Page 46 of Fate of the Sun King

“It seems history has repeated itself in many strange ways,” she remarks, sipping on her glass.

“What do you mean by that?”

“They scrubbed this from the history books, but your grandmother was intended to bond with Atlas,” she says, and I sit up in alarm, feeling Nadir do the same.

“What? When?” he asks.

Rhiannon looks at the fire and then back at me. “It was shortly before she met Wolf. Her mother, Queen Daedra, had allied with the Sun King, Kyros, and the intention was for Serce and Atlas to bond as a show of their allegiance. Then Aphelion would lend their armies to Heart to help take down the Aurora King.” Her gaze flicks to Nadir, gauging his reaction, but he waves her off.

“Trust me, it’s not a problem,” he says, and Rhiannon smiles.

“But Serce found out they’d make her compete in the Trials even though his brother was the Primary. They gave her some preposterous reason, and she refused. Shortly after, she ran into Wolf, and the rest was… destiny.” She waves a hand, and I sit back, stunned by this revelation.

My grandmother refused Atlas, yet there I was two hundred and eighty-six years later, competing in those very Trials for the hand of the same royal Fae. What were the odds? Did this have anything to do with why Atlas wanted me there so badly?

“How did he suppress this information?” Nadir asks.

Rhiannon shrugs her delicate shoulders. “Only a few people ever knew, and most of them died at the end. I’ve always assumed that Atlas or Kyros bought everyone else’s silence with either steel or gold. It was all a little pathetic,” she says, and I snort.

Seems like Atlas hasn’t changed much in all these years.

Nadir has a line between his brows, clearly running through a myriad of conflicting thoughts.

“Anyway, after she met Wolf, it was over for good. She fell in love instantly. There would be no changing her mind,” Rhiannon says with a strong dose of nostalgia. “Serce was as stubborn as they come.”

“Do you know what happened at the end?” I ask, and at that, her face darkens.

“I know some of it,” she says. “After she left for The Woodlands, we exchanged letters frequently.”

This knowledge perks me up. “More than what the books say?”

She nods. “More than that.”

“What happened?” Nadir asks, sitting forward.

“They were working with a High Priestess to bond them. It had to be a different type of bonding since they were both Primaries. This priestess said that just like when a Primary takes a partner that is Fae or human, their power would increase, but with two Primaries, it would have an even stronger effect.”

“Wow,” I say, not sure what answer I was expecting.

“And then I’m not sure what happened,” Rhiannon says. “When Serce returned to Heart with Wolf, I was away visiting friends in Alluvion, but we exchanged a few more letters. I know Serce was concerned her mother was reluctant to descend after she spurned the bonding with Atlas, but Serce was sure only she would be strong enough to beat Rion. She was probably right.” She pauses and looks at me. “I’ve always wondered if something happened out of her control that day. Something she hadn’t planned for, and that’s what caused it. She would never have willingly destroyed her home or her people. She spent her entire life waiting for the moment she would rule.”

“Who was the priestess?” Nadir asks. “Do you know?”

“Her name was Cloris,” Rhiannon says. “Serce said she was kind of crazy.”

“Do you know how Atlas could have found out about Lor?” Nadir asks, and she shakes her head.

“I wish I could tell you that.”

Nadir takes on a thoughtful look as we all fall silent.

“What happened after everything broke apart?” I ask. “How did you end up here? How long have you been here?”

“I came back to see the destruction for myself and stayed to help, planning to remain only for a short while. But months became years, and before I knew it, this was my home. I’ve traveled here and there over the centuries, but something always draws me back, like I’m missing a piece of myself until I’m close to Heart again.” She looks around the room. “We all feel it. It’s why we’re still here.”

“Waiting,” Lor says softly.

“Waiting.” Rhiannon nods, but there’s no admonishment in her tone, only a sense of near wonder.