens, knights, and others tried to stop him, but he was invincible. One day, he attacked a small village. He was in the last house when a young woman stepped inside. She looked at her deceased husband before running at the warrior and thanking him for saving her from the man her parents chose for her to marry. The warrior was stunned; no one had hugged him before. He wanted to kill her too, but something stopped him, and he stormed out of the house. She followed him, for nothing else tied her to her former life. For a long time, while the warrior ignored her presence, he made sure she was fed, and no danger came to her. After a very harsh winter, the woman fell sick, and the warrior stopped living a nomad life and killing every soul that crossed his path, built a home for the woman, and took care of her until she was well again. A year later, she gave birth to twin boys. Their eyes were mismatched—one red and the other brown. The twins had great abilities and powers and offered their service to the Queen of the Valkyries. When they saved the mighty City of the Valkyries from disaster, the Gods blessed them, and they became the first O'reek twins and the Valkyrie Queen, their soulmate.
"Thank you. You have no idea how much your voice helped me," said Liam as soon as Mina finished the ballad. "Now that my father is gone, I don't know what to do."
"Cry, drink, curse, drink again, and sleep. When you wake up, and you still feel like crying and not seeing anyone, drink some more. But the moment you step out of this room, you will no longer be Prince Liam. People will expect you to be present at the funeral, and after that, you and Rosalyn will be King and Queen."
"What if I am not a good King? And Rosalyn. She..." he shook his head. "I am afraid I have spoiled her too much."
"You will be a great King. You have a pure heart, and you are a good listener. The people love you. Rosalyn will learn. Have patience."
"You say I am a good listener, yet I have failed to see the truth about you," he said and cupped her cheek. "I am sorry."
"I know. All is forgiven." She gently removed his hand from her face. "About King Baswein. He was in good health the last time I saw him."
"He was in his office when his chest suddenly started hurting. Two Fire Mages came to his aid, but they could not heal him. It happened so suddenly," Prince Liam said while staring at nothing.
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. "Liam, can you open the door already?" Rosalyn's voice sounded from the hallway. Prince Liam said nothing. "Liam, I demand you open the door! Or else I will ask Juicea to bring me the key!"
Mina almost snorted when she heard Juicea's name. She was Rosalyn's personal maid and did whatever Rosalyn asked of her.
Rosalyn knocked harder. "Liam! Stop ignoring me and open the door!" she yelled.
"Go away!" Prince Liam said angrily.
"I will not leave unless you let me in!" Prince Liam clenched his teeth before marching over to the door and opening it fast. Rosalyn, wearing a blue dress, looked first at her husband and then at Mina, and anger flashed in her eyes. "No wonder you refused to come out! You have Mina to keep you company!" She looked around the room. "Where is your husband?" she asked Mina.
"He had to remain home," lied Mina, not wanting anyone to know Jayden was not in Athea.
"I wonder what he would think if he knew you were alone with my husband in a locked room."
Mina stared at Rosalyn's face for a moment before her eyes traveled to Rosalyn's neck—a small necklace was around it.
*For a moment, Mina was six years old again and lost in the Enchanted Forest. The old hag was holding Mina in her lap, patting her hair, and talking to her. "The Iron Rose and the Wolf will fall in love, and the Dagger will be born. The Dagger will find his Voice and will kill Red Scorpion, and the truth will come out from the dark!" the hag said while she was hurting Mina's left wrist. "Only magic can bring back what magic took!" the hag added before the man with eyes similar to those of Jayden's appeared next to her. "Return her to her parents."*
Mina's eyes went wide for a moment before she schooled her features. She should have guessed it earlier., but she had been so caught up in saving the family name that she had forgotten all the lessons she had received while her parents were still alive. She needed to send out the parchment as soon as she got home.
"Some married women want to be alone with their sisters, cousins, or friends' husbands with the desire to share their bed. But you don't have to worry about that, for I will never do that to you! And I would never betray Jayden's trust," Mina said, remembering Rosalyn getting naked in front of Jayden. In front of her mate. Nor Rosalyn. But hers.
If Rosalyn understood what Mina meant to say, she did not show it.
Mina could see Rosalyn wanted to argue some more, but Prince Liam spoke first, "I had hoped that, at least for today, you would stop with your rude remarks, but I was wrong. Until now, I have always excused your behavior, but from this day onwards, you will have to act like the Queen you will soon be! This means that you will have to stop insulting Mina!" Rosalyn tried to speak, but Prince Liam didn't let her. "You will go to our room and change out of the dress you are wearing and into a black one, and then we will go and pay our respects to my father!" He turned his attention to Mina. "Thank you so much for keeping me company in this difficult moment, but I need to make myself presentable."
Once Prince Liam and Rosalyn left the room, Mina paid her respects to the former King. She wanted to return home the same day, but Prince Liam insisted she stay overnight as the funeral was to be held the second day. But Mina excused herself, telling Prince Liam Jayden was waiting for her but promised to be present at the funeral.
The house was mostly quiet when Mina entered the house. She went first into the kitchen, but she found no one, so she decided to look inside the dining room, but it too was empty. She was about to go into the garden when she heard laughter coming from the Drawing Room— Ivy and Kara were playing with the children inside.
"Where are Aksel and the others?" Mina asked no one in particular.
"During the Yeltane Festival, unmated males have urges, so they went to take care of them!" replied Kara.
Mina could see Ivy was hurting because of Aksel, and before she could stop herself, she blurted, "How about we take the children and eat at Oviella's Tavern?"