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“You’ll do no such thing.” Roisin’s expression turned stern. “After that stunt that his majesty pulled, you will need all the regalness you can muster today.”
“I’m just going to sit there and smile,” I muttered. “At least that is what he expects, isn’t it?”
Roisin glared at me in the mirror. “It is expected that the queen of the faeries will perform her duties and speak her mind. Has the king said anything to the contrary?”
“No, but—”
“I would not be putting words in his majesty’s mouth, my queen. You do not know how long he has desired to have you here, to rule at his side.”
I bit my lip and stared into the mirror at my asymmetrical dusty blue chiffon gown that matched my eyes. The double laced sleeves came just far enough to cover the metal disc on my arm. “Before. With Morrigan, they ruled together?”
“Yes, your majesty. There was no difference in power. They ruled with equal authority.” Her sternness faltered. “We should trust what he did the other day, that it will clear up once Samhain has passed.”
The door to the waiting room opened. Roisin turned. “It took your pretty little arse long enough…” She stopped, her eyes going wide.
Palon walked in, holding a sparkling headpiece on a silken pillow. He bowed. “The queen’s crown.”
Roisin’s cheeks went beet red. She stood there, looking mortified.
I reached out and plucked the crown off the pillow. “Thank you, Palon. So glad to see you.”
He bowed again, giving Roisin a once over before walking from the room.
I placed the crown in Roisin’s hands. “Should we get a move on?”
“Ah… yes, yes.”
She planted the crown on my head and began styling my hair around it. I watched her, my grin growing wider.
She caught my eye. A bit of color remained in her cheeks. “Stop it.”
“Palon is handsome, don’t you think?”
“He… we knew each other as children.” She grimaced. “In his past life, that is. My mother worked for his family and he and I… used to play together before”—she took a breath—“before the barriers of rank inserted themselves into our lives. Not that he would remember any of that now that he has been reborn.”
“But you have feelings for him.”
“He is a noble, and I am nothing more than a stranger.”
She placed the last pins in my hair. This crown was a softer, silvery color, more like a tiara than the huge thing I wore during my ceremony. “There. Done.”
With a hand on my back, she urged me toward the door to the throne room and gave me a wink. “You can do this, your majesty. If not, you know what to think about.”
“Horse shit.”
She bowed. “You are so wise.”
I was still laughing when I stepped onto the stage of the throne room.
A second seat had been added. It was as large as Dagda’s, with gold overlays and ridiculously intricate carvings. I ran a hand along its gilded beauty.
Keelin trod forward, interrupting the proceedings to announce my arrival. The people filled the room, though they left the royal carpet that led up to Dagda’s and my seats empty, except for a tall man in fine attire with a crest etched into his tunic. I vaguely remembered him from my ceremony and tried to place him among the information Dagda had sent me. I had only had time to skim over it that morning at breakfast.
Dagda rose to his feet, offering me his hand. Shoving aside the memory of that hand stroking along the side of my bra while he spoke dirty words to me, I took it, and allowed him to escort me into the seat. “My queen, I am pleased you have joined us today.” He bent low, and I sensed relief and hope in the way his fingers clutched mine.
Did he regret his actions while drunk in my room?
Then he released his grasp and settled into his own throne. “You may proceed, Niall,” he said to the faerie standing before us.
