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“Not yet.”

“We need him immediately when he does.” Once again I imagined a dragon with godlike power, on the edge of burning me alive. He turned his attention back to me, and I prayed it was to give me leave of the room. Instead, he summoned me forward. “Come here, girl.”

My body went heavy, screaming for me to run in the opposite direction. But my feet took me toward him, regardless, and I knelt before the king. I winced as he took my chin in his hand, gruff but without malice, and lifted my face. I diverted my gaze—I wasn’t supposed to look him in the eye, I knew that much—though now I was convinced it wasn’t because of his royal privilege, but for my own protection against whatever may go wild within him if challenged.

He gripped my face with a hand and turned it this way and that, like one might examine livestock. With his other hand, he played with my hair, testing the long coils before burying his fingers in it. I had a powerful urge to hum the right tune to break his prying fingers, but fear of what might happen to me if I did tempered the thought. Instead, I held my breath until he stopped.

“You are acceptable, we suppose,” he said, with little interest, as if simply stating a fact. He released me, and I immediately stood and backed away from him. “We won’t look entirely unsavory standing beside each other.”

“Thank you, sire,” I murmured, not knowing what else to say, only grateful this humiliating introduction was nearing its end.

“What is your name?”

“Calliope, sire.”

“Calliope.” He grinned the slightest bit, but not in a mocking way. As if I had finally done something right in his eyes, even if I’d had nothing to do with the choosing of my name. “You may go. But for the love of God, put something else on before we’re forced to look at you again.”

I nodded, and the queen took my hand and led me quickly out of the room—though not fast enough for my comfort. We were a few steps down the hall before I felt myself breathing normally again.

For a moment, I dared not break the silence. I was certain something treasonous would come out of my mouth if I did. It was all so … shocking. Unlike I’d ever imagined meeting a king would be, much less meeting Deus Rex himself.

“The king can be a bit abrasive at times,” Katarine said, a polite version of my own thoughts. “His injury was quite concerning, and I thought it better he not wait for relief. I hope you don’t think I was intentionally seeking to embarrass you.”

“Of course not,” I said. After living with my uncle’s family my entire life, I knew how to tell malicious intent from unfortunate circumstance. It was clear the king was the problem, not Kat. “But is he always so … terrifying?”

“He’s mourning the loss of Lady Vi. We all are. But you did wonderfully, my dear. He’ll warm to you soon enough, I promise.”

It felt like a lie. He hadn’t even shown any gratitude, much less affection, toward his own flesh and blood. I was used to a lack of civility, but something told me the king wasn’t one to warm to anything.

“So what happens now?” I asked, if only to change the subject.

“You’ll be escorted to your chambers to rest and change for court this evening,” Kat said. “Don’t get too comfortable in that room, of course. Soon enough you’ll move to sleep in the king’s adjoining room.”

“Must I?”

Adjoining room? The very thought made my stomach hurt. After spending that small amount of time with him, I had no desire to be anywhere near his room again. Still, so far, being here was far better than going back home to my aunt and uncle. Even if I had to put up with my cousin for the time being.

“You must be available to heal him regularly. It’s the only way he’s been kept alive these two hundred years.” The queen looked at me sternly. “You are now privy to the king’s mortality. You must now hold on to this secret until the day you die. Until someone else is born with magic as powerful as his, it is your duty to keep the king alive. He’s the only one who can ensure that England doesn’t become entirely shrouded in evil.”

“But why was the lie created in the first place?” I asked.

The queen looked taken aback. “To keep up the morale of the people, of course. And to keep them safe from trying to take on The Dark themselves.”

The answer was reassuring. It showed that, perhaps, at one time the king had been a gallant hero. That perhaps the years had worn him. That there was good in him, even if it didn’t feel that way.

“You look shaken.” The queen touched my cheek gently, her expression laced with pity. “I wish you could have been given a chance to decline this responsibility if it was too much. But it was impossible, I’m afraid. We are all, unfortunately, only ever parted from our duty by death. Or treason … which spells a different kind of death.”

“I’ve wanted to be a knight my entire life.” Even as I said the words, my heart panicked. I’d gotten what I wanted, but at what cost? I would be stuck here for the rest of my days, whether or not the king got used to me. “I don’t plan on leaving this position, by any means.”

“That is good to hear,” she said. “In the meantime, if you should have any questions, I’m always available if your maids can’t answer them for you.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“And now, dear girl, you deserve some rest. A bath will make everything better. I find it always does.”

I tried to smile, but my mind was still racing. A part of me—most of me—still wanted to run. This was nothing like I thought it would be. The king was unnerving in the worst way.

I briefly wondered if anyone at court found this as uncomfortable as I did. Was it possible they didn’t view the king as frightening? Or perhaps everyone went along with it because it was this or death?