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“If I’m not a princess, then the treaty is null and void. My fourth mate can unlock my magic, and I can perform the Birth as I’m supposed to do. And no, we’ve already checked, there isn’t any other option. The previous royal line died out when my mother took over.” The last words tasted bitter, but she knew she had to say them. Otherwise the fae would never go for it.
“Queen Calla should not be replaced!” One of the wolf-shifters pushed to the front, glaring at her angrily. She recognised him instantly. He was the same wolf who’d faced off against her the other day over Drey. She’d known he’d be a problem, but was surprised how quickly that had actually come to pass.
“What choice do we have?” one of the fae asked him. “The princess is the only member of the royal family we have. If the spring doesn’t come...”
“And you want someone leading you who has mates that aren’t-”
“That aren’t what?” Aledwen demanded of the wolf shifter. “There are no male fae anyway, meaning it can’t be that. And it doesn’t matter anyway because I don’t get a say in it. We all know how mating works. It’s a case of fate deciding and us just having to go with it. And I think you’ll find that having the mates I do, will only make me a stronger ruler.”
She saw a lot of nodding heads, and relief flooded through her. She didn’t really want to go against their wishes if she couldn’t help it. But if the Birth was delayed, then the consequences could be dire. And she wasn’t willing to let her mother out of the dungeon to do it in her stead.
“I need your permission to hold a coronation,” Aledwen said loudly. “It’ll have to be tomorrow, so we’re still ready for the birth. But I refuse to start my possible reign without the support of my people. But please know, I’ll always hold your best interests at heart.”
She knew they had no reason to actually believe her, and that really, th
eir hands were being forced by the lack of leader, and the upcoming Birth. But given time, she’d prove herself again and again to them until they believed her.
“All in favour of the Princess Aledwen’s motion?” the court announcer called.
To Aledwen’s supreme relief, most of the hands in the room were raised. They wanted her. They were willing to crown her and let her lead them.
Twenty
The aisle towards the throne seemed to be ten times longer than it ever had before. Especially with the Birthing stone sat to the back, taunting her. If this all went wrong, then she’d never have any reason to use it. And they’d have big problems on their hands. Unless the weather on Earth had managed to set itself into a proper pattern without the fae’s interference. But she doubted it.
Drey and the twins waited at the front for her, in their rightful place as consorts. Fane was at the back somewhere. She could feel his eyes on her. But while he wasn’t a formally introduced mate of hers, he couldn’t stand there. He also didn’t want to provoke any other issues, which could happen if his brother became aware of the situation.
Then again, things had moved so quickly that even Aledwen wasn’t too sure what was happening, so she’d be surprised if anyone else outside the tight circle of the Spring Fae would.
Once she was crowned, she’d have to make herself known to the other fae Queens. A formal introduction so to speak. Which could be interesting since she hadn’t had anything to do with them ever.
Aledwen vowed that her own daughter would never be in this situation. She’d be ready for the day she became Queen. Not just because she’d know her people, but also because she’d know the other players in the game.
Of course, her daughter would also have the advantage of not having her magic signed away before she was born. That was always a good start.
She glided forward, all her concentration on keeping the ornate robes she was wearing straight. She wished she’d never complained about how uncomfortable her formal dresses were, because this truly took the cake. It was heavy, and stiflingly warm. She actively had to try not think about how much she was sweating. A shower would definitely be in order before any fun time with her mates.
Well, with Fane. That’s what she hoped would be happening after this ceremony ended. The other fae would be having a ball, but quite frankly, she’d had enough of those. How they dealt with one a night in the lead up to the Birth was beyond her. Maybe she’d understand when she had a few years experience.
Reaching the end of the aisle, she knelt, bowing her head before the Master of Ceremonies. It seemed a little anticlimactic that he was the one crowning her, but it did sort of make sense. The approval she needed was of the weather, the magic, and the fae themselves. Not from any religion or higher power.
“Fae Princess of Spring, we transform you. No longer will you solely be the vessel for the Birth, but the channel for all of Spring,” the Master of Ceremonies said.
Because that wasn’t slightly terrifying. And a lot of pressure. How was she going to live up to all of that?
Oh well, problems for another day, she guessed.
A wave of energy passed through her, though as before, she wasn’t able to actually access it. Probably to do with the pool of magic the Elvish High Lord was keeping from her. She just had to hope he didn’t notice it had grown before she could seal her bond with Fane. Or if he did, that he couldn’t do anything about it fast enough.
Though what could he do? Pitchforks at the gate seemed unlikely. People would notice that. And stand up for that.
Which was when she realised she had no idea where the elves even lived. She’d have to ask Fane. Maybe he’d even take her there one day. When everything had calmed down a little bit, obviously.
“And so it be done. Rise, Fae Queen of Spring.”
Aledwen carefully rose to her feet, pulling robes out of the way of her feet as she did. Tripping over them wouldn’t be a great look for her. Not in the slightest.
Cheers came from the assembled fae, but she didn’t feel like she deserved them yet. There was so much still to do. A bond to seal, and the Birth to get through tomorrow. Then actually proving herself...maybe in another year or three she’d actually be able to enjoy the sentiment. But for now, not so much.
