Free Web NovelChapter 207: Two Kingdoms
She lifted her hand to touch his, leaning ever so slightly on the calm of his hand. frёeωebɳovel.com
"I had it under control," she whispered to him with confidence, "But I’m glad you came in time."
They shared another kiss.
Neither of them wanted the moment to end. Under the soft moonlight, with only the cool night breeze as their companion, it was peaceful. A moment of peace in a sea of chaos and sound.
"Alistair," she whispered his name.
"Yes, my sweetling?" He responded, voice dripping with honey.
"I think... I want to be Queen. But..."
"But what?"
"Can I be Queen of two kingdoms?" She asked hesitantly while gazing into his eyes, hoping he would have the answer she was searching for.
A smile formed on his face as he lifted Sierra’s hand to kiss it, "Who’s to say you cannot be?"
"But the right of succession as it stands in Drakin would dictate that Cassandra should ascend the throne and become your new Queen? A King can’t have two queens, can you?" Sierra bit her lip.
"You don’t have to worry about what happens in Drakin, my sweetling," he reassured her with confidence, "Let me handle that. You just need to worry about your coronation here in Cair. And our wedding."
"Our wedding?"
Alistair nodded with a smile on his face. He held onto Sierra’s hands.
"I couldn’t give you a proper ceremony when you became my paramount in Drakin. But now that we’re in Cair, I think it’s time. Vyrena also told me that there’s a tradition she and Dygo had from where they came from that I took a liking to."
Alistair got down on one knee before her.
"Alistair, what are you doing?" She asked as she felt her heart pounding in her chest.
From his pocket, Alistair retrieved a small velvet box. Under the soft moonlight from above, he carefully opened the box, revealing a beautiful diamond ring. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
"They have a tradition, where if you love someone and you’ve decided you wish to spend the rest of your life with them, you propose to them. You get down on one knee, present a ring, and ask them if they wish to get married."
"So Sierra Bancroft, future Queen of Cair. Will you marry me?" Alistair asked genuinely with a smile on his face.
Sierra couldn’t hold back her emotions any longer. She nodded, couldn’t even bring herself to speak as her heart overflowed with joy.
"Yes... yes, I will marry you, my love," she exclaimed with glee as her voice quivered.
Alistair took the ring out of the box and fitted it onto her ring finger before pulling her into his embrace. The loving couple kissed under the moonlight. That moment belonged to them and them alone.
When they finally parted lips, Sierra was holding onto his face with both of her hands.
She chuckled as she mused, "You didn’t have to do any of this, my love. You already have my heart, my soul, my everything."
Alistair leaned in close as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in closer than before.
"I know. I just wanted you to know how much you mean to me. You’re my everything and more," he whispered in her ear.
~
The Kingdom of Cair entered a new era of peace. Sierra made her decision to be acting Queen while the kingdom went through recovery. A coronation would come at great expense and she did not want to burden the royal treasury with it when they were still in crisis.
But soon enough, things settled down.
"Your Majesty, your presence has been requested for the sentencing," a messenger arrived at Sierra’s royal chambers to get her.
"I’ll be there in a minute," Sierra replied nonchalantly as she buttoned the hem of her sleeve around her wrist.
She took a final glance at her reflection in the mirror, readjusting her hair a little as she did. She no longer cared about how others viewed her appearance. She wore leather armor over her blouse and finished her outfit off with a trusty pair of leather boots and leather pants.
Those who’d taken issue with her dressing before had either been reprimanded or transferred from their post. Since the coronation was still a while away, Sierra wore a brooch that represented her role instead.
"Ida, let’s go," Sierra called out to her and she quickly scurried over, following close behind as they left her quarters.
After a bit of a walk, they arrived at the courtroom, where the trial had taken place. For fairness, Sierra had chosen to stay out of the trial process entirely. Chatter and gossip dominated the courtroom.
But upon her entrance, all the chatter simmered down as everyone rose to their feet. A throne seat was set up at the end of the hall, much like the throne room. Sierra walked up to it and took her seat.
She looked over at the court before her and waved her hand, so that things may continue as per normal. The presiding judge came forward to greet Sierra personally, before reading the final verdict.
On that day, all the war criminals were on trial. The first to be convicted was Cedric.
"After deliberation with the jury, the court finds Cedric Tessermont guilty on all accounts. He is hereby sentenced to life in the dungeon and three hundred lashings. He is stripped of all titles and wealth. Should he be let out on good behavior, Cedric Tessermont will be exiled and never to step foot on Cair soil ever again."
Upon the reading of the sentencing, the crowd roared with applause. They had all heard of the long list of crimes he had committed.
"Three hundred lashings? I’ll be dead before I survive anything close to that!" Cedric yelled as he tried to take a step forward.
The guards held him down, the chains on his wrists and ankles clashed and clanged as he moved. Sierra glanced over to him, her cold hard gaze silenced him and the crowd in an instant.
She leaned back in her seat as everyone waited for her to speak.
"We’ll make sure you survive all three hundred lashings, so fear not, Cedric," she reassured him, "All of Cair will keep count for you, so fear not. The lashings are done publicly. Am I right, Judge Declan?"
The judge bowed respectfully to Sierra, "That is correct."
Sierra smiled as she watched the color drain from Cedric’s face. She leaned back in her seat as the sentencing for the other criminals was announced. For the men who’d been caught in former Princess Felicity’s quarters, suffered some of the worst punishment possible.
