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“I’m saying that I don’t think we should return to Solisarium. If we’re going to successfully overthrow the king and transfer the crown to Norivun, we need not only the council on our side but our fae as well.”
Norivun smiled, yet it didn’t reach his eyes. “That’s a fanciful wish, my love.”
“It wouldn’t be if they saw you for who you really are.”
Nish grunted. “Exactly. They’d be fools not to accept you.”
Ryder crossed his arms, and the telltale shrewd look that often covered his face appeared. “What are you proposing we do, Ilara? Speak plainly.”
I took another deep breath. “I’m concerned that the Solis love King Novakin so much that they won’t believe what he’s really done, and I’m also worried about what will happen when we try to overthrow him. You’ve said before that the Crimsonales are always striving for power, right?”
The prince nodded and ran his thumb along my inner wrist. “Indeed. Michas even told me that someday he would be rulingme, and”—he chuckled darkly—“that conversation didn’t end well.”
I smirked and squeezed his hand. “So not only could we have an entire continent of angry fae questioning why we ousted the king—even if the council voted with us—but we could also have a noble family striving to seize power. The Crimsonales want to rule,and they’ll only act when they know the chance of gaining more power is possible, which is the only reason they were willing to march on the Nolus, so if we return to the council now?—”
“The Crimsonales will try to gain the upper hand,” my mate finished for me as a dark light entered his eyes. Power swelled around him, rippling the air. “You’re probably right.”
Nish scowled. “Then what do we do?”
“We need more fae on our side,” I replied. When Norivun’s eyebrows rose, I added, “We need to show our fae who King Novakin really is, so when the time comes that we challenge his rule, they’ll be behind us. And we need them to believe in you, not Lord Crimsonale.” Norivun’s breath hitched, so I pushed a beat of love along our bond to him. “Your father has done a magnificent job of painting you as the villain. We need that perception to change. We need the fae of our land to see you foryou, so when we do go to the council, the Solis will be ready to accept you as their new king, and the crown will be transferred peacefully.”
Ryder chuckled. “Clever, Ilara, very clever indeed. You’re concerned that once the king is ousted, our continent will be wary of accepting the crown prince as their ruler after believing for decades that their beloved King Novakin has only had their best interests at heart, even though the crown is Norivun’s birthright.”
I nodded. “Exactly. I’m concerned they’ll see this all as a coup, even if we have the council’s support. Our citizens love the king, but that’s only because they don’tknow who he really is. We need them to see his true character because if they don’t, what better time will there be for the Crimsonales to make their move?”
Worry pulsed along the bond from Norivun, and I placed a hand on his cheek. I knew what he feared. I knew what his darkest concern was. Even though he’d spent winters protecting innocent fae and giving so much to those around him, he was hated, and deep down, he still believed he deserved their hate.
But he was wrong. He deserved theirlove, and I intended to prove that to him.
I ran my thumb along his jaw, the bristles from his hair scraping against my skin. “Allow me this chance to prove to our fae that my eternal husband is the fairy all of them should hope to have on the throne.”
His throat bobbed in a swallow. “And if they reject me?”
“They won’t. Not after they see who you really are.”
“And how are we going to do that, love?” Sandus placed his hands on his hips, his fingers drumming against his tunic. “How do we gain support from an entire continent?”
“By showing them that.” Ryder pointed to the looking glass. A sharp smile curved his lips. “Ilara wants the fae of our land to see who Nori really is while also revealing the king for the snake he’s always been, and what better way to do that than to show them their king wanted them starved while their son sought to protect them and keep them fed?”
I glanced up at the guard, a smile blooming across my face. “Exactly.”
Instead of returning to Solisarium,we mistphased back to my village. If we were going to convince any fae of who the prince really was while also showing them the king’s true nature, the best place to start was with those I knew and trusted and who trusted me in return.
We reappeared in the middle of my village’s main street. Snow flew through the air, and a biting wind cut into my cheeks. Norivun whipped an air Shield around us to keep the elements at bay just as a few fae from my village shrieked at our return.
“Ilara! It’s Ilara Seary! She’s come home, and she’s brought her mate, the prince!” a child yelled, pointing at us and tugging at his mother’s cloak.
My brow furrowed when villagers poured into the street, coming from shops and their homes. All of them began congratulating the prince and me on our mate bond, and not one of them looked at the prince with fear in their eyes.
“What’s happened?” The familiar look and scents of home sank into my soul. I swirled around. “How do you all know that the prince is my mate?”
“Evis and Krisil are telling everyone, my dear,” Callaleel, our village’s primary school teacher, replied. “The whole of Mervalee Territory probably knows bynow.” She winked. “You know how those two are. They really get the tongues wagging.”
“But how didtheyknow?” I looked at Norivun, searching his face for answers.
He smirked. “The boys and I might have made a visit to your field-barn cooks before we found you with Drachu.”
Ryder shrugged. “It’s a long story, but it obviously worked.”
