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“I think her birth will make the realms tremble.”
CHAPTER30
Panic surges in me as the gag in my mouth is tied tighter. I let the tears leak from my eyes, knowing that my makeup is most definitely not waterproof. I struggle against the bindings on my hands and feet. The only thing I have to be grateful for is that the chair I’m tied to is comfortable.
“Shh, you’re all right,” Essos promises me, stepping into my line of sight. He reaches forward, presumably to smooth away the tear streaks, but I shake my head.
The throne room somehow feels darker now than when we were spilling our blood. I’m not sure I’ll be able to use this room ever again. Maybe Essos can be convinced to make our ballroom the new throne room. It’s certainly warmer and brighter.
“Leave them. The tears make this more believable,” Cat suggests, crossing her arms over her chest. She looks between Essos and I, her mouth twisted in a frown. None of us are happy about this setup.
Essos nods, clenching his teeth before looking away. In his hand is a dagger made to look every bit the real thing. We’ve gone over this plan several times in the last week, but it makes it no more comfortable.
“Take away the cushion,” Xavier says before reaching under me.
Essos puts a hand on his chest. “No. She’s pregnant, and we don’t know how long this is going to take.”
We had to lock Dave away, not that he let something as insubstantial as a door hold him. He’s never had to do it, but he’s capable of growing to ten times his size without his siblings, outweighing even the griffin that Galen fought during the last Trial. If Dave were here, there would be no way Ellie or Essos walk out of this room again, at least, not whole.
“I’ll be fine,” I try to say, but it’s so muffled and I think I’m drooling into the cloth.
Essos turns to look at me. “No. I have to put my foot down somewhere. You convinced me to tie you up and not in a fun, sexy way. Fine. You convinced me to gag you, again, not how I would have imagined doing it, but you think this will sell it. Now you want me to remove the one thing you can have for comfort? I can feel your heart racing, you’re trying to keep calm because you have to, but this is scary and if keeping a cushion on your seat means that you’re even remotely comfortable, I’m going to do it because at some point, I’m going to have to hold this to your throat.” He waves a dagger between us. “AndI’mnot comfortable with this.”
“It’s not real,” Xavier whispers to him. Their blue eyes lock, trying to survive this battle of wills.
“It’s real enough,” Essos tells him, shaking his head.
I make the decision for them both and the cushion disappears. Essos’s gaze flashes to me and he rubs his eyes. Knowing now that Ellie is the daughter of a Fate, we don’t know how much of her powerlessness is real and how much of it is just an act. It’s best if this setup looks as real as possible.
“The rest of you, get out. I mean it. Get out now before I change my mind.” Essos’ order has the desired effect, and everyone leaves us to wait for Ellie. There weren’t many here to begin with, just Helene, Xavier, and Cat. We wanted the fewest number of people involved. Essos presses one last kiss to my forehead before he changes into a different person.
Gone is the husband I know and love. In his place is an aloof king with a crown perched on his head. There is a matching tiara on mine, a prop to sell this. I struggle again against the binding, and the baby gives a light kick in response. We’re doing this for her and I have to keep reminding myself of it.
Essos sends his message, dropping it into a bowl of water, leaving us both to wait. We have no idea how long this is going to take. Ellie may be in love with my husband, but if she’s feeling put out by his rejection of her, she may not jump when asked.
I try to focus on other things, like how my growing bump strains against the low-cut watercolor dress I’m in and how glad I am that I decided to empty my bladder before I sat down. The quiet contemplation has a negative affect too. I have to think about Esmaray and her proclamation that she’s my mother.
Ellie doesn’t make us wait long. She springs forth from the ground. As a nymph, her mode of transportation is different from ours. Where we can move, appearing and disappearing at will, she grows forth from the ground like a tree. Nymphs fall under the nature hierarchy, and I’ve typically felt a deeper kinship for them. She’s one of my own kind and it makes the cut of her infatuation with Essos so much deeper.
“Essos,” she’s trying to sound calm and cool, but her eyes are bright when she spots me. She looks good for someone whose mouth was sealed shut. She’s in green leggings and a black tunic, not exactly ready to be faced with her lover. I wonder if she debated changing before appearing before him.
“Ellie.” I recognize the tone in his voice. It’s the same one he uses when he says my name, and I try to ignore the flutter of my heart. We discussed how this was going to go. We discussed every step that was going to come next.
I know it’s coming when I watch him cross the floor to her, sweeping her into his arms and kissing her like she’s the wife he’s been missing for a millennium. The anguished scream I try to release is not an act. I thought I could handle it, that I was strong enough to see him fake this kiss, but it doesn’t feel fake. It only makes me feel like a fool.
Fake, fake, fake.I have to keep chanting the words in my head, but I also can’t be too convincing because I still need to sell his betrayal.
Tears begin anew, and when he finally releases her after scooping her up, he won’t meet my eyes. Essos nips her lip hard enough to draw blood and he soothes it away with his thumb, flicking it at me. He keeps his focus on Ellie, kissing down her neck until he sets her down.
“What is this?” she asks, finally looking at me with a triumphant sneer. She walks toward me and Essos trails her like she is his master. My eyes flash to his and I convey everything I can in that look, the hurt and the betrayal at seeing that kiss and nearly feeling the heat pouring off them both.
“A gift. My apology gift.” Essos places his hands on her shoulders as he stands behind her.
She’s wary of me and Essos. I can practically see the gears turning in her head as she calculates if this whole setup is legitimate or if it’s too good to be true.
“What changed your mind? Why now?”
Essos trails kisses down her neck. His hands rove over her body possessively, one hand reaching for the hem of her dress to stroke her thighs. The tears leaking from my eyes are very, very real. It’s not hard to let myself believe what I’m seeing in front of me because my husband is excellent at selling it. His hands never stray to her breasts or her pussy, and maybe if her mind weren’t clouded by his touch, she might see this for the trap it is.
