by Amy Sumida
“Especially then,” Keir shut the chest, locked it, and turned to me. “What if members of the Seelie Court decide to call? Or what if we have a disturbance within our kingdom? I need you to be able to handle these types of things without worrying about your safety. You need a Guard and you need it to be more than a knight and a puka.” Cat, who was napping on the rug before the fire, whined and lifted her head to give Keir an accusing glare. “Sorry, Cat but you know it's true.”
She huffed and lowered her head back down.
“Tiernan is more than a knight,” I grumbled. “He's a-”
“Lord of the Wild Hunt,” Keir finished for me with a smile. “Yes, everyone with ears knows that. Still, he is not enough protection for my only child and the heir to Twilight. Do not fight me on this, Seren. Allow me to save my strength for the larger battle to come.”
“Fine,” I sighed. “You'd think it would be enough that I agreed to stay home and let you go without me.”
“It's not,” Keir said simply. “Now, is that what you're wearing to the wake?”
“Yeah,” I frowned and stared down at my simple black dress. “It's black.”
“The fey don't hold to such traditions as a mourning color,” Keir scowled at the dress. “It would be better if you wore something bright and glittering, to show how much affection you had for them. Something like what I'm wearing,” he indicated his garish yellow tunic, adorned with amethysts along the collar and hems.
“I was wondering what was up with the Big Bird look,” I shook my head at his outfit before standing up to head towards my bedroom. “I'm sure Mairte can help me find something appropriate.”
“Seren,” Keir stopped me with a hand on my arm. “I will claim our vengeance, I promise you. I've lost friends too and there is still your mother's debt to be paid.”
“One little ass kicking didn't do the trick, huh?” I gave him a grin. “I didn't think so either. I just wish I could be there when Uisdean is overthrown.”
“I'll take a picture,” he grinned.
“Did you pack the digital camera I gave you?” I lifted a hopeful brow.
“You're damn right I did.”
Chapter Forty
The fey didn't have a lot of funerals, especially not in times of peace. So this wake was actually a wake-up call to the entire kingdom, proclaiming that peace was over. A funeral, especially a funeral for multiple fairies, meant war had arrived. Or, in our case, it was being taken to the Unseelie Court by my father.
Still, the lives which were cut short, had to be laid to their final rest before more blood could be drawn. And for fairies, that meant a wake; a party of epic proportions. As much of the kingdom as could make it to Twilight Castle on such short notice, came to help us celebrate the lives of the nine men who died. Twilight was overflowing with laughter, food, and fairy wine.
Knights told stories of the dead men and their various deeds in life as women recounted their own personal memories. The bodies were displayed in crystal coffins, like Snow White herself, and propped up so that the men were upright, standing before the high table. Fairies came up to the open coffins throughout the evening and lifted their glasses in toast to the men. It was the most vibrant funeral I'd ever seen.
There were tears but they were quickly dashed away, as if they were disrespectful to the men we lost. Instead, the fey endeavored to sing, dance, and drink in honor of the brave knights who gave their lives for their princess. I had some trouble with the no-tears program and found myself turning away often to swipe at my eyes. I understood their reasoning. The fey were long lived and those men had all been thousands of years old. In some ways, death could be seen as a blessing after such a long life. The fey knew that it was better to be thankful for the years they'd had than to mourn the end when it finally presented itself.
But I was new to being a fairy and all I could see was my friends lying dead before me while I was expected to eat and dance and drink toasts to them as if they were standing there alive, waiting to receive my good cheer. I needed to mourn more violently. My heart ached to vent the pain that was building up inside it, and sitting there, having to present a strong, happy front to my people, was drowning me in my own pent-up grief.
So when my father finally turned to me and nodded, I left the hall with great haste and relief. Tiernan stayed behind to celebrate on behalf of Iain and Digby but Cat went with me and I was fine with that. The rest of the castle was echoingly quiet and completely deserted once I left the main floor. The silence reminded me of Craos-Teine and the dragon who lurked there, waiting for his chance to seize the unseelie crown. Was he feasting tonight as well? Was the dining hall of Craos-Teine once again filled with food and fairies? I hoped it was. The thought of him sitting where his grandfather once sat, looking forward to a future where he would begin his own kind of rule, made me smile.
The more I thought on Raza, the more I knew he was meant to be king. I could almost feel Danu's hand on my shoulder, lending me her certainty. I wanted to hold onto my anger towards the Goddess but it was slipping away, easing out of me with the tears that were falling now that I was finally alone. Or relatively so.
I smiled through my sadness at Cat, who understood my need to mourn and leaned into me supportively as we walked. We ambled into my bedroom and straight through, our feet padding over the thick, moonlight streaked carpet; as quiet as phantoms. I glanced above me at the dome of crystal in the ceiling and admired the stars of Fairy just before I headed out onto the balcony with Cat.
There, Twilight stretched out before me; sable shadows cloaking her in mystery. The night was cool on my heated, wet cheeks and the sight of my sleeping kingdom gave me the solace I needed to fully give in to my grief. I dropped to my knees and released the wailing heartbreak that had been choking me. It was a broken, ugly sort of crying, the sort done across caskets, and I was glad only Cat was there to witness it. But soon, I felt a presence, a tingling warmth over my arms which tightened until it became a hug of sorts.
“I won't even be able to avenge them,” I whispered to Danu.
The battle is not yet here, she whispered. And vengeance is not as satisfying as you may think.
“Watching Uisdean lose his kingdom sounds very satisfying to me,” I sniffed.
His kingdom or his head, Seren? Which do you truly seek to separate him from?
“If I could; I'd take both I suppose,” I said honestly. “You kept insisting that I give him a chance, kept telling me he's a good man, when he's been evil all along. Why did you let this happen? I know you could have stopped him.”
Events have transpired as they needed to, she sighed and the pressure eased up around me. Where has all of your trust and love gone, Daughter? Should I not be disappointed that at the first sign of tragedy, you turned on me?
“I'm not the one who turned,” I snapped.
Aren't you? She chided. You should have more faith in me. I'm trying to do what's best for my people, just as you are.
“What about the men Uisdean just killed? Aren't they your people too.”
Their lives were given to bring about a future which will benefit all, she said gently. You judge me harshly to think that I don't mourn with you or that watching Uisdean become a broken, bitter man will be easy for me. But it has all been necessary and in time, you will understand that.
“Raza,” I whispered with revelation. “If Uisdean hadn't done this, if he hadn't killed those twilight fey and brought back Rue, Raza wouldn't have thought to take the unseelie crown.”
Now you're looking towards the future like a leader.
“No, I'm imagining it as someone who might attempt to manipulate it, that's all,” I shook my head. “The difference is, I wouldn't have sacrificed my men to make Raza king.”
Wouldn't you? Isn't that what you're doing right now?
“Excuse me?” I growled and Cat huffed loyally. You gotta love a puka who takes your side, even against a goddess.
Your knights will soon leave to join Raza. The
y go to fight for the dragon, and they may even die for him.
“That's different.”
How?
“These men are going to war,” I shook my head. “They will stand in battle and face an opponent in fair combat. While my men were cut down like wheat in the field. They never had the chance to defend themselves.”
Welcome to magical warfare, Seren. Often death comes without warning or escape. And it is rarely fair.
I went quiet.
Let go of your anger and try to find some peace.
A shivering touch filled me and cooled my grief and guilt, allowing me to see that they were the real reasons for my unrest. I let out a trembling sigh and accepted a small measure of the peace she offered.
Stop fighting the future, a soft touch brushed my forehead. What must be, will be. You will know happiness only when you accept that you cannot control every aspect of your life.
Her words faded with her presence and I was left staring up at the star-filled Fairy sky, wondering if there was any aspect of my life which I still controlled. It felt as if I were still falling from that tower, plummeting towards an unknown future which could very possibly be a painful ending.
Chapter Forty-One
In the week that followed the wake, reports began to come in about the new Queen of Unseelie. Regrettably, we didn't have spies in Uisdean's court. They would have been handy at a time like this. Instead, we learned about Rue from the refugees.
They arrived on foot, making their escape through the Unseelie Forest under cover of night. The sleek leanan-sidhe and the misshapen hags. The little spriggans and the massive red caps. The horse-like hedley-kow and the rat-faced fir darrigs. Gwyllions, shellycoats, baobhan-siths, and even packs of pukas. They all sought sanctuary at Twilight.
Word hadn't spread yet about Raza and Craos-Teine. Only Raza's friends knew to bring fairies to him. So most of the unseelie came to us; the neutral kingdom which had welcomed outcasts since the day it was first formed. The arrivals became so consistent that we began to send wagons to the Unseelie rath every morning, so the tired fairies wouldn't have to walk all the way to Twilight Castle. Our rooms were overflowing. Dad and I had even moved twilight fey upstairs into our family rooms, to make space for unseelie below. But it still wasn't enough. Some fairies camped in the gardens and some even put up tents in the courtyard. They didn't care where they slept, as long as it was far away from Queen Rue.
The unseelie were used to seeing cruelty in their court but generally it was directed towards seelie prisoners or the unfortunate unseelie who had been stupid enough to incite the king's ire. Since I'd emptied the Unseelie dungeons though, there were no seelie prisoners for Rue to vent her insane wrath upon. So she took out her crazy on her own people.
She'd attack fairies without provocation, hanging several from the castle walls for her amusement. Since the unseelie, like all fey, were immortal, this didn't kill them. But they would strangle until they passed out. Or worse; their neck would break, an injury which required immediate magical healing in order to keep it from becoming fatal. Immediate healing which they didn't receive.
And that was just one of Rue's new games. She especially liked to pit the unseelie against each other and there were nightly tournaments in the dining hall, during which unseelie fought against unseelie until one lay either dead or unconscious. If Rue felt the urge, she would change unconscious to dead. All while the rest of the court tried to choke down their dinner.
Only the most deadly and ferocious of the unseelie were able to endure Rue's rule without complaint. The rest of the court quickly lost faith in their king, who had abandoned them after his first attempt to interfere nearly cost him his head. Once their faith in Uisdean was gone, all loyalty to his House soon followed. Even Moire and Bress avoided the new queen, turning a blind eye to her atrocities. So the unseelie slowly turned against the Thorns.
But no one was allowed to leave. The first few fey who had tried to walk out of Unseelie Castle, were caught and tortured to death in front of the rest of the court. Their limbs were removed and then Rue personally tormented them until she grew bored. Only then were they beheaded and allowed to die. This took days.
So the unseelie began to sneak away.
My father was thrilled by this turn of events. Not the horrible deeds which Rue was becoming infamous for, but the fact that our army was being fortified by deserters. As our strength grew, Uisdean's dwindled.
Indeed, the unseelie were anxious to get their home back. All of them, except for a few children and their mothers, would join Raza's army. The weapon-smiths worked overtime to fill the demand for swords and daggers but several of the unseelie didn't require any weapons, they were dangerous all on their own. I must admit it was unsettling to see such fairies as these brought low. I thought I'd seen the Unseelie Court at its worst but it must have been a new type of hell to send such ferocious fey running for their lives.
With the need to reclaim their home and gain justice for their murdered friends, the unseelie fairies worked twice as hard as our twilight fey and they soon turned a refugee camp into an army. In only two weeks time, my father was prepared to lead this army out to join Raza at Craos-Teine.
On the morning of their departure, I woke with the dawn and inhaled sharply as the twilight energy rushed through me. Tiernan was asleep beside me and would most likely sleep through most of the morning. He had stumbled into bed late last night after helping to load wagons and prep weapons for the army. Currently, he was competing with Cat for the loudest snoring award.
I slipped out from beneath the covers and crept over to the balcony, where I could see my father in the courtyard, surrounded by his men. The knights were mounting their horses, the pages scrambling about the wagons, and my father was staring up at my balcony like he'd known I'd be there. I lifted a hand and waved farewell. He kissed his gloved fingers and waved back, looking every bit the fairy king in his shining silver armor. Then he turned his black horse around, leading his army out of the courtyard and off towards Craos-Teine.
He would meet with Raza and they'd form a plan on how to lay siege to Castle Unseelie. I was betting that Uisdean would be trapped within his castle by the end of the week. I hoped so. I hoped that this whole thing would conclude quickly and victoriously. But I had a horrible feeling clenching inside my gut. My human psychic abilities included a touch of precognition and I knew to never discount the odd sensations I occasionally received. So I closed my eyes and just listened to those senses.
Suddenly, I knew. Something was coming; plodding surely over the earth with focused determination. On a direct course to Twilight Castle. I wasn't sure if this determination boded ill or not or not but it drew closer as my father rode further away. And whomever or whatever it was who was so damn determined, it wasn't Uisdean.
I suppose I could have stopped Keir, rode out to him before the army reached the edge of the Twilight Forest, but after all my talk about how safe I was behind the walls of Twilight Castle, I couldn't bring myself to do so. I would handle this, whatever it was, with the soldiers and protection Keir had left me with. And I was confident it would be enough. Still...
I looked towards Tiernan and considered waking him. Most of the castle, those lucky enough not to be heading to war today, would be in a similar state to my tired hunter. Everyone had driven themselves to the point of exhaustion in order to get the army on its way. We knew lives depended on our speed.
“Perhaps I should have a glass of water handy,” I murmured and headed toward the set of pitcher and glasses on my small dining table. I poured a glass and carried it over to the bed. “Tiernan,” I called and got no response except for louder snoring. “Tiernan!”
Nothing; no movement at all. I looked at the water and lifted my brow. No, I couldn't do that. It wasn't as if he was a drunk who had come home after a bender. He was physically exhausted from helping to prepare for a war in which he wouldn't get to participate in. Let him sleep. I could handle things until he woke.<
br />
I hurried to the bathroom and splashed some water on my own face before getting dressed. By the time I was done, Cat was waiting patiently for me by the door. I smiled and gave her a good head scratching.
“Sometimes, Cat,” I whispered to her, “you're a better guard than Tiernan but we won't tell him that.”
She wagged her fluffy tail as I opened the door and we crept out into the quiet hallway while Tiernan snored on. We headed downstairs and I nodded greetings to the few fairies who were up and about already. But we continued past them and headed out the main doors of the keep and then up to the guards on the castle wall. They came to attention when they saw me but I waved off their respect and called them all over to me. They gathered around me urgently.
“I've had a warning this morning,” I explained to them.
“From who, Your Highness?” One of them asked.
“From myself,” I sighed. “I have a little precognition from my human side and it gave me a sense that someone was on their way to Twilight.”
“Who?”
“I'm not sure,” I held up my hands to ward off further questions. “So far, I just have a feeling that we need to prepare for the worst. I want all of you to be extra vigilant until this visitor appears. Double the watch but keep the rounds short, I need you to be rested and prepared in case we need to defend ourselves.”
“Shall we bring up an extra stock of arrows?” One of the archers asked.
“Yes,” I agreed, “and anything else that might come in handy, including magic projectiles.”
Their eyes widened. Such things were generally reserved for war and my father had taken most of our stock with him.
“We do have some supplies left, don't we?” I asked.
“Yes, Your Highness,” they bowed.
“Good,” I nodded. “I don't know who or what is coming for us or even when they will appear but at least we'll have time to prepare. If they're friendly, we've lost nothing but effort and if they're not, we'll be grateful for the preparations we've made.”
