“I never hated you!” Lucy protested. Eamon gave her a long-suffering look, and she grinned. “But I guess I wanted you to think I did, so I won’t quibble.”
Eamon’s retort was lost as they heard the herald in the adjoining ballroom announce them. It all felt surreal. Lucy knew it was Kyonan custom to confer the title of lady on a woman betrothed to the king or his heir, but it was still strange to hear herself referred to as Lady Luciana. It was going to be even stranger to be Princess Luciana in a matter of months.
Every eye was on them as they entered the ballroom. But Lucy was determined not to be disconcerted, either by the resentment in the eyes of some of the disappointed noble girls, or the admiration in the eyes of some of the men.
She was admittedly a little uncomfortable under the expressionless scrutiny of Lord and Lady Rodanthe, standing with some of the other senior nobles of King Calinnae’s court. They had been polite in their congratulations on her betrothal to Prince Eamon, but she had a feeling it would take a lot of time and effort to reach any kind of warmth with them. They hadn’t said it, of course, but she had the sense they largely blamed her for the series of disasters that the delegation to the South Lands had turned into. And perhaps they had reason, she acknowledged to herself.
But she drew strength from the warmth of King Calinnae’s and Queen Elnora’s smiles as they greeted her, and formally welcomed her to her new role. Eamon was right. If the sovereigns approved the prince’s choice, no one else was in any position to oppose it.
She remembered how dazzled she’d been when she’d entered this room for her first ever ball. She bit back a grin as she glanced up at Eamon, his stride stately and regal as he escorted her down the long dining table. Even then, this had been what she had most dreamed of. And now it was real, and a hundred times more raw, and complicated, and beautiful, than she had imagined.
Lucy had thought there might be some tradition that would require her to sit with her parents, or even some of the senior courtiers. So she was delighted to instead be seated between Eamon and Jocelyn.
“I’m so glad you were able to come for this,” she said to Jocelyn during the soup course, for perhaps the tenth time. “It feels like years since I’ve seen you, rather than months.”
Jocelyn beamed at her. “We wouldn’t miss it for anything.”
“Having said that,” Kincaid amended, leaning around his wife to address Lucy and Eamon, “don’t let them drag their heels too long planning the wedding, or we might have no choice but to miss that.” He considered. “Unless you wait another year or so.”
“Absolutely not,” said Eamon flatly, and Kincaid grinned.
“Nonsense, Kincaid,” Jocelyn scolded her husband. “There’s no need for them to wait until afterward. The wedding will be in a few months’ time, and I’ll be here,” her expression turned grimly determined, “if I have to travel by dragon.”
“Something tells me the Valorian royal physician won’t recommend that,” Lucy said dryly, giving a significant glance toward Jocelyn’s hand.
The princess laughed self-consciously, returning her hand to the table. Her stomach had only just begun to stretch, but Lucy had noticed she frequently rested a hand protectively over the little bump, the gesture apparently unconscious.
“Ah, our physician is a stuffy old creature,” chipped in Princess Lavinia cheerfully, from her seat on Kincaid’s other side. “If he tries to stop you traveling here for the wedding, by dragon or otherwise, I’ll help you escape, Joss, don’t worry.”
“Why does that make me more worried?” Kincaid asked darkly, but Jocelyn just laughed.
Eamon chuckled too, and Lucy shook her head with a smile. Princess Lavinia’s presence had certainly enlivened Jocelyn and Kincaid’s visit. She wasn’t quite sixteen yet, and this was her first state visit, but she didn’t suffer from any lack of confidence.
Lucy had been a little wary of the younger girl at first, remembering how she had flirted with Eamon at Jocelyn and Kincaid’s wedding. But when Eamon had discovered the reason for her sudden reserve, he’d thrown back his head and laughed. After reassuring her that he wasn’t in any danger of succumbing to the charms of a precocious child, he confided in her that the princess’s behavior at the wedding really had nothing to do with Eamon, and everything to do with a certain Lord Henrik, Kincaid’s dashing best friend.
He wasn’t laughing quite so hard when Lucy commented that she remembered Lord Henrik well, and that it was a shame he couldn’t have joined the delegation too. But remembering how shamelessly she’d flirted with Henrik at the wedding—for reasons uncomfortably similar to Princess Lavinia’s schemes—Lucy couldn’t really blame him. And she could only admire Lavinia’s open friendliness toward her. Clearly the young princess was less prone to holding a grudge than Lucy.
“It’s strange not to have Cody here,” said Lucy wistfully, glancing over at her family and some of their closest friends, seated nearby. Unlike her, Matheus looked relieved to be placed with the others from Raldon rather than the royals. He was close in age to Princess Lavinia, but nowhere near as eager to be the center of attention.
“It was a nice letter he sent for the occasion,” Eamon said, squeezing her hand sympathetically.
Lucy rolled her eyes. “You mean Yasmin sent. Cody would definitely never have thought of such a thing. I’m still sad we missed their wedding.”
It still rankled a little that the older couple hadn’t had to wait so long, and it had been too soon to justify another voyage for either Lucy or Matheus.
“Mother and Father said it was beautiful,” Lucy continued. “They were both very taken with Thorania.” She considered for a moment. “Although in Father’s case, I think he was just happy to spend some of their trip in a kingdom where he wasn’t worried someone was going to chop his head off at any minute.”
“I thought he said it was a pleasant visit,” Eamon said, surprised.
Lucy shook her head indulgently. “Oh, he wouldn’t complain about it. He likes to tease her, but he’d do anything for Mother, and he knew how excited she was to visit her homeland again after all these years.”
“Well, at least Cody and Yasmin plan to be here for our wedding,” Eamon said.
“That will be nice,” said Lucy, more cheerfully.
“I didn’t know you’d had a recent letter from them,” Kincaid interjected with interest. “How are they? Is it true King Abner gave them Rasad’s lands?”
“That’s right,” Eamon confirmed. “Apparently there really was nothing at all left from Rasad’s Bastion. But I think they prefer to start fresh, anyway.”
“I should think so,” Lucy agreed, shuddering at the thought of Cody living in the luxurious but tainted fortress of the deceased advisor. “They’re building their new home right by the ocean, apparently. Lady Yasmin’s family are thrilled to have the land back in the family, even if it’s remaining a separate estate.”
Kincaid shook his head. “It’s hard to imagine Cody settling down as a married man, isn’t it?”
Lucy chuckled. “Married or not, I doubt there’s going to be much settling down going on. They’re probably racing horses bareback across the moonlit desert at this moment.” The thought made her smile. She missed Cody—everyone at Raldon did—but she couldn’t really regret his decision to stay in Thorania. She was sure he would thrive there.
The evening passed in a blur. Of course Eamon was required to dance with a number of important people—and to Lucy’s surprise, she now had similar duties to perform—but as it was their betrothal fest, they were at least allowed to open the dancing together. And Eamon told her he didn’t care about politeness tonight, and any dance he wasn’t strictly obligated to give to someone else would belong to Lucy.
To her vindictive delight, neither Vanessa nor Sonia were senior enough to qualify as a requirement. She had a petty desire to chuckle at the memory of Sonia saying that Eamon could fight off anyone. The girl had been more right than she knew, although Lucy suspected
Sonia hadn’t intended to include herself in that declaration.
Midnight had long since passed when Lucy found herself hovering near a refreshment table, alone for a rare moment. Eamon was across the room, saying goodnight to Jocelyn and Kincaid. The crowd had begun to thin, but the Valorian prince and princess were the first of the young people to retire. Jocelyn had done well to last so long—she looked like she could barely keep her eyes open.
“Well, Cal, here we are.”
Lucy didn’t need to turn her head to know who was speaking nearby, and not just because the voice was so familiar. No one but her father would be audacious enough to call the king by his nickname at a public event.
“They’re well suited, I think,” the king’s voice returned, full of satisfaction. “They’ll be very happy together. And she’ll make a capable queen one day.” Clearly the pair hadn’t noticed her proximity, and Lucy flushed with pleasure at the compliment.
“Of course they’re suited,” her father replied cheerfully. He gave a contented sigh. “Well, it took a long time to get my own back. You stole the crown from me when we were teenagers, Cal, but at last I’ve managed to get my line on the throne.”
Lucy whipped her head around, horrified at her father’s flippant joke. She already had enough of an uphill battle to win the court over. The last thing she needed was for him to start a rumor that he had planted her in Eamon’s life with treasonous intentions.
But no one else was in earshot, and Uncle Cal’s deep chuckle reassured her he hadn’t taken offense.
“It took a long time indeed,” he agreed. “I certainly wouldn’t have guessed when we were searching the beach for crabs as children that either your children or mine would ever wear a crown.” He paused. “Or that we would have the same grandchildren one day, for that matter.”
“Neither would I,” said Lucy’s father, sounding taken aback at the idea of becoming a grandfather. There was a moment of silence. “Kind of a nice thought, though, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” Lucy could hear the smile in the king’s voice. “It is, actually.”
Her heart swelled with satisfaction as she watched Eamon make his way back across the room toward her. Nice was an understatement, really.
The future was brighter than she could ever have imagined.
Note from the Author
Thank you for reading Downfall of the Curse. I hope you enjoyed Lucy’s journey, and the chance to explore the last of the four kingdoms on the map of Kyona and Beyond. I would be so grateful if you would consider leaving a review on Amazon—it would really make a difference!
If you’re wondering about the fallout of Rasad’s defeat, or what becomes of the dashing Lord Henrik and the spirited Princess Lavinia, check out Downfall’s Echo, the sixth and final installment of the Kyona Chronicles, where more adventure, fantasy, mystery, and romance await.
Join up to my mailing list at deborahgracewhite.com to be kept up to date on new releases, specials, and giveaways, such as bonus chapters. You will also receive Dragon’s Sight, an 8,000 word prequel to the series, told from Elddreki’s perspective.
Again, thanks for entering the world of the Kyona Chronicles! I hope to see you back again.
Acknowledgments
Having told the story of Cal and Elnora’s daughter in Legacy of the Curse, it was especially satisfying to spend some time with Jo and Scarlett’s daughter. Not to mention Thorania needed to be explored!
This installment only happened because of the support of some wonderful people. Firstly, my husband Ray, thanks for cheering me on. Your enthusiasm for the story is worth more than gold, and your suggestions always make it better.
Thank you so much to my beta readers, Adrian, Tamara, Andrew, Dad, Mum, Cherilyn, and Ali. You guys are amazing, and I’m so grateful for your ongoing interest. As always, double thanks to Dad for your developmental and copy editing and all your practical work for release, and to Mum for your line editing.
The cover is another masterpiece by Karri—I absolutely love it. And Rebecca, I’m so pleased that every corner of your incredibly beautiful map has now been explored!
To you, the reader, thank you for giving me the privilege of being an author.
And above all, to God. It’s thanks to You I know who I am. Thank You for giving me an identity that can never be taken away from me.
About the Author
I’ve been a reader since I can remember, growing up on a wide range of books, from classic literature to light-hearted romps. The love of reading has traveled with me unchanged across multiple continents, and carried me from my own childhood all the way to having children of my own.
But if reading is like looking through a window into a magical and beautiful world, beginning to write my own stories was like discovering that I could open that window and climb right out into fantasyland.
I cannot believe how privileged I am to actually be living that childhood dream and publishing my own novels. I do so from my hometown of Adelaide, Australia, where I live with my husband and our two, soon to be three, little munchkins.
I’ve never outgrown my love of young adult stories, and my first series, The Kyona Chronicles, is a young adult fantasy series of six installments.
Feel free to email me at [email protected] and introduce yourself! Or subscribe to my mailing list at deborahgracewhite.com for free giveaways, sales, and updates.
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