“It’s just another variable though,” Krew added. “Find a day the king isn’t wearing the sword, and then what, gamble on it being Jorah and me?” Krew paused. “That isn’t fair to Keir. He should have the time to figure it out. And killing my father now means that Keir’s Assemblage is brought to an abrupt end. He would have to choose likely that very day who would be his queen.”
As Krew’s words sank in, Emric’s posture relaxed.
“As much as I want this to be over,” Krew added. “It isn’t fair to leave Keir with a rushed decision. The last thing we need is to remove my father just to place a young queen on the throne. One who might do further harm to Wylan.” He dipped his head toward Keir. “Intentional or not.”
I knew he and I were both thinking of Gwen. She was compassionate and kind for the most part. But she tended to see things in black and white. And in the case of Keir, she tended to go after what she personally wanted, the rest of his Assemblage be damned.
She could be a kind and gracious queen. Or she could be temperamental. And the last thing Wylan needed after Theon Valanova was a temperamental queen. Someone who would tear down others to get what she wanted.
His other option was Delaney. She was Savaryn born. She would be a good queen, probably let Keir lead as much as he wanted while she took a back seat and looked the part. But she would do absolutely nothing to bridge the divides in our country.
And then there was me. I had never wanted to be queen. But more than I believed in my ability to become queen, I believed in Krew’s ability to rule as a just and fair king.
My heart hurt as I realized something. I knew that in asking us to wait to make a move on the king, Krew was signing himself up for more time apart from his son. In allowing his brother time to make the right decision for Wylan, he was sacrificing time with a son who didn’t even know his father.
Soon,Krew promised me down the bond.We will bring Warrick home soon.
I gave him a nod, unable to form words. It was too painful to picture. Warrick running the hallways, bringing joy and laughter to everyone he would meet.
“Just pick one,” Emric said to Keir with an exasperated gesture.
“I don’t know that I wish to marry either of them,” Keir admitted. “Or that I would seriously consider it if I weren’t required to date them via the Assemblages.”
I tipped my head back to the ceiling. It sure seemed like he cared about Gwen enough. They’d had a connection from the start. Before I’d left. But maybe he saw in Gwen what the rest of us had as well. That she was young and too idealistic. At the very least, Gwen needed time. And we were currently running out of it.
Yet Molly would have been the answer to this entire conversation. She would have been a great queen, her personality not capable of possessing any vindictiveness. We probably could have made our move on the king that very night had Molly and Keir been sitting next to Krew and me. There would be two viable and strong options to take over the throne once Theon was gone.
I let out a sigh and pushed my magic down.
“What?” Keir snapped. “You don’t get to incessantly sigh about my Assemblage when you aren’t even in it anymore.”
“Whoa,” Apollo muttered.
Emric leaned in, listening intently.
“No, she isn’t,” Krew bit out just as harshly. “But she still has the right to feel about it however she pleases.”
“You want to know what my problem is?” I asked Keir, none too kindly.
“You and Krew are happy, bonded, and strong as hell. So yes. I’d love to hear what your problem is withmyAssemblage,” Keir responded, frustration laced into every word.
“My problem,” I snapped, “is that Molly was the perfect option. She iskindand gorgeous and would’ve been a better queen than any of the remaining women, myself included. You had the perfect queen for Wylan right there and you just let her slip through your fingers.”
He cocked his head. “Wouldn’t be the first time, now would it?”
I ignored that to unpack later. I felt my magic flare as I hadn’t used much of it yet today. “You got to choose from Krew’s Assemblage whoever you wanted, Keir. You chose her. And then you dangled her there just to turn around and send her home at the end.” I paused. “If we are discussing who would be best to sit on that throne, it isn’t any of us sitting here at this table. It was her. Of all the Assemblage women, I would have trusted her in that role the most. And now she’s gone.”
The table was quiet for a moment, but I had no idea if it was because of the awkward tension or because I was allowing my magic to slither along my veins.
Keir’s voice was so quiet I almost didn’t catch it. “I miss her too.”
I let my magic show a little more, flaring with my immediate anger. “You don’t get to hurt her like that and thenmissher.”
“Jorah, love,” Krew said gently.
I tore my eyes from Keir’s that I was locked in on in anger.
“It isn’t as if my Assemblage ran smoothly either. In fact, it barely ran at all. And then it was over before it ever really began.”
