Chapter 174
FIVE MONTHS LATER
The wind that swept through the capital this morning was gentler than usual, carrying the scent of blooming lavender and the sounds of laughter from the market streets below the palace. It felt different now, lighter, freer. I stood on the balcony of the royal chambers, my son nestled against my chest in a soft sling, watching the city come alive beneath us.
Peace had finally come.
It had been months since Rowan returned and reclaimed his throne. Five months since Lucian's final attempt to hold power was crushed beneath the weight of his own ambition. He had tried to flee, desperate and cornered, trying to rally traitors in secret. But Rowan found him before he could cause more harm. I wasn't there when it happened, but I know Rowan's claws were swift.
His mother, the Royal Concubine had ran mad shortly after, she threw herself over a balcony wall.
Prince Reagan never came back, either he or his wife Princess Blanca or their daughter. The princess too never came back home, never to return, all of them.
Lucian died without honor. Without glory. Just as he deserved.
I turned slightly as the chamber doors opened behind me.
"There you are," Rowan said with a smile, walking toward me. "You vanished after the council meeting."
"I needed air," I replied, smiling softly. "And he likes being outside."
Rowan came to stand beside me and kissed our son's forehead before slipping an arm around my waist. "He's just like you. Always watching the world."
"He'll be stronger than both of us," I whispered. "He already is."
Our son stirred, stretching in his sleep, his tiny fists curling near his cheeks. Rowan's eyes softened. He still stared at him like he was witnessing a miracle. In a way, he was.
The kingdom had changed. Slowly, but surely. The lies Lucian had spread were washed away by truth. The council had bowed their heads in shame when they learned what he had done to me, to us.
Rowan made no room for their hesitation or argument. He declared me queen beside him, and dared anyone to object. Nobody dared to object, or walk away, they couldn’t.
At first, there were whispers. Protests. I was still an Otsayak in their eyes, still a name they once spat with disgust.
But Rowan never wavered. He stood beside me in every court session, in every meeting, in every feast. He reminded them, again and again and told them the true history of Otsayaks. How the land they claimed as theirs once belonged to my people. How my people were revered and honored in other cultures for our profound healing abilities. How there was no need to hone a century year grudge over a people that had caused no harm to them.
And little by little, things began to shift.
"They're opening the gates today," Rowan said now, looking out toward the distant walls. "The first group of Otsayak families will arrive by nightfall."
My heart swelled. "I can't believe it's happening."
"You made it happen," he said. "You spoke to the council. You begged them for mercy, for unity. You turned their hearts."
"I just told the truth. About everything, about my people, your people. How we are not to blame for simply existing. And how we at least deserved to be treated as equals after everything we’ve endured from wolves.”
"And that," Rowan murmured, brushing my hair back, "is why they listened."
The kingdom had not only accepted me, they were beginning to accept all of my people, especially after learning the truth. The word "Otsayak" no longer brought fear or disgust to every mouth. It was a slow process, but Rowan helped pass laws that gave the refugees land to settle, jobs in the city, education for their children.
I had sat in on every meeting. Spoken for those who couldn't. And slowly, the kingdom began to change.
A soft knock echoed from the door. Miriam peeked in, smiling brightly.
"Your Majesties," she said with a curtsy, "the staff is ready for the welcome feast. And the chiefs asked me to remind you not to be late this time."
"I'm still not used to your curtsies," I teased, and she rolled her eyes.
"I still can't believe I'm a royal handmaiden," Miriam said, grinning. "You're the queen. I work for the queen."
"No, you work with me," I corrected gently. "You always have."
She came over to peek at the baby, who yawned sleepily. "Still the most handsome little thing in the world. And still stubborn about sleeping at night."
"He gets it from Rowan," I said.
"Or you," Rowan added, smirking.
Miriam laughed. "I'll give you two a moment. I'll be waiting down by the gardens."
She slipped out again, humming a tune as she went. I looked back up at Rowan, who was staring at me like he often did now, like I was the moon and stars, not just a girl who'd once lived in the shadows, who once begged to serve him and be his slave.
"Do you ever think about how far we've come?" I whispered.
"Every day," he replied. "I remember the girl who came in as a substitute bride and took care of me when I was just a dejected deposed crippled prince, even when others wouldn’t dare to touch me. The girl who stuck by me against all odds, risking her life for me and our life. And I think that the gods must have loved me to send her into my life."
I smiled, leaning into his chest, our son warm between us.
"I don't know what lies ahead," I said softly, "but I know I'm not afraid anymore."
He kissed my forehead and held me close. "Whatever comes next, we face it together."
And so we stood there, on the balcony of a kingdom that was healing, in a world that had once tried to break us. I had been hated. Hunted. Hurt.
But now... I was home. I was loved. I was queen.
And nothing, not blood, not fear, not war, could ever take that away from me again.
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