Kailyn wore a long gown of sky-blue, with golden trim at her breast. Her hair flowed down her back and she stood straight and tall, with the aura of one who knew she was truly where she belonged. The little girl who had confessed so many fears in the garden on Orand had disappeared somewhere between then and now.
The woman who had taken her place knelt before the priest and bowed her head as a symbol of humility. Then she looked straight ahead, a vision of solemn beauty. The priest lifted the Crown slowly, held it high, and lowered it onto her head. There was an absolute hush in the Great Hall.
The crystals glowed, clear and blue in their shining silver setting. Kailyn stood—and the choir broke into a chorus of jubilation.
McCoy poked Kirk in the ribs. “She looked at me, didn’t she, Jim?”
“Yeah, Bones, she looked at you.”
Outside, the plaza shook to the sounds of tumultuous cheering, and bells pealed near and far. At long last, the war-torn planet of Shad had its new Queen of the Covenant.
The palace hadn’t seen a banquet of any kind in almost twenty years. Somehow, a staff had been assembled, and the foyers, the broad staircases of marble and alabaster, and the main rooms had been spit-shined and decorated.
Through the whirl of dancers and revelry, a young, shaggy-haired servant found Kirk, Spock, and McCoy on a veranda overlooking the rest of the capital city. Fireworks exploded across the night sky—the thunder of joyful celebration instead of death.
The starship officers were ushered into an empty sitting room, and the servant left them, closing the door behind him. A side door opened and Kailyn rushed into their arms; McCoy stepped forward and intercepted her, taking her hand delicately in his own. He bent low in a courtly bow and kissed her fingertips.
“Your royal Highness.”
Kailyn blushed. “You don’t have to call me that.”
“I just wanted to see how it sounded,” he said grinning.
“It sounds just fine.”
Then there was an awkward pause, broken first by the new Queen. “There’s no way I can ever thank you, all of you. I owe you more than just my life. When . . . when I left Orand, I only knew how to be a frightened child. In a lot of ways, I still am. But you’ve helped me so much. Knowing you, I’ve learned how to find strength in myself, how to love, and be loved. . . . Most of all, I’ve learned how to keep learning, as long as I live.”
McCoy started to speak, but Kailyn raised her hand.
“No . . . wait. I know our lives have to take different paths now, but I hope they cross again and keep crossing as long as we’re all alive.” She sniffled, trying to stop the tears before they slipped out, then lowered her head and wiped her eyes. “Not very queenly. I guess.”
She took a deep breath. “Well . . . General Haim wants me to meet some people.” As quickly as she’d entered, she turned and left, and McCoy thought of the first time she’d come to see him in sick bay—the way she’d darted in and out, afraid she was intruding.
The palace celebration lasted well into the night. Chekov was in the midst of one more pass by the long smorgasbord tables, balancing an overflowing plate with one hand and pouring from a flagon of wine with the other.
“Enjoying yourself, Mr. Chekov?” asked Kirk.
“Paradise to a starving man, Captain,” he said, squeezing a thumb into his waistband. “We should come to coronations more often.”
“I’ll make a note of that. Better eat fast—we’ll be beaming up as soon as I can gather the rest of our drunken crew.”
“But it seems like we just got here, sir.”
Kirk shrugged wistfully. “Got to get back to work sometime.”
McCoy and Kailyn danced a lilting waltz, smiling all the while but without a word. Impulsively, she kissed him on the cheek and his smile became a laugh.
“What was that for?” he asked.
“I felt like it. If the Queen can’t kiss her dancing partner, then what’s the good of being Queen?” Then she added in a conspiratorial whisper: “Are you afraid the Council will think there’s something between us?”
“There is. There always will be—and don’t you forget it, young lady.”
Her eyes brightened—the child within shone through. “Then you will visit me . . . I mean us . . . again?”
He nodded—and felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to look up at a young Shaddan lieutenant—blond, baby-faced, wearing a chestful of medals. He was at least a head taller than McCoy.
“May I have this dance with her highness?”
McCoy felt a wave of old age coming on, felt stooped and gray—but caught it just in time and straightened up. “Of course . . . son.” Before he yielded Kailyn’s hand, he murmured: “Would you believe I used to look just like him?”
Now she laughed—and McCoy froze that image in his mind.
At the edge of the ballroom floor, he found Spock and Kirk and joined them in a last drink.
“She certainly has grown up,” said Kirk.
“She had to, Jim.”
“Her father always did what he had to. If she’s inherited that instinct, she should be quite a Queen.”
“Captain,” said Spock formally, “I believe you’ve found common ground upon which Dr. McCoy and I can fully agree.”
“I’d like to make a habit of that, gentlemen,” said Kirk.
McCoy shook his head and grinned. “Not on your life, Jim.”
About the Author
HOWARD WEINSTEIN lives on Long Island, New York. He graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in communications in 1975. “The Pirates of Orion” episode of the animated Star Trek series was his first television script sale, and this novel is his first book. He spends his spare time playing guitar; writing songs; and watching television, seeing movies, and reading books (all to check up on the competition). Among his friends are a large collection of stuffed creatures (who also watch television, see movies, and read books — but not to check up on the competition).
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THE COVENANT OF THE CROWN Page 20
