It was the early hours of dawn, it was still cold outside and the moon was still up but Emilia could barely sleep. She lay in her bed with Octavius by her side – he had taken to coming into her chambers in the dead of the night since the coronation. It reminded her of the Octavius she knew, the one who sent an endless stream of love letters to her, the one who snuck under his father’s nose to visit her in her kingdom. She loved that he was back to his old self again coming into her room, slipping into bed with her and he never slept until he had sated the both of them to a point where they could do nothing else but sleep. But tonight Emilia couldn’t sleep, she had lain awake throughout the night and now that the morning was fast approaching she felt

Chapter 33 Emilia followed the servant in the simple white tunic down the hall to the dining room. As she went she couldn’t help but admire the beauty of the hall, the hangings on the wall, the silver sconces that adorned the walls where there had been wrought iron lamp holders. She realized once again that her father had made the right choice in electing Helos as the next to the throne, any other man would not have done what Helos had been able to do. “This way, my lady.” She pul

Chapter 35 “You have hardly eaten anything all day, my lady. Are you worried for Queen Delia or are you troubled with the knowledge that a child grows inside of you?” Ilena asked. She was making Emilia’s bed, tucking the sheets in by the side of the wooden frame. She had woken up early in the morning to prepare some herbal mixture which she hoped will help her mistress and the growing child in her only to find Emilia restlessly pacing the length and breadth of the room. As she went about her duties she had noticed the untouched breakfast tray that lay on the dressing table which was a testament to how long Emilia had awoken. Even now as she sat on the chair in front of the dressing table she couldn’t

After traveling for two whole days Emilia and Ilena finally reached the gates of Camelorn. The guards at the watchtowers spied the coat of arms on Emilia’s horse and pulled the gates open. Their horses galloped past the strong gates into the village where people parted for them at the sight of the royal arms, they bowed or genuflected and chanted words of respect to Emilia as she passed by. Emilia lifted her hand to greet them but her heart was half in it, what she hoped for was to see her husband again. Guards that lined the streets on foot to enforce law and order among the people saw her and ran ahead of her, pushing the people aside so she could pass.

  From the rise of dawn to the setting of the sun people of Camelorn rejoiced with their king and queen. Everyone came to celebrate the blessings of the gods on the royal household bringing along gifts to present to their queen who sat at the right-hand side of her husband in her yellow tunic and with her crown on her head, the stones on her crown gleaming as they caught the light from the fire and the torches on the wall. Octavius sat on his throne on the king’s dais with his brother, Angus, by his side, who for the first time in years got rid of his many cloaks, in place of his cloak he wore a dark blue royal robe that was the proper outfit for a person of his standing. As Adviser and Commander of his brother’s army, the emblem of Ashterah was pinned to his clothes.