AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She dipped her head. “But you deserve respect, and any who oppose you will need to see it. They need to view you as their queen.” Glancing up, Aspen smiled proudly. “And you need to own it.”
“I haven’t the faintest idea how to lead a kingdom,” I murmured. And even though Aspen and I had discussed this before, even though she’d assured me many times I wouldn’t be alone and that I was the most fit person to rule, the full impact of what was about to happen settled on me.Queen.Surely it was madness. Surely another fae could take the throne instead.
But Aspen rose and shook her head, taking my hand and squeezing it reassuringly. “The power in your blood is proof that you’re meant to rule. It’s fate, Ren. If one can dare to believe the gods ever condescend to influence our lives anymore, then I’d even venture to say they chose you. Silverfrost tradition claims that the light in your blood not only commands the door to the underworld, but also that it brings light and strength and prosperity to our kingdom. There is power in who you are. And your connection to the land through your ancestry—it’s greater than anything the rest of us possess. You are our best choice.”
I clung to her words, trying to let her confidence seep into me, hoping she was right.
Before either of us could say more, a knock sounded at the door. Aspen bid the visitor to enter, and Charles rushed into my rooms, his face lighting up when he saw me awake. “Ren!” he cried, darting forward and seizing the nearest chair to perch at my bedside. “You look well. Do you feel well?”
Mouth full of my latest bite of stew and throat still aching, I nodded, warmed by the way he was fretting, by the reassurance that he truly did care.
Aspen’s gaze flitted between us. “I know you’re eager to see Garrick, Ren, but let me check with Kinsey and ensure he approves of visitors. For now, I’ll leave the two of you to catch up.”
While Aspen sauntered from the room, I patted the bedside next to me. Charles hesitated before settling in, wrapping an armaround my shoulders. His dark eyes glistened when I turned to him. “You really are all right?” he whispered.
“Yes, Charlie. And you?”
He shook his head. “Perfect. Fae magic is...” His voice drifted off. “Yourmagic is...”
“Terrifying?” I supplied, thinking of the night he’d cast me out in fear and disgust.
Charles hung his head in shame. “No, it’s beautiful and awe-inspiring. I was a fool, Ren. I don’t know how I could ever possibly atone for what I did. It’s unforgivable.”
“You’re my family, Charlie. Of course I forgive you.”
“I broke my promise to Father to provide for you and shelter you after he died,” he choked out, a tear slipping down his cheek. “I let resentment grow in my heart. You’d always cared for me so well, were always the perfect elder sister. But as I started to get older, and my friends began to gossip about your hair and their ideas about what you could truly be... I let fear grow. I started to think I could become ostracized too. That I’d never have a happy future as long as I was associated with you, or at least as long as I was friendly and kind to you. So I tried to distance myself the only way I knew how.” He clenched his hands in his lap, staring down at them. “I was so wrong. So selfish.”
“And yet I still forgive you,” I murmured, setting my tray on the bedside table and leaning my head on his shoulder.
“Still more proof that you are better than me. You’ve always been better than any of us. No wonder you carry such power. The goodness in your heart alone must be enough to repel a horde of those horrendous monsters.” He chuckled softly.
“It’s my fae blood, not any virtue on my part.” I nudged him playfully. “If it was my goodness alone, they would have fled the kingdom as soon as I stepped foot here.”
He laughed with me, and it felt good, like our sibling relationship had once been, in those years before Charles had started to distance himself from me.
As we quieted, my half-brother’s voice turned sober again. “I’ve heard the talk. You’re heir to the throne, the rightful queen of this land. I know you’re half-fae, and you’ve found friends here, but is that what you want? To stay here? Because if not, say the word and we’ll leave now. You’ll always have a home with me, Ren. I promise.”
Tears stung my eyes. I lifted my head to study Charles’s expression, seeing the sincerity burning in his gaze.
“I want to stay. I haven’t a clue how to rule” –I laughed mirthlessly– “but Aspen and Garrick will help. This is where I belong. And being here, where I can keep the door to the underworld sealed off, will protect our world as well as the fae one. This is where I’m needed.”
Charles appeared thoughtful. “Garrick is the fae that can transform into a white wolf? The one who was wounded?” At my nod of assent, he continued. “Does he...treat you well? I can tell you care for him. And I by no means am in any position to give or rescind a blessing on your relationship—I’m well aware of this. But I only want to know, as your brother who wants to see you happy and secure, if you’re happy?”
My smile felt radiant. “Charles, I’m the happiest with him that I have ever been.”
Daylight streamed through the open curtains, illuminating the bed Garrick was asleep within. Despite the rich fur rugs on the floor before the hearth and beside the bed, the covers on the bed itself were scarce—likely because Garrick didn’t need the layers to stay warm.
I stepped inside slowly, barely noting my surroundings even if I’d never been within Garrick’s quarters. They were fairly sparse, with little to mark them as his but for his hunting knives laid out on the dresser and the swords, bows, and quivers hanging on the walls.
Heart in my throat, I settled on the edge of his bed, focusing on the steady rise and fall of his chest. Soaking in the sight when I’d been so sure I’d lost him. I found where his hand rested on the coverlet and set mine overtop of it, squeezing his fingers.
His eyelids flickered and he shifted his head. “Starlight?” His tone was gruff but soft as his gold eyes settled on me.
The sob of relief I’d been holding back burst out. “I thought you were gone. I thought I’d lost you.” Tears streamed down my cheeks, and Garrick sat up abruptly, his movements smooth and assured as he wrapped his arms around me and drew me onto the bed, his embrace warm and comforting.
“You won’t lose me so easily,” he murmured into my hair, cradling my head against his chest. The beat of his heart was another reminder that he was alive. Whole. Mine.
I drew back, wiping my tears and studying him worriedly. “You’re supposed to be healing. You were pierced by so many—”
