Aldayne, with just partnerships and fair dealings. The bigger cost would be tossing it away.”
“Aren’t the Byrnes equally invested in ruling well?” I asked.
She sighed. “The Byrnes are very different people, Pea. The problem goes back a few centuries. To King Riordan.”
Having been to Ademar, I was already familiar with King Riordan. I had already determined he was a fair ruler who cared about justice and equality over power and sovereignty. Why else would he give up an entire country?
“King Riordan had six children, two sons, Angus and Cassair, and four daughters, Bridget, Ann, Margot and Eliza.”
“Eliza,” I said. “She was a Duchess of Ademar.”
Audra smiled. “Yes. She was also my great-great-great grandmother, having married Titus Tremwell. They both counseled King Riordan to allow the split between Aldayne and Ademar. One of their daughters was the first president there,” she said proudly, but her face quickly shadowed. “Not all of King Riordan’s children agreed with his decision. Cassair had his own ideas how to rule, starting with siding with the Confederacy during the American Civil War, ensuring they could be funded to fight against the rules imposed on them by the Union.”
“Gross,” Fernie commented. Audra had to laugh.
“More than that. You see, Cassair was bitter about his position as second-born son. He knew his older brother Angus would rule. But he was extraordinarily put out that Eliza was given such a position of authority in Ademar. He wanted to extend slavery to the country to maximize profits there, since he saw how well it had worked in the pre-Civil War American south. But King Riordan chose his eldest daughter instead, who used Ademar as a sanctuary for the very people he wanted to enslave. Cassair felt the indignity was far too much to bear and fractured from the Quinns, aligning himself with the House of Byrne when he married his cousin, Katherine. He passed along his hatred of the Quinns to every son since, first with Martin, then with Allan, now with Cillian. For each one, their quest has been about power and revenge.”
“And if Auggie doesn’t become king,” Fern said, putting the pieces together.
“Aldayne will fall under their rule. It will change everything in the country for all but the Quinns, who are the wealthiest family in Aldayne thanks to their mining the unity stone and aldrite. Auggie’s decision to ‘sit it out’ is one of privilege, and not one that has been embraced by the people he is supposed to serve.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
She sighed, taking a sip of tea from a delicate teacup. “Many Aldayneans are no longer satisfied having their fates decided by a king or queen. They see how democracy has worked in places like Ademar, where they can choose their leaders and have a say in their government. There’s a huge movement there now, led by the younger Aldayneans who reject custom and tradition.”
“Can’t the Queen give the country back to the people and just go retire somewhere?” Fern asked what I was thinking.
“She’d never do that,” Audra said. “She’s lost too much. Her husband. Her son. She would rather die than lose Aldayne, a country she has faithfully served since she became a Quinn bride in 1960. Frankly, I cannot fault her. To see Aldayne fall to a Byrne,” she trailed off, too horrified to complete the sentence.
The conversation didn’t pacify me much as we wrapped up the Dublin concert and prepared to head for Aldayne.
I was about to meet the Queen. I was about to meet everyone.
If there was one thing that the last five months had taught me, I knew I wasn’t ready.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
It was a sunny day in late August when Seamus 1 touched down in Wandermere, Aldayne. The capital city boasted a booming population of 2.5 million people, roughly the size of Chicago. Thanks to its robust economy, there were towering skyscrapers overlooking Queen’s Quay, which we circled on the way to the New Edelmar International Airport.
We also got an aerial view of the palace at Shimmering Falls and the waterfall which gave it its name.
“That’s Aoilee,” Auggie said, pointing to a tall mountain peak, reminding me of the volcano love story he had told us all back on the farm. “We’ll take a helicopter tour of the whole island later, with the family.”
I chuckled. Dash would lose his mind.
Like in Ademar, deboarding the plane followed certain decorum. Audra descended the gangway first. I could hear the crowd beyond the open door, cheering for our arrival. I