Page 63 of The Stolen Throne

Kas growls. “Can we not joke about the fact that you died?”

I smirk in his direction. “Are you admitting you like me, Kasim?”

He narrows eyes at me and grumbles, “You know the answer to that, Princess.”

Snickering, I hurry to finish my breakfast. I love messing with the grump; he makes it so easy. “So we need to go to Arcelia?”

Dax nods and stands in front of me. “Now that the king is dead, we need to present a united front, so no one tries to take the throne in my absence.”

It takes a moment for me to realize what he’s saying. We killed the king, which, by default, means Dax is now the king of not only Wylan but Arcelia as well. But I am confused as to why we need to present a united front. “What does presenting a united front have to do with me? You are now the king of not only Wylan but also Arcelia.”

He arches a brow. “I am the King of Wylan only. You are the rightful Queen of Arcelia. If we wish to ease the nerves of the people of Cybele and Islwyn, we need to show that Arcelia and Wylan are peaceful allies.”

Mouth agape, I stutter, “Queen of Arcelia?”

He nods as he pushes away from the counter. “Of course. Why would you not be queen?”

“I just assumed you would want to be the king of both kingdoms.”

His brows pinch as he shakes his head. “My father stole your kingdom from you, why would I wish to do the same? It is your kingdom to rule, not mine.”

I look around the room, starting to panic as I ask, “Does that mean you no longer wish for me to stay here with you? You wish for me to stay in Arcelia?”

The men converge on me, and Asher wraps his arms around me. He tightens his embrace as he says, “We do not wish to be rid of you, Snow Bunny. You are welcome to stay with us if you wish.”

Dax reaches across the table to grasp my hand and says, “I wish only to give you back your kingdom. We can rule together if you would like, Little Raven.”

I take a deep breath to calm my panic and nod without hesitation. I am not sure I can rule by myself. I’m still learning the ways of this new world. I don’t feel comfortable doing so without my men. Taking a deep breath, I ask, “Is there a reason we must go to the castle today? I would rather wait if possible.”

A look of guilt passes over Dax’s face before he huffs out a sigh. “We must ensure the spells and curses my father attached to the castle have been dispelled.”

Humming, I ask, “If we destroy everything he has spelled, will that turn the kingdoms back to normal?”

Kas snorts a laugh. “Normal? This is normal.”

Rolling my eyes, I reply, “You know what I mean. The kingdoms will not be overshadowed by darkness any longer.”

Dax grunts and replies, “Actions have very real consequences. My father’s actions caused many things to play out. Unfortunately, we must live with the consequences of his decisions.”

Arching a brow, I ask, “So… that’s a no?”

Dax hums. “We will most likely always live in a world overshadowed by my father’s darkness. His influence will forever stain this land. The echoes of the spells he placed will always be there. This isn’t a fairytale where the villain dies, and their curse disappears with them.”

“Well, that’s unfortunate,” I say with a groan before continuing, “So we need to make our way to Arcelia today then?”

Dax nods. “It will be best to just get it over with.”

Getting to my feet, I ask, “Is there a reason this needs to be done so quickly?”

Dax and his men exchange glances before he looks back to me. “There is one specific item my father had in his grasp. I fear if anyone were to get their hands on it, we may face a far greater evil than my father.”

“What item is that?”

“A mirror,” he grunts.

My eyes widen as unwelcome memories of the castle covered in mirrors flicker through my brain. The mirrors in the king's possession that melt into silver tentacles. I shiver at the memory. “Will the mirror be dangerous?”

Dax shakes his head as he leaves the kitchen. “It needs a being to connect itself to, in order to hold power.”

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