Divided Throne

Alec slowly regained consciousness. He felt fingers in his hair and a gentle voice saying something to him, though it sounded like they were underwater. He wanted to move, but his body wouldn't obey him. He cracked and eye open and light flooded into the room, blinding him. His hearing adjusted more quickly than his sight, and the mumbling started so sound like words.

"Alec? Are you waking up?"

"Lily?" he said, voice hoarse and cracking. "Am I... Dead?"

His vision adjusted and he saw Lily looking over him, Lucian clinging to her. Light from behind created a sort of halo around their heads, and at that moment, Alec was sure his entire family and everyone he ever loved was dead.

"I'm dead," he repeated hoarsely.

"You're not dead," Lily said, chuckling softly as she continued to pet his hair. "We are all alive and well. Lucian is recovering quickly, thanks to your father. Rufus hurt you, but you killed him. You won. Aegaera is at peace again."

"But Clarisse killed you," Alec said, reaching up to touch her face as if he didn't believe she was real.

She smiled and took his hand, gently putting it down so he wouldn't strain himself.

"She thought she did," Lily said. "I have a lot of fight in me, Alec. If I was going down, I intended on taking at least half the Jalecian army with me. Including the weasel who thought she could hurt my family. Especially her."

"Everyone is okay?" Alec asked.

"Well, Holden lost an eye," Lily shrugged. "He wears a patch now, and has a jagged scar along the side of his face. He was upset for about fifteen minutes, until the pretty young court ladies began asking him about his 'ruggedly handsome' appearance and 'mysterious' battle scars. I think he likes the look now."

"Rhett?"

"Miserable with Holden, but he walked away with only a few scratches."

"Good," he sighed, laying his head back on the pillow.

Lucian squirmed out of Lily's grip and crawled up Alec's chest to pat his face comfortingly. Alec groaned in pain when the baby's knee dug into his wound, but it was a pained sort of chuckle. Lily quickly lifted Lucian off him.

"Oh, darling, now is not the time to climb on your father," she said.

"It's alright," Alec mumbled. "If he's healthy enough to climb, and I'm alive to feel that pain, I'm the happiest man in the world."

Lily smiled, leaning down to give him a light peck on the lips.

"You just rest," she said. "I'll have a maid bring you something light to eat."

Alec nodded, watching her go. With the help of the healers, Alec was able to get out of bed and move in just a few days. He walked with a slight limp and was told not to strain himself too much, and to not carry Lucian. He didn't listen to either of these rules, which hurt quite physically, but it was impossible to put his son down. Aegaera celebrated the victory against Jalecia for a month, joined now by their new Elbian allies. Hamilton was a close friend now, and the two kings agreed to keep each other close and help each other in any way they possibly could.

The main issue that remained, however, was the issue of Jalecia. If Rufus had won, Aegaera would have gone to him. Now, Jalecia was his responsibility, and he wasn't sure he wanted to be responsible for the barbarian country. He discussed it with Dominic and Hamilton, trying to ignore the pain in his side that increased with stress.

"We could find them a new king," Dominic suggested.

"Why not expand Aegaera?" Hamilton asked. "Alec is a fine king."

"A new king," Alec said. "How am I sure that these people won't rebel against me? They're barbaric."

Hamilton stared at him for a little while, then leaned in, lowering his voice. "Perhaps you and your fair queen should pay a visit. Don't you think?"

Everyone but Alec seemed to agree. Much to Alec's dismay, he found that his word as king made very little difference against the word of his council. Soon they had handed off Lucian to Belle, off to visit Jalecia for a day or two. Alec hadn't seen Lily during the day, and was surprised to find her with Gwendolyn, who helped her pack and walked her to the carriage. She smiled and gently caressed Lily's cheek in a motherly way, and Lily smiled back. Alec made a mental note to ask her about it when they returned.

It was a quiet ride to the capital city of Jalecia, mostly because Alec and Lily were too focused on the destruction Rufus had caused to the outer villages. They stopped on their several day journey to most of these villages, offering help and promising support to help them recover. They seemed grateful for the most part, though some still seemed distrustful of the new king and queen. After all, they hadn't been protected under Alec's rule at all, while Angelique's previous rule gave them a little more security.

Eventually, they made it to the capital city of Sundrelle. Neither Alec not Lily could believe what they saw. Alec expected to find ruthless barbarians, much like the army, but instead found poor, hungry, and miserable people. Ordinary families who'd been put through hell under Rufus's rule. Children beat each other to bloody pulps in the streets for a single mouthful of bread, which they unselfishly would give to their younger siblings or sick parents. The city seemed covered in a thick layer of ash that tainted everything, and several homes were burnt to the ground, likely by the authority's obeying Rufus's command. Alec and Lily were greeted by Rufus's council, who looked as weak and terrified as the villagers. He imagined that they didn't get much of a say in politics. They bowed deeply before Alec and Lily, and every villager around them did the same. A little girl approached Alec, staring at him for a moment. Everyone watched, as if they expected him to hit her and send her flying, but he offered a gentle smile instead. A grin spread across her face, and she held up a half an apple, offering her only food to Alec. He kneeled down in front of her, closing her hands around the apple.

"Keep it," he said softly. "What's your name? How old are you?"

"Kyla," she answered. "I'm six."

"Do you have a parent with you, Kyla?" he asked.

She nodded, pointing to a young woman slumped against a wall, cradling a baby in her arms. She was so thin, sick, and starved, she looked like a corpse. Alec held Kyla's hand and took her back to where her mother was. The skeletal woman lifted her head, and despite her ghost-like face, smiled at Alec with tired eyes. He pursed his lips, only having Aegaeran money with him. That would be useless to this family. He instead removed a jewel encrusted dagger from his belt, handing it to her.

"Sell this," he instructed. "The money will help you until we have time to set things right around here."

"Thank you, your majesty," the woman croaked, nearly choking on her tears.

He cracked a half smile and stood, offering his arm to Lily as they began to walk through the streets with the Jalecian council. The more they saw, the worse it got. There were bodies in the streets, some of which had just dropped dead of starvation or the cold, and had been ignored. Like rocks.

"Rufus liked things his way," one of the meek council members explained. "He refused to share power. Since his death, the people are not sure what to do. The horrors of his actions have stopped, and his brutes of guards have vanished to avoid persecution, but now the people are in a strange place. There is no money. No food. Nowhere to go until we all die out. Unless... Of course... You will help us."

Alec paused, clearing his throat. "If you would excuse us for a moment..."

He ushered Lily into a quiet alley, speaking in a hushed tone. She'd needed to speak as well.

"We have to take Jalecia," they both said simultaneously.

"Well, that was an easy decision," she whispered.

"We can't let these people starve," Alex whispered back. "Yes, it's too much land for us to control, but we'll give portions of it to the Lords to rule. They'll still be under our command, and we won't have to make frequent trips to Jalecia to check on the skeletons living in it."

"Good plan," Lily whispered. "Why are we whispering?"

"I don't know," Alec said, starting with a whisper out of habit but quickly talking in a normal low tone. "We have to act quickly. There's not enough time."

"Alright, don't strain the wound too much," Lily warned sternly, though she was smiling. "You know, I heard a lot about your secret public speaking skills. I wish I could've seen that speech you gave the army."

"What are you saying?"

"I think it's time for another speech."