Divided Throne

Lily watched as Dominic and Samuel worked with the higher ranking officers of Elbis's army to train the newer recruits. She had been surprised to find that their General Rigorsky was barely taller than her, though twice as wide with brawny muscle and a bushy red mustache. He seemed to always be shouting, even when he was speaking normally. At least the troops would always be able to hear him giving orders.

She leaned against the railing of the balcony she was standing on, wondering if these men would really be in top fighting condition by the time Rufus arrived with his own army. He had said it would be at least two months, but he could have exaggerated so that Aegaera would be underprepared when he returned. Perhaps he'd been shrewd enough to have his army prepared to march sooner, in case Lily and Alec didn't agree to hand over the throne.

Lily sighed. She was going to drive herself insane worrying like this. Her nerves were already frayed and she was hardly sleeping anymore, often laying awake at night and just staring at the ceiling. She knew Angie had made a mistake naming her as heir. Lily didn't know what she was doing; she didn't know if she could reassure and protect the people of Aegaera. She knew there were plenty of them already who distrusted and disliked her.

Alec found her still standing there, nearly half an hour later, gnawing anxiously on her bottom lip. He came up and laid a gentle hand on her waist.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly. "I haven't seen you look this troubled for a long time."

Lily shook her head. "It's just a troubling situation. Aegaera isn't ready for a war. Let alone against an army of ruthless northern barbarians."

"We're stronger with Elbis and King Hamilton on our side," Alec replied. Lily almost confessed that she was worried about more than just whether the peacocks that made up the Elbian army was prepared to fight men like Rufus LeMontague. Mostly she doubted her own ability to cope with any of this. Being queen. Being a mother. Being a wife. But despite his calm reassurances, Alec's eyes were drawn and tired. He had enough to worry about himself without her heaping more onto his plate.

So she forced a small smile and leaned into him, resting her cheek against his chest. "And I thought life was hard when you were just an idiot posing as a duke's manservant," she mumbled and Alec laughed.

"I definitely didn't predict the revolution would end how it did," he admitted. "I never in a million years would have imagined myself as king, and married to the most beautiful woman in all of Aegaera and having a son."

Lily rolled her eyes. "I am not the most beautiful," she grumbled, ears red. "Angie was. And now I think Belle has taken over the title."

Alec chuckled. "Angie was beautiful, yes, and of course Belle is too." He tilted her chin up so their gazes met. "But nothing compares to those green eyes of yours."

Lily had been married for two years and still her cheeks flamed at the compliment. "Shut up," she said, flustered. Smiling mischievously, Alec swooped her off her feet and carried her back inside.

"Alec!" Lily squirmed in his arms as he set her back on the floor, pulling pins out of her hair and kissing her.

"Why do you spend so much time putting your hair up?" he asked, tugging lightly on a stray curl. "I like it when you wear it down."

"It doesn't look very queenly or dignified," she pointed out. "I look like a wood sprite with my hair loose."

Alec's lips twitched. "It suits you," he insisted. "You kind of are like a wood sprite, playing tricks on people and luring unsuspecting men into the woods and stealing their hearts."

"I don't steal hearts. I only have the one, and as I recall you gave it to me pretty willingly."

"I didn't stand a chance." He smiled and leaned down to kiss her again. Lily was thankful for the distraction from her fears, just getting lost in Alec for a while. Their future was alarmingly uncertain and she would savor every moment they managed to get together.

"Belle has been stuck watching Lucian all day," Lily mumbled sometime later. "I should go give her a break. She and your father have been so helpful lately."

"They're just as concerned about him as we are," Alec said.

"At least we have a few people we can trust." Lily propped herself up on her elbows to plant a quick kiss on his lips before sitting up and simply tying her wild hair into a braid. They dressed and went in search of Belle and Lucian, not in the least surprised to find them in the Mirror Room with Hamilton. Lily was surprised however to see an unfamiliar woman with them. Lucian looked captivated by her as she told him some whimsical fairy story.

The woman glanced up as they approached and smiled warmly. Lily stopped dead in her tracks. The woman looked startlingly similar to her; delicate features, fiery red hair and vivid green eyes.

"Hello, my dear King and Queen," she said in a soft, dreamy sort of voice. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"This is Gwendolyn Underwood," Hamilton said. "She's the Seer I told you about before."

"Oh, of course. A pleasure to meet you as well, Lady Underwood," Alec said politely. Gwendolyn laughed.

"There's no need to call me Lady, Your Highness. Gwendolyn will suffice."

Alec nudged Lily slightly, and she realized she was still staring at the woman. She shook herself.

"Yes, it's so nice to meet you," she said. "King Hamilton speaks very highly of you. Thank you, for coming to help us."

"It's no trouble at all. Dreadful man, that Rufus. Coming here and threatening your beautiful little family. It's unconscionable."

Lucian tugged at Gwendolyn's skirt and she smiled down at him, picking him up and putting him in her lap.

"Of course, you want to hear the rest of the story, don't you? Where was I? Ah, yes. The handsome young prince was desperate to find his lost princess. It was said that the evil, ferocious dragon that lived inside the distant mountain had whisked her away in the night. So the prince traveled with little rest, climbing the mountain until he reached the entrance to the dragon's lair, almost at the very top. He found the dragon inside, sleeping. He raised his sword, prepared to kill the beast and rescue his beloved princess. But he paused before letting the blade fall. It didn't seem right to say the poor creature as it may sound asleep. So he lowered his sword and sat down to wait. He would fight the dragon when it awoke.

When the dragon's eyes finally opened, the prince expected it to snatch him up in its fangs or engulf him in flame. Instead, it merely asked him why he had chosen to spare its life. When he explained his reasons, his princess stepped from the shadows and ran to him. It had been a test of his heart, to see if he was truly a worthy enough man to rule the kingdom. The dragon was her friend, and she had hoped all along that the prince would not kill it. The princess knew then that he was a good hearted man of noble character, and they were wed soon after, living happily until the end of their days."

Lucian seemed entranced by the story, which was no surprise given how melodic and soothing Gwendolyn's voice was. Even Belle had seemed interested in listening to the story.

"He's a remarkable boy," Gwendolyn said, smiling at Lily. "I think he'll grow up to make a fine king."

"Thank you," Lily mumbled. There was something about the woman's presence that made her feel odd. She was quiet for the rest of the evening, her heart feeling heavy again. She felt like the warm atmosphere in the dining hall was tenuous; like a beautiful bubble that could pop and explode any minute. She lay still that night, staring at the wall and trying not to wake Alec. She felt him shift in the bed, leaning over to place a soft kiss against her temple. It soothed her turmoil slightly but she pretended to be asleep so he wouldn't ask her what was wrong.

He slipped quietly out of bed and Lily heard him murmur something to Lucian. She finally closed her eyes and tried to sleep, using the sound of her husband whispering to their son as a sort of lullaby. She was jarred roughly from her dozing by a thunderous crash. She leaped out of bed, heart stopping when she saw part of the ceiling had collapsed over Lucian's crib.

Terror like she'd never felt before stole her breath away. "Alec!" she screamed.

"I'm here," he called back. As the dust settled she saw him in the corner, Lucian pressed close to his chest as the baby cried softly. Lily raced across the room to them, checking them both for injuries and crying. Alec pulled her into a crushing hug.

"The mobile fell," he said, staring at the wreckage. "I think...I think the bolts holding it were tampered with."

Lily jerked back. "You think someone tried to kill Lucian?" she said.

"I can't be sure. We should have my father and Dominic look at it."

Tobias himself burst into the room then, Belle in his heels.

"By the heavens!" Tobias exclaimed. "What happened? We beard the crash from our rooms."

"The mobile fell and brought part of the ceiling with it," Alec said grimly. "We're all fine."

"Tobias, do you have a way to see if this was tampered with?" Lily asked. Tobias moved carefully to the wreckage, inspecting the place where the elaborate mobile had been attached to the ceiling.

"This should have been plenty sturdy enough to stay hanging," he said, looking grim. "Yes I'd say someone must have sabotaged it for it to just collapse like this."

"Someone in this castle tried to murder my son," Lily said. She went to the closet and tugged a robe over her nightdress. "Wake the staff. Everyone who lives within the confines of this castle is to be brought to the courtyard immediately."

"Lily it's the middle of the night-"

"I don't care!" Lily whipped around. "Get Dominic and Samuel and get everyone gathered. Now. If anyone is missing we'll hunt them down."

Tobias and Alec exchanged a look, clearly deciding it best not to argue with her. Alec handed her Lucian and he and Tobias left.

"I can't believe someone would do this," Belle said, looking pale. Lily didn't reply, just hugged Lucian closer. She wasn't often surprised by the levels people could stoop to. She and Belle joined Alec and Tobias, who were standing on a raised dais in the courtyard as bleary-eyed servants and soldiers clustered around it.

"Myself and Prince Lucian were nearly killed tonight," Alec said. "It appears someone tampered with the bolts of the mobile above the prince's bed, causing it to fall and collapse part of the ceiling."

He paused as a murmur went through the crowd. The expressions on people's faces ranged from disgusted to shocked to confused.

"We are going to make every effort to find those responsible," Alec continued. Lily stepped forward, planting herself in front of him. Normally she would be mortified to address everyone in this state; sporting a disheveled braid, dressed in night clothes, and barefoot. But just then she didn't much care. Her voice carried clearly across the crowded courtyard.

"We will find whoever is behind this," she said, tone cold and sharp. "And let me be clear, there is nowhere on this earth you can hide. If you run, I will find you. And when I do, you're going to wish Queen Angelique was still in power, because my punishment for whoever tried to hurt my child will make her look like a docile saint by comparison.

The courtyard was silent as a grave after her ominous declaration. Though as far as Lily was concerned, it may as well be a grave for whoever had tampered with that mobile. She swept her son into her arms and went back inside the castle without a backward glance.