I wish I had more than these formal portraits of him to go off of. Sadly, there aren’t any family scrapbooks or cloud storage in the fae realm. All we have to go off of are the stories, and those seem to be few and far between. From his place above the fireplace, the king’s portrait stares silently, judging my every move.
“And how did you and your husband—the king—meet?” I ask, the urge to know more about Moth and his family overshadowing formality once again. I’m glad Queen Plume doesn’t seemto mind.
“Oh, the usual. He kidnapped me,” she says in her usual sunny way. Imusthave misheard her.
“I’m sorry—what?”
She tilts her head as if baffled by my confusion. “He was known for his dramatic flair.” She shakes her head. “As is most of Eclipsica, as you’ll find.”
“And he was a totalstranger?”
“Oh no, we shareda dance—”
“One dance?”
“That was enough for him to whisk me away to this castle.”
Kidnapped. Goosebumps prickle across my skin at the idea of being “whisked away” by anyone except Moth…
“I’m sorry. Does this happen frequently here?” I ask, trying to shake the tension frommy body.
“Oh no. Not in earnest, at least. Proposals have gotten dull in the past few years. And no one is ever forced to marry—not anymore, thank goodness.” Her smile thins at the words. From everything she’s said, I had assumed she was madly in love with Moth’s father—but maybe there’s more to the story than I realized. “But, no dear, I think royals just like putting on a show.”
“So, princesses dothis too?”
“All manner of noble, it matters very little.” A far-off expression overtakes her green eyes “Death—my former husband—I thought he was an absolute brute at first, but as predicted, it only took two weeks’ time for me to fall for his charms.”
“And you loved him?”
“Yes, I did. Ah, forgive me for changing the subject.” Her hands jump to the small pouch hooked to her belt. “I believe this isfor you.”
An orange prescription bottle rests in her palm. My head spins at the sight of something so modern in this antique world. But that’s not the most surprising part.
SYNTHROID: 100mcg
It reads at the top, followed by my full name and address. This isn’t just a random prescription, it’s mine, and should be sitting on my nightstand next to a neglected bottle of water—not here in Queen Plume’s hands.
“How did youget this?”
“A queen hasher ways.”
Oh, absolutely not.Sure, she’s my boyfriend’s mom and the queen of this realm, but there’s no way I’m letting this slide.
“Dothose waysinclude a portal back home?”
She pinches her mouth shut. “I thought you would bepleased.”
“I am. Very pleased,and very, veryconfused.”
She sighs, as if deciding something after a silent conversation. The queen rises from her chair. “Come,” she commands, “I would like to show you something.”
“This is where I go when I needto relax.”
Relax.
I’m not sure I could use that word to describe the place I’m standing in.
We’ve climbed to the tower attached to Queen Plume’s chambers. The space is large and rounded with storybook windows and ivy covering the roof. Walls painted a deep blue echo the night’s sky and camouflage the cracks in the stone. Unlike the rest of the castle, this place has not been well-maintained but is instead well-loved.
