In Line

The queen was dead, and Father was a vegetable. I wished I could say I had my Brother and Sister. After what my missteps caused, we would never be the same. Sky survived torture, but not without gaining scars. She had a reason to wear her body armor. Louis remained the same as always, but before the Queen's death, she revealed who his father was. The leader of a kingdom that rivaled Fae for decades was his Father, and I couldn't decide on telling him or not. I pardoned my siblings, so they were free, but they could never take the throne.

They understood why I did what I did, and they understood that Mother was the true adversary, but it didn't stop us from becoming splinters of the same wood bleeding away from one another.

But I had a new family. Teco was my Father, which made me the King of one land and the prince of another. It was an odd relationship that sprouted from our relation, but he was, if nothing else, an ally.

The people were none the wiser about the events that took place behind castle walls. Their lives went on without any fires being seen. My life would forever be changed. To kill my Mother and know that your Father would never return, to hurt my sister and keep secrets from my brother, my rule began on crackled ground. I only wished that I had someone to share it with.

Santo knew If I became king, our relationship would most likely end. I longed for our conversations in remembrance of his unfiltered truths. Jin had to leave Fae eventually. As a member of a family circus, her heart could not stay where her family did not run. I missed her inspiration and her untamed soul. I had much to learn as a new King. Too much to learn. I couldn't stay joined with anyone for longer than fleeting moments while I tried to grow to be what Fae needed. I tried to keep them near. I worked to be someone they could be proud of, someone they might look to and know had their best interest at heart.

But all were looking for the better. In a year, one might say I was beginning to fit into my role.

It was our 18th birthday, a time when we were meant to travel the kingdom and gain experience so that we might one day be ready for the throne. The throne was already mine, so we celebrated a different way. I offered my sister a title of leadership in the royal guard, and my brother the chance to become a lead diplomat to act as the voice of the people. We discussed the proposals together, not with a party because we'd seen enough of those, but alone as a family. It was the start of our rebuilding of bonds lost. I could only hope that we could begin again. Taking the throne was not the end of our story, it was the beginning of many more to come, and I would need my family to be there with me if I meant to survive and thrive.