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Maybe it was her human side, or maybe it was her Moon Child side, but Dahlia Wolfsbane had a way with words that few others did. She knew how to talk to me, how to get me to understand, how to disarm me. My rebellious instincts were still there, but I had to actively choose to use them because she knew exactly how to side-step them to get me to see her point of view.
I knew how she felt about the Royal Selection, but I still had a valid reason for not wanting to take part in it. “I don’t want to get married,” I said.
My mother had returned to her mannequin. She plucked a pin from a small, blue cactus sitting on a desk next to where she was working and pinned it to the mannequin. A moment later, she exhaled. “I know,” she said. “You think you’re too young.”
“I don’t think it, I know it. I also know… well, I don’tknow… but I’m not sure if I even believe in marriage, or evenlovefor that matter.”
My mother frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean… you and dad work, sure, and I can see that whatever you have is real. But I’ve never felt that way about… anyone. I don’t think I ever will.”
“I think,” she paused, “This is the point when some people would tell you to give it time, that you never know when you might meet the right person. I’m not going to do any of that.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“You aren’t about to tell me that getting married was the best thing you ever did?”
“I mean… it’s up there, sure. But so is having you, and Radulf. So is the very first dress I ever made in this room, so is my last visit to Earth, the last time I saw my mothers, so is the day I first became a Moon Child… I have a list. Marriage is on it, but it’s not the thing that defines me. It doesn’t define your father, either.”
“Okay, so, what’s your point?”
“My point is, getting married to someone doesn’t mean the end of you.”
“But I’m not done figuring out who I am yet. I feel the call to run, to jump, to explore. I want to see Arcadia, I want to go to Earth—there’s so much I want to do, but I feel like I’m being bolted down to a chair and told that what I want doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Windhelm and the Winter Court are more important.”
My mother sighed. “I know. I do. But… the Royal Selection has already started. The names of these contestants have been written into the Frost Stone, and the trials have begun. Our hands are tied, just as much as yours. The only thing I can promise you is that it will end soon.”
“And when it’s over, I’ll have to marry the winner—whoever it is.”
She gave me a sly grin. “I am Dahlia Wolfsbane…” she said, “I can see what I can do about maybe delaying the ceremony for a while.”
“Really?”
“I mean, Iamthe Queen… that has to mean something, right?”
“You can’t dissolve the Selection.”
“No one can. Fate ties those strings, and they can’t be unbroken. But with a little luck, and a bit of sly politicking, I can see what I can do about giving you time to… figure yourself out. Even if it means having to argue with your father.”
“He’ll never go for it.”
“Leave him to me. He can be more reasonable than you think.”
I took a deep breath, instantly feeling better. “Thanks, mum.”
“Don’t thank me yet. We still have two weeks of trials to sit through.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t remind me. They can be so boring.”
“Hey, at least you get to sit on a balcony and watch. I had to go through the trials, getting battered, beaten, and bruised for the Court’s entertainment. I specifically remember having my head chomped on by an angry Hexquis, too.”
“What’s a Hexquis?”
“Exactly. I haven’t allowed another one of those things in the castle since,you’re welcome.”
“Wait,I’mwelcome?”
