Chapter 90
"If I die," Ashley continued firmly, "it will be on my own terms, protecting what I love. That is not a tragedy, that is a choice and a good one at that."
Tears slipped down Elizabeth's cheeks. "But I'm not ready. I need you."
"You are more ready than you know." Ashley wiped the tears away with her thumbs. "I have spent sixteen years preparing you. You know the ministers, you understand the politics, you have a good heart and a sharp mind. And now—" She smiled softly. "Now you have Lucas. Someone strong enough to stand beside you. Someone who sees you as more than a princess."
Elizabeth let out a wet laugh. "He's infuriating, you know that, right. He's always so calm, so certain. It makes me want to shake him sometimes."
"I know." Ashley laughed too. "I've only known him a few days and I already feel the same way."
"He called me sweetheart."
"Did he now?"
"And he said I was beautiful." Elizabeth's cheeks pinked. "Not in a creepy way. Just... like it was a fact. Like the sky being blue or the sun being warm."
Ashley studied her daughter's face, seeing the confusion and hope and something deeper stirring there. "And how did that make you feel?"
Elizabeth was quiet for a moment. Then, softly: "Cared for, but also this strange feeling."
"That's rare," Ashley said. "Treasure it. But also—be careful. Lucas carries weight. More than he shows, Loving someone like that isn't easy."
"I know." Elizabeth looked back out at the city. "I'm not even sure I do love him. I barely know him."
"But you want to."
"Yes." The admission was quiet but certain. "I want to know him. All of him. The good and the hard parts."
Ashley nodded slowly. "Then do that. But don't lose yourself in the process. You are still you—Elizabeth, my daughter, future queen of this kingdom. Whoever you love should add to your life, not consume it."
Elizabeth turned and wrapped her arms around her mother, holding tight. Ashley held her just as fiercely, pressing a kiss to her daughter's pink hair.
"I love you," Elizabeth whispered. "I don't say it enough."
"I know. I love you too." Ashley stroked her hair. "More than the throne, more than this city, more than my own life. Never doubt that."
They stayed on the balcony until the sun touched the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. Then, slowly, they made their way back down the spiral stairs, through the chambers, and out into the palace proper.
"One more thing," Ashley said, taking Elizabeth's hand. "Before you go back to your studies."
She led her daughter through the corridors, past guards who bowed respectfully, past servants who smiled at the sight of their queen and princess walking hand in hand. They emerged into the city proper through a small side gate that Elizabeth had never noticed before.
"The servants' entrance," Ashley explained at Elizabeth's questioning look. "Your father showed it to me. Said every queen should know how to leave her palace unnoticed."
They walked through streets Elizabeth had seen only from carriages narrower here, more crowded, filled with the smells of cooking food and the sounds of merchants hawking their wares. People moved out of their way, but not because they recognized them. Simply because two well-dressed women walking together commanded a certain respect.
Ashley stopped at a small stall tucked between two larger buildings. An old woman sat behind it, selling simple wooden toys carved animals, spinning tops, painted dolls.
"Hello, Mira," Ashley said warmly.
The old woman looked up, and her weathered face broke into a toothless grin. "Little Ashley! It's been so long. And you've brought " Her eyes, cloudy with age, focused on Elizabeth. "Oh Oh, my. You've brought your girl."
Elizabeth looked between them, surprised. "You know each other?"
"Mira used to watch you when you were small," Ashley explained. "When I needed a few hours to myself, I'd bring you here. She'd hold you and sing to you while I walked."
Mira nodded eagerly. "Pretty little thing you were. Pink hair like your mama, but your daddy's smile." She reached out with gnarled hands, and Elizabeth, after a moment's hesitation, let the old woman take her fingers. "Grew up so beautiful. Just like I knew you would."
"Thank you," Elizabeth said softly, genuinely touched.
Ashley bought a small carved bird from Mira, pressing extra coins into her hand despite the woman's protests. As they walked away, Elizabeth turned the toy over in her hands, marveling at the simple craftsmanship.
"Why did we stop coming?" Elizabeth asked.
Ashley was quiet for a moment. "After your father died, I couldn't—I couldn't bear to share you. Even with someone as kind as Mira. I wanted you all to myself, every moment I could get. It was selfish. I know that now."
"It wasn't selfish," Elizabeth said.
They walked on, past more stalls, past a fountain where children played, past a small temple where an old man sat reading to a group of young listeners. The city felt different on foot—alive in a way Elizabeth had never experienced from inside a carriage.
Eventually they stopped at a small tea house, its entrance marked by a simple wooden sign carved with a single flower. Inside, it was warm and quiet, filled with the scent of brewing tea and the soft murmur of conversation.
Ashley led them to a corner table, tucked away from the other patrons. A young woman appeared almost immediately, bowing respectfully.
"The usual?" she asked Ashley.
"Yes, please. And whatever my daughter would like."
Elizabeth ordered something light and floral, and soon they were sitting together with steaming cups, the noise of the city muffled by the tea house's thick walls.
"This is where your father brought me on our first date," Ashley said, cradling her cup. "I'd never been anywhere like it. All my meetings were in palaces, in formal gardens, in rooms filled with people trying to impress me. Here, no one cared who I was. We just drank tea and talked."
"What did you talk about?"
"Everything and Nothing." Ashley smiled at the memory. "He told me about his family, his childhood, his dreams. He asked about mine. He listened when I talked, not just waited for his turn to speak. By the time we left, I knew I was in trouble."
Elizabeth sipped her tea, watching her mother over the rim of her cup. "Were you scared? When you realized you loved him?"
"Terrified." Ashley laughed softly. "I was the queen. I couldn't afford to love someone. It made me vulnerable. It gave people something to use against me." She set down her cup. "But loving him was worth the fear. Every moment of it."
Elizabeth thought about Lucas—about his blue eyes and silver hair, about the weight he carried so quietly.
"I think," she said slowly, "I understand that. The being scared part."
Ashley reached across the table and took her daughter's hand. "Good. Fear means you know what's at stake. The trick is not letting it stop you."
They finished their tea in comfortable silence, then made their way back through the darkening streets. The city at night was different again softer somehow, lit by lanterns and the first stars appearing overhead.
At the servants' gate, they paused.
"Thank you," Elizabeth said, turning to face her mother.
Ashley cupped her daughter's face one more time, studying her features in the fading light. "Thank you for letting me share it with you."
Elizabeth hugged her tight, breathing in the familiar scent of her mother's perfume—jasmine and something else, something that had always meant home.
"I'm going to be okay," Elizabeth whispered. "Whatever happens. Because you taught me how."
Ashley held her close, eyes closed, memorizing the moment. "I know, my love. I know."
They walked back into the palace together, mother and daughter, hands linked, ready to face whatever came next.
Later that night, alone in her chambers, Elizabeth sat by her window and looked out at the city below. The carved bird from Mira sat on her windowsill, and she touched it gently with one finger.
So much had changed in such a short time. A stranger had come to their kingdom, bringing promises and power and a future she couldn't quite imagine. Her mother had opened doors Elizabeth never knew existed, sharing pieces of herself that had been locked away for years.
And somewhere in the palace, Lucas was training, pushing himself toward goals she couldn't fully understand. But she wanted to. She wanted to understand everything about him.
Fear means you know what's at stake, her mother had said. The trick is not letting it stop you.
Elizabeth smiled softly, tracing the curve of the wooden bird.
She wasn't going to let it stop her.