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My Queen.
I’m not sure if I’ll ever get used to that title. Granted, it’s only been a day, but I was a nobody in Grym Hollow. Just the girl whose parents died and boyfriend cheated on with her sister. Queens are from storybooks, an anointed title belonging to fair maidens who dream of love and adventure.
I’m certainly no maiden and I’ve been burned too badly by love to ever want it again. I’ve never been particularly adventurous, not until I made the deal with Ender. As far as I’m concerned, I make a pretty shitty queen.
“Are you hungry, My Queen?” Mina asks. I follow her blindly out the door, content to have her lead.
“Please call me Rose, and not really. My stomach’s still in knots from crossing the portal,” I admit.
She nods like she understands. “I’ve been told it’s a nasty feeling the first time. Did you feel like you were being unwound and put back together?”
“That’s exactly how it felt. Ender says it gets better, but…” I won’t ever know. I’m stuck here and won’t ever return home. I wait for a sense of dread or longing to come over me, but nothing does. I’m really at peace with my choice, even though I’m uncomfortable with my new role…and husband.
“What can you tell me about Malix?” I ask, surprising both Mina and myself. I don’t mean for her to get caught up in my problems, but since Malix is the master of mystery, I can’t deny that I’m eager to learn something about him. Anything.
“Well, he’s a private man.”
“Yeah, I figured that much out for myself,” I mumble.
“I suppose you would, yes. I don’t spend much time with him, admittedly. That’s my mate, Vivia’s, job. I think Vivia might be his only close friend, and I use the term close very loosely. He doesn’t open up to her, but he lets her in more than most people.
“From my infrequent interactions and things I’ve gathered from Vivia, he seems to truly love his kingdom and the people in it,” she says, taking an abrupt right. We pass a door slightly cracked and I peer inside to see shelves of books. I’ve never been much of a reader, but with the free time I’m certain I’ll have here, it might be a hobby I’m willing to take up.
“He likes taking flight at night. Vivia says he’s a bit of an astronomer, always wanting to find new stars and constellations. He’s been doing that since he was a boy.” She laughs at the memory we don’t share.
Something in her words stands out among the rest. “When you say ‘take flight’ you mean as a…?”
“Dragon, of course. He’s handsome in his human skin, but the fiercest-looking beast in his true form. Has he not shown you his beast yet?” she asks with something akin to concern in her voice.
“No, he hasn’t.” The concern only grows and I feel the need to justify his actions. “But we haven’t been together long. We aren’t exactly a love match, so he can show me or not show me anything he pleases. I don’t care what he does.”
“Love matches don’t always happen instantly,” she says gently after a moment of silence. “Dragons are stubborn, especially mated ones. Just give it time.”
I open my mouth to argue and then abruptly close it again. I don’t have the energy for rebuttal. People want to believe in happy endings where everyone falls in love, but I know the reality. Love is a weapon to carve out the heart. We give it freely to another person and hope they don’t stomp on it. It rarely ever ends well.
Eventually I stop prying and allow her to show me around the castle. It is far larger than I anticipate and she promises she’ll draw me a map in case I ever get lost. I’m going to need way more than a map to get around here, but I appreciate it all the same.
The castle appears to come out of a fairytale. The wall seems to be carved directly from the rock, with gray stones making up the extra height. Chandeliers with lit candles hang every few feet. The castle holds its own kind of magic, feeling both strong and comforting.
We shy away from any further talk about my marriage, for which I’m thankful, and I listen as Mina speaks of her family. She has a mate, Vivia, and a young son named Bastian. Occasionally we speak about Malix, but she’s careful with the information she gives me though, I can’t blame her. We’re strangers.
Through her idle chatter, I attempt to gain any information about the war ahead, but Mina is careful to side step most of those questions, claiming she doesn't know much and that Malix is a better person to talk to in that regard.
My feet are throbbing by the time we end the tour and head to the dining hall. My stomach growls at the chance for food, and I realize I haven’t eaten a proper meal since arriving, only bits of meals someone—probably a maid—leaves in Malix’s chambers.
On the way to the dining hall, we pass a courtyard which once might have been a beautiful garden. Now it was little more than a whisper of what it once was.
“What happened here?”
Mina stops walking once she realizes I’m not keeping up with her. “Oh.” The smile on her face is melancholic. “This was once the most beautiful garden on the property. It was special to Queen Alegra and she would often spend her evenings here with her ladies or King Broynen. It hasn’t been kept since their death.”
“Were those Malix’s parents?” I ask, feeling Mina tense beside me.
“They were. We don’t talk about them much though. I’m sure Malix will tell you more about them when he’s ready.”
I highly doubt that but don’t say as much. “Can we come back tomorrow? I would like to tend to it, if that’s okay.”
“I don’t see why not.” Mina shrugs. “Are you sure you want to take that on? I don’t know if we can even do much for it at this point.”
