The Crown's Fire - Chapter 82

Chapter 82: Making A Decision
Mineah hurried forward, leading the way to Xenia, their sister. Ezekiel followed closely, his family’s excitement evident. They were all thrilled by Xenia’s success.

“Big Sister! Congratulations!” Mineah exclaimed, tears brimming in her eyes as she hugged Xenia. “We knew you’d do it!”

“Of course, I would. I’m strong, remember?” Xenia replied with a confident smile.

“You are indeed, dear sister,” Ezekiel chimed in proudly, his smile matching hers.

“You’re back! You’re alive!” Xenia cried, her voice trembling as she finally noticed his presence. “Big Brother!”

Xenia couldn’t contain her emotions as tears ran down her cheeks. Without hesitation, she hugged him, and Ezekiel gently patted her back as he squeezed her tightly.

“It wasn’t easy bringing him back,” Mineah joked with a grin. “Mother and I had to think hard to find a way to make it possible.”

Ezekiel chuckled back as he gently pulled away, wiping away Xenia’s tears as he gave her a soft smile. “Hmmm… Hush now, sister. Let’s celebrate.”

Xenia nodded at him before turning to Nikolai to express her gratitude. “Thank you for coming, Your Majesty. I’m sure that you took time off of running your kingdom just to come with my sister.”

“Oh please, we’re both in the highest position of royalty now,” Nikolai chuckled. “You can call me Nikolai, Sister-in-law. We’re family now. Also, I’m sure my people can do without me for a little while.”

“Nikolai it is, then,” Xenia nodded with a warm smile. She then finally turned to her parents, both of whom quickly opened their arms wide for her to run into. Snuggling into their embrace, she couldn’t help but cry out. “Thank you… For everything…”

Ezekiel was filled with bliss as he basked in the warmth of his reunited family. His gaze lingered on his two sisters, marveling at how they had grown into strong and refined women. He cherished them deeply, and he only wished for their happiness and well-being to last for a long time.

Through a twist of fate, both his sisters had been married off into arranged unions, a strategic move to forge alliances with powerful kingdoms like Valcrez and Cordon. And despite the political nature of their marriages, Ezekiel hoped fervently that his sisters would find love and fulfillment in their new lives.

Thankfully, Tarah’s visions had provided him with reassurance. She had seen a future where King Nikolai and King Darius would be devoted husbands to his sisters, standing by them through thick and thin in their own respective ways. In her visions, they would build strong and loving families together, supporting and protecting each other every step of the way.

Those glimpses of the future brought Ezekiel comfort, easing any doubts he may have harbored about his sisters’ arranged marriages.

But despite these reassurances, Ezekiel couldn’t shake off his worries for some reason, especially concerning Mineah. As he cast a concerned glance towards her and her husband Nikolai, a heavy sigh escaped him.

He could only pray that their relationship would flourish and any conflicts they had would easily be resolved, especially once Nikolai discovered Ezekiel’s secret of hosting Vulcan’s soul within his body. The weight of uncertainty pressed upon him, but he held onto hope that their bond would weather whatever challenges lay ahead.

“We’re proud of you, Xenia,” their father, King Stephan, comforted. “We couldn’t ask for a better daughter.”

“E-Even after I ran away?” Xenia couldn’t help but ask.

“Even after that,” her mother, Queen Dana, sincerely smiled. “You only did what you thought was best for you. If anything, we should be the ones apologizing for putting you through such a decision in the first place.”

Xenia sobbed harder as she melted into their embrace. Somewhere along the way, Mineah and Ezekiel joined in on the family hug, the five of them sharing a moment of warmth and comfort despite still being in the middle of the arena.

The Royal Family of Ebodia seemed to be content in not moving from their chosen spot, all of them relishing the precious time they had left. Minutes ticked by, and if it weren’t for someone speaking up in between them, they probably would’ve remained in their hug for a while longer.

“We should be moving,” Ezekiel reminded them all, having broken off from the group hug with a bit of reluctance. “King Darius has invited us all for a family gathering later tonight, and we still have to situate ourselves in the Cordon castle for the night.”

“I agree,” their father nodded at his son’s words. “We have a schedule to keep, and I’m sure that Xenia here will want some rest after everything that happened.”

“I’m fine, Father. I only need a bit of rest before I’m good to go again.” Xenia answered.

“I doubt that, Xenia,” their mother chuckled. “I know for a fact that keeping your wings out for that long took a toll on you. You should rest, my child. Some time in the future, I’ll have to teach you more about your angelic heritage.”

Xenia opened her mouth to speak, but Ezekiel sensed her body swaying so he quickly caught her by the shoulder.

“There we go. I guess I’ll have to carry you just like old times?” he teased.

“Just act as my support, Big Brother,” Xenia weakly scoffed. “I’ll be walking soon enough.”

Sharing a good round of light laughter, the Royal Family went ahead towards their carriage to make their way to Castle Cordon. Along the way, Xenia suddenly asked him, “Where’s Tarah?”

“Her? She said she was visiting a friend,” Ezekiel simply replied. “Don’t know who that friend is, but I trust that she’ll be back with us soon enough.”

Once again, Ezekiel pondered over contacting Tarah through their bond. Should he wait until after dinner, or should he reach out to her now to remind her to eat? The urge to call her tugged at him, but he exercised restraint, holding himself back for the moment.

The internal debate waged on as he weighed the pros and cons, his patience wearing thin as the desire to connect with Tarah grew stronger.

Ezekiel’s brow furrowed in frustration as he mused aloud, his expression falling with indecision. ‘Why does making a decision about this feel so hard?’ he wondered.

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A/N: What do you think Ezekiel should do?