The Crown of Gilded Bones

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

“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.”

“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.”

“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...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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

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

“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.”