“Place your hand on the scroll.” I did as Ben said and he continued. “Do you, Leigha, swear to protect your kind with everything you have?”
“I do,” I said.
“Do you, Leigha, swear to protect the Land of the Light?”
“I do.”
“Do you, Leigha, swear to protect the secrets of your people?”
“I do.”
“And do you, Leigha, swear to protect everything about and to do with the Lightfrom the Dark?”
“I do,” I said, my voice straining slightly. I’d already been unable to protect my mother.
Ben traded the scroll for a large crown made completely of Light Stone. I curtsied low as he said, “I crown you, Leigha, Queen of the Light.” The tiara I had was traded for the crown and I rose.
I thanked Ben and all the Creatures of the Light in attendance, then invited them to the coronation ball. Luke then walked me back down the aisle and we went back into the little private room. We would wait there for all the guests to get to the Ballroom of Queens.
Chapter Fourteen
Luke and I met up with Marie, Cece, Claire, and Alex in the ballroom. I would have to dance in a moment, but we had time to talk for a few minutes.
“This is so great!” exclaimed Marie.
“Sure,” I mumbled, “my mother dying is so great.”
Marie rolled her eyes, “I meant the party.”
I smiled weakly.
Luke pulled me towards him and wrapped his arms around me, “I’m sorry,” he whispered into my hair.
I willed myself not to cry. I mean, really, what was with all the tears lately? I pulled away from Luke.
“Now I have to do this on my own,” I blinked away the tears. At least I hadn’t cried.
“You have us,” Alex said, touching my elbow gently.
“I know,” I laughed. I deserved to be happy and have a good time at least for that day.
“And now, the Queen’s Dance,” a deep announcer’s voice said.
The crowd pulled to the sides of the room leaving an empty floor in the center.
Luke bowed to me, “Shall we dance?” he asked smiling.
I placed my hand in his, “Of course.”
We danced the Dance of the Fairies. The dance was where two fairies danced together while in flight. It was pretty much the humans waltz, except in the air.
Luke and I spun and twirled through the air for a few minutes before other groups of fairies joined us. After a bit, Luke and I dropped out.
My little group stood around for a while. We talked and drank and ate. Everyone danced at least one dance. Marie continuously dragged Claire out to dance because she was the only willing person to keep going out.
After a while a slow song came on and Luke looked at me. I smiled at him and we both stood. We joined the dancers on the floor.
I leaned into Luke and wrapped my arms around his neck. He put his arms around my waist and we rocked back in forth to the music.
“You look beautiful,” Luke murmured.
I laughed quietly. “You should’ve seen my mother.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” I said quickly. I tilted my head back to keep from crying. “I’ve never understood that. I mean, it’s not your fault. The only person who should be apologizing is Ellie and every other Dark Sider that’s ever breathed.”
“Leigha-“
“Don’t tell me it’ll be okay either because it won’t. We have a long way until we reach okay.”
Luke chuckled. “That’s not what I was going to say. I was going to tell you that you may not be able to fix things, but you do have the power to make them better. You are supposed to save the world, remember?”
I nodded and settled back against him and when the song ended we walked back to our table.
“Should we go?” Luke asked, wrapping his arm around my waist.
I looked up at him and smiled softly, “We have nothing left to do here,” I looked at the rest of our group, “Do you guys want to stay?”
“I do,” Marie, Claire and Alex said at the same time.
“Okay, we’ll take Cece with us, then,” I replied.
“Cece, can you manage the hospital for an hour or two for me?” Claire asked.
“Of course,” she replied.
As we walked out Ben caught my arm and whispered, “Let me know when you’re ready for the Binding ceremony.”
All of the sudden I was uncomfortable. I didn’t want to be Bound, not yet, but I knew it would happen soon. I wasn’t ready. Too much was happening too fast and Luke being near me made it hard to think.
I took a deep breath. needing to concentrate for a second to make a portal. I closed my eyes and lifted my hands. I spread them in a circle in front of me.
I muttered, “Away from this place, we must go. To Earth, we must return.”
I opened my eyes and a shimmering portal had appeared in front of us. Cece, Luke, and I stepped through. We came back in the courtyard.
We walked a little ways away from the guards and then stopped.
“Do you guys need anything?” Cece asked.
I laughed uneasily, “No,” I said, but I didn’t want her to leave.
I couldn’t exactly place my uncomfortable feeling, but it was probably because I thought Luke would ask me to be Bound, especially after what Ben had said. I didn’t know what I wanted even though I knew if Luke asked me, “Yes, of course,” would come spilling out of my mouth. Luke just being there made it difficult to think straight.
I watched Cece walk away.
“Leigha, do you want me to walk you to your room?” Luke asked.
“Wh-What?” I shook my head, “Sorry, yes.”
We walked in silence to my room. I was still thinking. I just couldn’t make sense of what I wanted to do or what I wanted to happen. I just didn’t know what I wanted at all.
When we reached my room we stood awkwardly inside of the door for a moment, then, we walked completely in.
“Leigha,” Luke whispered, as if someone was there to hear us, and put his hand under my chin making me look at him, “What’s wrong?”
“I just don’t understand how all of this could happen?” I said, shaking my head and only telling part of what was wrong.
“It’ll be okay. You’re queen now, you have the power to make things right.”
I smiled a little bit. “I know...”
Luke pulled me into him. “We’ll make things okay again,” he said, his voice muffled by my hair.
I promise, I heard him think.
Hearing that made me break down. I couldn’t help myself. I began to cry silent tears into his shoulder. I didn’t understand any of this. I was the Queen of the Light and I was supposed to save everyone, humans, Lights, even animals. But how? How was I supposed to get rid of the Dark Siders? So much was on my shoulders and it was almost too much for me. I only had five people I could trust to help me with it.
I finally stopped myself. I pulled away from Luke a little bit, so I could look up at him.
“I-I,” I tried to speak, but couldn’t get the words to form.
“Shh,” he whispered.
Luke put one hand on the back of my neck and the other on my waist. He leaned over and kissed me sweetly. I couldn’t think of anything but him. It was okay, though, because I felt so much better that way. I felt as if all my worry and frustration had been lifted off my shoulders. Everything felt so much better with him.
I heard someone clear their throat and say, “Leigha.”
I pulled back from Luke and looked in the doorway. Luke left one arm wrapped protectively around my waist.
A man who looked about twenty-five stood in the doorway. I felt like I knew him from some time long ago. He resembled Marie a bit and maybe that was why I thought I knew him.
He had reached his set age and was tall; he was two or three inches taller than Luke. His dark hair, dark eyes, height, and olive skin resembled Marie.
Lu
ke held me slightly protectively.
The man laughed, “Protecting Leigha? I’ve never known her to need protection, let alone let herself be protected.”
“Luke,” I said softly and put my hand on his arm.
He stepped a little bit away from me, but kept his arm around me.
“What are you, her bodyguard?” the man asked walking towards us, but still keeping his distance, “I don’t think queens are supposed to kiss their bodyguards.”
I hissed at him, “He’s not my bodyguard. Who are you?”
“Oh, you don’t remembered me?” the man walked forward a bit more and Luke pulled me back, “I’m Anjosephallo,” he bowed.
I gasped and stepped back, my hand over my mouth, “Joseph?”
He smiled, “And you didn’t recognize me. I see someone’s taken my place. This won’t do.”
“I did recognize you,” I stepped towards Joseph, out of Luke’s grasp, “Stay out of this.”
Luke was staring at me. I could feel it.
Who is he? Luke thought.
I turned. “Marie’s brother.”
Luke nodded his head slowly and I turned back to Joseph.
Joseph crossed the gap between us, “I’m more than that,” he said, putting his hand on my cheek, “Much, much more.”
I slapped his hand away and growled.
“Why don’t you tell him?”
“Because all of that was two hundred years ago. You left me, you left us!”And I loved you, I thought. But you left anyways. “It doesn’t even matter anymore.”
“Yes, it does. I know you still care about me. You won’t admit it to yourself, but you do,” he tried to put his arms around my waist, but I pushed him back.
“Keep your hands to yourself. No one’s stopping me from attacking you,” I hissed.
“You still love me!” he whispered. “I fit the prophecy just as well as he does.”
“No,” I growled. “You don’t.”
“Oh, shall I jog your memory?”
Before I could react Joseph had leaned over and kissed me. His lips against mine brought back memories that I’d hidden for a long time and I couldn’t stop myself from kissing him back f or a moment before pushing him away. I was on top of him holding him down before anyone would’ve seen me. I knew his fighting techniques, so even in a dress I could’ve beaten him. Plus, I was in full fairy form and he didn’t even have his wings out.
“I have somewhere to take you,” I hissed in his ear, forgetting about Luke.
I forced Joseph to his feet and locked his arms behind his back. I walked him out the door and led him down the dungeon. He didn’t fight me at all and probably thought I was just messing around.
I held his wrists in one hand while I opened Ellie’s cell with magic. I shoved him in and locked the door.
“Misery like company,” I smiled, “If you’re a good boy I might let you out.”
As I walked out of the dungeon I remembered that I’d left Luke behind. He’d been in utter shock through the whole fight. I raced back to my room.
He was still standing there, obviously waiting for me.
“Luke, I-,”
He shook his head and shoved past me, seeming to change his mind about waiting for me. I turned and watched him leave, helpless. I collapsed onto the floor and began to breathe raggedly. I rested my head on my hand, but I didn’t let myself cry. I’d cried way too much already.
Chapter Fifteen
I sat alone on the floor for who knows how long. I probably fell asleep at one point. I was confused and tired. I kept asking myself questions I couldn’t answer.
Had Luke just left me?
What was Joseph back for?
Why would Joseph want to be in the prophecy?
Joseph had left over two hundred years before when I’d been very young. Neither of us had even reached our set ages then, but I’d fallen in love with him regardless. After being with Luke I knew the way I’d felt for Joseph would have been much stronger if he’d been my Soul Mate. At the time, I had though Joseph was my soul Mate. One day, he’d left us without any warning. When I learned he was gone, he wasn’t so far away that I couldn’t read his mind. What I found there broke my heart. He’d gone dark, he’d always been Dark, and had tricked me into loving him.
I felt like I’d been laying there forever when Marie walked in.
She kneeled down beside me, “I’m sorry.”
“I should be apologizing. He knows what he’s doing, though, he’s opening a barely healed wound.”
“Why should you be apologizing? He deserves it. After what he did to you then, to all of us and what he’s done to you now. He should be banished to Abaddon for all of it.” Abaddon was the hell for Light and Dark creatures, but only the rulers of the Light and Dark could send anyone there. The rest of the lives of those banished would be miserable.
I laughed bitterly, “I’m not an unfair ruler. I want to keep him here anyways. If he’s in contact with the Darks we have to keep him here. I don’t think he’d do that unless he really wants to hurt me a little bit more.”
“You just say all of that because you don’t want to banish my brother to Abaddon. You would if we weren’t related.”
“No, I wouldn’t anyway. Have you talked to Luke? Has anyone for that matter?”
“I haven’t, but I know what’s going on. He’s confused. Give him a day, then try to talk to him. He needs time to get used to knowing about Joseph.”
“Marie, he doesn’t know anything.”
Marie’s mouth gaped open, “Wait, you didn’t tell him?”
“What was I supposed to say, ‘Oh, yeah, I went out with this guy for three years. I thought we were going to be Bound because I thought he was my Soul Mate.’ He doesn’t even know I cried when Joseph left. He only knows I cried when Allie went into comatasis.”
Marie sighed, “We can deal with that later. You’re sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, go talk to Joseph. Figure out what he wants. You’re his sister, he’ll believe you’re on his side. I’ll talk to him later, or try, at least.”
“I’m happy to help,” she said, standing up and leaving.
Once Marie left I changed into sweat pants and a tank top. I pulled on a pair of tennis shoes and threw my hair in a ponytail. I took off all the make up on my face and changed back into my human form.
I decided to go practice fighting. I had all my emotions bottled up inside and I knew fighting was the best way for me to let it out.
I reached the Training Hall and slipped inside. There were a few people practicing hand to hand combat and a few using swords, but people were mostly changing the colors, which only took a moment. They changed their armor, the tapestries; it all had to be changed to my colors.
When the people fighting noticed me, no one offered to practice with me. Everyone seemed a little skittish when they saw me. These were the best, most devoted fighters. I had to make sure all of them went on a raid.
Then, I groaned. I hadn’t remembered to send out a message to treat me normally. I hated when I was treated differently for being the princess, but now I was the queen. It would get worse if I didn’t intervene.
One brave guy walked up to me and bowed, “Hand to hand?”
I smiled, “Yes, please.”
He was a fairly good fighter and I kept the fight going. He found my weak spots and where I placed my blows most of the time. I was still better, I knew, but I didn’t want to stop, so I pretended I wasn’t so great. It was a good thirty minute fight and all the other fighters slowly stopped and watched.
Finally, I swung the man’s legs out from underneath him and pinned him on the ground.
“That was a great fight,” he said happily as I helped him up.
“I know, what’s your name?” I asked, slightly breathless.
“Rob, my set age is twenty-one. I’m one hundred twenty-six.”
I smiled, “Do I even need to tell you who I am?”
“No, you really don’
t,” he replied, laughing.
“Have you signed up for raids?”
“No, I thought I wasn’t good enough.”
“Yes, you are, you’re really, really good. We need more people like you. You’re strong, you’re quiet, you’re attentive. That’s the qualities we need in fighters. You could be in charge of recruiting and training and still go on raids.”
“That’d be great! Thanks!”
“Yeah, you’ll definitely be good to have.”
“What do I need to look for?”
“We need quiet, fast, strong, attentive fighters. Most important is stamina. I mean, you know the works, right?”
“Yeah, I’ll get started tomorrow.”
“Great, thanks!”
All the fighting had made me feel better. Plus, I had someone to find recruits for the raids, and, one day, the battle. Fighting had released my emotions. Whoever said violence wasn’t the answer never considered the idea of Lights and Darks. It may be true for humans, but not us.
Chapter Sixteen
“Sir! Sir!” an assistant rushed in.
The Second Obliviator groaned, “What is it this time?”
“Joseph’s in the shrine, but...”
“’But’ what?” He growled.
“They didn’t welcome him. The girl’s still hurt by him. She threw him in the dungeon. And she’s been crowned queen,” the assistant whispered, shrinking against the wall.
The Second Obliviator grabbed the weak human by the neck and snapped it. The First Obliviator was already unhappy with him. This news could get both him and the First Obliviator killed.
No, the Second Obliviator thought, it’s not the First Obliviator to fear, but the Dark King. At least the First Obliviator started on his Plan B before this news came.
I woke in a cold sweat, again, unable to remember my dream. Something about the First Obliviator and his Plan B, maybe. Oh, and something about a Dark King, but there wasn’t a Dark King. At least that I knew of.
I rubbed my eyes and shook my head before slipping out of bed. My internal clock told me it was around midnight. I slipped into the hallway and began to tiptoe towards Luke’s room.
The way the moonlight touched my skin through the windows made it look as if it were glowing. It pooled on the floor in front of me as I walked.
When I reached the door I raised my hand tentatively and sucked in a deep breath, “Luke,” I whispered, tapping at his door lightly.