Royals and Rebels 1: The Queen of Coleum

Chapter 12: Coleum, 1500s

Twelve

Coleum, 1500s

A young woman was running through the woods, on the edge of an estate as though her life depended on it. The long skirt of the green dress that she wore she carried in her hands. She tried her hardest not to fall, but the forest was not easy terrain, with leaves and rocks making it harder for her to keep her balance.

“Run faster, run faster, run faster,” she urged herself, as if the words themselves had magic to make her run better. They didn’t, but it gave her enough encouragement that she pressed on even though she was desperate to stop.

“Serena!” a voice called.

It was his voice. The voice that had always made her tingle, from top to bottom, ever since she was a young girl. Back then, it had belonged to the young boy that she had grown up with. Now, it didn’t belong to that same boy.

He was no longer just a boy. He was also a conqueror. He had been born the bastard son of the previous King, and he had staged a revolution, so he could take over his brother’s crown. He had hated his brother and had wanted whatever he had. Including the throne.

“Serena!” he called again.

He had been trying to propose to her since he had taken the throne. What he kept on forgetting was that she was not a girl fit to be Queen. She didn’t know how, and maybe back when he was the boy she’d grown up with, she would have said yes to him. But this King, The Bastard King as Oro was now called, was not someone that she knew.

His world was not one for her.

“Serena!” he called again.

She tripped and found herself tumbling on the ground. Oro straddled her, his dark, curly hair, falling into his eyes, which were golden, like the sun.

“Found you,” he breathed.

She stared up to him, aware of his knee pressing between her thighs. There was a pulsing between her center that made her bite her lip. “Oro…” she whispered.

“Serena,” he said, as he reached up and stroked back a strand of her blond hair, “Serena, you’re avoiding me.”

I shook my head. “I’m not avoiding you.”

“Yes, you are. You know why I’m here, you know what I want.” His finger brushed slowly against my lips.

“I’m not a Queen, Oro. I was never meant to be royalty. I’m a merchant’s daughter. I won’t fit into that world.”

“I’m not supposed to be in this world either,” Oro said, “but just because something is not supposed to be here, doesn’t mean you can’t find a place for it. I did. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be King. I became King to start a new, world order. A new Coleum for a new age. If I am going to do this, to make it through, I need you by my side. Because you have always been by my side. I wouldn’t have made it this far without you.”

I blushed. “Those are pretty words. But the Royalists are still out there, we have no idea how long this is going to last.”

“Do you want to know why I did this?”

“I know why,” I said, “because your father was dying, and you hated your brother. You didn’t want him to become King.”

“I became King for you,” he said, “you know I did. Because under the law off the old King, you would have been married off to the first Lord that asked for your hand. I’m a bastard. I never could have married you. But now I’m King, and no one, my dear, will oppose us. No one will oppose me. I want this. I want you.”

“Oro,” I whispered, “shouldn’t you have someone who knows that world? Someone who will steer you in the right direction?”

“You have always steered me in the right direction,” he whispered, his voice raspy with a kind of needy desire in his voice, “I know you’ve always desired what’s best for me. If I’m going to survive being King, I need someone to be my moon. To shine light on my darkness. No one is better equipped to do that than you. That is what all of the best Queens do.”

Before I could say anything, he captured my mouth in his. He kissed me, slowly, deeply, as if he were savoring the taste of me. It was the first time I had ever kissed anyone. A low whimper escaped my mouth, when he pulled away, my lips were swollen and bruised.

“Not fair,” I whispered, “you’ve always had power over me.”

“I’m King,” he said, “I have power over everyone.”

“But I don’t want to lose my own power,” I confessed.

“You,” he whispered, “you are the only person that can bring me to my knees, and as long as you breathe, you will always have that power over me.”

“I bring you to your knees?” I whispered.

“Yes.”

“Alright,” I said, “alright. For the record, I didn’t need you to make me a Queen. I always had Queenliness inside of me.”

“Yes,” he growled, “and now you’ll have a King inside of you.” He trailed kisses down my neck, then bit down on my shoulder, making me cry out so loud I startled the forest birds away from their trees.