Crowned by betrayal

Chapter 15

Morning arrived quietly over the Capital.

Snow drifted gently from a pale gray sky, blanketing rooftops and palace courtyards in white. From the tall windows of her chamber, Elara watched servants move silently through the grounds below. Life continued as though the world had not changed.

Yet hers had.

Everything she had believed about love...

About friendship...

About justice...

Had died beneath the Blood Moon.

Instinctively, her hand rested upon her stomach.

A small, bittersweet smile touched her lips.

A soft knock echoed through the room.

An attendant entered and bowed respectfully.

"My Lady, His Majesty requests your presence."

Elara's heart tightened.

King Dorian Kade.

She was still intimidated by him. Not because he was cruel or evil but because he had always seemed distant.

Untouchable.

A ruler whose expression rarely changed and whose words were few.

The thought of standing before him again made her nervous.

After changing into a simple blue gown, she followed the attendant through long marble corridors lined with towering statues of former Lycan Kings.

Eventually they stopped before a pair of enormous silver doors.

The attendants bowed.

"His Majesty is waiting."

The doors opened.

King Dorian stood alone before a massive map of the Nocteron Kingdom.

Colored markers had been placed across every territory.

He did not look at her.

"Come."

His voice was calm and measured.

Elara stepped forward and bowed.

"You wished to see me, Your Majesty?"

"I did."

Without another word, he gestured toward the map.

"What do you think Rowan is doing now?"

She hesitated.

"He... is ruling Whitecliff."

"No."

Dorian placed another black marker upon Whitecliff.

"He is securing his throne."

Another marker.

"He has replaced Marcus's commanders with men loyal only to him."

Another.

"He has dismissed judges who served Marcus."

Another.

"He has rewarded nobles who supported his rise."

Elara stared at the map.

"He moved that quickly?"

"He had no choice."

Dorian finally turned toward her.

"A throne built upon blood is never secure."

"He knows that."

Silence lingered between them before a palace official entered carrying several sealed scrolls.

The man knelt respectfully.

"Reports from Whitecliff, Your Majesty."

Dorian accepted them.

"Leave us."

Once they were alone again, he broke the first seal.

"My intelligence network continues to monitor Whitecliff."

He looked at Elara.

"I believe you should hear what they have discovered."

Her stomach tightened.

He unfolded the parchment.

"The official proclamation issued throughout Whitecliff states..."

His eyes moved across the page.

"'His Majesty King Marcus Hale succumbed to injuries sustained after accidentally driving himself onto a palace spear while consumed by Blood Moon madness. Prince Rowan Hale fought bravely to save his brother but was unable to overcome the curse of the Blood Moon.'"

Elara's face drained of color.

"No..."

Her voice was barely audible.

"That's impossible."

"I was there."

"I saw Rowan..."

She could not force herself to finish.

Dorian rolled up the scroll.

"That is now the only version the people are permitted to hear."

"But surely someone questioned it?"

"They did."

He opened another report.

"Three members of the royal council questioned inconsistencies in Marcus's death."

He paused.

"They disappeared before sunrise."

Another scroll.

"A palace guard claimed he witnessed Rowan strike the final blow."

Another pause.

"He never returned home."

Another.

"A servant repeated those rumors inside the marketplace."

"He was publicly accused of treason."

Elara felt her knees weaken.

"They're killing everyone who speaks."

"They are ensuring that no one dares to speak."

Dorian's silver eyes met hers.

"Fear is often a more effective weapon than a sword."

Elara lowered her head.

"So Marcus..."

"The kingdom believes he died as a tragic victim of the Blood Moon."

"Not as a murdered king."

Tears blurred her vision once again.

"He doesn't even get the truth in death."

"No."

Dorian's answer was quiet.

"He does not."

Silence settled over the chamber.

After several moments, Dorian opened another report.

"This concerns Healer Braham."

Elara immediately looked up.

"Braham?"

A flicker of concern crossed Dorian's face.

"My agents intercepted conversations between Rowan and his advisers."

He continued reading.

"'Several advisers recommended that Healer Braham be executed, believing he possessed knowledge concerning Lady Elara's final moments.'"

Elara's breathing caught.

"He wanted to kill Braham?"

"He considered it."

Her hands trembled.

"No..."

Dorian continued.

"Rowan ultimately rejected the proposal."

Relief washed over her.

"He spared him?"

"For practical reasons."

Dorian folded the report neatly.

"Healer Braham is the most skilled healer in Whitecliff."

"He has saved hundreds of lives."

"Executing him would create unrest and weaken Rowan's own kingdom."

"So instead..."

He unfolded the final page.

"'Place trusted soldiers around his residence.'"

"'Watch everyone who enters.'"

"'Watch everyone who leaves.'"

"'If the old man reveals anything...'"

Dorian lifted his eyes from the parchment.

"...'finish what should have been done before.'"

Elara closed her eyes.

"So he's a prisoner."

"Without chains."

"He lives..."

"But every step he takes is watched."

A heavy silence filled the room.

"He risked everything for me."

She whispered the words more to herself than to Dorian.

"And now he's paying the price."

Dorian regarded her steadily.

"He knew the risk when he chose to save you."

She looked toward the snow-covered city beyond the windows.

"I owe him my life."

"You do."

"And one day..."

Dorian added quietly,

"...you may have the opportunity to repay that debt."

He walked back toward the map

She remembered the men Rowan had gathered and how he promised they would simply banish Marcus.

She remembered how shocked those men had looked when Rowan drove his blade into his own brother.

"They didn't deserve Marcus's mercy..."

She whispered.

"But they didn't deserve Rowan's betrayal either."

Dorian nodded once.

"To Rowan..."

"Loyalty lasts only as long as it remains useful."

Elara looked down at her hands.

"I helped him."

"My blessing..."

"My power..."

"I kept them sane."

"My gift became the weapon that destroyed an innocent king."

"No."

Dorian's voice stopped her.

"What Rowan did..."

"...was Rowan's choice."

"You were deceived."

"You were manipulated."

"You were betrayed."

He stepped closer.

"Do not mistake another man's sins for your own."

Fresh tears filled Elara's eyes.

For the first time...

She believed him.

She drew a slow breath.

"What happens now?"

Dorian looked once more toward the kingdom spread across the map.

"Now..."

"We wait."

She frowned.

"We wait?"

"He believes Marcus is dead."

"He believes you are dead."

"He believes no one knows the truth."

A faint smile, so slight it was almost imperceptible touched the corner of the Lycan King's mouth.

"That is his greatest weakness."

Elara's eyes met his.

"He has become careless."

"Exactly."

She straightened despite the lingering pain in her body.

"I don't want revenge born from hatred."

"I want the truth."

"And when the truth is revealed..."

"...I want Rowan to answer for every lie."

Dorian regarded her for a long moment before giving a single approving nod.

"Then your first battle has already been won."

"My first battle?"

"You have stopped fighting for Rowan's version of justice."

He turned toward the doors.

"Now..."

"...you may begin fighting for your own."

He paused before leaving.

Without looking back, he spoke one final time.

"Lady Elara."

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Rowan made one mistake."

She waited.

"He believed killing Marcus was enough."

"He believed killing you was enough."

Dorian finally looked over his shoulder.

His silver eyes were calm, cold, and unwavering.

"He forgot something."

"What is that?"

"The truth has a habit of surviving."

The great doors closed behind him.

Elara remained standing in the silent chamber, one hand resting protectively over the child growing beneath her heart.

Beyond the palace windows, snow continued to fall across the Capital.

Far away, Rowan Hale sat comfortably upon a throne he believed was finally his.

He believed his greatest enemy had died beneath the Blood Moon.

He could not have been more wrong.