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‘Then get out of here’

‘Not a chance’

He didn’t say anything for a while, and she really wasn’t sure ould happen, but she’d played her cards and now she could only wait

And then, miraculously, Ram frowned at her ‘Do you really want to ride an elephant?’

She had pros in, but that wasn’t always possible She was sure her face was juainst her express wishes as she said casually, ‘I thought I o’

‘And you also thought it would be ether?’

‘So like that…’

The last thing she had expected was that Ram would lift his hand and trace her scars; this was the saave her eon had insisted—of a ree

She let one careless tear escape, but instead of wiping it away she tilted her chin at a defiant angle She was deteret the better of her this tieon had done a good job Why not give her some credit? Mia reflected as she waited to see what Ram would do next

‘Forgive me, Mia,’ he said softly ‘I shouldn’t have allowed you to becoht up in this’

But she wanted to be caught up…

‘Co’

Elation roared inside her, but she behaved with absolute decoruer in the elephant parade

This was the first tione without her eyepatch in public and she was shaking inside, but it didn’t ht of her, because this was about Ra to her At least he hadn’t fainted with shock when he saw the full extent of her scars He’d just given her a long, searching look that said Ra he needed to And now she th for hi himself to his people, and, yes, there would be eneo, but he would be a great leader She was sure of it

A great stillness had fallen over the crowd and the only sound to be heard was le of bells Ra line, and now he indicated that Miaelated and proud of Raht up to the moment when some elderly , ‘You have brought us a new queen, Majesty…Hoonderful’

She would have felt Ra next to hi a seismic tremor

Rah this without incident There was so here she didn’t understand, but, whatever it was, Rareet him ‘I’ in in front of a seething Ram ‘I’m afraid I’m not your new queen,’ she explained to everyone’s astonishment ‘I’m just a friend of the fan’ She had to adlad when Ram steered her firmly away, but it also amused her that fron consultant

Finally they reached the gangplank where a unifor by the door of the official car ‘You’re not going to change your mind, I hope?’ she asked Ram fiercely under her breath ‘I proain if you do’

‘Don’t terowled back at her, but to her relief what he did next brought the biggest cheer fro a few paces ahead of her, he raised both his ar

To say Ran of his affection would be totally understating the case Mia thought her eardru of dru, but eventually the determined drummers formed up at the head of the procession of elephants

There was a e of camera flashes made Mia feel for the eyepatch in her pocket, but she took her hand away; there could be nothe issue for either her or Ram

Ram’s response to the adulation of the croas yet another incarnation of the ht before, standing with his hands clasped as if in prayer as he bowed to his people It was a pledge of service she found both touching and inspirational To have such a man on your side would be—