by C. J. Anaya
“Yes,” I chimed in. “One race has been hit hard by this disease. The Land Dwellers have already lost hundreds to this plague. They need us to take King Moridan down as quickly as possible, and in the mean time, we need to offer the cure to those who have already been infected.”
The dissenting chatter in the room let me know my suggestions were pretty darn unpopular.
So goes leadership.
“This is madness,” Lord Elsly said. “You’re suggesting that available males be matrimonially bonded to the lowest race of Fae females within our realm.”
“I’m not suggesting it, Lord Elsly, I’m demanding it, and the best candidates for this bonding are males within the Drow, Tuatha d’Dannan and the Tuadhe d’Anu bloodlines, and since my father is the last male in his bloodline we really only have two bloodlines to choose from.”
Dissenters from Lord Elsly’s group erupted into appalled outbursts.
“Are you insane? We’ll not have our fierce warriors, our proud powerful males, consorting with Land Dwellers who maintain barely enough magic to hold their less dominant form. The disgrace.”
I cast my glance around the room, taking note of the intense stares some of the Drow warriors were directing my way. Funnily enough, not a single one was protesting. They remained silent, watching me with interest.
Lord Elsly and his friends were causing a riot amongst the royals with their ridiculous outbursts, and I wasn’t about to let it go any further.
I lifted my hand in the air, pulled on my core magic and shot a wave of wind that lifted the lord from his seat. He shouted in protest as he floated over to me while frozen chains slowly wrapped around his torso and up his neck to his mouth.
“Crysta.” Jareth whispered. “What in the world…?”
“Trust me,” I said.
I brought him to the side and allowed him to hover for all to see, waiting for the crowd to hush and the naysayers to get themselves under control.
“I understand that many of you operate under the assumption that a faerie’s worth can only be measured by bloodlines and magical power. Fortunately for me, I am under no such prejudiced assumptions. I recognize that all magics held by all Fae are every bit as important to the order of things within our realm.” I waited for a moment to make sure I had everyone’s attention, never once allowing my magical focus to waver from Lord Elsly’s pitiful form. “Chantara, what will happen to the Lake of Beatha if all the Land Dwellers perish?”
Chantara stood, towering behind the Drow Elves, which I thought no small coincidence. She gave me a brilliant smile before addressing the delegates.
“If they are not present to assist in freezing the many lakes during mating season, the merfolk won’t be able to reproduce.”
“And what will happen if no more young are born to your race?”
“Eventually we will all die out. The merfolk are not immortal like so many faeries within the realm. They live a little over a hundred years or so, but no more than that. I am the exception to that rule given my own parentage, but the rest of my race will eventually suffer and die out if we cannot reproduce.”
“And what will happen if the merfolk of your species die out?”
“There will be no one to regulate the magic within the lakes, and the other sea folk dependent upon the magic that fuels their cores will perish as well. One-by-one other races will feel the effects of this until we have yet another plague on our hands. A plague of our own making.”
Eerie silence descended after she spoke. I let it remain for a moment, let her words convince these racist fools of their own vulnerability.
“I suppose many of you were unaware that the source of your magic and the regulation of that magic depended so heavily on a race you viewed as powerless and insignificant. Yet in reality, these lowly Land Dwellers hold the fate of your magic in their humble hands. I think it safe to say that every race plays an important role within this ecosystem. Every race matters, every life is precious, and every moment we waste arguing about whether or not these females are worth saving is another Land Dweller lost to this disease.”
I released Lord Elsly from his prison where he landed in a heap on the floor. He didn’t move, wisely remaining there for the duration of my speech.
“Change is difficult. Long held views and shortsighted opinions are often hard to think through, push past, or even eliminate. But these women matter. The part they play, though small, simple, and until now, most likely meaningless to all of you, makes a huge difference in the grand scheme of things. Now, with this perspective in mind, I would think that any male would believe it an honor to be bonded to a faerie who plays such a vital role for our realm as a whole. Wouldn’t you agree?”
I’d just made my first speech to the royals of the Unseelie Court. As far as topics went, I don’t think I could have picked a more controversial issue to delve into.
The silence continued as I waited for a response. Whether good or bad, this had to be hashed out.
King Vargis stood and began clapping his hands together. Mira soon joined him. From around the room various royals stood and offered their support, clapping their hands, stomping their feet, and even hollering their appreciation. There were a few stragglers in the room who remained seated, but on the whole, the entire delegation demonstrated their support. I cast my eyes upon the Drow. My heart sank to see they hadn’t moved a muscle from their seats, their eyes boring into mine. I stared back, not in a way that was meant to be intimidating, but in a way that communicated I wouldn’t be intimidated by them. They were either moved by my speech or they weren’t. Only time would tell.
Roderick held his hands up after a few minutes of this, catching everyone’s attention.
“I feel that Crysta has placed upon us a challenge to see this world through eyes less prejudiced so we can come together and fight not only for our own lives, but for the lives of all Fae within this realm.” He paused for a moment and gave me a proud papa smile before continuing. “To the royals of the Drow bloodline, I will not force you to take action. Force has never been my way of handling things. I only implore you to consider the evidence presented and make your choice. Also, there are many royals of the Tuatha d’Dannan bloodline in attendance. I am not your king and this is not your Court, but after having heard the very convincing arguments in favor of matrimony with these Land Dwellers, I encourage you to spread word concerning our purpose in this matter. Let all of your male kin understand the great part they play in not only saving the realm, but in saving a precious life within our realm if they so choose to take a Land Dweller to wife.”
Many of the nobles nodded their heads in response. I thought a few looked eager to help in this matter, but I had no real way of knowing if these folks would follow through on this matter. A member of the Drow finally stood, causing a hushed silence to fill up the room. His wicked smile looked even more so as his pointed teeth were revealed. Still, this race, despite how scary they looked, were actually pretty gorgeous. I wondered if a Land Dweller would be on board with a mating to a Dark Elf or if they’d be so scared they’d sooner let the plague take them.
“May I approach the Court,” he said.
“Of course, King Ordin. You have the floor.”
I stepped back with Jareth, but King Ordin held up his hand as he descended toward the dais.
“I wish for the Princess to remain here. I would speak with her.”
Jareth tightened his hold on my arm, which seemed to amuse King Ordin as he approached.
I turned to face him and hoped to high heaven I didn’t reek of fear.
More like fascination.
These Elves were something else.
He studied me for a moment. I felt like he was taking in my measure, determining if I was really interested in what he had to say.
“We are a fearsome race,” he began. “A powerful race, Princess, and you wish for us to mingle with Land Dwellers?”
His question seemed like an honest and open one. Not an ounce of
menace could be found within his tone.
“Yes,” I said.
What else was there to say?
His soft smile was both unexpected and enchanting.
“Is Meredith still alive?”
I blinked in surprise.
“Excuse me?”
“Meredith,” he repeated. “She is a Land Dweller I met in my younger years before I became King. I…” he looked lost for a moment, almost shy as he sought out the right words.
I grabbed his hand in delight, surprising him with the contact.
“You loved her?”
He nodded and cleared his throat.
“Yes, but it was forbidden. I had to marry within my own race. It was my duty as king.”
Must have been awful for him.
“My late wife was a wise leader and a good companion.”
Okay, maybe not so awful, but dang. How terrible to not marry the one you love.
“She is gone now, and I miss her and am grateful for the influence she had on our people and our children, but I have never forgotten Meredith.”
This was absolutely nuts. The king of the Drow had fallen in love with a Land Dweller who knew how many years ago.
“Terise’s sister?” Jareth said next to my ear.
“That’s what I’m thinking,” I said. Although, I was sure there was more than one Meredith among the Land Dwellers.
Roderick called forward his guard. “Bring Terise and Meredith to my study as quickly as possible.” He turned to King Ordin. “If she is still alive we will find her. Can you remain after the delegation is over so we can verify her identity?”
King Ordin nodded his approval, turned, and swiftly returned to his seat. I noticed two of his warriors laying a supportive hand on his shoulder before turning their attention back to the delegation.
The Drow King’s unorthodox behavior had everyone in the room glancing at each other in bewilderment.
Lord Elsly had simpered back to his seat during all the commotion.
“I’ll not deny that Crysta has made sense with her arguments for a bonding between Land Dwellers and Elves,” the Boggart King said grudgingly, “but as to the rest of this proposal, we have no guarantees that we will succeed in a war against King Moridan.”
“Of course not,” King Vargis replied. “But what are our options? Crysta and Jareth may continue to reverse the effects of this terrible disease, but eventually we will all contract it at some point if we can’t stop King Moridan’s use of the Dark Arts. No one is immune save those who are magically sealed together. I place my full backing behind this decision and vote for war against the Seelie King.”
Lord Elsly shouted in protest as other delegates’ voices rose both for and against the prospect of war.
“What of The Fates then?” Elsly finally got out. “Did Rodri not state that our success was guaranteed by The Fates so long as we possessed the key to King Moridan’s destruction? Has anyone discovered what that key is?”
“We know where it is to be found. You need not worry on that score,” Roderick said.
“Tell them the truth, King Roderick,” Kheelan shouted from behind.
“That’s enough,” Jareth snarled.
I hadn’t even realized Kheelan was still in the room.
Kheelan fought to move forward against his two guards. It was honestly impressive how far he got before they dragged him back.
“Tell them the truth. The key to Moridan’s downfall can only be found if Crysta marries me.”
“What’s this?” the Boggart King said. “Is it possible Jareth and Crysta aren’t meant for one another after all? Let the prince speak.”
The outcries of more than half the royals forced Roderick to bring Kheelan forward. I moved away from the stand, leaning into Jareth for support since I knew exactly what was coming.
“Crysta’s mother hid the location of this mystical key to King Moridan’s downfall within Crysta’s own memories. Memories I have spelled and refuse to release unless she agrees to marry me.”
Outraged voices and shocked cries sprang forth as some faeries went so far as to throw volatile spells Kheelan’s way, but Roderick again diffused the situation, getting the guards to pull Kheelan away from the stand and out of the room entirely.
“It’s true that Crysta’s memories have been lost and are now being held hostage by Kheelan’s magic, but we are working on a way to break that spell and free her memories. I promise you, by the time our preparations for war are over we will be ready to face King Moridan with this weapon in hand.”
“Ah, but you can’t truly guarantee such a thing, King Roderick. We are all taking a monumental risk in assembling together for a cause such as this,” Lord Elsly said. “King Moridan’s spies are everywhere. To plot and plan a war against him without his knowledge will be next to impossible. We’ll be at war before we know it, and most likely unprepared for it. We must have this weapon, this key to his destruction ready at a moment’s notice. I’m aware of how powerful Kheelan’s spells can be. I doubt very highly there is any possible way you’ll be able to dismantle whatever he’s concocted in time.”
“As much as I hate to agree with Lord Elsly on anything,” the Boggart King muttered, “I cannot vote in favor of civil war without this item The Fates decreed would help us win this war.”
Discussion continued as several royals debated back and forth on whether or not we would break Kheelan’s spell in time.
“I propose a deadline,” the Boggart King declared. “We will give you one week to break Kheelan’s spell and uncover the memory Insley hid within her mind. If at the end of that week you have recovered the memory, I will vote in favor of deposing King Moridan. If not, she must concede defeat and adhere to Kheelan’s wishes. Either outcome will gain my vote for war against the Seelie King, but it must happen soon. Who else here agrees to these terms?”
With a sick feeling in my stomach I watched as every royal within the room save the Asrai couple, the Drow, and Mira and King Vargis voted in favor of those stipulations.
Roderick turned to me with a grim look on his face.
“There’s nothing I can do, Crysta. I may be King over all the Unseelie Court, but I can’t go against a majority vote like this. We set up this system for a reason,” Roderick said with a lost look on his face.
“If she marries Kheelan, you will lose your heir to the Unseelie Court,” Jareth shouted in a desperate attempt to change their minds.
“But they will still have King Roderick, and as you well know, we faeries don’t die of old age, and he can still produce his own heir in time,” Lord Elsly said. “You need not worry, Jareth, I feel confidant I can find another woman to warm your bed at night.”
The dangerous look that passed between them had me raising my brows in confusion. These two had history together and it sounded complicated.
Roderick held his hands up to silence the royals.
“It’s agreed then. We have one week to break the spell guarding her memories, otherwise she marries Kheelan. No matter the outcome, I think we all can agree war must be waged against King Moridan. All in favor…”
There were only a few dissenters in the group, but the majority vote was overwhelming.
“So be it,” Roderick said. “We’ll reconvene in one week.”
I paced back and forth in Roderick’s study while he and Jareth talked strategy as if I wasn’t present in the room. Didn’t matter since I was so livid at the assembly’s collective decision I could barely string two words together.
“I should have had Kheelan removed right after he bore witness to his own father’s indiscretions, but I assumed the delegates would be eager to pass judgment on the kidnapping of their princess. I’ve forgotten how manipulative your brother can be,” Roderick said.
“And it seems I’m getting quite the education in my brother’s devious tactics as of late.” Jareth let out a frustrated groan. “I won’t let him have her, Roderick. I don’t doubt he has real feelings for her, but I also
know he has an agenda. I don’t care if the week is up and we’re no closer to dismantling the maze spell than we are now. She can’t marry Kheelan.”
“Of course she can’t. We’ll either dismantle the spell or find some way to stall the royals until we do.”
A heavy knock on the door interrupted the conversation and a guard rushed in.
“Your highness, Terise and Meredith are here at your request.”
“Excellent, send them in and make King Ordin aware of their presence. He is in the room adjoining ours.”
The guard nodded and stepped aside.
Terise quickly walked in, followed by her sister. The resemblance was uncanny, or maybe they all looked like they’d been dipped in gold and rolled in glitter. While Terise’s hair was blond, however, Meredith’s hair was a beautiful auburn color. Her skin was also mottled with the same sores as Terise’s. They looked raw and aching. Her illness had progressed much further than her sister’s.
She didn’t have much time left.
Despite the sores, her beauty was obvious.
These Land Dwellers were lookers. I couldn’t believe that prejudices like rank and social status had been holding everyone back.
“Terise,” I said, grabbing her hands and pulling her further inside the room. Her sister followed close on her heels, looking at us in bewilderment. I wondered if she knew about my promise to her sister.
“I presented your situation to the delegates and was able to convince many of the need for more males to bond with ill members of your race.”
Meredith gasped and Terise shook her head in disbelief.
“How? I can’t believe you were able to convince anyone of this?”
“How isn’t what’s important.” I looked up as King Ordin gracefully walked into the room. “Who, is really what we should be focusing on.”
“Who?”
“Meredith?” King Ordin said.
Meredith turned in surprise and then took a step back. She shook her head in denial, her jaw dropping in astonishment. After a few moments of silence she put a fist to her mouth as tears streamed down her face.
“King Ordin, what is he…why is he here? I don’t understand,” Terise said in a hushed voice.
