A Dream of Ebony and White_A Retelling of Snow White by Melanie Cellier

Author:Melanie Cellier [Cellier, Melanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Luminant Publications
Published: 2018-10-16T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter 16

My grandfather might claim me as his queen, but that didn’t mean he would allow such a pronouncement to stand without argument. A great deal of argument. In fact, we were still arguing about it when the first guests of the evening arrived at the front door of the ducal mansion.

My grandfather seemed to think I would see sense and back down if he could just get me to understand how dangerous the mission would be and how important I was to the kingdom. But I was all too aware of both those things already. I felt them in the weight of fear and responsibility that dragged me down with every step I took.

But I had spent weeks training in the forest, honing myself into someone stronger than the person I had been before. And yet still I had sent Alexander alone into danger on my behalf. And danger had found him.

I knew from my father’s teachings that such was the life of a monarch. If I did succeed at gaining my rightful throne, this weight of responsibility would never completely leave me. And all too often, others would be called upon to bear the danger. But I had not yet won my throne. And I knew in the deepest parts of me that I needed to do this. Needed to face my fear.

For this one time, I needed to prove to myself—and to those who I hoped would serve me—that they mattered to me. That I was willing to bear danger alongside them and for them. If I sheltered in this house until others had secured me my throne, I might never be able to make the decisions that would need to be made in the years to come.

And then there was the reason I would never tell my grandfather. That I still didn’t entirely trust him. If his men came back and reported that they hadn’t been able to access the castle, how would I know if that was true, or if the whole thing had been a ruse to pacify me?

And so I stood firm.

I could see my grandfather wished to forbid it outright, but the arriving guests served to remind him of the quandary he had put himself in. He had apparently decided to devote his considerable resources to making me queen. Which meant he couldn’t order me to do anything.

I was a little ashamed of the small feeling of power it gave me. And yet, despite all the assistance he had so far given me, I was unwilling to allow him to waltz into my life from nowhere and start ordering me about as if he were a truly parental figure. He had yet to earn that right.

And, of course, as soon as the door opened and the guests began to pour in, we both assumed our court masks, putting our disagreement to the side. We received them in the duke’s spacious ballroom which had been filled with large potted plants, low couches, and high tables of refreshments.

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