AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“There,” Talen said from the side. He laid his hands on the new curtains that a slender fae had positioned over enormous, open windows, their midnight-blue color speckled with diamonds shimmering in the moonlight. He then flung the fabric upward until it billowed out like a river, the diamonds letting loose some sparkles until my room appeared caught in the night sky. “Perfect,” he pronounced. “It’s perfect.”
“A queen hasn’t chosen to align with the House of Delvers in ages,” the girl whispered, eyeing Talen as he slipped through an open partition to another room, where dresses had been appearing by some unseen will. “He’s excited.”
“Did I make a good choice?” I asked. Talen had been nothing but helpful so far, but I couldn’t ignore the surprise on his face when I’d chosen him, or Thomas’s warning.
She shrugged. “It was an interesting choice, but everything about you has been interesting.” She dabbed gold powder on my eyelids. “Just a bit more, then you are ready.”
I pulled my head away. “What do you mean it’s been ‘interesting’?”
She pursed her lips as she clasped golden bands around my arms. I’d been put in a dark red dress with a low back and high collar, and in tall shoes that would make walking difficult, but all my focus right now was on her answer.
“Please,” I pressed. “I feel like I’m drowning in confusion in this realm.”
She relented. “The circumstances surrounding your selection were unusual, that’s all I know.” Her gaze roamed over me. “Perfection. Fairest queen we’ve had in ages.”
Ages could mean a few years to me. I haven’t had a pastry this good in ages. I told you to sweep the courtyard ages ago. I suspected it meant hundreds to a fae.
She bowed. “She’s ready,” she declared to Talen before leaving.
Except for dressing, he’d watched me get ready, but I appreciated how he pretended to be seeing me for the first time. “You are stunning. You’ll attract the attention of the kings for certain.”
A ceiling-high mirror rested on the wall nearby, and I caught my full look. Three rings in my nose, bands on my arms, crown on my head, and gorgeous red dress. I’d looked over myself many times at home pretending I were the Mortal Queen, but this was real.
I could only hope to be worthy of this role I’d acquired—somehow.
“Talen, how did I get selected?”
He pretended to pluck a name from a bowl. “Thea, please be our queen. We desperately need you.”
I shook my head. “No, the girl said the circumstances were unusual.”
Talen’s hand dropped and he put on a thoughtful expression. Once again, I was struck by how similar he looked to Cal, and the pang of missing my brother throbbed again. “That’s all I know,” Talen promised. “There have been rumors, but I don’t know more than she does. What I do know”—he flashed a grin—“is that we are going to be the talk of the realm tonight.”
He’d dressed in a gold tunic with the emblem of a crown that was impossible to miss, his honey complexion complemented by the firelight as he leaned near the hearth. If he’d told me he was nobility, as opposed to a rich thief, I’d have believed him. He looked as much like a king as I did a queen. He held out his hand to me while his eyes gleamed. “Are you ready to meet the realm?”
I raised my head high. “Ready.” He opened the door.
The hall outside my rooms was empty, but not quiet. Melodies from a lyre drifted through the crisp air in a tune that made mortal instruments sound flat. I pitied the musicians who trained for a year for their one piece. Only three seconds of hearing this song and I knew my homeland music could never compare to this.
Laughter echoed up the staircase from below where the realm waited. A great, black curtain was strung atop the stairwell for me and Talen to stand behind. He straightened his jacket more often than I fidgeted. “Tonight will be perfect,” he whispered and winked.
I faced forward. A fae with dark locks stood at the cusp of the stairwell, and as soon as we were in position, he lifted his hand and the lyre paused. The room hushed to such a silence, and I feared they’d all vanished and abandoned their new queen.
But then a voice boomed.
“For centuries we have depended on our Mortal Queens to rule us.” I wondered if the other Mortal Queens would be here as well, and I’d finally meet them. Or if I’d finally learn why the fae agreed to let a mortal rule them in the first place. “Tonight we welcome a new queen into our fold.” He gave a dramatic pause. Talen adjusted his jacket once more.
“Welcome, High Queen Thea.”
The sheet was pulled back with such force that wisps of hair danced across my face. The room erupted into cheers. Just as earlier, they were dressed in satin attire, heavy jewelry, and joyfully shouted my name. Talen’s sturdy hand lifted beneath my trembling one to guide me down the long marble stairs.
I wished Cal and Malcom were here to see this.
At the far end of the room, the river met at two thrones, Gaia’s and mine. High Queen of the East and High Queen of the West. The seats were ten times as elaborate as the fae king’s thrones. These stretched almost to the ceiling and demanded all to worship whoever sat atop them. I’d look like a child in such a thing—small and insignificant. Gaia sat in hers already with a stiff back and tight lip contrasting the bored expression in her eyes.
I did a quick sweep for the other queens but found only a sea of fae spreading throughout the throne room and into the courtyard. I thought I spotted the band of a fae king but couldn’t be certain. If the kings were here, they weren’t given a seat.
At my feet, a red rug ran along the west side of the river for me to follow. A woman with silver braided hair waited at the end of it. By some mercy I didn’t trip in my shoes and made it to the front safely. Talen bowed and took one step back until he was at the front of the crowd, where he held his head proudly.
