She smiled, then left a soft kiss on my cheek. I heard giggling behind us again and quickly faced forward. We would continue this conversation later, when my stomach wasn’t churning with nerves, and we were in a less public place.
Only a minute later, Gerald took the stage with Commander Mindall. Gerald quieted the audience, then said, “I knew Simon Hatch before he claimed his royalty. I can testify that he is a person of immense courage, skill, and wholehearted determination to end the reign of Lord Endrick. He is the adopted son of King Gareth as he lived in exile and has the king’s ring and sword to prove it.” Gerald had the ring and held it up. Harlyn squeezed my hand with anticipation. I’d been so nervous, I’d forgotten she was holding it.
Commander Mindall had also raised my sword, but when he lowered it, he continued the narrative. “My people, I have served as a military leader on your behalf almost since our banishment, and as your political leader for this past month.”
He failed to mention that he’d become the political leader after challenging Thorne for power, angry that Thorne had helped Kestra to become the Infidante. Maybe that didn’t matter to these people, but it did to me.
Mindall continued, “His courage in Reddengrad caused the deaths of four senior officers in the Dominion army as well as the death of Sir Henry Dallisor, second in command to Lord Endrick. I have offered him the hand of my daughter, Harlyn, and he has accepted.”
I pulled my hand free of Harlyn’s. She leaned over and whispered in my ear, “They’re only words.”
Words that put us one step closer to the wedding arch.
Next, Mindall invited me to the stage. Harlyn took my arm to walk with me and gave it a squeeze, without realizing she had pressed in directly on my wound, igniting the sting again. Yet that was the least on my mind. The next fifteen steps in front of the crowd were the hardest of my life.
Once we were up front, Harlyn formally curtsied to me, then rose and kissed my cheek again, whispering as we parted, “My king.”
“Kneel, Simon Hatch.” Mindall’s tone showed respect, but I couldn’t tell if there was any sincerity to it. I nodded at him, unsure of how much respect I felt for him either.
I gave the same nod to Gerald, then gazed out across the audience, but from my position, I couldn’t see Kestra anywhere. Maybe that was for the best. I doubted she’d take well to the announcement about me and Harlyn. I wasn’t even sure how well I was taking it.
I knelt on a blue velvet pillow and lowered my head. Mindall raised the sword above me and used it to touch my right shoulder and then my left, saying, “With my authority as General of the Halderian Armies, I pronounce you King of the Halderians, heir to the Scarlet Throne of Antora and the leader of our victory against the Dominion. Rise, King Simon!”
A cheer burst from the audience and as shouts rose in honor of my health and happiness, Gerald took my hand and placed Gareth’s ring upon the center finger.
“You have become the person your adopted father wished for you to be,” he said. “And truly a king I will honor with my loyalty, respect, and service.” Then he went to his knees, followed by Mindall.
Next to kneel was Harlyn, directly in front of me, and looking up with an expression that sent a rush of heat through me. She offered me her hand, and when I took it, she held my gaze as I lifted her to her feet. In turn, the rest of the audience knelt for me, yet from the corner of my eye, one particular movement caught my eye, the flash of a cloak in the wind as someone hurriedly left.
Kestra. I knew it had been Kestra.
Simon would be a good king. A great king. I was certain of that, and I hoped his new subjects would agree. The Halderians needed someone like him. He would help them rebuild, but more importantly, he would organize them to eventually return to Highwyn, and there he would claim the Scarlet Throne, ruling not over one people, but over one nation. Then it would be his responsibility to restore an entire country.
If I were less selfish, that would’ve been enough. I should have been happy for him, and excited about his future, and humbled to have had a small role in putting him on the throne.
But none of that mattered to me. My heart was hurting far more now than from anything Endrick had ever done to it, and it was about to get worse. I had to say good-bye.
Following the ceremony, a banquet was held in the town square for anyone who wished to attend. I only caught fleeting glimpses of Simon, who was surrounded by a parade of well-wishers hoping to gain his favor.
Those who weren’t buttering themselves up to the new king stood in lines alongside the rows of tables crowded with breads, cheeses, and a variety of meats. Notably, fewer people were here than on the night I’d
been named as Infidante. The Halderians had lost many of their fighters. Reddengrad had lost many more.
Including their prince, now a captive of the Dominion. Tenger was planning his rescue, and I intended to be part of it. Basil deserved that much after all he’d risked to get me out of Woodcourt.
Trina joined me on the edge of the square where I sat on another low rock wall, trying to pretend I wasn’t watching every move Simon made. Trying to ignore the pretty Harlyn Mindall who had become a fixture at his side.
Trina offered me some bread from her plate, but I had no appetite for it. She followed my gaze over to Simon. “You’ve changed.”
I turned to her. “How?”
“The girl I once knew would never sit over here when what she really wants is over there.”
“Maybe because that girl has decided to accept reality. You heard the announcement, Trina. He’s agreed to marry that Halderian girl.”
“If he did agree, then it’s only because he had to. Talk to him.”
My eyes misted. That’s why I’d come and what I had planned to do, but now that I was looking at him, I’d lost my courage. I stood and brushed at my eyes before she noticed. “I’d better go. It was a mistake to come here.” Then I hurried from the square, vaguely aware that people darted from my path in fear, as if simply being near me was dangerous.