CHAPTER 57
The corridor outside the Light Room was calm. It was too quiet. The kind of quiet that comes after a storm, where no one dares to speak out of fear that sound alone could summon another.
Grace, unconscious in the arms of two commanders, was being carried gently but with urgency. Her fingers still twitched slightly, sparks occasionally flaring in thin arcs between them. The glow from her skin had dimmed, but it had not completely vanished. And everyone noticed.
The seers who disappeared in the light room, was now seen walking ahead of her, silent and steady, their golden robes swaying with each step. They hadn't spoken a word since declaring Parkston's judgment was to be postponed. But their silence didn't mean peace. If anything, it made everyone more on edge.
Behind them trailed the others; Queen Jonah, stiff-backed and tight-lipped; Lady Juliet, pale and wide-eyed; Mathew Sterrn, with his gaze fixed on the Grace or rather King Quicke who had moments ago floated midair, speaking with a voice that wasn't her own.
King Charlenugo returned to the Lightroom, standing in the exact spot Grace had been before she fell. He stared at the fine crack still visible on the floor where her body had landed. His mind was a blur of memories, some real, others impossible to be so.
"He shouldn't have that power" he muttered under his breath. "Not again. Not now."
They placed Grace in her chambers, drawing the golden curtains shut, sealing the room with protective enchantments. A seer remained at her bedside, eyes still veiled, her hands occasionally hovering above her body to calm the surging energy that pulsed beneath her skin.
Juliet sat on the edge of a cushion, twisting her fingers. She hadn't said a word since they returned, neither had Queen Jonah, though she stood closer to the window, arms crossed tightly over her chest.
"I thought this ended with the coronation," Juliet finally whispered.
"It was never truly over," Jonah replied. "We just stopped talking about it."
Juliet looked up. "But, is he still King? Or Just…Quicke. He didn't ask for this."
"None of us did," Jonah said, her eyes never leaving the window. "But fate doesn't ask for permission. It only delivers."
There was a pause.
Then Juliet spoke again. "What now?"
"We wait," Jonah said. "And we watch. Because the world we knew just changed."
Meanwhile, in the council chambers, voices erupted.
"He's a threat!"
"He's our King!"
"He's not in control, did you not see what happened in there?"
"He was in control," Mathew Sterrn's voice rang clear. "You all saw the same thing I did. He fought it at first, yes. But once he accepted it, he wasn't just stable, he was powerful. More powerful than any of us."
"He levitated and claimed to be god of peace," a voice said dryly. "And you find comfort in that?"
"No," Sterrn replied. "But I do find clarity."
King Charlenugo entered then, and the room fell silent, he looked at each of them. Lords, ladies, generals, old men with too many secrets, young ones with too little caution.
"I know what you're afraid of," he said. "You're afraid because what we saw was real. It wasn't rumor. It's happening again."
He stepped closer to the long, narrow table.
"But let me be clear. This council doesn't decide his fate, not anymore. Now Quicke leads."
Robert's eyes narrowed. "Even if he loses control?"
Charlenugo didn't blink. "If he does, then I'll be the first to stop him, but until that day, he is our King."
Grace woke up just before midnight.
The chamber was lit only by the soft, warm glow of lanterns. The air smelled of lavender and old parchment. Her body ached, not from pain, but from weight like she'd been holding something heavy for hours and had only just put it down.
The seer at her side did not look at her. She simply said, "You are awake."
Grace blinked slowly. "Yes."
"Good. Then we may now leave."
And just like that, the seer stood and left the room. Grace sat up, her heart still pounding, she didn't remember everything, it was just flashes.
The garden growing taller, the sensation in her fingers, the voice that came from her lips, and the light. She remembered the light most of all. And then just before she could process the incident, there was a soft knock.
"Come in," she said quietly.
Mathew Sterrn stepped inside, he didn't bow. He Just gave a blanked stare. "I thought you'd be unconscious longer."
Grace rubbed her palms. "I thought I'd be dead."
He approached, sitting across from her. "I wanted to ask you something," he said. "But only if you're well enough."
"Go on." Grace commanded
"When Parkston spoke, he meant it, didn't he? That he did everything for you."
Grace didn't answer at first, she stared at the soft glow of her fingertips fading. "Yes," she whispered.
Sterrn nodded. "That changes things, people will begin to question Grace's history, which is you. How do you then intend to go about it?."
"I know," Grace said. "But I'm not ready to give them answers and even if I do, where exactly do I start from."
Sterrn studied her carefully. "You might not get to choose for much longer."
….
By morning, the kingdom was a different place. Rumors swirled like wildfire, some said the King had been possessed by a god. Others claimed he was reborn and is now returned to save the kingdom".
Grace walked into the grand hall, wearing a plain grey cloak. She didn't put on a crown, as she didn't want to be seen as anything more than herself today.
She stopped beneath some tall portraits, staring at the flowers that were placed beside them during her coronation. They were beautiful than they should be. It's the very first time, she looked at them truly.
A familiar voice came from behind.
"You once told me you hated being looked at."
Grace turned to see Parkston. He was still weak, his arm in a tighter sling now, his face was pale but his eyes were sharp.
She didn't respond.
He took a slow breath. "I never meant for it to go this far."
"You did what you thought was right," she said. "And I lied."
Parkston stepped closer. "But you lied to save yourself, I lied to save you. That's a difference."
Grace frowned. "It doesn't feel like one."
There was a pause before Parkston continued.
"They're going to ask for my execution again,"he said. "Even after everything."
"The seers said it's postponed." Grace responded faintly.
"Yes, postponed. Not cancelled."
Grace looked up at the tall portraits. "Then maybe it's time I stop running from what I am."
Parkston's brow furrowed. "Are you saying you'll tell them?"
"No," she replied. "But I'll stop pretending that none of this matters. I'll.." She paused. "Just stop hiding."
Parkston gave a half-smile. "Then maybe we both still have time."
Queen Jonah met with Robert alone. "You know what king Quicke is," she said. "My mind tells me so."
He did not answer immediately. "King Quicke is not like the rest of us," Jonah continued. "And the seers said he is to decide Parkston's fate?"
"Yes," Commander Robert replied finally. "Because only them knows why."
"What does that mean?" Queen Jonah asked.
"I really do not know, Jonah. Matter of fact, I'm as confused as you."
Jonah's eyes narrowed. "You're gambling our survival on his compassion? Tell me the truth, will you".
"I am not gambling," Commander Robert replied. "I am only obeying."
Queen Jonah left without saying a word.
Later that night, Grace stood at the window of her chambers. Her reflection stared back at her exhausted and uncertain.
A soft knock broke her thoughts.
"Enter." She voiced
King Charlenugo walked in, he did not speak for a long time. He just stood beside her, staring out over the silent city.
"You reminded me of someone today," he said finally.
"Who?" Grace responded quickly.
"My brother." King Charlenugo cleared his throat.
Grace looked at him sharply.
King Charlenugo continued. "He wasn't a king, but he had power. And he gave everything to protect the people he loved."
"What happened to him?" Grace frowned with curiosity.
King Charlenugo smiled faintly. "He gave too much, and the world took what was left."
Grace exhaled. "Is that what will happen to me?"
He fixed his gaze at her. "Only if you let it."