Page 77 of The Broken Mirror
Filomena swings her sword forward and finishes him. Cheers erupt from the crowd again.
Jack waves. He has a black eye and a bleeding arm. But he’s standing and he’s alive.
Mary appears then, holding the crown in her hand. It’s a thin circlet of pure gold, with flared spikes around theperimeter that are meant to symbolize the sun’s rays. Filomena gets a jolt when she realizes what’s happening.
“Are we allowed to have the coronation without a proper ceremony?” Filomena asks Mary.
“There’s no better time for a coronation than in the wake of a battle won. Look, your audience is already here.”
And it is. Filomena looks out over the kingdom of Westphalia, at the crowd that has multiplied times ten since she first stepped onto the balcony.Word sure travels fast around here.
Mary motions for Filomena to kneel. “Eliana, princess of Westphalia, and rightful heir to the throne: By the power vested in me as regent of this kingdom, I hereby proclaim you queen of Westphalia.”
Filomena, panting and with ogre blood covering her face, is crowned at last. She’s a queen now.I’m aqueennow?
“Hey, what did I miss?”
The voice, somehow, comes from her hip. Ira Glassman! Shocked, she grabs the handle and holds the talking mirror up to her face.
“You’re still there?” she gasps.
“Here I am, kid. Was just having my nap.”
“I thought you were gone when Robin smashed you!”
Ira’s misty eyes roll. “That’s the thing a kid like Robin, or the ogres, they don’t understand. Loyalty. Love. When a talking mirror is smashed, it gives the soul of the mirror—akamoi—an opportunity to flee. But I love you, Filomena.I’m with you for life. I’m not going nowhere.” Ira grins and winks.
“I wish I could hug you!” she yells, feeling so relieved.
“How about you just turn me around so I can see the crowd! I need my moment in the sun.” Ira chuckles.
She turns the talking mirror around, and together they wave to her citizens. Then she gets an idea. She whispers to Mary. Mary nods. Filomena motions for Jack to come forward and kneel. He does, slightly confused. Standing before Jack, Filomena picks up her Dragon’s Tooth sword and touches the flat of the blade to one of his shoulders, then the other.
“By the power vested in me as queen of Westphalia, I hereby knight Jack the Giant Stalker—my first loyal, royal knight of Westphalia!”
The crowd cheers. Filomena realizes then: They all know Jack from the tabloids.
Jack bows his head to her, then stands up. “Congratulations, Queen Filomena,” he says.
“Thank you, Loyal Knight of Westphalia. As if you need another title,” she teases, pushing his shoulder.
“This might be my favorite one yet.” He grins.
Then he kisses her again.
CHAPTERFORTYQUEENJEANNE
Word gets around Never After that the next day is Princess Jeanne’s coronation. Little Jeanne must have made her way safely back to the North. Now Jack and Filomena are leaving to attend.
One cool thing about being a queen, though, is that she and Jack don’t have to walk from Westphalia to Northphalia. Now they get to ride in a carriage.
“Check this out,” Jack says, sitting across from her in the carriage. “They even have complimentary Lily Licks in here!”He holds up a white-and-yellow, flower-shaped lollipop and starts sucking on it.
“Are you sure your eye is okay?” Filomena asks. Jack’s in really high spirits for someone whose eye is surrounded with swollen dark purple skin.
“I’ve had worse. Don’t worry about me,” he says.
Eventually, Filomena looks out the little window and sees the Northphalian castle fast approaching. She sighs. “We’re almost there.”
