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“You kill my mother and have the gall to parade around announcing your innocence to anyone that will listen, and you claim you wish to make amends? Tell me, Valen, how do you propose to make amends?” she hissed. Valen’s eyes met mine again briefly before the Princess took a step forward, her arm that I held pushing me back as she did so.
“I promise that I will rectify my father’s wrongdoings, cousin. House Ardens and Borealis will be united once again,” he said, his attention firmly on the Princess, and I watched as he attempted not to cower, his foot lifting as if to take a step back before finding his resolve to stand still.
“If you want to keep your life, I suggest you make your offerings, if you have any, and leave. I am not as forgiving as my father. I will not bear the humiliation of having you in my presence. I’ll remove your head as I did your father’s - relations within the Kingdom be damned,” she hissed lowly, almost whispered, taking another step forward, her arm pulling away from my hold.
Valen did not stand his ground. He stepped back clumsily, smugness leaving his features.
“I will do as you ask, only to respect your mourning and not because your accusations hold any merit. Our Houses will once again be united, Selene,” he stuttered as he turned to leave. I watched from behind the Princess as he made his way into the crowd of mourners, only pausing to look over his shoulder before disappearing from my sight.
I flinched when the Princess took hold of my upper arm, her grip rough, and pulled me towards her until my shoulder pressed against her. She pressed her nose into my crown and breathed in my scent.
“What a spineless snake. And the way he eyed you,” she hissed, moving to my neck. “I should follow him and gouge those eyes out,” she whispered, and her tongue swept out against my skin.
“Ma’am, we’re at the Queen’s burial monument,” I reminded her, acutely aware that we were in public, though her oversized hat provided an illusion of privacy. The Princess had, over the last few weeks, seemed to entirely lose any care for who was around when she decided to mark me.
She only hummed in response, teeth nipping at my neck hard once, drawing a gasp from me, before pulling away. When she looked down at me, her face was no longer emotionless, and she met my eyes with a look of possessiveness.
The Princess wrapped her arm around my shoulders almost defiantly, holding me tight to her side. As the last mourners paid their respects and returned to the castle, I followed the Princess’s stare to the King. He was watching with a dissatisfied grimace.
We did not immediately follow the King as he left. The Princess released me from her hold and walked towards the stele. She picked up a pair of scissors that sat on the offerings table and handed me her hat. I followed her wordless instruction and watched as she carefully selected a section of hair near the nape of her neck and cut a lock, leaving it as her offering.
2. A King’s Warning
Selene Borealis
Vasilios’ betrayal had impacted my father significantly.
Suspicions and concern regarding our allies and the reputation of Borealis, bordering on paranoia, had gripped him.
He had called me to an early morning meeting in the council room. When I arrived, he stood looking out the window onto an internal courtyard below.
“Selene, thank you for meeting with me early.” He turned to greet me.
“I assume you asked to meet this early because you wish to speak without the rest of the council?” I replied as I took my unofficial seat at the end of the council table.
“Yes. I wish to discuss your pet,” he began, and I found myself sitting up straighter in response. “Your affections have not gone unnoticed, Selene. Your behaviour, I’m afraid, has become problematic.”
“And what of my behaviour is problematic, Father?” I asked him. Percy was mine. She belonged to me, and I could do with her as I pleased.
“You have been treating your pet like a mate, Selene. I understand that you keep her in your wing, that she sleeps in your bed. The servants are talking about your fondness for the half-witch, and the display you put on at your mother’s burial monument was disgraceful,” he chastised me. I heard his heart rising in tempo as he spoke.
“Disgraceful? Disgraceful was allowing Valen, my mother’s murderer, to attend the service,” I countered, offended by his accusation. “And the half-witch is my pet. I can do as I like with her. Am I not allowed to enjoy my property?”
He stared at me, sighed, and ran his hand over his face.
“Selene, you know that the events of the last few months have weakened us in the eyes of our allies and enemies alike. Ardens have many allies within the smaller Houses of the northwest, and Valen has taken his father’s place as Marquess. His quick and vocal claims of ignorance and innocence and my inability to respond while I recovered have created a delicate situation. One we must handle carefully,” he explained.
I disagreed. There was no delicate situation. Borealis was not weakened. We should kill Valen and destroy House Ardens, if necessary. Borealis had gained our Kingdom through the use of our power. There seemed no better time to remind the Houses under our rule of that power.
“As for your pet, you enjoy your property too much. Your behaviour has caused a stir of rumour amongst our people. I can only imagine the damage your show of possessiveness yesterday has created,” he finished. I clenched my teeth to stop my harsh response and calm myself.
“Rumour is only that. My pet is not my mate. However, she is a highly valued source. Powerful and dedicated enough to risk her life for me, with blood that sings and produces a bloodhigh like no other. I enjoy her body also. My instinct to protect and possess what is mine is natural. Nothing more,” I told him.
“I understand, and if the situation were not so, I would leave you unhindered to your dalliance with your pet. Yet our situation and our position are damaged further when your relationship with your pet is viewed as a weakness,” he replied.
“There is no weakness caused by my pet—quite the opposite. I remind you, if it were not for my pet, you would be dead, I would be dead, and Vasilios would be sitting on the Borealis throne,” I replied angrily. Percy was not weak, physically weak, yes, but she had a cleverness about her and personal determination I had seen rarely matched. Percy was not weak, nor did she weaken me.
“Whether a perceived weakness is true or not is irrelevant. We must secure our Kingdom, strengthen our alliances, and deter our enemies. No perceived weakness is acceptable. If I were to send your pet away, back to where you found her, that would rectify the issue,” he responded thoughtfully.
