The Crown of Gilded Bones

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

“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.”

“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.”

“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 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 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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

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

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”