(Hadis)

I watched, clutching onto Asa, as the morals holding our family together bled out.

"Had, has this ever happened before?" James asked wearily from his seat, one hand to his forehead, the other trying to asphyxiate his empty tumbler.

"Execution for treason? Practically every year, Jim." I muttered.

"No, no I mean. What happened with Lana."

I let my gaze stab into his. "Public execution for treason happens pretty much annually."

Father stormed back in.

"Is mother alright?" Asa reanimated a little from beside me.

Father shook his head. "I had to force a sedative on her." He was as pale as a corpse. "How for a second did you think that getting Lana to do it was the right option." He threw his comment to James, who shot up.

"Are you saying it's my fault?" He snapped. "You can't for one minute, not one second, claim that it was my -"

"Yes I bloody can." Father raised his voice to be louder than James.

I glanced carefully at Asa, having seen the time on the clock behind him, then severed their conversation. "Guys, we can't be late for Ly."

"We can be late for that fucking coward." Asa hissed.

"Language, young man!" Father roared.

"Ly's many things but not a coward." James murmured. "She had a good reason for not saying goodbye to Lana. I'm sure."

"What reason could she have possibly had?" Asa stood up, his voice raised. I rose with him to put a hand on his shoulder.

"She had a reason. I'm sure." James walked over to the window. "But we've got to go now. Lana saved us by naming Nilson but if we don't turn up, we'll look suspicious beyond reason. Get your boots on."

Both Asa and I scowled. "I don't take orders from you." My twin spat. I wanted to contradict him but I knew it would only hurt me to split the family more.

James looked like he was about to rip his hair out. "Father? Please tell them to go for Lady's sake."

I looked to father, he was scrutinising a curve in the wooden floor. I wondered if he hadn't heard James.

"Look," James spoke gruffly, it was almost like his king voice, but it had a bit more emotion, "I don't care that she acted weird earlier, my sister is about to get married and someone has to be there for her. If you all have decided that family isn't a cause you support any more then stay here and drink yourself blind "in Milana's memory" But I need to go and support my sister."

I groaned inwardly. Asa would kill me if I went along with it just like that. But my conscience would kill me if I stayed and didn't support Ly. "Jim, it's because family is a cause we believe in that we have to mourn. Our sister has just died, please, let us grieve."

James stared right at me and I knew in that second why he was the one meant to be king. My stomach turned as he looked at me, for what must've been no longer than five seconds and no shorter than half my life.

"Fucking hell." James murmured, walking out the door and slamming it behind him.

Father touched the tan line on his little finger where the ring was missing, then walked through the door into his and mother's bedroom.

"Our family is ruined." I muttered to Asa.

"I know." He hissed back.

"Why don't you think Lycho went to Milana?" I put my head against his arm.

"Because Sara is absolutely terrifying. You know that." He smirked at me a little.

"Are you sure we shouldn't go?" I asked again. "I know she wronged Milana but it's still..."

"Hadis. Drop it." Asa snapped. He walked out of mother and father's suite then. I was alone.

I sat there for a few minutes, so so torn. My first instinct was to follow my twin, but I owed more loyalty than I could ignore to those people at the wedding. Plus it would be going down in the history books, that was my job, to write the history books, and I had to make them perfect for Lychorida.

Safe to say I wouldn't be writing about Lana.

I raised the palms of my hands to my eyes to stop any tears falling out and checked that my buttons were straight. Then I pulled open the door, it was heavy, and walked quickly out of the residential area of the palace and towards the chapel.

When I got there the marriage had already happened. Lycho was wearing blue. Her hair spilled down one side of her face, it was curlier than I'd thought it would be. She had the fur wrapped tightly around her shoulders and for the first instance of a noble marriage I knew of, her tanned hand was enclosed in her husband's pale one. She wasn't my sister any more. She was Decreta. Lady Lychorida of house Decreta.

And as I watched, the blue priestess emerged from the chapel, a crown on a cushion in her hands.

The stairs were deathly silent, even babies were hesitant to cry. When the priestess whispered the ceremonial words, they echoed all down the steps. The priestess took the hefty gold crown off the cushion. It was brand new, being the first crown for a king to wear and rule with. I should like to see it up closer if Sara could get me in.

The crown was settled on Edward's head and then Sara herself stepped up to just behind Lycho, taking a second crown from a nearby servant and placing it on my sister's head. For a split second as she saw the Queen so close to her, Lychorida seemed to shiver, but then she was back, looking firmly ahead, the crown atop her head pronouncing her the new Queen.

The monarchs looked at each other for a moment, and I think they smiled. Then they made their descent down the huge staircase, where my other sister had stepped not so long ago.

Why was Milana dead?

Why did Lychorida now seem so close to her new family?