As I struggled to shake myself awake, he pulled me into his arms. “You’re all right.” He let me lean back against the headboard but pressed my hands to his lips, and I realized how frightened he’d been.
I blinked. “What time is it?”
“Morning, my love.” He shrugged. “Tonight is your coronation. But for all intents and purposes, you are the Queen of Winter now. You’ve created your heartstone and the guardians accepted their posts.” He paused, then leaned down. “May I kiss you, Cicely?”
“Why do you ask?” I murmured softly, wondering at the look on his face.
He smiled softly. “You are the Queen. You will choose your consort. It’s only proper for me to ask.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” I draped my arms around his neck and pulled him against me. “You are the only man I’d choose for my Consort. Grieve, when will you understand how much I love you?” I kissed him once, twice, then spread my legs. I was still naked under the covers.
“I want to—oh, how I want to, but I can’t.” He kissed me again, then pushed himself back away from me. “I cannot touch you again until after you’ve taken the throne.” He groaned as I let out a sigh. “Don’t make this harder than it already is, woman.”
I giggled and ran my hand over his crotch. “Oh, it’s hard, all right.”
“Pity, woman. Pity!” His expression melted my desire to torment him, and I pulled my hand away.
“When I have that crown on my head, I expect you to fuck me so hard, so long that I can’t even remember my name.” Wrapping my arms around my knees, I yawned. “I can’t believe I’m still tired.”
“You should be exhausted. The creation of the heartstone, it’s a harsh process and you’ll feel odd for a while.” He glanced at the clock. “Lannan wanted to see you last night. Lainule sent word that you won’t be available to anyone until after the coronation. He was not amused.” Grieve didn’t look very happy either.
I grumbled. “Lannan…what the hell does he want? Don’t answer that. It’s bound to be bad news, no matter what. So, since I’m Barrow-bound until coronation, and sex is a banned activity, what should I do?”
At that, Grieve laughed. “Get up and get dressed. Your advisor, Strict, is waiting for you. It’s time for a conference. I shall be sitting in, as King-Elect.”
Oh great. Homework already?
“Is there a chance for me to see Rhiannon? I want to make sure…” I wanted to make sure she was okay, that they hadn’t been telling me just what I wanted to hear.
“I think I can make that happen.” He kissed me again, this time on the forehead. “You get dressed and I’ll go talk to Lainule.” As he headed toward the door, my gaze was fastened on his butt. He was wearing tight jeans, dark black, and a pale silver long-sleeved satin shirt. He’d switched his style, I realized. Instead of summer colors, he was now wearing darker ones—the shades of winter.
As Grieve closed the door behind him, I slipped out from beneath the covers and padded over to the long mirror. As I stared at my reflection, searching for any sign of where the heartstone had been extracted, I noticed that my skin had paled even further…and…what? I leaned closer.
What the fuck? My eyes, which had been a warm emerald, were now icy blue. The look was striking against my stark black hair and pale skin. I was still me, but a heightened me.
The door opened and Druise entered. She smiled at me shyly and dropped into a deep curtsey. “Your Highness, may I help you dress? The Lady Lainule has asked that you come down to breakfast directly, so there’s no time for a bath. I’ll make sure to prepare one for after your meetings.” Her voice shook.
I winked at her. “Of course.”
She crossed to the wardrobe and opened it, pulling out a long black skirt embroidered with sparkling stars, and a silver corset. “Will this be acceptable?”
Nodding, I turned to her. “Are you nervous, Druise?”
Blushing, she ducked her head. “Yes, Your Highness.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
Her cheeks grew even redder. “You…you’re…the heartstone. Everyone knows you and your cousin have passed through the journey to create your heartstones. You are about to take the throne. Then…you really will be the Queens and everything will change. And I will be…” She paused, pressing her lips together.
“You’ll be the Queen’s personal maid. And this will impact your family and you in ways that you’ve never expected?”
At her look of relief, I knew I’d hit the nail on the head. She teared up, and dashed the tears away before they fell.
“Yes. I’m ever so happy. Please don’t mistake me, Your Highness. But it’s overwhelming. I’m not sure…am I grand enough for the job? My family, they depend on me.” At that, she sank down, covering her face.
I leaned down and tipped her chin up so she was looking at me. “Druise, listen to me. This is overwhelming for me, too. I wasn’t born to this—I never expected any of this, and it’s all happened in the past few weeks. We’ll learn together, okay? And speaking about grand…I’m not grand enough for the job, but it’s mine and I’ll do it. So we’ll muddle through together, okay?”
She flashed me a grateful look and hurried to her feet. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. I should never trouble you with my worries.”
“Nonsense. If something’s wrong, I want to know. You understand me?”
She nodded.
I smiled. “That’s better. Let’s get me dressed.”
As Druise scurried to gather my underwear and bra, I forced myself to wait for her. I wanted to pick up my brush and just run it through my hair, but I was learning. No more meltdowns.
She hooked my bra after I slid into my panties, and then I slid on my skirt. She laced me into the corset and I pulled my leather jacket over the top. As she brushed my hair, pulling it back into a sleek ponytail at my request, I dabbed on some mascara and lip gloss. Lastly, I pulled on my favorite boots and zipped them up.
The door opened and Grieve peeked around the corner. “If you hurry, you can talk to Rhiannon before heading into your meeting with Strict. She’ll be at breakfast with you.” He motioned for me to hurry and I gave Druise a thumbs-up, then followed him out the door.
Breakfast was held in our main gathering spot. We weren’t allowed out much to interact with the population yet. Rhiannon was there, standing with her back to me. She was dressed in forest green and gold, and when she turned, I gasped because her eyes had shifted color, too. They were gold, no longer hazel, and they glimmered with an unnatural light, just like mine.
She seemed different, taller and more regal. As she gazed at me, her face lighting up, I knew that she was seeing me in a different light, too. I grabbed her and hugged her, and she wrapped her arms around my waist and rested her forehead against mine.
“Was it terribly painful for you, too?” The look in her eyes told me that it had probably been harder on her than me.
“It wasn’t a walk in the park, that’s for sure. Are you okay?”
She gazed into my eyes, and it felt like we were testing each other, to see where we were. “Yes, but I feel so odd, and I miss talking to you. It feels like they’re keeping us apart as much as they can.”
“I think they might be.” I glanced around. Lainule wasn’t here yet, so I pulled Rhia aside. “You know they don’t want us mixing now that we’re moving to separate Courts. I know Wrath doesn’t mind so much, but we’re bucking tradition and it’s going to be a struggle to make certain we don’t just knuckle under because that’s the way it’s always been done.”
Rhia shook her head. “We won’t. Lainule and Wrath will be leaving soon, and we’ll be the ones in charge. And you know Chatter and Grieve will do whatever they can to make us happy.”
I studied her face. She meant what she said. I just hoped that we’d both have the courage to fly in the face of tradition and create something new out of the two Courts—because it was time, like it or not, for the world of the Fae to face the present and move forward.
“We’ll talk. I have to eat—I’m starved—and then my advisor, Strict, wants to meet with me. I have a feeling this morning’s going to be crammed with facts and figures and lists of things to remember.” I frowned. “He lives up to his name.”
“I’m meeting with my advisor, too. Edge. She’s very nice, but I have the feeling that she’ll live up to her name too, if I do something she doesn’t like.” Rhia laughed then, and I giggled with her.
“I’m glad you’ve had a chance to catch up, but we must hurry. Cicely, Rhiannon, your advisors await. I will sit in with Rhiannon. Wrath, my husband, you tend to Cicely.” Lainule was standing in the door, a faint smile on her face. Her hair had turned entirely auburn, a blazing bush.
I stared at her. “Your Highness…” It was impossible to ignore the changes in her coloring, on her face.
“Don’t be surprised, Cicely. I warned you this would happen. And it’s all right, truly. When I return to the Golden Isle, I will stop aging until the end of my natural life span. Until then, I continue to change.” The Queen of Summer was now autumn’s matron, and she looked tired, but happy.
“Rhiannon, Cicely, tonight you will undergo your coronations. Then you may plan your weddings. I am afraid that Wrath and I shall not be able to stay until then. But our hearts will be with you.” And she turned, motioning to Rhia, and glided down the hallway.
Wrath nodded for me to follow him. I caught up to him, Grieve on my heels. For a moment, Wrath didn’t say anything. Then he glanced back at us.
“Daughter, I am…there are no words to express how glad I am you came through the trial. I know what it entails, but we are never allowed to warn the prospective Queens what they will face.” He looked tired, and when I looked closer, I saw that he, too, was changing. His face was lined, like Lainule’s, and his jet-black hair was peppered with white.
“Will you truly be all right when you go back to the Golden Isle?” I didn’t want to lose him. I’d only just found my father, and I couldn’t imagine losing him again. “I wish you could stay here.”
“I wish we could, too, my dear. But we can’t. You, Cicely, and Grieve, you must take up the crowns without us to guide you. As well as your cousin Rhiannon, and Chatter. But you will have help where you least expect it. Do us proud. Defeat Myst and lead your people well.”
He turned in at one of the doors to the side of the passage, and we followed. Inside was what appeared to be as close to a conference room as I’d seen in the Barrow. Strict was there, along with a woman whom I hadn’t yet chanced to meet. She reminded me vaguely of Regina with her shimmering black form-fitting dress and upswept golden hair.
“Cicely, meet the keeper of the Treasury, Silverweb. She keeps the accounts. Not that money is all that much of an issue among the Courts of Fae, but still…we must keep tabs of what we accrue.”
Silverweb gave me a quick curtsey, then immediately pulled out a thick ledger and hoisted it on the table. She was all business, and before I could sit down, she was flipping through the pages.
“Since the Court of Snow and Ice was overrun by Myst, we would think that the coffers were depleted, but the Indigo Court appears to have had no need of money. Most of the gold and silver was intact, as were a good share of the Eldburry Barrow’s nonephemeral treasures. The vast majority of art, along with a great deal of our glassware, was destroyed in the battle for the Barrow, which is a tragic loss, but most of the precious metals were left intact, although a few pieces were dented. Restoring the Barrow cost a pretty penny, even with our artisans’ volunteering. But the treasury is at sixty percent of its former reserves, we estimate.” She pointed to some figures, but I realized I had no clue what the words beside them said.
“I can’t read that. Just the numbers.”
Wrath rubbed his forehead. “A stumbling block we did not think of—and it will be the same for your cousin. You were not brought up here, so of course you cannot read our language. I see we shall have to arrange for a tutor to start working with you the day after tomorrow. You must learn the tongue as quickly as possible.”
I hadn’t even thought of that little matter. Everyone around me had spoken to me in English. But now that I thought of it, it made perfect sense—the Fae would have their own language, their own dialects, their own lexicon.
Sobering, I stared at Strict, Silverweb, and Wrath. “I’ll have to trust my advisors until I become proficient in the language.”
“You have me, my love.” Grieve took my hand. “I will translate for you when it is needed, and work with you when we are alone to help you master the language.”
Strict leaned back. “This will be a learning experience for all of us. Meanwhile, I can instruct you in the laws of the land—take notes in your own language so you don’t forget. You will be administering justice, Your Highness. You must know what boundaries are set and, if you so choose, change them.”
I jerked my head up. “Change them? You mean if I don’t like something, I can change it? Without questioning?”
He cocked his head to one side, smiling faintly. “If your changes are too disparate, the Greater Unseelie Court may call you to question, but for minor things? Yes.”
And so we got to work—me with a notebook, Strict teaching me the legal system of the Court of Snow and Ice. I immediately understood that it was darker than Lainule’s court. There was a greater leeway on suspect behavior, and harsher punishments for those things proscribed. The sorting out would take months, but as we progressed, I began to see that I was going to be Queen over a feral and wild populace.
