Page 186 of The Kingdom of Eternal Ice
Azadeh’s oath comes next, very similar to my own. Once she is done, our father makes us turn around. He and Mom take a step back. “All hail the new king and queen!” he proclaims. “King Endellion and Queen Azadeh. May they live a long life, and may their reign be blessed by the goddess! Bow for the Ice Wolf King and the goddess-blessed, Queen from the Desert!”
Applause erupts before everyone around us bows their heads, revealing their necks to us. This feels weird, but at the same time, I can feel the power seeping through me. Caspian’s more dominant side is clearly pleased.
“Thank you,” I say. “Please get up again. Before we approach the festivities, Queen Azadeh and I have a few announcements to make.” I look at her and she nods at me with a smile. “The position of Beta and Gamma need to be filled now, as Beta Quinn asked us to allow him to step down together with the former king and queen. We truly appreciate the work he put into his rank, and we hope he will continue to guide us with his wisdom.” I pause, feeling the curiosity and tension around us. Everyone is dying to hear the news. “As our Gamma, we would like to announce Tynan, who truly outdid himself over the last couple of months, and as my Beta, I chose the person I know I can trust with my life in any situation. The advisor and former General of the Everlasting Desert, Shayan.”
Tynan beams with happiness and pride while Shayan’s mouth drops open in shock, however, he regathers his senses fast, and nods with a smile.
The original plan was to involve Caelan and Flinn or Alana, but after talking with all of them during one of our bigger meetings, Aylin and my mother advised us all not to. Their interjections raised quite some questions and curiosity, especially from Caelan, Flinn and Alana, but Mom just told them to be patient and to trust the plan ahead of them. She told us as Alpha’s children, their path will lead them towards more than a beta rank.
I could see back then how the thought of this did excite my two brothers and gave Alana something to look forward to also, so we decided to choose our ranks outside of family. And frankly, no one is a better choice than Shayan.
The tension of the ceremony subsides, and everyone cheers. My parents take the moment to congratulate us. “You will do great, my son,” my father tells me. “You were born for this. You both were.”
“I agree,” Mom says. “You have so many ideas already. The new alliance with the dragon shifters, but also the werebears. It’s just thanks to you two and your friends.”
Azadeh and I exchange a gaze. She is right. We have so many plans. At first, we were both shocked about being thrown into this so soon. After my father announced me as his successor, I thought we were talking about years, not months, for the transition. But the more Aza and I talked, the more we realized we are ready for this. Our first action will be to invite representatives of the other shifters to work on treaties and alliances. We also plan on organizing a yearly banquet where we will invite the reigning shifters from surrounding lands, and maybe even the Elf King. Tynan told me that General Shayan has some contacts.
The plan is to build a united front, finally having diplomatic connections.
Aza and I walk hand in hand through the crowd, chatting with our friends and accepting everyone’s congratulations. Caelan and Flinn hug me at the same time.
“Congratulations, Endellion,” Caelan says earnestly. “You deserve this.”
“Yes, and don’t you dare feel guilty because it’s neither of us,” Flinn tells me. “We all knew it could only be one of us.”
“You and Azadeh made us gain our fate,” Caelan says. “Flinn and I now have a whole new path ahead of us.”
“Thank you so much,” I say. “Your support means the most to me. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“Brothers and allies, forever,” Flinn says.
My other siblings are equally as excited and eager to congratulate us. Kilah has helped with the preparation of the party and ceremony, showing relief on her face now that everything has gone well. “You look dashing,” she says. “And Azadeh, too.”
“She is right,” Shayan says while shaking my hand. “My heartfelt congratulations,” he says, before letting go of my hand and hugging Azadeh. “So proud of you,” he mutters.
“Thank you, Shayan. It’s thanks to your guidance that I have come so far,” she says.
While we make it through the crowd, I notice Royan, too. He has been out of bed for a few days now and is currently walking on crutches. He hasn’t regained full mobility of his left leg and right arm yet. His vision fortunately returned, though. Only his wolf is still dormant. Azadeh made it her mission though to tell everyone that Royan is still her Gamma, and that no one will get that position but him.
Simin helps Royan walk towards us. “It’s good to see you up, man,” I say.
“My king,” he bows his head, smiling at me. “The crown suits you well.”
Although he smiles, there is a hint of emptiness in his eyes. The last months have taken their toll on him, but he is slowly getting better. Simin is helping him as much as she can. “Royan taught me so much about the history of the kingdom,” she says. “When he is completely healed, he promised to show me more of the land. Right, Royan?”
Royan smiles at her excitement. For the first time ever since we retrieved him from the witch’s dungeons, his eyes light up. “We will, Simin,” he promises.
“Aylin said that if he proceeds to recover like he does, we can try some horse riding next,” she beams. “I’m still terrified of horses, though.”
“Don’t worry,” Royan reassures her. “We don’t need to do anything you feel uncomfortable with.”
“Oh, but I want to!” She exclaims. “You fight so much every day, you are such an inspiration. I will tackle my fear of horses. But, only if you help.”
“Of course,” Royan affirms. “If you want, I can teach you a bit. I don’t need to actively sit on a horse to do that.”
Simin smiles happily, her cheeks blushing slightly. She turns to us, halting suddenly and clasping her mouth. “Oh, please forgive me. I forgot to congratulate you! My king and queen.”
Azadeh laughs and pulls her into a hug. “Don’t be silly. I’m still the same person.”
