“What queens are here in the hall?” I asked as I paced the landing.
“No queens arrived; they all only sent their sons,” Gray stated.
So the princes that were in the hall awaiting my arrival could be possibly be traitors in our midst.
“If Raven wants to come back through the portal, will she need permission again?” I asked as I formulated a plan.
“Yes, of course. The blessing only works once,” Fauna assured me.
I stopped pacing and said, “Then when she comes back through, I want to be there. It will be me who is the first to greet her and take her life when she steps through the portal.” Gray nodded and Fauna stepped back. She looked scared of me and I wasn’t proud of that, but it was what was necessary to get Sawyer back. “Fauna, tell the spies to watch her around the clock and to alert us when she is making preparations to return. I want to be ready.”
She curtsied swiftly and took her leave.
I turned and walked down the rest of the steps. It was time to make my entrance.
Chapter Fifteen
Merryweather
Gulp wasn’t there when Merryweather, Flora, and Aiofe arrived on the banks of his shore, but he did have a boat ready and waiting to take them across. Merryweather explained to Aiofe about Gulp and how he had been so kind to them when they needed it. They continued on into the day and night, finally settling down in the same spot they had on the way to Stirling—a small cave that was thankfully free of beasts.
Aiofe unpacked her kettle and three teacups as Merry started a fire. Flora was quite quiet as the other fairies worked, staring out the door. Merry took notice, but decided not to question her. She knew what Flora was thinking about and didn’t have the will to think on it any longer either. But whether she was ready to or not, it happened. What would she tell Rory about the blade when she arrived? Would she wait to tell her that she must kill Fauna or her with it if she wanted to wake Sawyer, or would she tell her right away? If she waited, Rory might change her mind. She might try to find another way to wake him, but even Merry knew there was no other way. If there had been, Aiofe would know about it. She would have told them when Merry told her who had cursed him and why. Instead she was silent, knowing the fairies would have to stand by and watch one their sisters die because of her decision. She hoped that it was her that would die in place of Fauna. She bestowed the gift to Sawyer so she was the one who gave the curse to him. Even if Fauna had actually delivered, it didn’t make her any less responsible.
Aurora’s own father was under the sleeping curse, and it was his own death that had woke him. Suddenly a thought came to her. Could they instead stab Sawyer and not kill him?
“Aiofe,” Merry said breaking the silence that fell over the three of them. “When King Stephen was stabbed by Millie, he was asleep. Her stabbing him woke him, why is that?”
Aiofe thought for a moment and then answered. “The King died of his wounds, which was why he awoke. The blow was a fatal blow. It had to be in order to wake him from the curse.”
Well, that answered that. They couldn’t just injure Sawyer; they’d have to kill him.
“The Queen awoke when Rory killed Millie,” Merry told Aiofe.
Aiofe just nodded and began to make tea for them.
That was it then. Sawyer wouldn’t and couldn’t die. He was a young half-fairy, and she knew how Fauna was. She was selfless and would sacrifice her life for anyone’s.
Tears began to spill down Merry’s face as she thought about it.
“Don’t be upset, Merryweather,” Aiofe said as she placed her hand on her shoulder. The moon outside the cave was bright as it shone in on the two fairies. Merry just nodded as she stared at the moon.
“I know this news is upsetting. I too have lost many I loved for sacrifices I had to make, and in the end I’m a stronger fairy.”
Merry turned away from the moon and faced Aiofe.
“You’ve had to sacrifice your sister then?”
Merry’s face grew hot with anger as her temper flared. She could be so sweet, but did have quite the temper when she wanted—especially when it came to those she loved.
Aiofe removed her hand and walked out into the night. She didn’t look at Merryweather when she spoke. “I knew better than to fall for him, but no matter what everyone told me, I did the opposite. I ran away with him in the middle of the night, and I lay with him in his bed, even though we weren’t married. I kept telling myself that it didn’t matter, because he loved me. I was the only one he wanted. He told me that with every kiss.” Aiofe sat in the grass as she kept talking. Merry sat with her, but not too close. “We were together every night, but never in the day because Fae and mortal were not to be seen together. So each evening we met in the place we made our own, staying together until morning.”
Merry knew a tale so close to this: Rory and Sawyer, and even Millie and Stephen. It wasn’t abnormal for a Fae woman to be with a mortal man. But it was frowned upon greatly.
“It was perfect until I became pregnant. He stopped coming to see me at night, saying that he was too busy. He was an important man after all, but that wasn’t any different than before. The change was that I was having a child.”
“What happened to your child, Aiofe?” Merry asked, knowing the child would have been taken away from her.
“He hadn’t come to see me in the whole time I was pregnant, not even once. Eight whole months after I found out, and he hadn’t shown up once. It killed me. It wasn’t fair. But the night I had my baby—I was birthing him by myself—I didn’t tell anyone I had gone into labor. I knew I could do it alone. I had everything prepared and ready. I just wasn’t prepared for anything to go wrong. I prepared for a perfect birth.”
Merry sucked in a breath just imagining what could go wrong in delivery. She’d only ever seen Aurora born, but that had been impeccable.
“I lost too much blood, and my baby wasn’t breathing when he came out. His eyes were open when he was born, but his little chest never rose. I passed out from the loss of blood, and when I woke up, he was gone. His father had taken him away from me before I could bury him ceremoniously. Having no idea where he took him, I never saw him again. I was banished from my Fae community, so that’s why I ended up in Stirling.”
The story was worse than Merry could even have ever imagined. She knew Aiofe seemed wise and strong, and now she knew why.
“Why would he take him?” Merry asked not understanding what a mortal would do with a stillborn child.
“I ask myself that every single day. I knew it was him though. His scent was strong, always was. He smelled like leather and steel, and when I woke up, I smelled him there. He didn’t even see if I was alive; he just took our son and left me to die,” she sighed. “Love is not always truth. For me it was only a lie.”
“I’m so sorry, Aiofe, for being angry with you.” Merry had mistaken Aiofe’s concern and realized she really did understand loss.
“It’s all right, Merryweather. I have to keep saving people because when I saw my son for the first time, right before I lost consciousness, I told myself I would help others. I knew I had to in order to make right, what I had done wrong. It was my stupidity that had killed him, so I made sure never to make that mistake again.”
Aiofe stood and faced Merry. “At night I see his eyes right before I go to sleep. It’s torture and a blessing at the same time. Because at least I see him again, but I’ll never be able to hold him.”
She patted Merry on the shoulder and walked into the cave where the tea was now ready to be poured. Merry knew hard decisions had to be made soon, but the decisions were up to Aurora now. Merry would do her best to help Flora because that’s all she could do.
Chapter Sixteen
Rory
“Queen Aurora of Ancora!”
The trumpets blared l
oudly as I walked into the hall and all eyes were on me.
I was overwhelmed to say the least. I was now faced with two very eager looking princes who both held out their hands to me. I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to search for Gray or my mother for guidance when I realized that I didn’t need it. I was the one running the show. This was my night, not these princes’.
I stood tall in front of the men and waited. They surely would bow to me and kiss my hand before begging for a dance. I placed my hand out and looked away from the boys—because that’s what they were to me—and waited for them to get the hint.
One of the princes pulled his hand back and came forward bowing low to the ground and kissed my hand.
“Your majesty, may I introduce myself?”
He was adorable of course. Most of them were. I’d have to be blind not to notice his good looks. His jet black hair and ivory skin was set off by eyes so blue they looked like icicles. He was the boy I knew from when I was a child. His mother and father brought him to our castle, and he played with me and the other children once. He was also the same boy who thought winking at me after my coronation was a good idea.
I nodded. “I’m Prince Aiden of Bordell to the East. I’m very pleased to attend your ceremony and would be elated if you would grace me with a dance.”
Aww. He was so cute and fake; how could I not dance with him?
I saw right through his conniving prince good looks and charm, but I knew I had to play nice. So I took his hand and let him lead me in my first dance as queen. The band played a slow melody that pulled at my heart strings and made me ache for Sawyer. Prince Aiden took me into his arms gently and wove me across the room.
I tried to focus on those around me as they watched me dance. Perhaps they were thinking that I would soon fall in love with someone else and give them an heir. Or maybe they didn’t actually care about an heir but instead wanted to see their queen happy.
“I truly enjoyed your coronation, Queen Aurora,” he said as he spun me around. “I have never been to one before.”
Prince Aiden was the son of King Huston and his late wife Queen Elisa. When Queen Elisa died, King Huston married Duchess Hilde making her Queen of Bordell. She was so lucky she found King Huston from how I remember hearing it. She was rumored to be an awful and vengeful woman, but many say she has changed her ways since marriage and has raised Aiden and his brother, Hunter, as if they were her own. I don’t buy it for a minute. I learned the hard way that once you’re evil, you stay evil.
You can’t ever stop being wicked; once it’s inside you it remains there.
Aiden continued to dance slowly with me, and I nodded when he spoke and tried hard to look happy while inside I was screaming. He was a nice enough young man, but I didn’t want his arms around me.
“Do you think our families will ever find a truce?” he asked me with sincerity in his ice-blue eyes.
I laughed and replied, “When your father stops trying to overthrow my kingdom, then we will.” It wasn’t lost on me that not too long ago I heard news about Bordell needing to be appeased or else they’d build an army against me.
Bordell bordered Ancora, but Ancora was the heart of this world. Everything stemmed from it: the forests, the sea, and the portal to the Realm of Man, and most importantly the Fae Woods. We held it all; therefore, it was in great demand. For years my father held off other villages from trying to overthrow him and take it all, but the threat was clear—Bordell wanted to take Ancora. Two of its princes were in my castle trying to pursue me on the very night I became queen. They didn’t even give me a breath or a moment before their grabby hands were trying to reach for the throne at my side.
Aiden looked hurt at my words. “I don’t understand. We come here in celebration, Your Majesty.”
I laughed and rolled my eyes. He was either daft or a bad actor.
“I promise you, my queen, we are not here on false pretenses. We are here to mend broken bridges and to form an alliance.”
I snorted. “An alliance? Or do you mean a marriage?”
The song was almost over, thankfully. I couldn’t wait to be away from this conversation and by Sawyer’s side.
“A marriage is an alliance, is it not? Surely you knew that?” Aiden asked as the song came to an end. I wanted to smack him for his sarcastic remark, but I guessed that wouldn’t go over too well. He bowed low to me and kissed my hand again. I had a strange urge to kick him in the face after that, but I didn’t.
“I look forward to talking more, Your Majesty. You are truly a delight.”
Ugh! He was an ass. He was mocking me, in my own home no less.
“Aurora,” my mother pulled me away, “I can see the hate dripping from you, my dear,” she sing-songed as she smiled at the onlookers. We wove through the crowd and came to a large table draped in a rich sapphire blue to match my gown. Gold goblets and dishes held food that made my mouth water. Upon realizing I hadn’t eaten a thing that whole day, my stomach groaned at the sight of pears, grapes, and apples sitting in silver bowls and roasted lamb on a large platter.
I turned to my mother and smiled. “I’ll play nice if you just let me eat. I’m starved.”
“Maybe your mood will lighten once you fill your belly. You are in low spirits on such an occasion. Your father would be so proud of you, daughter. So as he looks on, make him proud.”
She might as well had pulled my heart out and stomped on it. I felt a longing for my father and for Sawyer to join me in celebration. As I sat down at the table, others in the room sat as well. I was thankful I was for once at the head table away from others.
A young fairy pulled out my chair as I sat. “Thank you.”
He smiled and began serving me my dinner; although, I didn’t need to be served. I had lived a year being fed slop; I think I could handle this myself. But that was part of being a queen, so I dealt with it and waited for him to finish.
“Your Majesty,” he said as he bowed and left the table. I looked around at the faces in the crowd. They were all staring at me, waiting for something.
“Rory,” Gray said quietly as she appeared by my side. “You need to address the crowd and inform them they can begin the feast.”
I smiled and whispered through clenched teeth, “I wish you would have told me that beforehand, Gray.”
I raised my golden goblet and addressed the crowd. “In my honor you may feast!”
It went from quiet to noisy in one second flat. Everyone must have been as hungry as I was. Tableware clanked together and people chatted while I watched and ate.
Gray sat next to me with her own meal and drank from her goblet.
“Gray?”
“Yes, Rory?”
“Where is Queen Hilde?” I searched the crowd for her, but didn’t see her near the princes. I wanted to see the woman that dared to send her sons to my castle in hopes of marriage.
“She isn’t here; she only sent the princes. She rarely leaves her castle anymore. From what I hear she is quite fond of living like a hermit,” she replied as she dug into her lamb. “She is not a very nice woman; I wouldn’t be offended.”
“I’m not offended that she didn’t come, but that she sent them,” I whispered as I pointed with my knife at the smug Prince Aiden and his brother. “And I wanted to question her.”
Gray nodded, understanding my meaning. She knew that I wanted to find out which queen allowed Raven to enter the Realm of Man. If Hilde was here, I would have asked Gray to set up a meeting.
“Being that she never leaves her own castle, I find it hard to believe it was her.”
I didn’t disagree with Gray, but I wouldn’t let Hilde slide either. I wasn’t going to be scratching her name off of my list anytime soon.
“Who else is there?” I asked, feeling naive that I already forgot the name of Loralen’s qu
een.
“She’s not a queen exactly, but Duchess Marigold from Loralen. She is married to the Duke, but they, unlike Bordell, accept only one queen, and that’s you, Aurora. They believe the Loralen is ruled by one true queen or king. Granted they do run Loralen, but they are our—”
“Our allies, yes I remember that.” At least I didn’t forget that lesson. It was important that I remember all of Ancora’s past and present so that I could be its only future.
I glanced toward where the Duke and Duchess sat and waved at them. They waved graciously back to me, and I knew it wasn’t them.
Bordell’s queen had to be the one to grant access to Raven, and that queen didn’t have the nerve to show her face here. I didn’t care if she was a recluse or not; she was my target which I told Gray as well.
“Do you want us to send riders to retrieve her?” Gray inquired.
I thought for a moment, and then answered, “No. If it was her, I don’t want her to send a message to Raven that I will be waiting for her to show. For now, let’s just play stupid. Let her think that I haven’t found out, that I’m ignorant to the truth. I’ll play nice with her stupid sons, but when I have Raven in my grasp, the truth will come out, resulting in Hilde on my chopping block next.”
I think I’ve found Raven’s ally.
Chapter Seventeen
Rory
Once the feast was finally over, I had to dance once again with Loralen’s Duke Reginald and a few of the council members, but it was completely innocent. When Noctus stood awaiting a dance, I smiled. I enjoyed Noctus because we saw eye to eye with one another. He was so much like Gray that it made me want to see if he was married or not—they’d be a good fit for each other.
“Queen Aurora, may I have the next dance?” he asked with a bow and a smile.
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