Chapter 31 The Crown of Thorns
There was a lot of tension in the vast hall that was almost too much to handle. The polished marble columns were like silent guards, their surfaces shining in the light of a thousand flickering candles. The detailed murals on the walls, which showed the Kingdom's previous glories, appeared to loom above Sienna as she stood at the bottom of the dais. Everyone in the room was looking at her, and she could feel the weight of their eyes on her chest. The whispers of the Council and the rustle of regal robes made her heart race. The time had come.
She had been getting ready for this day her whole life, but nothing could have prepared her for how it felt to be here, at the edge of her destiny. The high priest held the hefty crown in his hands. Its icy, shiny surface reflected the candlelight as if to make fun of her. Sienna had never wanted this. She never wanted the throne or the weight of the crown. Her heart wanted something more real, something simpler, something that was only hers. But fate had already set her on a road, and today she would walk it, whether she was ready or not.
"Your Majesty," the high priest said, his voice firm and respectful. Sienna lifted her chin and stood up straighter, but her heart was racing and her breath was shallow. There was no turning back now that the ritual had started. The high priest moved forward, taking his time and being careful with each step. As he got closer to her, his eyes were full of the weight of the situation. The crown shone in his hands, a sign of power and dominance. She could feel the weight of it, and it made her tremble all over.
She had always hearing stories about how powerful the crown was and how much it cost. But she had never felt it this deeply before. He moved closer, his old face serious as he raised the crown high, ready to put it on her head. Sienna shut her eyes for a second to try to calm her breathing. She could feel the Council's eyes on her, and each one was quietly judging her and waiting for her to prove that she deserved the title they had given her. The high priest put the crown on her head, and it was cold against her flesh. It felt bizarre to her that everything was finished, as if the weight of the world had just been put on her shoulders. The moment went on and on, and in the quiet, she could hear her heart beating in her chest. The priest's speech echoed through the hall.
"I crown you, Sienna, Queen of the Moon Kingdom, by the will of the Council and the blood of your ancestors." For a short while, she thought her world was falling apart. The crown was so heavy on her head that it felt like the ground was trying to keep her down. Her legs shook, and her hands, which had been so solid before, were now shaking as she tried to stay calm. She made herself breathe and focus, but it was hard. All she could think about was Ryder, her Ryder, and how scared she was that they had lost the kingdom. The high priest raised his hands in a sign of finality, and his voice echoed across the hall as he declared her the queen of the Moon Kingdom.
Everyone, from the Council to the nobles to the people who had come to see them, stood up and cheered and clapped. But to Sienna, the sound was far away and hard to hear because of the hammering in her ears. She had never felt so alone, so far apart from everyone else. Her eyes darted to the other side of the room, where the shadows seemed to be waiting. She had seen him before, and now she was anxiously looking through the crowd for him. She spotted him there, in the dark corners of the room. His body was hidden in shadows, but the fire in his eyes was so strong that it felt like a physical strike across the room. Ryder.
Seeing him made her heart race and almost made her fall to her knees. He was here. He was standing there, her once-beloved, now cursed, the man who had once been her everything. She couldn't believe it. She could see the sharp outline of his jaw and the ferocity in his eyes, even though his face was mostly veiled. He had gotten out of the dungeons. Sienna's chest got tight. She knew she should be concentrating on the ceremony and meeting the Council's expectations, but her mind was all over the place like leaves in the wind.
What was Ryder doing here? How did he get out of jail? And why was he looking at her like that? His eyes were glowing with something she couldn't quite define. Ryder's eyes met hers as if he could feel her gaze. It felt like the world around them was fading away, leaving only the two of them in the big room. His eyes were wild and full of pain that was like hers. She could see how much pain the curse had caused him and how scared and helpless he must have felt. She wasn't really a queen. She was a prisoner of her circumstances, a piece in a game that had already been won for her. The crown felt heavy, but it was nothing compared to the decisions she had to make today.
The members of the Council, their faces blank and unreadable, started to leave the hall. The nobility also started to leave, and the sounds of their approval and disappointment mixed in the air. Sienna felt like she was in a dream as she walked, her steps were heavy and her heart was much heavier. But there was only one thing on her mind: Ryder. He was still out there, observing her from the shadows. He was not the same man she had known before. The curse had made him different.
But what had happened to him? What could she do to break the enchantment that held him and save him? She couldn't think about that just now, not in front of the Council. She had to be the queen. She had to stay in charge. Sienna looked around the room again as the last Council member exited. But Ryder was no longer there. She looked in the shadows, hoping to see something else, but there was nothing. He was gone. She couldn't ignore the deep, gnawing pain in her chest. He had been here, had seen her crowned, and now he was gone. Was it real? Or did her heart just create him in the middle of the chaos? Again, the high priest's voice pulled her attention back to him.
"Your Majesty, the kingdom is waiting for your advice." Sienna nodded, but her thoughts was elsewhere. She wasn't a queen. Not in her heart. Not until she could save Ryder and break the enchantment that kept him prisoner. But how could she? How could she achieve any of this when the guy she loved had been taken from her, lost to something worse than she could understand? The crown felt heavier than it ever had before.