Page 78 of Her Royal Blood

“Aria,” Polonius screamed in pain? In agony.

“You will never use my wife’s name again,” Lex said as he took the sword out of Sire’s body and plunged it deep into Polonius’ chest.

Polonius wailed and screamed as the blade sliced through him. Darkness clouded my vision and I was about to lose consciousness so I stopped conjuring the magic that held Polonius and his body slumped with relief, despite having a sword plunged into his heart.

“I, I…” Polonius struggled to speak and stay upright, one hand gripped the sword trying to pull it out while the other was braced against a tree. “Would have…” he eyelids drooped and his body swayed, “loved you. If you had let me.”

His body fell forward and hit the ground as blood poured out of his wound and mixed with Sire’s. I too crumbled to the ground near Polonius who was not yet dead.

“If you had really loved me,” I breathed out, holding on, but barely. “You would have been thrilled to see me happy. You would have been my friend.”

Polonius lifted his head and stared at me but had no words as Lex ran to my side and lifted me into his arms. Polonius’ dying eyes tracked us as Lex kissed my head and held me close. Istared down at Polonius as the world stopped for an instant and Polonius’ eyes drifted closed. “Perhaps…”

The word barely formed on Polonius’ lips as his last breath died with him.

“He’s gone,” Amadeus pronounced with a touch of his finger to the pulse point in Polonius’ neck.

“Finally,” Lex said against my temple. “We’re free.”

I was too tired and overwhelmed to register that we’d won. After all the years of fighting, of fearing, and wishing it was over, it was. As Lex held me in his arms I watched airships fly overhead and land in front of the gates of Onyx Rah. Out of the ships came hundreds of soldiers all armed and ready. The Crypt Claw had lost their power with the death of their leader and so the warriors gathered from Navarrah City, the Obsidian Valley, Solbrook, and Onyx Rah to help us force the Crypt Claw warriors to either surrender or die.

Those who surrendered would go to the Isle of Victoria and serve a sentence as prisoners there. Any who chose to die did so at the hands of the warriors who had come to our aid. Of the many who had been stolen from Onyx Rah and Navarrah City they were returned to their rightful kingdoms and given a chance to regain the trust of their monarchs before resuming the life they had previously held.

Despite our victory over Polonius, these were the last few steps that had to be taken over the next several days. There were no longer any hard battles to fight but much to clean up from what had been destroyed.

“I’m going to take you to bed, my queen,” Lex whispered in my ear. “You need to sleep. When you wake up, we’ll start our lives together, without anyone threatening to take you, your kingdom, or your life away from me ever again.”

I couldn't say anything, just nodded and rested my head on Lex’s chest. I didn't remember being put into my bed andI hardly remembered sleeping there. But what I did remember was the look in Polonius's eyes when he died. I wondered if Lord Fallon hadn't enticed Polonius to think that Navarrah City would be so easily conquered and Onyx Rah made his for the taking, if Polonius would not have been a more formidable neighbor.

Despite the pain and suffering he caused, Polonius did show me that I was a mage and that there was something greater within me, that at the time, only he could see. I wished that he had listened to me and had found greatness within himself too.

I must have slept for days. I didn’t recall much other than Lex holding me, washing me with a warm cloth, changing me out of clothing, stroking my hair, saying soft things. I tried to open my eyes, but couldn’t.

“Rest,” Lex would softly demand. “You need to sleep.”

I needed to see what was happening to our kingdom. Hadn’t it been destroyed? But I couldn’t get my eyes to open and so I slept.

“For four days?” I asked Lex when I was finally able to peel my eyelids open. “I’ve been asleep that long?”

“Yes,” he said with a sweet smile. “You needed it. You nearly killed yourself using your magic, over using it day after day. You and Halo both needed to sleep. I’ve been helping with the….um bustle.” His smile widened. “There have been a lot of improvements done in four days.” There was a distinct look of pride on his face that I found irresistible.

“What kind of improvements?” I sat up and realized I was naked, so I grabbed the sheet, but I didn’t have to, I was in the company of my husband and my king.

“I think it’s best if I show you,” he said and I let him help me out of bed.

I bathed and dressed in an elegant gown. I had to put on the face of a queen again and as soon as I emerged from my bathingchamber the smile on Lex's face was something I wanted painted to memorialize that look of adoration and love.

“Shall we?” he offered his hand and I took it.

We went downstairs to the main hall where there were servants hustling and bustling around sweeping cleaning to hanging tapestries on walls that were fully formed.

“What happened to the holes?” I asked, astonished that they were gone.

“Dimitri did a bit of housekeeping. Amadeus was too weak from his ordeal with Polonius.”

“Is he okay?” I interrupted Lex to ask.

“He’s fine, everyone is okay.” He offered a genuine smile.

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