Written for TBoFF's June/July Challenge, Romance.

Sabriel marveled at Belisaere. When she had last visited, it was to head down to the Reservoir to try and save her father. Since then, Prince Touchstone had done what he could to restore the once-great city.

Sabriel had last seen the Prince on the night the two had fought Kerrigor, some months ago, and hadn't seen him since. While the Abhorsen had been recovering in an Ancelstierran hospital, Touchstone had gone back to the Old Kingdom, leaving Sabriel a note that said that he had duties in his own Kingdom now that he was officially Prince. Sabriel hadn't heard another word from Touchstone since.

Sabriel had come back to Belisaere on a happier note and during a pleasantly warm summer, as opposed to her previous visit to the capital city. This time, Sabriel came for Touchstone's coronation. As Abhorsen, she was responsible for crowning the King. However, under normal circumstances, the beach city was not a destination that Sabriel visited often, though she was excited about the first coronation in two hundred years, but sorry about the next Queen.

Sabriel actually passed The Sign of Three Lemons during her search for an inn, but since it gave her bad memories, she passed it. At last, Sabriel found a suitable inn by the name of 'The Seven Stars Inn'. The name was explained by the large portrait of a confident man, likely a war hero, with seven gold stars decorating his belt. The inn itself seemed fine, so Sabriel purchased a room.

After getting herself set, Sabriel left the Seven Stars Inn and went for a walk through Belisaere. The city had been painted red and gold in honor of the coronation. Everywhere Sabriel looked, young women had dressed up to look their best in public, emphasizing everything about themselves that would make them look beautiful. Sabriel observed that some women looked incredibly desperate. Sabriel was so caught up observing others, she didn't notice until after she walked into someone.

"Watch where you're going!" the woman snapped, then saw Sabriel's surcoat. "Oh, sorry, Abhorsen."

"No, I'm sorry," Sabriel responded, remembering her school-taught manners when she stepped back. At Sabriel's first glance at the woman, her eyes widened in amazement. This woman's outfit was ripped and torn, but she looked almost supernatural. Her skin was perfect and unblemished, just the right tone to match her midnight black hair, which was woven into a thick braid, extending past her shoulders. Even in torn clothes, she was beautiful. Deep, dark eyes matched this woman's glow of confidence. She had pink lips and a cute nose. She looked about nineteen, Sabriel's age.

"Well, I ought to get going," Sabriel excused herself after a moment of awkward silence. She stepped sideways and strode off, trying to put that behind her. It was just an awkward moment, and Sabriel would never see the woman again.

As she walked, Sabriel almost dreaded seeing Touchstone around. She knew next to nothing about coronations, or about anything like those. She also hadn't seen Touchstone in a while. Perhaps he had found someone here in Belisaere. Perhaps Touchstone had fallen for another woman, and things had now changed between the Abhorsen and the Prince. Sabriel couldn't bring herself to think of it, so she tried only to enjoy the city.

It was just Sabriel's luck that Touchstone was standing beside one tree she passed. The moment he caught sight of the Abhorsen, he waved and motioned for her to come. She waved back, and reluctantly walked towards the man beside the tree.

"Sabriel!" Touchstone exclaimed enthusiastically. Instead of an embrace, Touchstone gave Sabriel only a handshake.

"So how have you been?" Touchstone answered with a smile.

"I turned nineteen recently," Sabriel announced.

"Happy Birthday," Touchstone replied with a smile. He didn't kiss her. He didn't even hug her. With a shock, Sabriel realized that Touchstone was treating her just like everyone else. Perhaps their love was really a thing of the past, like Sabriel expected.

"Thank you. How about you?" Sabriel responded, trying hard to mask her despair.

"I'm excited for the coronation, but I'm also worried," Touchstone admitted. "I'm worried something bad will happen."

"I'm a little worried, too," Sabriel admitted. "But all I have to do is perform the ceremony. I can't imagine how it must be for you, two hundred years as a block of wood and then suddenly you're told that you're to become King and that you must pick a Queen in-" Sabriel suddenly realized she was rambling nervously and immediately closed her mouth.

As if reading her mind, Touchstone replied, "Oh, I've chosen. I chose when I came to Belisaere. The next Queen is beautiful, very beautiful, optimistic, generous, and sweet."

"Oh," Sabriel murmured. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow at the coronation."

"You, too!" Touchstone called after Sabriel as she began to leave. Sabriel walked away quickly, trying to put her normal-like treatment far behind her. But once she was a short distance away, Sabriel was tempted to look back. Sabriel saw the woman that she had bumped into on her walk, the stunning-looking poor girl in torn clothes. Sabriel saw the girl stride towards Touchstone and kiss his cheek. Sabriel gasped, diving behind a bush to watch the event.

"Chlorr!" Touchstone exclaimed. "Great to see you."

"You, too!" Chlorr replied. "You look great, as usual."

Sabriel gasped. Touchstone described the woman he had chosen as beautiful and sweet. Chlorr was beautiful, for sure, and sweet, too.

"Thank you," Touchstone replied. "Did you make good use of the velvet?"

"Yes. I made this beautiful dress for the young sister of the girl who was eaten by the Dead thing. I know things will get better now," answered Chlorr, showing off the optimistic and generous parts of her personality. When Chlorr leaned in for a kiss and Touchstone returned it, Sabriel realized that she could watch no more. Sabriel ran for the inn to forget that ever happened.

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Sabriel collapsed on the bed, sobbing uncontrollably. She had expected that this would have happened by now, but to actually see it in front of her eyes was just unbearable. Touchstone had promised Sabriel his love before they fought Kerrigor. He gave her a reason to live after she had been stabbed, and now he was gone. Sabriel had never had her chance to tell Touchstone how much he really meant to her. But Touchstone was Chlorr's now, and Sabriel could do nothing about it.

It took an hour for Sabriel to be able to drag herself out of the bed and look in the mirror. Sabriel's face was a bright red, though she was a still so pale. Her whole face was wet with tears, and Sabriel looked away so she wouldn't have to look into her own dark eyes, red from her sobs. Chlorr was beautiful, Sabriel was not.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sabriel arrived ten minutes before the coronation. Her hair had been brushed to shining perfection. Her dress was well-tailored and red and gold, like the Royal Colors. Although Sabriel didn't think that she looked particularly good in the dress, it was stylish. Sabriel had been previously warned that she wasn't encouraged to carry a sword, so for her own safety, Sabriel had a dagger concealed in her sleeve.

The Abhorsen didn't know when, but Touchstone arrived suddenly. And when the trumpets sounded, Touchstone was on the balcony that overlooked Belisaere, kneeling patiently. On cue, Sabriel stepped through the stone arch into the bright sunlight that overlooked Belisaere. The warm summer heat hit Sabriel's face, and her heart swelled with optimism. In the corner, a young boy of around thirteen stood up, dressed in red and gold, his head bowed. In his hands was a red pillow with velvet casing. On the pillow rested a crown. The King's crown.

The swell of optimism was extinguished as soon as Sabriel saw Chlorr standing at the front of the crowd. Chlorr's dress made her look absolutely stunning, and Sabriel was reminded of the previous day. But then she began.

"I, Abhorsen Sabriel, fifty-third of Abhorsens, come to crown the new King. Touchstone is the last surviving member of the Royal Family, here to take his place on the throne," Sabriel recited.

Sabriel turned to face Touchstone. "Will you, as King, keep at heart the interests of the people and the peace as long as you hold your throne?"

"I will."

"Then I now declare you King Touchstone the First!"

The crowd below the balcony erupted into cheers while the thirteen-year-old boy delicately stepped towards Touchstone. Then Sabriel lifted the crown from the pillow and delicately placed it on Touchstone's head. He stood up slowly, allowing the crowd to cheer for longer.

"Lastly, who shall be your Queen?" Sabriel prompted. She was so sure he would say Chlorr's name that she was not prepared for Touchstone's answer.

"It's you, Sabriel," Touchstone announced. Sabriel gasped quietly. She had been so sure that Touchstone had forgotten her in six months, but she was happy to be wrong. As had been done in every previous Coronation, Sabriel and Touchstone sealed it with a kiss. But Sabriel was happiest to see the look of raw jealousy of Chlorr's face.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chlorr stomped off. She was beautiful, why did Touchstone choose the Abhorsen? Chlorr was the best of the women; she was so sure that she would be chosen. She knew for sure that she hadn't been brought back by the Fallen Brother only to get second-best.

It was all the Abhorsen's fault. Chlorr would finally be happy if she hadn't meddled. What did Touchstone even like about Sabriel that Chlorr didn't have? Chlorr hated Sabriel the Abhorsen, so she would do anything to bring the Queen down. It wouldn't be hard to mask her own identity. But if she really wanted to bring Sabriel down, Chlorr would have to become the Abhorsen's opposite: a necromancer.