In the Seelie Court it’s known as a curse of the Fates to be born a second son.
I've met dozens of such males in royal families and, amongst the lords, even for the lower fae and part-bloods, it’s considered a difficult burden to bear. And yet…speaking with Prince Gage, the second-born son of the Goblin King, I don't think he’s felt his position to be much of a burden.
His mother is a full-blooded goblin, a healer in her own right and fated to marry the Goblin King, by all accounts a happy partnership that has brought forth a burgeoning plenty of royal children. Her skill with crafting tinctures and elixirs is renowned in all the lands, whispers of her particular remedies reaching across the many kingdoms of the high fae and beyond, and I’ve always wanted to meet the skilled and dutiful female. No matter her station, elevated with her marriage to the highest position within her land, she’s toiled and worked in service of her people.
My respect for her, based on the whispers alone, knows no bounds.
When I walked down the steps of the castle and my eyes met those of the prince, I recognized who he was straight away. The high-fae bloodline is difficult to miss, and the insignias over his chest proudly declare him the son of a king, a warrior in his own right, and not someone to take lightly.
The high fae around us have no idea.
Prince Gage helps to ferry the gift from his father to the healer’s quarters. He’s careful about how obvious he makes his assessments known, but he's making them all the same, murmuring quietly to me as he goes.
“My father wanted to be sure you were safe, Mother Ravenswyrd. He was very concerned at your meeting and regretted not sending soldiers with you that day. Fates are undeniable, but how we reach them is not. There are many horrors that could befall you before you complete the requirements.”
Ignoring the name he used for me, I smile at the prince as I carefully lay out the armful of plants on the workbench and then help him place his. Reed watches us both, scowling all the while as we converse, but nothing about our tones seems to alert him to any danger.
“I am more than capable of taking care of myself, Prince Gage, but it honors me to know that your father has concerns for a witch such as myself.”
Prince Gage sends me a knowing look, one that's a little too astute for my liking. He glances around the healer’s quarters, not bothering to hide the curl of his lip at the bare state of them.
“You’re to be married to the prince, and this is where he houses you? My father would kill any male who tried to lock my mother in such a miserable place.”
I look around and struggle to see what is offending him so badly. “It’s a welcome relief to me, and everything I need. It's not the Ravenswyrd way to live in opulence, though it warms my heart to know that your mother is treasured. Such a wealth of knowledge and hard work must be respected and protected.”
He likes the approval in my voice, his tail whipping around and sneaking toward me even as he smacks it into submission with a rough hand. The look of shock on Reed’s face is comical, and I find myself choking on the laughter attempting to burst out of me.
Prince Gage only shoots me an apologetic look. “It has a mind of its own. I mean no offense, Mother Ravenswyrd.”
It’s the official title that I hold in my coven, but even after centuries, hearing myself referred to that way is still jarring. “Rooke is more than fine, Your Highness. I prefer it.”
He grins at me, a row of white sharp teeth shining back, and he ducks his head in respect. “Gage is good for you to address me as well. I look forward to staying here at midwinter for the solstice and speaking with you at length. I think we’ll be fast friends, Rooke.”
After the Fate Wars ended, I didn't think I’d ever make friends again, and yet I’ve found myself with a high-fae princess inspecting every inch of my life, Airlie vehemently determined to befriend me, and now a goblin prince with a wagon full of gifts and kind words.
He hesitates before he speaks again, his brow drawing in a little as he tries not to show too much of his concern. “My father's next gift is for you alone, but the high fae will question it.”
I shrug. “They've questioned everything about me and my life so far. I'm not concerned.”
He cringes a little, his tail wrapping around his body, and he shifts it out of the way once more as though by habit. “We’ve sent aid to the Western Fyres in the past and helped with some of the conflicts on the borders, just to keep peace with King Salem and his dragonriders. The last time we were there, two moons passed, and we found some fae folk fleeing our kingdom. They were part-bloods, a mix of high fae and lower fae, and we had no intention of keeping any of them or halting their escape. None amongst them were witches known to be taking part in the war, but when we questioned them and searched the cart they traveled with, we discovered they were holding a high fae captive.”
I stop my work and scowl at him, stepping around the bench as I cross my arms and wait for more information. Reed looks alarmed at the change in my demeanor, but I wave him off, too busy to placate him.
“A high faecaptive? Not simply traveling with them and fleeing something themself?”
Gage blows out a breath and rubs a hand over the back of his neck, his hair cropped short with only a few curls falling over his forehead in the traditional goblin fashion. “It was a female, young and terrified, and the condition she was in…there’s no doubt she was being held against her will. She won't speak, even after my mother tended to her wounds. We’ve offered her sanctuary, but she sits in terror, trapped in her mind with whatever memories plague her there.”
A missing high-fae female.
While the part-bloods and lower fae live within the kingdom at the whims of the war and those with more power, the high fae are different. Even those without a title are usually accounted for, soldiers or citizens within the castles, and any harm that befalls them has consequences. They’re protected more than any others in this kingdom, and a female wouldn’t simply disappear without someone knowing about it.
There’s every chance that Prince Soren knows of her, even with the hundreds of high fae without royal titles who grace the castles spread throughout the kingdom. This isn’t something he’ll brush off or ignore—I’ve learned enough of my Fates-cursed mate to be confident of that—but still I hesitate to make my own assumptions of what may have led to this female’s plight.
Gage says, his voice careful but steady, “We’ve always intended to send her back into the other Unseelie lands once we learned where she was taken from, but without knowing who she is, it makes it difficult to get her home. A goblin army transporting a damaged and terrified high-fae female would not reflect well on my father or the way he conducts his kingdom.”
I nod slowly, frowning at the possibilities, and finally Reed loses grasp of the patience he’s long held. “What has he said to upset you? Tell me, witch.”
Gage’s eyes flick to the soldier, and he raises an eyebrow at me. “Do none of them know your name, or is it simply the high-fae way to address people so abhorrently?”
