Mother, I do not know if I would be able to set myself on the throne that scarred you for life

Becky's mind was consumed by the thought she did not know how to embrace. She remembered saying it to her mother, who knew that she was the only heir left to the throne, as Adonius's blood. She still didn't understand how he could've had her if he was infertile. Her tears made their way out from the bottom of her eyes as she remembered how Adonius would send her on killing sprees, treating her like a slave. 

"Hello? Who goes there?" A voice from behind her echoed across the throne room. She wiped her tears in haste and looked back. 

"Oh, your majesty!" Becky exclaimed as she turned around. 

It was Adonia, the queen. 

"I'm sorry but I do not quite recognize you," 

Adonia came closer to Becky. 

"I apologise for intruding your majesty. I shall take my leave now," 

Becky proceeded to leave. 

"Wait, are you, by any chance, Becky?" Adonia stopped her, gripping her arm. Becky stopped in her steps and turned around. 

"How do you know?" 

"Well, I know your mother," 

"What do you mean?"  

"Come with me. Let us take a stroll," Adonia said whilst plodding out of the throne room. 

"I was just 20 when I got betrothed to the person I didn't love. But there was nothing I could do about it because my father was always rigid towards his terms. He did not believe in love when he could have a throne," 

"Soon, things began to settle until your mother turned up at our doorstep one day, with a child in her hands, just an infant. She told me who she was and said that the child belonged to Adonius. She pleaded to see Adonius that night but he refused to see her. It turns out your mother was his lover and that he equally understood the pain I went through when I got betrothed,"  

"She begged for him to keep you but he refused every time she'd come to the palace until one day, he visited her," 

Adonia then looked at Becky before going on. 

"I followed him to her chalet and heard them converse with each other," 

Adonia's vision blurred as tears began to trickle down her cheeks.

 "I heard him say that he hates her and her child. It broke my heart to hear that. My tears refused to stay within the boundary of my eyes,"  

Becky's eyes also began to overflow as her voice cracked while asking, "But why did it hurt you?" 

"Because I am the one who is infertile," 

"He took it upon himself and pushed his love away for the sake of the throne his father wanted and protected me at the same time, out of the respect he had for me,"  

"So child, if you set yourself on the throne, you are not being desirous or frugal, you are creating a whole other legacy," 

"How is that?"  

"Because Adonius sought power for his father,  whereas, you seek fulfilment and ease your mother and you truly need and that throne can change it all," 

"Tell me what you think about it," Adonia added. 

"That won't be necessary, Your Majesty, I shall get coronated right away,"

***

"We should head home now," Felicia said as Philip helped her up. 

"My armour, it is different," Felicia looked down, at her body, which was covered with the armour of ivory.

"I guess it is supposed to be a parting gift from Araklis," Felicia tilted her head before wrapping her arm around Philip's shoulders as he helped her towards the horse. 

"Araklis?"  

"Yes, she is the armour princess...." Her words trailed off as her legs weakened and she stumbled. Philip slipped his other hand under her knees and picked her up as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"I think I just need some sleep," Felicia mumbled as she closed her eyes.

"Of course. Get some sleep till we reach home,"

"Hold on," He went closer to his horse and tutted for her to get down. She kneeled and settled herself on the grass as he helped himself onto her. She took her stand in no time and began to trot towards home.

"There we go," He said as he jerked the reins and held onto her with one arm. They trotted away slowly towards Ardalia. 

"Ugh! Are we there?" Felicia asked as Philip took a halt.

"Yes, sweet bud," He replied as he helped her get down. 

"Should I carry you?"  

"No, I feel better," 

"Come on," He said after he slithered his hand down to her palm, their fingers wrapping with one another. 

"Felicia!" Graham exclaimed as he saw her. He rushed to her, pulling her into his embrace. 

"Sis!" She heard from behind as Felipe arrived and hugged her as well. 

"Are you alright?"  

"Yes, it seems I still have my magic," Felicia replied. 

"How is that possible?" Felipe questioned. Graham exhaled and looked down as he began to shed tears. 

"Father, what is going on?" 

"Wish you were here," Felicia mumbled as she tried to hold her tears within herself, seated in front of the mirror, dressed for her coronation in the red gown her mother designed for her. 

"May I come in?" She heard Felipe ask from the other side of the door. 

"No, I'm alright," 

Felipe slowly opened the door and walked closer to her, and took a seat behind her, on the corner of the bed. 

"Felicia, you do not have to go through with the coronation today if you do not wish to," 

"I promised Mother I would go through with it today," Felicia's voice went diminutive, looking at him with teary eyes. 

"Sis, I know what she did was sudden and you do not have to do anything you do not wish to do," Felipe extended his arm towards her back and patted.

"Do you know why she linked herself to me?" 

Felipe frowned as if demanding an explanation. 

"While she returned my magic, I noticed her locket shining in red when I saw it transparent a few moments ago. I looked for clues while I practised my magic but something felt unusual and I realised it was a strong illusion spell, that did not let me read between the lines. She linked me to her, such that when I die, she shall unlink me. The link was to take a life for a life and she gave her life to me when she removed that locket," 

"She sacrificed herself for me," She added as Felipe's frown deepened, his face softened and tears flowed down his cheeks. 

"And the worst of it all was that I found the illusion spell she wrote. For the first time in her life, she wrote a spell stronger than mine," 

"Sis I-" Felipe tried to let words escape his mouth.

"I promised her I shall get coronated the day after I slay Helius," Felicia said as she broke down. 

"It's alright, let it out," Felipe said as he stood up and pulled her head into his embrace, placing his chin on the top of it, crying as well. 

"Fulfill the promise you made,"

{Please play this song before reading further, for a better experience}

https://youtu.be/COMuuzByCNs

The doors to the throne room opened as everyone turned to look at the empty frame, waiting for Felicia to walk in. They began to grow impatient as she took too long to come to the doors. 

"When you walk to the throne room, I need you to remember the promise you made to Mother," Felipe kneeled to one of his knees and placed his hands on Felicia's. 

The silence elongated as Felicia was finally seen approaching the doors. She looked down, her hands joined together, her thumb and middle fingers stuck together, her elbows almost touching the sides of the lower part of her gown. She looked up towards the throne and exhaled silently.

"I need you to tell me, how brave you felt, upon chinning up in front of those who neglected your true strength,"

She took a step ahead and began to plod slowly toward her throne. She looked at Graham seated at the centre, and then to her unoccupied throne. 

"I need you to tell me, how powerful it felt to look at the throne that has longed for you all along," 

She reached the steps leading to the throne and slowly climbed up towards her place. 

"Wait!"

"I need you to tell me, how your courage elevated with every step you climbed to your throne,"

"I believe this is where you belong," Graham said, pointing his hands towards the throne beside his. Sophia's throne. Felicia looked a little concerned but remembered her promise and climbed towards her mother's throne and took her seat there. 

"At last, I need you to tell me, how powerful and fulfilled you felt when that crown took its rightful place on your head,"

Graham plodded to her right to the vizier who held the tray the crown was placed on. He took hold of the crown and placed it on her head as she bent forward to accept it, tears streaming down her eyes. 

"Child, you are brave, firm and truly deserve your place. You do not need to bow to those who neglect you and become ignorant of you. You shall keep forging ahead, with or without me," 

These words echoed in her mind as she remembered talking to Sophia the night before she slew Helius. Memories of how her mother protected her flowed down memory lane. How she saved the world, how she loved, how she waited for her children, everything. She looked down and mumbled something. 

"Blessed," She looked up at everyone across the room Graham took a stand beside her throne. 

"I hereby proclaim my daughter, Felicia, firstborn of Ardalia, as queen!" Graham declared, for everyone in the room to hear. She looked down as she opened her palm, her mother's locket resting in it. 

"Take your rightful place, my warrior," Sophia's last words flowed down her mind. Felicia took a deep breath before she was asked to say something to the court and stood up. 

"Because you are not a princess, you are a Queen,"

"My mother, the former queen, was a brave woman, a gem of a warrior. Many rumours about her were passed on in the palace, about how she took her children's magic and concealed their memories out of greed. But that isn't true. As her daughter, I remember it all myself. She took our magic to protect us. We were right under your nose and you did not recognise us, all because of her selfless and protective action. She could have easily chosen her dignity over us but she chose to protect us instead. Why? Because we mattered more to her than anyone else. She wondered that she'd rather hear rumours than hear her children crying and wailing in agony. She bared the long years her children not remembering her as her mother. Hence, the rumours are nothing in comparison to what she has faced. She sacrificed her life, just so that I could live mine and rule over Ardalia in peace. She is the reason I stand here today. She was the ideal queen any kingdom can ask for. Hence, I vow to be the queen she always was,"

Saying this, Felicia took her seat again, as cheers for her spread all across the room. Felipe proudly smiled, leaning against the doorframe across the throne room. 

The ceremony ended a few hours before Felicia left for taking a look at her room, to find all her things where they had been for 23 years. She took a look at her drawings and the accessories she was given by her parents. She took a look at all the hairpins placed on her dressing table and held one. She looked ahead and thought about something. She went to Sophia's magic room, to see her dresser, organised with jewellery and a pin. She took the pin and caressed it. 

"She was going to wear that today," Felipe said from behind her. 

"I know. She always had this on. Never has she worn a different pin before," Felicia replied, tears beginning to shed from her eyes. She turned around and buried her head in Felipe's shoulder. He sniffled silently as he patted her back to calm her down. It was the pin Graham gifted Sophia. 

"And I bet you'd look magnificent in it," 

Felicia plodded towards the ballroom to pay her respects to the guests and the nobility and clergy. The coronation lasted for about 3 to 4 hours before every one of the guests left for their home.

"Ardalia truly is full of wonders," Felicia stood on the highest balcony of the palace, looking at the evening sun drowning slowly into the mountains. 

"Truly," Felipe replied, his hair waving because of the soft breeze.

"Your Highness," Felipe's man-in-waiting said while cracking the door open slightly. Felipe looked back and nodded before heading in.

After a moment, he came back and said, "There is someone here to see you," 

Felicia turned around, just to see Philip come out. 

"I'll let you two converse," He said as he left them both alone. 

"How did it go? Did he awaken?"

~To be continued