บท 9: Queen Thaliah

I sensed Arson before he came into view. Though he was the third son of the Fire Royals, his presence warranted attention. Even more so when he was annoyed. And I knew he would be irritated. Not only had I not told him I planned a date to our wedding, but it was within a week. I, more than anyone else, knew how much Arson treasured transparency. He thought he shared it with his brothers and demanded it from his friends. Too bad for him. Anubis lied to him for years. Baron was never always forthcoming. We weren't close even if he pretended it didn't matter.

My gaze darted to the columns, overlooking the courtyard. My eyes met with the Royal Councilmen. They thought it would be more discreet if they watched from a distance. No one wanted to alert the prince while the show commenced. A cowardice act but a needed one. If Arson thought for a second, he was watched, he would refrain from anger. His weakness to protect others would hinder him from showing his hidden colors. That wasn't going to work. I needed him to be angry enough to show his true powers.

He marched up to me. "What the hell, Thaliah? Why am I hearing that I'm getting married this Sunday?"

I didn't pick the day. It just happened. Sundays were the days everyone could be here to witness the wedding. I was sure he wasn't referring to the day itself but the timespan.

I moved next to the circular fountain in the middle of the courtyard. "Yes, I sent out invitations to the other Kingdoms. They should be here the day before the wedding. I arranged it so your coronation would be the day after the wedding. It will be like killing two birds with one stone."

Arson planted his hands on his hips. Sheer annoyance painted his face. "And when did you think of discussing this with me? Did it even cross your mind that maybe I needed a bit more time?"

We didn't have time. People were dying. The Kingdom was in shambles. I needed to fix it before things got worse.

I titled my gaze to his. "Whatever it is you want to do, you can. After you become King. I'm sorry if your feelings are hurt. I am Queen and I say we are getting married on Sunday. When you're King, you get to make final decisions too."

He narrowed his eyes at me. I almost laughed at how easy it was to rile him up. Three years with him, showed me how to get under his skin. It worked like a charm back then. Years passed and it still worked.

"I'm not—"

His words stopped when a glob of water splashed him. His lips parted as he observed his soaked uniform. I suppressed a smile and conjured another ball of water from the fountain. This time Arson saw it coming.

"Thaliah," he warned. "Don't you fucking da—"

Splash!

I blinked. "What? I didn't get that. You looked like you needed to cool down."

He advanced. I took two steps back. A snap of my fingers and the water at his feet hardened. It traveled up his body. Ice held him planted to the spot. I couldn't help my smirk. Annoyance reddened his face.

He cast his eyes to the sky. No doubt to keep his emotions intact. Too bad that was not what I wanted from him. He had to combust in front of everyone or else he couldn't be King. I was not going to marry a man who was ready to conspire and kill me the minute we got an heir. Arson was many things, but I could trust that he wouldn't harm me or Cordal.

Unlike his brothers, he had a balance of everything. He had an uncontrollable anger like Anubis when pushed too far. To level it, he cared about others. Loved to protect people just like his brother Baron. He might show the latter far too much more than the former. The balance was there, either way.

"I don't even know why you're irritated," I taunted. "I thought you wanted to get this out of the way, so you can get what you want. Or are you scared to grow up?"

He squinted. Steam flowed from him. Little by little the ice melted. "Why would I be scared to grow up? I'm already an adult."

I shrugged and tossed more water on him. This time the portion grew. The steam got thicker, creating a fog-like haze. The more I froze, the more the ice melted. The defrost speed increased.

"Would you stop that?" Irritation dove to anger.

Almost there.

Water trickled into the air with a flick of my wrist. It hovered over his head. Arson's lips parted to stay something. I giggled and let go of the puddle. Arson growls stilled the air. Things transpired so fast I didn't have a chance to react until after.

Arson caught a blaze. The puddle didn't even touch him before it vaporized. Waves of heat dispersed through the courtyard. The fountain stopped squirting water into its bed.

The hairs on my skin quailed along with the squared patches of grass. My skin burned. The court members came to mind. I didn't have a chance to think but do. I tried to build a wall with little water left in the fountain to protect them. The castle. Arson's heat was too strong for the liquid. It dissolved into the air the minute I lifted it from the fountain bed. My ice abilities temporarily lost.

"If any one of us should be considered as a child," Arson spat, "it should be you. With these fucking games. I don't want to marry someone like you." He stepped closer to me.

My mouth dried. Sweat beaded my skin. Thirst parched my throat. I sank to my knees.

"You're immature, irritating, and selfish," Arson went on. "You are the last person I would ever think of being mated to."

The air grew denser. I panted, needing water. Self-preservation kicked in. Frost zapped through my body. It covered me. The heat melted it again and again.

I laughed. This could not be happening. I was a freaking Queen. There was no way I was going to allow a mere prince to ruin my castle. No way.

"Too bad because I will be your wife in the next few days," I managed to get out. A chill ran up my spine. The chill assassinated the warmth in my mouth. I gathered a cheek filled with air and blew it out. My piercing scream echoed through the surroundings. Ice coated the courtyard, building the wall along the corridor, protecting everyone else from the heat.

Arson didn't even flinch. The ice heading his way liquified and vaporized within seconds. I laughed louder. Gosh, he was going to make a fantastic King. I hated him. Loathed the situation. He shouldn't be more powerful than me. Yet here he was showing me up. Bastard. Why did his power have to be fired? This was why the fire kingdom has always outdone the ice kingdom. Our double powers held nothing to their raging fire.

I swore the Gods hated me.

Damnit!

Arson surveyed his surroundings. The ice everywhere but near him. Light snow trickled down from the sky. His limbal ring rotated faster than I had ever seen it. His fire spread out. I built an ice barrier around myself, crystallizing it. The smart move almost failed me. A second later and he would have roasted me and melted the courtyard.

Fire citizens were not supposed to be this powerful in the cold. Mind you, Cordal was not as freezing throughout the year as it was in winter. However, it was cool. The snow would have suppressed any other fire spirit's power. Not the fire royals. Arson was the third child. The weakest of his brothers. If this was Baron, we would all be dead. Anubis would have taken down the entire city with a surge of flames.

The instant the thought ventured into my mind sadness swept up my other emotions. If this didn't prove everyone right, nothing else did. Queens were not meant to rule. We were never as strong as Kings.

A crash slumped my shoulder. My crystal barrier crumbled. Arson was gone. The crystal walls I got up to save the castle and the royal councilmen were still intact. A large hole peeked through the left. No doubt it was Arson's escape route.

The thought made me depressed. I dusted my dress. The crystal wall collapsed, turning into liquid and crept into the fountain. The grass was no longer vibrant but burned to black. Several cracks decorated the fountain. The few marble tiles stained from the fire. They crumbled under my feet.

"Bravo," Duke Markiece clapped. "Now that is power. I had never seen power like that since the great war between the kingdoms. That boy has something. Maybe we should change the date of the wedding to tomorrow."

I plastered a smile on my face. Pain squeezed my heart. "I told you."

The Earl patted my shoulder. "You did great snatching that one. Don't let him go. Make this marriage happen."

I swallowed air. I could never give these men the privilege to see me break. "Don't worry."

He laughed. The men turned to each other, praising their soon-to-be King. Nothing about me. No, because I was too weak to be noticeable. A queen who got beaten by a prince was nothing to respect. A disappointment to our kingdom. How could I be as strong as a King when I couldn't even control a stupid flaming prince. Prince. Not a King but a prince.

"You were awesome," the young Marchioness praised. "I didn't even know our ice could turn to crystals. It was amazing."

I opened my mouth to answer but the Prelate answered for me. "Oh, it was nothing no other Queen couldn't do. That's a role to support her King and protect if he is occupied."

A supporting role. How wonderful.

The ache in my chest bloomed. I fisted my hands at my side. They would not see me cry. I was strong. Not as strong as a King but strong enough. God, I was something.

"That's me," I croaked, "the supporting Queen."

The Marchioness's smile dimmed. She was trying to help, but it would take more than a few sweet words to fix things. She would find that out sooner rather than later.