Queen

by Claire Farrell

  That evening, Sadler announced it was time for dinner. Reynard volunteered to escort me. I stood, and he caught a cheap thrill by groping me. I was going to kill him someday, I promised myself. When I pulled away, the arm of my dress tore with a loud ripping sound.

  Everyone went quiet, and Reynard’s face paled. He had gone too far in public. I sucked in a breath, ready to take advantage of the situation, but he got in there first.

  “Look at what she’s wearing!” he roared, pointing at my wrist.

  He grabbed my arm and held it high. Anyone nearby could plainly see the woven green and silver bracelet I wore every day.

  Sadler stepped down from his throne and approached me. He stared at the bracelet for a long time, his mouth twitching. When he looked into my eyes, I saw humour hidden in those depths. He twirled me around to face the crowd, holding me against his chest.

  One of his hands still gripped my wrist. “Look at my wife.” His other hand covered my stomach. “See how she wants a united realm. She wants us to rule all. Don’t you, dear?”

  I swallowed hard. “There should never be three kings.”

  He released me, apparently satisfied. “So they say. Doctor, the queen needs a little attending to.”

  Sadler left, and two soldiers gripped my arms.

  “Put her on her throne,” the doctor said, unable to contain the glee in his voice.

  Vix and Bart walked out without looking back. Reynard stood to the side and watched with fascination. Most of the court seemed to forget that a break had been called. They all gawked up at me.

  The doctor made them strap me to the chair. I couldn’t escape, couldn’t even struggle. I hoped if I took the punishment quietly, he would be satisfied and leave me alone. But when the first spasm of pain came, I knew he wouldn’t. He began to laugh, and the sound was more terrible than anything I had ever heard. He wouldn’t let me go until I screamed.

  The pain wasn’t as bad as the first time, but it was more frequent, giving me no chance to recover before more came. The doctor used his staff over and over again, even as my body violently jerked. The ropes kept me secure but made it hard to breathe. As each spasm came on top of the next, my chest grew tight.

  I refused to scream or moan. Instead, I looked out at the court and caught the eye of each person, one by one. Most of them turned away. Some looked disgusted. Reynard kept watching, but he looked disturbed when I glared at him. And then I turned my gaze on the doctor. His face was hidden, so I couldn’t tell if he was looking into my eyes, but I stared at him and threw everything I was feeling into it. I watched him until I stopped breathing and everything turned black.

  I came to briefly, and someone was carrying me. I heard somebody shouting about a baby. Maybe it was me.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The next morning, I could barely lift my head from the pillow when Rat scurried into the room. She kept her head bowed as she put a plate on the night stand. When she turned to leave, I noticed a bulge at the back of her dress where her trapped wings were trying to move. Depressed and frustrated, I nibbled at the grapes, the only food I recognised.

  Later, I was taken to court. Some of the people had dressed similarly to the way I had been dressed the day before. I sat in my mini-throne and barely listened to anything that was said. Sadler didn’t acknowledge me. The doctor wasn’t around. I was escorted back to my room when they broke for dinner. I was given no food.

  The next morning, when I awoke, the sun was high in the sky. No breakfast. No fire. No company. Outside, people were arriving for court. So I hadn’t been summoned for that, either. No way was I going to let myself be forgotten. That was the biggest danger for a human amongst faeries, far more than the torture and tormenting. I ripped the most ridiculous dresses from the wardrobe, one by one.

  I waited until a huge group of people walked below the tower. “I want my breakfast!” I stuffed a dress out of the window. The faeries looked up at me.

  “Right now!” I shouted as loud as I could manage, throwing out another dress.

  The fae gathered beneath my window. A few snatched up a dress and ran. I shouted ridiculous demands and waited for somebody to come and shut me up. The door unlocked as I was shoving a particularly poofy dress through the window. I turned to see Rat standing on the threshold, twisting her fingers together anxiously.

  “Stop it,” she said. “You have to stop that.”

  I advanced on her, my wedding dress in my hands. “Are you telling me what to do?”

  She shook her head, her eyes widening.

  “Good. Last I was told, I’m the queen around here, and the queen had better be bloody well fed each and every day. If I die before this baby is born, then Sadler is fucked, and who do you think he’s going to blame?”

  She squirmed, her eyes darting to the door.

  “I want my breakfast, and a bath, and… a hat,” I said.

  “A hat?” The random request was enough to stop her shaking. “You want a hat?”

  “Yes,” I said, thinking hard. “I want… a neon-green top hat with a big silver band. And some black lace.” I tried not to laugh. “That’s exactly what I want. Can you get that for me?”

  “Um, I…” She cleared her throat. “Well, it’ll take a few days, and you’re supposed to go downstairs to court.”

  “I’ll have breakfast then a bath, and I’ll think about going downstairs after lunch.”

  She looked as if she might have a heart attack.

  “It’s okay,” I said gently. “If you’re scared to tell then pass the message onto Reynard.”

  “The Fox?”

  “Yep. If he’s so familiar with the queen, then he can be in charge of bringing her wishes to the king’s attention.” I was definitely enjoying myself.

  “Yes,” she said a little more firmly. “Of course. I’ll… I’ll get you something to eat, my lady.”

  As soon as she left, I jumped on the bed and buried my laughter into a pillow. If Sadler thought he could kidnap me and not have me screw with his court, then he had another think coming.

  Rat returned with some fruit.

  “Is that it?” I asked. “I’m going to starve if this is all I eat every day.”

  Rat’s cheeks burned. “I… we’re forbidden to go to the human realm. So we can’t get the food you would like. The only food we have available is that suitable for… well, the pure-blooded fae.”

  “And that might as well be manure,” I said wryly. “So what does everyone else eat?”

  “Whatever they can get their hands on.”

  “And what about the tents outside? Why are those people always hanging around, begging?”

  “Begging?” She cupped her chin, looking as if she were about to claw her skin with her nails. “They… they have nowhere else to go. Their lands are too tainted to live on, so they come here for help.”

  “Why don’t they go to the other kings if Sadler isn’t helping them? He obviously doesn’t care.”

  “He can’t…” She shook her head. “Nobody is allowed to leave. This is our court, the only place we’re wanted. We’re Darksiders, my lady. That’s all we’ll ever be. Nobody wants us.”

  I frowned. The Darksiders were camping in the courtyard like refugees. And there apparently wasn’t enough food to go around. Whenever I looked outside, I saw the same soldiers. Had Sadler just given the appearance of a large army?

  Rat left and returned with three boxes from the dressmaker. Inside the first two were a couple of rockabilly style dresses she had made especially for me. In the last box was a pair of rainbow wings. I stood there, stunned, as Rat put them on me. I hadn’t really expected the dressmaker to come through. She sent some body paint, too, but I figured I should aim for one small rebellion a day. The wings might have counted as a significant revolt.

  Rat sighed as she took in my appearance. “Why would you ruin such a nice dress with wings?”

  “Can I see your wings?” I asked.

  Her chubby cheeks flooded with c
olour, and she made her excuses and left. I was surprised that nobody tried to force me to go to court. They let me do what I liked all morning, apart from leave, of course. But it was as if they thought I deserved it after the treatment I had received the evening before. I had read disapproving looks and sensed discontent amongst the court. I just had to stir the pot a little. Brendan had claimed his court was full of free fae. Maybe the Dark Court needed a change.

  After I had a lunch of more fruit, Bart knocked on my door.

  He performed a half-hearted bow. “It’s time for court.”

  “I suppose I could make time.”

  He noticed the fake wings. “Well, that will make a statement of sorts.”

  “We can’t let the other courts outdo us in the style stakes.”

  He laughed and offered his arm.

  “What’s your story?” I asked as we descended the stairs.

  He smiled. “That’s a long tale, one we don’t have time for today. Try not to displease the king today. You’re already pushing the limits, and it’ll be hard on your child.”

  I stiffened. I would do anything to pave a path out of the Chaos Court, but it would likely take some suffering. I just had to hope that the baby was strong enough to survive whatever they put me through.

  When we entered the great hall, all eyes turned to us. The fairies gasped then put their hands over their mouths. I smiled at some lesser fae. One actually blushed. I walked up to the throne, head held high in what I hoped was a regal manner, and took my seat next to Sadler. I ignored the doctor, who sat next to Reynard.

  “Good morning,” I said to Sadler, trying to look relaxed even though the wings made it so I couldn’t sit back in my chair.

  “Good afternoon,” he replied evenly. He didn’t even react to the wings. He was seven flavours of loony. I was going to drive him even crazier.

  “Very daring of you,” the doctor piped up.

  “Am I not the queen?” I asked.

  “For now,” he said.

  “If it’s only going to be for four months, then I had better make the most of it,” I snapped.

  To my surprise, Sadler laughed. Everyone stilled until Sadler shouted, “Next!”

  Soldiers dragged in a short faery with sharp teeth. I sucked in a gasp. I had seen him before. He was the elder who had invited us to join his tribe’s celebrations. They had thought a king would help them. They were wrong.

  “What’s this?” Sadler asked impatiently when they dumped the man onto the floor.

  When the guy tried to rise, they kicked him back down. My cheeks burned.

  “Some of his tribe were hunting outside of their territory, stealing from the crown,” one of the soldiers said. “He offered himself in their stead. He’s their leader or father or something.”

  Sadler didn’t even look at the man. “Take him outside and burn him.”

  “No, wait!” I clutched the arms of my chair, startled by how loudly I had spoken.

  “Excuse me?” Sadler’s expression turned dangerously mild.

  “He doesn’t deserve to die.”

  “She’s weak,” the doctor rasped. “It’s humanity. Never strong enough to do what needs to be done. It’s why their realm suffers so.”

  “Wait,” I said. “When I was… here before, I travelled past this man’s village. They were celebrating the fact that you had been crowned, celebrating a Darksider king. If you kill their leader, you’ll force them to look elsewhere for leadership. Do you really want Darksiders to start turning to Brendan?”

  Sadler stared at me for a long moment before turning his head to consider the old man. A trickle of blood ran down the man’s cheek as he lay spread-eagled on the floor, devoid of dignity. No longer able to stand it, I ran down the steps to help him to his feet, the ridiculous wings bouncing as I moved.

  I heard whispers of concern, but I had stayed quiet and let one faery be hurt by Sadler already. The man before me had welcomed Drake, Brendan, and me as strangers. I couldn’t just watch him die. The old man took my hand and stood, looking unsure. I squeezed his hand, mostly to give myself a bit of comfort.

  “You’re his queen?” he murmured.

  “Not by choice.” I spun and faced Sadler. “If you kill him, you martyr him. You make other small tribes think of what it would be like if you killed their leader for no reason. These people are loyal. Don’t drive them away.”

  “She’s an imbecile,” the doctor said. “She has no idea what—”

  “He eats with us at dinner,” Sadler said. “Then he goes home unharmed. I remember your kind now. Your people eat less than my wife does. I won’t begrudge you the occasional rabbit. Now sit down, wife.”

  My heart racing, I let go of the old man’s hand and took my seat with trepidation. I waited for the doctor to be told I needed attending to. Nothing happened.

  They moved on to the next case. I tried not to look too relieved. I was pretty sure I had done enough to earn me another day at court, but I had no idea if Sadler had agreed with me out of fear of losing face or because he actually saw the wisdom in my words. I was on a knife-edge. Too much in the wrong direction would kill me.

  But he really wanted my baby. That would afford me a little leeway. I vowed to pay more attention from then on. I had watched Brendan deal with his court. I had to have learned something.

  At dinner, the plates were small again. The old man had pride of place next to Sadler. He barely ate, his eyes wide as he took in everything.

  Sadler cleared his throat and looked at me. Everyone stopped eating to listen.

  “You’ll need to pick a dress for the wedding feast,” he said in a gruff voice. “That means white. Do I need to tell you the colour of this court?”

  I shook my head. “Can I choose anything I want apart from the colours?”

  He shrugged. “You can turn up wrapped in a blanket for all I care.”

  “A blanket it is.”

  A couple of faeries close to me giggled into their napkins. Sadler went back to eating. I felt sick. What possessed me to open my mouth sometimes?

  After dinner, Bart offered to escort me to my room. In the hallway, a red-haired man loitered, smoking a pipe. Instantly, the smell reminded me of my grandfather.

  As we passed him, he gave a short, snide laugh. “The foreigner and the consort. There won’t be any purebloods left at this rate. Sadler is too trusting of late.”

  I glanced at Bart. If possible, his back had hunched even more, and his head was lowered as his eyes gazed at the floor. I glared back at the man, but he had already moved on.

  “You know, if you act like you’re better than them, they’ll start to believe it,” I said.

  Bart’s mouth curved upward. “I prefer to be underestimated. That way, they never expect what’s coming.”

  I thought about that until we reached my room.

  Bart hesitated at the door. “Interesting tactics in court by the way.”

  “Tactics?” I asked as innocently as I could manage.

  He smiled. “Just remember, the mischief makers lead dangerous lives.”

  He was one of the strangest-looking faeries in Sadler’s court, and that was saying something. His eyes freaked me out, but I couldn’t stop looking at them. He reminded me of a certain ever-smiling faery who had wanted me to sacrifice myself for his queen. I really hoped they weren’t related.

  “As long as they keep living, that’s all that matters,” I said.

  “As long as you understand.”

  “Understand what? I’m just a human.”

  His smile turned into a grin. “That you are. See you on the morrow, my lady.”

  He bowed but not in an insulting way.

  I slept well that night. The wedding feast was coming soon, and I would see Brendan and Drake again. I was mad at them, but I couldn’t depend on anyone for anything. I had come to realise it was better that way. If they had come in fighting, they would have caused the war Sadler wished for. But if one little human disappeared from u
nder a king’s nose, nobody could do a lot about it, as evidenced by Sadler whipping me away from Brendan’s court. I just hoped human queens counted, too.

  ***

  The next morning, Rat helped me plaster paint on my skin.

  “This is a bad, bad idea,” she whispered.

  “I did this all on my own. Don’t worry,” I said.

  The dressmaker had given me every colour but green and silver.

  I laughed as I rubbed my forearm. The blue colour that reminded me of Anya stayed. “This is going to be a nightmare to remove.”

  “It dissolves in water,” Rat said. “Don’t step outside in the rain.”

  “Thanks. You’re a star.” On a whim, I yanked up her sleeve and drew a star on her inner wrist in pink paint. It matched the pink tinge of her irises.

  “Oh.” She jumped, spilling some paint. She blushed furiously and started cleaning up the mess.

  I knelt to help her, but that only embarrassed her further. A knock at the door interrupted us.

  “Are we ready?” Bart asked, not batting an eyelid at my appearance.

  I stood and took his arm. “What does it take to shock you, Bart?”

  “You’ll know when you manage it.”

  At court, lots of the women were wearing their skirts shorter than before, some of them even showing off their wings for a change. The old ball gowns were slowly vanishing, so I decided I needed one for the wedding feast. I had to stand out, no matter what I did. Nothing interesting happened that morning, nothing I could use anyway.

  So at one point, when everyone in court was quiet, I piped up with, “Am I supposed to get you a gift?”

  All eyes turned to me.

  “Excuse me?” Sadler asked.

  “A gift. Are brides supposed to give their husbands a gift here? I’m just a human. I don’t know the customs.”

  “No.” For some reason, he looked freaked out.

  “Here, it’s custom for the husband to give the wife a special gift,” Bart called from across the room. “Something… meaningful.

  Sadler scowled at the hunchback before sneering at me. “I suppose I owe you one, now that you’ve brought it up in front of the entire court.”