Chapter 20

I just stood there gawking at the thrones. Real thrones. They weren’t made of gold or anything flashy, but the carvings in them were intricate and even though they were well maintained, you could tell the age by slightly worn areas. They had to be older than the oldest elder, at least.

Alona went behind the thrones and pulled the material back. Behind them was a huge window. “This view is spectacular.” She looked around. “We could place the thrones at the end,” she turned and held her hands toward the far end of the room, “with a portrait of their parents there.”

“I’ve never seen a portrait of them.” Daxx said, “none from the dining room was of them.”

Alona took a deep breath, the excited look on her face fading. “Chase says it was put away.”

“Do you think we can find it?” Bethany asked looking around the room. “I’m thinking tables set in a big square, so we can see everyone.”

“Like knights of the round table, only square?” Paisley asked with a smirk.

Mitz came into the room. She stopped and looked at the thrones, then looked away. Her smile wasn’t as luminous as usual “I have a fresh batch of cookies cooling in the kitchen here.” She looked right at Crissy when she said it.

“Oh.” Crissy got up off the floor.

My mouth spoke before I could filter it. “I’m sorry about your sister, Mitz. It must have been hard for you.”

Mitz looked at me, an expression I couldn’t read on her face, then smiled. “My boys have been talking.”

Bethany nodded. “Leone and Raf explained why you were at the last meeting.”

Ah,” she smiled, “the fact they’ve kept it to themselves this long is nothing short of a miracle.”

“Kept what to themselves?” Daxx frowned.

“I believe I know as well.” Alona said in a quiet way.

Mitz looked at her, “I wondered if they’d shared with you ladies.” She gave Daxx a resolved look. “I’m their aunt.”

Daxx’s eyes went wide, then she shook her head. “It makes sense now. How you speak and they jump.”

Autumn nodded, “I thought maybe she had a super-power.”

Mitz grinned. “No superpowers. It took a decade to get them to stop calling me Aunt Mitzine.” She cringed. “Awful name.” She laughed.

“I can’t imagine losing my twin,” Bethany shrugged, “if I had one.”

Mitz nodded slowly, “it was the hardest time of my life.” Clasping her hands in front of her, she looked at the thrones, “I had been at odds with Viola for a hundred and forty years before they were murdered.” She sucked in a breath when the women looked shocked. “It was never confirmed that Willis Hubert was behind their deaths, but everything pointed to him.” She looked sad. “You can’t bring someone to justice if you can’t find them.” Her smile was faked, as she tried to put on a good front for us. “I regret those years without her. I missed so much of the boys growing up because of it.” She shook her head, “I just couldn’t forgive Theodore, even though she had.” To the confused looks she sighed, “Theodore is the boys’ father.” She hugged her arms around her waist. “I couldn’t forgive him for Emil,” she sighed, “actually for Emil’s mother.”

No one spoke as she went over to the smaller throne and ran her hand over the arm.

“Having two true mates was so rare it was almost unheard of.” She sat down on the platform in front of the thrones.

Two mates? Little cogs inside my head started clunking together. I blinked to bring my brain back to reality. Now was not the time to get lost in my head.

“Having a king with more than one queen was—scandalous.” Mitz took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly, “I just couldn’t get over Theo being unable to control his baser instincts at four hundred years old and resist marking Letti Brown.”

Marking? What would that entail? Mates. Marking. Clunk, clunk, more cogs falling in place. I looked at the girls’ arms, or more specifically, the tattoos on their arms. They tattooed their ‘mates’. That was… I didn’t have a holy fraggle kind of word for that.

Mitz shook her head, “as if I’m one to talk of such things.” She laughed quietly, “I—the sister to the queen falling in love with her guard was such a taboo.” Mitz smiled, tears shining in her eyes. “So, it wasn’t frowned upon when Ira took a post as far from the palace as possible, then we were out of sight,” she made quotes in the air.

I sat on the floor, feeling like my whole body was lost in some foggy place. I looked around to see that most of the other women had sat down too. I was willing to gamble it wasn’t for the same reason I was sitting.

“They knew about Emil before they died?” Bethany asked.

Mitz nodded, “yes. Theo had to go over often, or Letti would have gone mad, and he may have as well, and we didn’t need a mad king on our hands.” She shook her head, “After Theo’s death, Letti vanished.” She looked distressed. “If ever there was someone skilled at staying hidden, it was her.” Glancing at the throne beside her, she continued, “Ira and I tried for years to find her, find Emil—” She looked to Crissy, “but, we weren’t able to track their name changes at that point.”

“What was she like? Your sister.” Bethany asked in a soft tone.

Mitz smiled, “beautiful, gentle, caring,” she laughed quietly, “nagging, annoying, to a sister.” A tear rolled down her face, “I was only able to see her for a few short minutes before she passed.” She wiped her face and nodded. “I’m so glad I did.” Inhaling a sharp breath, she stood up. “I should get back to the kitchen.”

Everyone stood up slowly.

“Mitz,” Paisley gave her an understanding smile, “we were thinking of turning this into the meeting room,” she glanced to the others, “we don’t exactly fit in the offices now.”

Alona nodded, “and not rushing through a meal would be nice,” she rolled her eyes, “keeping meetings out of the dining rooms.”

Mitz nodded and looked around. “It would make good use of this room.” She grinned, “Chase and Troy will never sit upon a throne.”

“We were going to leave the thrones and wondered if there was a portrait of their parents we could place in the room.” Alona gave her a hopeful look.

Mitz nodded slowly. “I think they’d like that, to have their parents watch over them during discussions about the realm.” She nodded her head quickly. “I will have it brought out of storage.” Pausing she looked around at each of us, then bobbed her head abruptly and walked out of the room.

“That was…”

“Yeah,” Autumn interrupted Daxx.

Paisley looked at her. “I had no idea.”

Bethany exhaled a deep breath. “Same.”

“Chase left out so many details.” Alona wiped her damp cheek.

“I didn’t even know.” Crissy said, the surprise clear in her voice.

“They are so lucky to have her.” Autumn turned and looked at me. “What’s wrong?”

I opened my mouth and then closed it. Where did one start? “I think…” I looked around at each of their faces, “I’m missing pieces to a very complex puzzle.”

Autumn snorted.

“I think we’ll need wine to explain those pieces.” Alona said, “just as soon as I contact the movers about what to bring for this room.” She started typing on her phone.

“That talk.” Daxx nodded, then took a deep breath.

“I think we should make a slideshow for that talk.” Paisley looked at Bethany and grinned, “it would be so much easier.”

“Gloves.” Crissy nodded. “We should get her gloves.”

I was learning to ignore the random things Crissy said, but this time the others were nodding their agreement to her statement.

“Gloves?” I gave Alona a curious look.

She nodded. “Do you like wine?”

I frowned. “I’ve never had wine.”

“That’s a travesty we need to correct.” She nodded. “Immediately.” She looked around at the women. “The cave, balcony or hot tub?”

There were several hot tub replies.

Alona nodded. “Someone take her to the closet and find her a suit.” She vanished.