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“Yes. Drinking it occasionally won’t affect you much, but you’ll have to drink it every single day if you want to avoid getting pregnant. Every day.”
“I see.” None of it sounded romantic or exciting when there were all these warnings. Naia realized she sounded grumpy instead of grateful, though, so she smiled. “Thank you. How come you know about this tea, if you don’t need it?”
“Inter-marriages were common. I mean, there are some strict rules for that, so they were never that widespread, and became even rarer lately. Still, it was quite common for human women to come to us quite uneducated.”
Uneducated—what a dreadful word to describe Naia. The worst was that it was true. As a princess, she took pride in learning everything she could about other kingdoms, magic, diplomacy, and yet, she’d always been ignorant in that aspect. “It’s embarrassing.”
“No, it’s not your fault. They do it to control you.” She sighed. “Humans.” There was no hiding her dislike for them. It was a reminder that Anelise still perceived Naia as an enemy. She then added, “Now you’ll probably become one of us, so you’ll need to adapt. We also need to adapt to you, and can’t just assume you’ll behave like an Ancient.” So that was why River had wanted Naia to speak to Anelise.
The fae continued, “My great-grandmother was human, and since her reign, we’ve had clear laws concerning human-Ancient marriages. It was also supposed to avoid a conflict, you know? We didn’t want the kingdoms of Aluria saying we were stealing or taking advantage of their girls. The conflict happened regardless, of course. For other reasons.”
“I’m sorry for the war,” Naia said. That was a stupid apology, since it hadn’t been her fault, and plus her kingdom had suffered too.
Anelise had a bitter chuckle, and it was eerie how similar it was to River’s. “Aren’t we all sorry?”
“I hope things will get better. Eventually. And then your people will be able to leave this city.”
The fae shook her head. “This was just a city for the royalty and some of us. It should be our safe haven, yes, but not for an entire population.”
True, but they’d need to stay there for a while. “Ironhold… they’ve been lying, saying the Ancients are back, that you are attacking kingdoms.” Hopefully she wouldn’t need to explain much about it, as she didn’t want to tell her what River had been doing. “They want to use this lie to gain control over Aluria. So… these are dangerous times for you.”
The fae didn’t seem surprised. “Like all the times lately, except when we were sleeping, I guess.” Her tone then became sarcastic. “Perhaps being suspended in time was a good fortune.”
It had been partly River’s fault, worried about them because the dragons had isolated the city. Still, Naia felt that it was his story to tell, his truth to explain to his sister.
Naia swallowed. “Maybe. I think your brother has a lot to say about that.”
The girl set those dark red eyes on Naia and smiled. “Ah. Youdolove him.”
Uh? “What makes you think so?” Naia was curious, then realized how defensive she sounded, and added, “I’m not saying I don’t.”
“I can feel it. You’re lucky. I mean, he’s lucky too.”
The door opened again, and in came River, but looking so different. He had thin braids on his hair and wore a red shirt, open almost to his waist. He also had chains, earrings, and rings, as well as a golden circlet on his head. Two daggers were strapped to his belt, one black, the other red, encrusted with rubies or garnets. That was the perfect image of what a fae prince should look like, one Naia wasn’t used to. She had seen him well dressed in Frostlake, but that had been human garb. This was all more lacy and delicate, but it suited him. Naia was wearing a simple linen dress that felt too simple now, but this wasn’t the time to worry about these things.
He smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Don’t I look dashing?”
Anelise chuckled. “Oh, that’s the vain brother I’ve always known. Quite important to look pretty when your city is about to starve.”
“Extremely important.” He fiddled with his rings. There were four of them on each hand, with colored gemstones and engravings. “I’m going to speak to King Spring, so I might as well be the prince he wants me to be.”
Anelise’s smile faded. “I think he still wants you exiled, River.” Her voice was slow, careful.
River smirked, apparently unfazed. “Then I’ll have to change his mind.”
His sister stared at him and bit her lip, then pointed to his belt. “What dagger is that?”
“Which one? They’re mine. Why?”
She narrowed her eyes, as if examining the weapons, then said, “Nothing.”
River approached Naia and extended his arm. “I’ll need you by my side.”
He expected her to walk beside him like that, looking like a peasant? “You didn’t tell me about the dress code.”
“The dress code is to look magnificent,so you are perfect for it.I’m just here humbly trying not to be overshadowed by you.”
Naia rolled her eyes, but took his arm. He seemed confident and unafraid, which was good. Was it the clothes that were helping?
