His brow furrowed slightly, and it was enough of a deviation from his usual blank expression that I knew he’d been wondering the same thing. He opened his mouth to reply, but a sharp knock came on my door, and then my parents and several other fae burst into the room.
My jaw dropped to the floor because the Wishing Stone was cupped in my father’s palm.
Its starlight bathed my chambers in an array of blazing color, and my father held the Stone out to me, his expression one of complete exasperation.
“The Stone won’t acceptanyone’swish,” he huffed. “No matter what the Council or I try, it won’t accept it.”
For a moment, all I could do was stare at him. My mother looked as though she’d been crying, and the fae with them began to blubber and plead.
“Your Majesty, I do beg your forgiveness, but there’s nothing further we can do,” one of the fae said. “We can’t make the Stone do as you want. Everything we’ve tried has failed.”
Another dipped his head in agreement. “As we’ve been trying to explain to you, it’s likely because you’re not the Stone’s finder. We consulted with a gargoyle scholar, and they confirmed thatprevious wishes were all made by the fairy who found the Stone. It’s quite likely the Stone’s magic has been bound to the princess, and that’s the reason it will not accept anyone else’s wish. Unfortunately, all of this is out of our control.”
My eyes widened even more, and for the first time since they’d left, a ray of hope filled my soul. “You’re saying that onlyIcan use the Wishing Stone?”
One of the fae, who I could only assume was a scholar, nodded. “Yes, that’s what we believe.”
Disbelief hit me first, then fierce determination. I took a step toward my father, toward the Stone that was rightfullymine.
My father, the king, didn’t try to stop me when I took it from him, and the second my hands closed over the heavy gem, it pulsed, and a tingle of magic zinged up my arms.Yes, its magic seemed to convey,I’m yours. You have been deemed worthy.
I wrapped my hands around it, my hope turning into a wide smile. “OnlyIcan cast its wish because it belongs to me.Ifound it.”
“Primelle, please, listen to us.” My mother clasped my forearm, her worry so palpable that it filled the room. “Cast your wish to reveal who’s after you. Please. I beg it of you.”
For a moment, all I could do was blink at her. Without her illusion, it was uncanny how similar the queen and I looked. While we didn’t look identical, standing side by side, it would have been easy for fae to spot the similarities between us. We both had long dark-brown hair. The blond hair Opalin had worn was gone. Similar eye shape and a slightly larger upper lip compared to our lower lip were also traits we shared. It was rather obvious we were mother and daughter.
I’d never noticed the likeness between us before, probably because the few times I’d ever seen her had been from afar, and my aunt and uncle had never hung portraits of the royal family in our home. Not as some fae did. Now, I realized it was probablyso I would never make the connection or comment that the queen and I looked alike.
Remorse at her despair filled me, but my resolve grew. “I’m sorry, Mother, but no. I’m going to save Timith.”
“Prim,” my father said, his voice stern. “You need to cast the wish to reveal who’s threatening you. I know you want to save Timith. We all do. But savingyouis more important.”
My lips thinned. “No.”
He took a step closer to me. “I’m still the king. I still command what happens in this kingdom.”
My lips parted, and my mother gasped.
“Is that what this has come to?” I said softly. “You lie to me my entire life, and now you demand that I obey you? Is that how our new life is to start together?”
My mother covered her mouth, her shock apparent in her aura. She gave my father a reproachful look, and after a tense moment between us, his shoulders sagged, and he fell to the couch. He sighed heavily, so heavily, it was as if the weight of the realm was upon his shoulders.
“No,” he finally said, his voice hoarse. “Gods no, that’s not how I want you to think of me.”
At his broken tone, something in me gentled, and a part of me understood how heartbreaking this was for them. They had the ability to find who’d been after me my entire life, yet in order to demand that, they would have to treat me as their subject. Not their daughter.
I sat beside him and laid a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Father. I know how much you and Mother want answers, but...” I shrugged. “I love Timith too much to not save him.”
My mother joined him at the couch. She wrapped her arm around him, and when he lifted his eyes to mine, sorrow filled them. “All we’ve ever wanted is to keep you safe.”
Tears coated my eyes, and I squeezed his hand. “I know.”
Silence passed between us, but when I didn’t relent nor cave to their wishes, my father and mother sagged together, their auras panicked but their expressions resigned.
They’d known me my entire life. They knew how much I loved Timith, and they knew my mind was made up.
But my father was right. He was king. He could have commanded me to do as he wanted, lest I wanted to suffer the consequences of defying a king. But Iwasn’tone of their subjects. I was their daughter, and in their broken demeanors, I knew they weren’t going to force anything upon me. And relief hit meso hardthat they weren’t going to fight me further.
