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Talen bowed. “I’ll fetch you the finest spiced wine.”
He melted into the sea of fae, leaving me exposed on the throne. Gaia continued to keep so still she might not be breathing. I watched as her head tilted slightly toward my throne then moved back.
I slid to my feet. I didn’t care to look anything like she did right now. A statue set apart from the realm.
My feet hitting the floor was like an invitation to swarm me, and bodies pressed to mine. The first to reach me was a button-nosed gentleman with sleeves rolled at his elbows and five earrings collected on his left ear. He offered a soft hand for me to descend the stairs. “You are truly the most beautiful queen we’ve ever had.”
He spoke loud enough that Gaia must have heard.
I lifted my skirts away from the river right by us where bright fish circled. “Thank you.”
He stepped with me. “How are your rooms? I possess the finest wools and would be honored to offer one in an exchange for my friendship.” At my look, he held up his hands. “Just a wool, nothing too grand. A soft wool for my beautiful queen to adorn her room with.”
Before this, Malcom and Mother were the only ones to call me beautiful. That number had doubled already, and it still sounded odd when directed at me. Pretty words are used to cover pretty lies, my father would say. He was often right. “Just a wool?”
“It’s only a wool.” His mustache twitched.
I wanted to say no. I wanted to turn away from the person whose presence reminded me of my father, but my father was powerful, and his friendship was often sought after among the generals of the five islands.
Your reign depends on it.
“Alright,” I said. “I accept the offer of friendship.”
He broke into a broad grin. “Splendid. I’ll have a wool sent to your room.” He backed away just in time for Talen to appear at my side.
“Wine.” He handed me a goblet. “I see you’re braving the realm.”
“Trying to. I’m here to make friends, right?”
“Alliances,” he corrected. “Friends are far less useful.”
I took a sip of wine. The deepest, lushest, earthiest flavor swept over my tongue, and I let it sit for a moment before it slid down my throat. I immediately took another. It held a rich, fruity aroma in each drop. My reflection stared at me through the copper ring of the goblet. A wine this fine would cost more than my life back home.
As my goblet lowered, a woman appeared before me, lifting her draping skirts in her slender hand, a lithe smile on her face. Talen waved her off. “No, Ginny. We don’t want your kind. Go away.” Her mouth opened, but he shooed her off again. She dropped her hand and sulked away. Talen glanced at me, a twinkle in his eye. “You’re welcome. You have no idea what I saved you from.”
I took another sip of the glorious wine. That was all I trusted myself to do at this point.
Two tall fae were watching, but their eyes met Talen’s and they slipped away. “I think they are scared of you,” I said.
“Good.” But he eyed me. “It won’t do if no one approaches you. Can I trust you on your own for a bit? I’ll go put in some good words for you, secure friendships that can lead to alliances.”
I caught his sleeve before he could leave, ignoring the looks we invited at the touch. I turned my back to the other fae to whisper to Talen over the brim of my glass. “What will an alliance do for me? I don’t understand.”
He leaned close. “Sometimes very little. But a good one? That will ensure you power. People are waiting to decide how strong you will be, and that all depends on whom you align with.”
“But why? Are we at war?”
His grin was sly. “Not with armies. Think of it more like an elaborate game of chess that never ends. Your goal is to be the one with the most power.”
The queens held the most power in chess, yet I felt more like a pawn that was sacrificed with the first move.
Talen placed a hand on my shoulder. “Trust your instincts, and never forget you have more to offer them by your title.” He said it so simply, but I couldn’t quite grasp the importance of these alliances. As if he saw that, he added, “You’ll find your time here to be lonely without those bonds. Can you manage this?”
I didn’t want to appear weak. I nodded. “I can.”
He exhaled. “Alright. Remember, don’t do anything rash.”
That covered a broad subject of things, but I would do my best.
