Sally was searching fanatically for her princess as she ran into the palace with an ear-splitting smile. She spotted Danika hurrying away from the hallway that led to the king’s chambers, and her princess was crying.
Sally’s smile dried away to be replaced by worry. “My princess!? My princess!?”
At the familiar sound of Sally’s voice, Danika hurried towards her and threw herself in her friend’s arm. “Oh, Sally? You’re here?”
“Of course, I’m here. I came immediately when I heard that you were freed and crowned. The new queen of Mombana! By heavens, I am so happy!”
Danika held her tight, crying her heart out. It was hurting too much.
“Please, why are you crying, my princess? You’re scaring me! You know you can tell me anything!?” she whispered, leading Danika away from the hallway.
Chad came up behind her, his eyes asking her what the problem was, but Sally shook her head to her husband, indicating that she had no idea. A look passed between them. Sally nodded, and then he continued towards the end of the hallway, his destination being the king’s chambers.
Alone with Danika, Sally pleaded with her princess to tell her why she was crying.
“He n-never cared about me, S-Sally. He does not even want me to stay. He d-does not t-t-trust me. It hurts, Sally, it hurts b-badly.” Sobs racked Danika’s throat.
Quickly, Sally tried to understand what her princess was crying about, and as she did, tears were already dropping from her own eyes. It had always been hard for her to hold it together whenever her princess cried.
“It’s okay, my princess. Please, stop crying. Please.” They could talk about all this later, then Sally could understand better. For now, her princess needed to stop crying.
Danika kept pouring her heart out in her lamentations. “He m-made me a queen. It’s what I w-want, and I’m so h-happy, but he doesn’t believe that I will s-still want to be with him when I h-have my freedom and my s-status restored. Why would he ever think that I would love him less!? I d-don’t! I will n-never!” She took a breath. “And now, I have to go back to Mombana...so f-far away from him...from Salem. How do I live without him? I was so mad, I t-told him not to t-touch me when he t-tried to. I told him that I d-don’t want his h-hands on me!”
“Oh, my princess!” Sally gasped shocked and at the same time, feeling so much pity for her princess and the situation at hand.
“I know, I know, I didn’t m-mean it!” she cried. “I was just so mad and hurt and I wasn’t thinking clearly. I was a m-mess! I am still a mess!”
“You are, my princess, you are. So stop crying. You need to rest and think clearly so we can know which way to go forward.”
Danika was shaking her head so miserably, she opened her mouth to say something else but the door opened.
A maid stuck her head in, gasped in relief and pulled her head back. “The queen is in here!”
At the sound of footsteps from outside, Sally helped wipe away the tears from Danika’s face with her own clothes, and by the time the door opened again, they had a semblance of control.
Three guards and four maids entered the room. They bowed their heads. One of the guards spoke up.
“The kings are waiting for you in court, Your Highness. It’s time for the last rites before you go home. Your people have also assembled outside the palace. They are waiting to take their queen home.”
Danika looked at Sally helplessly.
Sally nodded her encouragement.
The queen lowered her head in pain for a few seconds. Then she rose and allowed the guards to lead her out.
Vetta could not believe what she was hearing.
At the sound of chaos and cheers behind the walls she was enclosed in, she'd called a guard and demanded to know what is going on.
“The king freed the former princess from slavery,” the guard had enunciated.
About damn time. Maybe now she'll know herself for the green snake from a green monster she is, Vetta thought satisfyingly.
“She was crowned the new queen of Mombana. The privileged people of the kingdom and the kings of so many kingdoms witnessed her crowning, and now her coronation ceremony is going—”
“What!?” Vetta cried as she rose from the ground. Surely, her ears were deceiving her.
But the guard repeated everything he said before he inclined his head and walked away from the dungeon.
Vetta wanted to keep disbelieving this development. Surely, he didn't crown her queen!
She'd said to free her not to crown her queen! Danika is now in the highest status any woman would ever be in the kingdom. Now she will have to bow to Danika at sight?
Over her dead body!
Why did the king do this!? Angry tears filled Vetta’s eyes.
Why would he free her!? She should have known that he would never do anything so predictable, of course, he wouldn't! But to crown her queen!?
She began crying. Angry, raging and bitter tears.