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“Calm,” he murmured, and I realised I was clenching his hand tight. “It will be over before you know it.”
Nua nodded, giving me a gentle smile. “It really will. Then you can eat and relax.”
I didn’t think I’d be able to relax at all today—despite the impromptu blowjob from Lonan—but I gave him a small smile.
The huge front doors were heaved open, letting in the roar of the waiting crowd outside, which drained all the blood from my face. Lonan stepped closer, pulling his hand free to run it down my back soothingly.
A tall, willowy woman with deep brown skin and golden hair that reached the floor glided inside… accompanied by a cow.
“There’s… there’s a cow,” I said numbly as I stared, and heard Gillie muffle a laugh.
“It’s Fioda and her cow Mol,” Nua murmured to me as the fae approached with a soft smile. “She will conduct your coronation and place the crown on your head. She’s an ancient fae who embodies seelie land.”
“Oh.” So no big deal then. Just an ancient magical creature who embodied this entire land and everything in it. I gave her a nervous smile as she reached us. “Hello.”
“King Ash.” Her voice was soft and musical, and before she dipped her head in a tiny bow I realised her eyes were bright gold, with no pupils. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“And you.” My gaze slid to her cow, which had a gleaming golden-brown hide and big brown eyes. “And… Mol.”
Fioda let out a laugh. “She is pleased to meet you too.”
Was she? I eyed her, then glanced over at Lonan to see him pursing his lips to suppress a smile.
“Are you ready, my dear?” Fioda gestured at the doors with a long, elegant hand. The wide sleeve of her gold dress swayed with the movement. “The Folk await their new king.”
I was fairly confident that the enormity of all of this only hit me in that moment, as I looked at the doors and could hear the muffled voices of a thousand Folk waiting to see me crowned as their new king. Lonan and I had spent the last two weeks mostly just fucking and eating too much. I felt entirely unprepared for this, even though Nua had helped me.
“Go on, Oak King,” Lonan murmured, dropping his hand from my back. “We’ll follow behind you.”
Oh god. I didn’t want to step out there alone, without him or Nua and Gillie. But Fioda was gently taking my arm and leading me to the doors, Mol clopping along beside us.
“I know you are nervous,” Fioda said kindly, patting my arm. “You are a marked difference from your mother. She was all too eager to receive her crown.”
I made a face before quickly schooling my features. “It’s not that I don’t want to do it. I’m just… really nervous.”
“You will be fine, Ash.” She patted my arm again. “A fine king. Mol told me.”
I side-eyed her. “Did she?”
Fioda nodded serenely, then stopped and turned to face me at the doors.
“This will be brief. I will announce you as the new seelie king and ask you if you accept. When you say yes, I will place the crown on your head. Then you give your vow to the Folk. Do you know what you will say?”
I nodded, frantically trying to remember the words I’d practised with Nua. My mind drew a blank, and I stared at Fioda in panic.
She smiled. “You’ll be perfectly fine, Ash. Let’s not delay it any longer, shall we?”
The guards posted inside hurried to heave the doors open, and sweat beaded on my hairline. I swallowed hard as the sea of Folk cheered when Fioda led me outside to the top of the grass steps. A gold pedestal carved into twisting vines and branches had already been set out, and I could see my crown resting on a forest green cushion on top.
The royal jeweller had presented me with the finished crown a few days ago. He’d beamed when I told him I loved it. It was a simple circlet of deep gold oak leaves, intricately carved but not ostentatious.
As we stepped up to the pedestal, I glanced anxiously behind us, feeling only a little calmer when I saw Lonan already standing there with Nua and Gillie. He shot me a tiny smile, standing out with his black hair and eyes and armour—his pale skin against all the browns and golds and greens. I smiled back before taking a hard breath as I turned to face the crowd.
They’d fallen silent, and Fioda’s smooth voice rang out.
“Today we will see our new king crowned. The beginning of a new age for seelie.”
She kept a gentle hand on my arm as she spoke.
