Page 24 of A King’s Trust (Heart-Mage Trilogy #1)

24

FACES OF POWER

I t took nine days to pull together a proper enough coronation in the newly cleaned and repaired throne room. Most of the ceremony was rote memorization, a scripted set of lines and actions that every king in Granvallée’s history had said and done in exactly the same way.

For this reason, older nobles were taken aback when Beau ended his vows to the kingdom by calling Penny to the dais. He’d warned her she’d be taking vows of her own, so she rose gracefully and took her place next to him with flawless, regal poise, the definition of a queen.

“Victoire Augusta Bridgette Penamour, do you swear to serve and protect this kingdom and its people?”

She dipped her head. “I do, Your Majesty.”

“Do you swear to rule fairly and justly, to the fullest extent of your ability?”

“I do.”

“And should your king fall, should I become unable to rule for any reason without an heir of age to inherit, will you accept the throne of Granvallée as its sovereign?”

Penny’s eyes widened, and the ring exploded in a riot of shock. This was no part of the queen’s vows. The queen did not—could not—claim the throne of Granvallée herself. Only a king could rule. But Beau’s eyes were steady on hers, willing her to trust him, and she nodded slowly. “I will.”

Beau smiled, placing the gold band of her crown atop her braids. “Then I crown you Queen of Granvallée, to rule and serve beside me.” She took in a breath as if to say something to him, but he turned to the noble audience. “The role of queen under Queen Victoire will be different than it has been before, but I believe you will find it a welcome change.”

He took a deep breath, caught Elias’s small, encouraging nod where he stood against the side wall, and said, “I am your king, and all of Granvallée is subject to my will—except my wife. Your queen rules alongside me. She does not answer to me. You will hear her guidance, her commands, and her judgments as if they are mine.”

Stunned silence hung heavy in the hall. Lord Macabrie, in the front row, was the first to break it. “She speaks with your voice, then, Your Majesty?”

Beau smiled at him. “No, Lord Macabrie. She speaks with her own. From this day forward, its weight in Granvallée equals mine.” When the man pursed his lips as if to speak, Beau raised a hand and said, “I expect she and I will be aligned in nearly everything. However, if we disagree, a simple majority vote of the court will make the determination for Granvallée.”

The buzz from the nobles resumed. A vote? Penny’s hand wrapped his wrist, squeezed tight, and he felt the waves and waves of disbelief from her. She and he both knew she controlled the nobles, if it came to that; he was giving her more power than he held.

Affection was no part of the ceremony, but Beau bent to kiss his wife anyway. He reached through the ring, recognizing the action now as an outstretching of magic, enjoying the buzz of it. He pulled joy and reassurance and determination to the front.

As he pulled away from her, Elias nodded to him again, and Beau jerked his head toward the dais, calling the guard up to his other side. El hesitated; they hadn’t determined what his role would be now, but there was comfort in the way he slipped into the space he’d always occupied at Beau’s shoulder, his warm, steady presence returned to its rightful place.

The deadliest man alive to his left. The most formidable monarch Granvallée would ever see to his right. And in the center, a heart-mage, bound to both.

“Now,” he said, raising his hands and commanding the attention of the room again, “let us turn our eyes to protecting our borders and our people. There’s work to do.”