determine whether you truly held the strength to do what you wished to accomplish.
I already knew that Cassandra was diving right into this, but it wasn't because she 'had' to. I was sure when the truth came out, everyone would assume she was being forced to do it, but we knew better.
I certainly knew better.
She could feel the pain of this kingdom. The loneliness these lands carried after years of abandonment. She not only wanted to make things right for those lost in the past, especially the parents of her past life, but she wanted to make it up to the living earth who may have lost all hope in our kind.
Cassandra wanted to prove that there was still good in this world and that she'd carry on the legacy left behind upon this soil while aiding in saving the rest of the world from the everlasting shackles Wilfried wished to set upon the world.
My tough act didn't faze her in the slightest as my intense stare was met with hers. Within a minute, I was smiling down at her before I leaned in to place a light kiss on her forehead.
"You want to know one thing I've learned from my very mother who rules her kingdom?"
Her eyes widened at the mention of my mother, which only made me lean in closer as if the next words were a secret between us.
"One time, Everett brought me to the fae lands. I felt so lost in life, and even though I never showed it to you guys, I was drowning on the inside. He brought me to see my parents and I got a solid day to see what my mother did as queen. All the time I thought they were abandoning me because of fortunes and business that were far more important than me, but little did I know the burden she carried on her shoulders."
I paused as the memories of her wise words flooded me.
"She told me minutes before I left that if there ever came a time when I'd have to rule a kingdom, I should start from scratch and let the kingdom lead the way."
"Let the kingdom...lead the way?"
"You know what makes villains more powerful than heroes in many stories?" I was repeating the words of my mother. "Heroes always try to control the good and bad of a kingdom, while villains push all their power into the kingdom itself and in return are given triple the power to seek what they wish."
I stared into her mesmerizing eyes that were completely focused on my tale as it seemed to unfold within her mind.
"When you sit upon a throne for the first time, the weight of the world lingers on your shoulders, and that's what you're doing wrong. The kingdom isn't asking for a savior. It's asking for a ruler who will give it the reins of power to show the rest of the world its inner strength and capability of being a land that one can thrive in," I explained. "When the king in Dubai obtained the land, it was nothing but sand. Instead of merely inviting others to aid in the creation of his land, he decided to pour much of himself into the land to make it prosper. Many mocked his objective and the waste of wealth and magic he poured into the land as if it could make a difference. He and his queen could have requested investors and other supernaturals to come to make a deal to live and build the kingdom, but he didn't want the same people who belittle the land to benefit from it. Thus, together with his queen, they asked the land what it foresaw for itself, and in time, the land brought those who wished to live in their kingdom without the greedy desires the other foreigners carried. With time, the world watched Dubai grow into exactly what it is today, and it was all because the king and queen did what most individuals don't do. They asked the land what it foresaw for its future and gave it the reins of power to create the kingdom they deserved."
I watched as her face blossomed with hope, the creases of worry and doubt fading away as my mother's passed-on words absorbed in her mind.
"What I'm basically saying is that you don't have to shoulder the responsibilities of this world the moment you sit upon that throne. Instead, be like the villains who have a strong conviction to seek the