The Crown of Gilded Bones

“I want you to know that you are always Cas. You were never a thing, and you aren’t one now. You are Casteel Hawkethrone Da’Neer. A son. A brother. A friend. A husband. You are a King. My King. And you will always be my everything, but never will you be a thing.”

“The heart doesn’t care how long you may have with someone. It just cares that you have the person for as long as you can.”

“We can’t change what was done to me or what Casteel did to save my life. It happened. And, obviously, we are all lucky that I didn’t turn into a vampry. It seems rather pointless to continue discussing what could’ve happened when it simply did not. He understood the risk. He still took the chance, and I am still here. Not a vampry. It’s over.”

“Bonds are strange things, Poppy. But my loyalty to Cas has never been about a bond created when neither of us was old enough to walk. It never will be. You have nothing to worry about when it comes to us. And I doubt that you have much to worry about when it comes to any of the other bonded wolven. Most of us have fostered friendships that can’t break. So, we just…we just made room for you.”

“With the last Chosen blood spilled, the great conspirator birthed from the flesh and fire of the Primals will awaken as the Harbinger and the Bringer of Death and Destruction to the lands gifted by the gods. Beware, for the end will come from the west to destroy the east and lay waste to all which lies between.”

“My son would only choose a bride whose bravery equaled his own.

“Everything’s all right. They’re just protecting you.I don’t know everything that is going on right now, but you—all of you—want to keep her safe. And I’m all about that. You know I would never hurt her. I would tear out my own heart before I did that. She’s injured. I need to make sure she’s okay, and nothing is going to stop me from doing that. Not even you. Any of you. I will destroy every single one of you who stands between her and me.”

“We came here in hopes that you two could help us determine what my wife Ascended into. And on a personal note, I’d hoped that you’d get to know Penellaphe a little and vice versa. But if we’re going to rehash the past, then there is nothing left for us to do but take our leave.”

“Her name is Penellaphe. And if you get my wife’s permission, you may call her that. If not, then you may call her Princess. Whatever rolls more respectfully off your tongue. But what you will never refer to her as is the Maiden. Do you understand me?”

“If any of those who inflicted one second of pain on you still breathed, I would tear them apart, limb from limb. I pray that the death you dealt them was slow and painful.”

“And if you decide you want to take what is yours, claim the throne, I will set this entire kingdom on fire and watch it burn if that ensures that the crown sits on your head.”

“I don’t know what you might think of me or what Alastir shared with you, but I didn’t choose to be the Maiden or to wear the veil. I didn’t choose to be a descendant of some deity or come back here and break bonds or usurp any bloodlines. The only thing I have ever chosen is your son.”

“Unrest and unease are two very powerful destabilizers of any society. No matter how great one is, they can be taken apart piece by piece from the inside, often weakening the foundation to the point of collapse before anyone realizes what is happening.”

“I’m not the threat to Atlantia. You are. You have always been the threat.”

“I do not doubt that, son. I was there when you came to and realized that she was gone. I saw you, and I have never seen you like that. I will never forget it. And I can even understand your need to protect her. Gods, do I understand that. But as the King, I cannot approve of what you did.”

“Casteel chose me. He’s not going to turn around and marry your great-niece or another family member you can drag out before him. All you’re doing is causing him to risk his life and the future of Atlantia. Because he will come for me.”

“My mother will not hold who you are descended from against you. It may be a shock to her. It may even make her think of things she has worked to forget, but she will not hold you responsible for what someone distantly related to you did.”

“So, I’m a threat that must be dealt with because I’m descended from a deity, who may or may not have had anger-management issues? As if I have no autonomy and am just a byproduct of what is in my blood?”

“Not only can she defend herself, she needs to be able to defend herself. And that is why she will be allowed to do so, whether she is our Queen or our Princess.”

“If the idiots behind me actually laid down their swords instead of lifting them against my wife, we wouldn’t have an entire colony of wolven about to descend on us. They are only reacting to the threat.”

“You will bow before your Queen. Or you will bleed before her. It is your choice.”

“I love you, Penellaphe. You. Your fierce heart, your intelligence and strength. I love your endless capacity for kindness. I love your acceptance of me. Your understanding. I’m in love with you, and I will be in love with you when I take my last breath and then beyond in the Vale. But I have no plans to enter the Vale anytime soon. And I will not lose you. Ever. I love you, Princess, and even if you hate me for what I’m about to do, I will spend the rest of our lives making up for it.”

“I have been used my entire life in one way or another, and I will not be used again. I know what I am now. I know what it means to have had the power in me this whole time. My brother’s death wasn’t in vain. Neither was Lyra’s. I understand now.”

“Bravery is a fleeting beast, isn’t it? Always there to get you into trouble, but quick to disappear once you’re where you want to be.”

“I...I summon the flesh and fire of the gods, to protect me and those I care for. To ride at my side and stand guard at my back. I call upon the bloodline birthed of flesh and fire to awaken.”

“Do not underestimate what I would or would not do to ensure your happiness. I think you know this by now. There is nothing that I wouldn’t do, Poppy. Nothing.”

“Yes, here we all stand, apparently determined to irritate the hell out of one another. Not me. I don’t want to irritate anyone—you know, the person who was attacked not once but twice and then shot in the chest with a crossbow. And yet, I’m the one who has to tell you two to knock it the hell off.”

“My Queen. I guess I will have to stop calling you Princess.”

“Strange how small the world is, though. The whole purpose of assuming the role I did was to ensure an open pathway between Casteel and you. I spent years living a lie, all so he could capture the Maiden and use her to free his brother and gain back some of our stolen land. I had no idea what you were or even why you were the Maiden.”

“Not about anything. Not even when you don’t want me to worry. I know you’re strong and so resilient it’s fucking unbelievable, but you don’t have to always be strong with me. It’s okay to not be okay when you’re with me. It’s my duty as your husband to make sure you feel safe enough to be real. You don’t have to pretend that you’re okay with everything that has happened, Poppy.”

“I want to do everything imaginable, and things no one has ever thought of with you. But I only need you, Poppy. Now. Always.”

“When the gods gave the kiyou mortal form, we were bonded to them and their children on an instinctual level that is passed down generation after generation. And that instinctive bond recognizes you.”

“I’m going to Iliseeum. Once I return, I will send the Blood Queen the kind of message only Casteel would be proud of.”

“I have to fight my instincts when it comes to you rushing out there to battle everything and anything, too. It’s not because I don’t think you’re capable. It’s just that I fear losing you. But your need to defend yourself is greater than my fear. That’s the only reason I don’t stop you. It will be the same for Kieran.”

“If you think that what I did was a shock, then you need to understand that I will do anything and everything for my wife. No risk is too great, nor is anything too sacred. Because she is my everything. There is nothing greater than her, and I do mean nothing.”

“As long as the Prince doesn’t give any of us a reason to behave differently, we will protect him as fiercely as we will protect you.”

“When I saw you in the Red Pearl, I knew you wore a mask. Not the one that hid your identity, but one you were forced to wear for many years beneath the veil. One you didn’t know you even wore. I saw you, and I knew you were the Maiden. I knew you were a second daughter, one who shared the blood of the gods. And I knew he was seeking the same thing that led you to the Red Pearl that night.”

“You are the foundation that helps me stand. You are my walls and my roof. My shelter. You are my home.”

“In the entirety of the two kingdoms, I couldn’t give a fuck if you or any other member of the Council likes me. It does not change that I am your Queen, and your tone and the manner in which you address me is highly inappropriate. Not just because I’m your Queen, but because I am the grandchild of Nyktos, and you speak to a god with such disrespect.”

“We have come to claim what is mine—the Crown and the kingdom.”

“For thousands of years, that was repeated over and over until it simply became something known and never questioned. But it was a lie to sway those who were too curious. Iliseeum lies beyond the Mountains of Nyktos.”

“Yes, you are mortal, but you are descended from a deity—the children of the gods. All it takes is a drop of god’s blood—. You may have more than just a drop, but what is in your blood, what is in you, supersedes any oath the wolven have taken.”

“I couldn’t bear it if you thought you were responsible. I don’t want that to eat away at you. You haven’t failed me. I don’t know where I would be right now if it weren’t for you. I don’t even know if I would be alive.”

“Gods, I hope you truly understand how strong you are. I’m constantly in awe of you. I’ve been in awe of you since the night in the Red Pearl.”

“Make sure she knows that I am the Chosen, the One who is Blessed, and I carry the blood of the King of Gods in me. I am the Liessa to the wolven, the second daughter, the true heir, owed the crowns of Atlantia and Solis. I am the Queen of Flesh and Fire, and the gods’ guards ride with me. Tell the Blood Queen to prepare for war.”

“You’re standing. You’re dealing with it, and fuck if I’m not in awe of you right now. But I also know none of this has hit you yet, and that concerns me. You keep telling me you’re okay every time I ask how you are, and I know that can’t be true.

“He will not hurt me. You all know that. You told me that he was the only person in both kingdoms that I was safe with. That hasn’t changed.”

“You were born of flesh with the fire of the gods in your blood. You are a Bringer of Life and a Bringer of Death. You are the Queen of Flesh and Fire, due more than one Crown, one kingdom. What you seek, you already have. You always had the power in you.”

“You’ve faced Craven and vamprys, men wearing masks of human flesh, creatures without faces, and stared down Atlantians who wanted to harm you with the kind of strength and bravery most lack. Remember what you are. Fearless.”

“Very few men don’t want to make war, while nearly every woman wants to end it. Most would believe the former causes the most bloodshed. They’d be wrong. The latter is always the bloodiest, and always requires a great sacrifice. But, sometimes, no matter how many measures one takes, or how much they are willing to compromise, war cannot always be prevented.”

“You know how you said it was weird to be a Queen to the wolven but not be a wolven? It made me think of how when I met you, I was looking for the Maiden, but I found a Princess, a Queen—my wife. I don’t know. It just made me think about how you find things you never knew you needed when you’re looking for something completely opposite.”

“You told me that I was your home. That works both ways. You are mine. What matters is that we’re together and happy.”