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“Ten thousand years ago,” he began, slowly walking toward one of the tapestries. “There were two younglings. A male and a female. The pair lived in a simple village and their families were very close friends. As neighbors, the two grew up side by side and were the best of friends.

“When their teen years came about, the male and female found themselves in one another’s arms most nights. They made promises in the dark. They swore to love and cherish one another no matter what life threw at them.”

He moved to another tapestry, but Ellie still couldn’t see it. “In those days, the King of Alastríona roamed the continent in search of his mate. It was a yearly event, and he stopped at village after village no matter how small. Everyone lined up to greet him and whisper praise and gratitude. He brought merchants and goods with him and the parties lasted for days.”

The male turned toward her, but his face was hidden by shadow. “The land was a very different place back then. The Fae from the four nations weren’t separated as they are now. They lived in harmony and protected one another from the dark creatures that roamed free.”

He moved onto another tapestry, inching toward her. “The male and female refused to participate whenever the king arrived. They would hide away, preferring one another’s company to the extravagant festival. They stole chocolates and souvenirs, of course, but they always avoided the male, especially after the female’s unique gift made itself known.”

“She was The Divine,” Ellie breathed.

“She was, but she didn’t want to be held captive by the mating bond. She thought that if she avoided the male, she’d never have to face it. Everything changed in her twenty fifth year. The female still hadn’t had an animal shift, and her parents began to wonder if she might be their queen. Her parents sent word to the king against her wishes and he arrived without all the fanfare, just to see for himself.” The male before her loosed a breath, almost as if he were in pain. “When she stumbled into him, the bond took root.”

“So she found her mate.”

“She was shackled by a force she couldn’t control.” He growled. “She tried to resist, but in the end, she left with him.”

“You were the young male.” He didn’t nod, but her skin crawled all the same. Holy gods. Ten thousand years. This male was ten thousand years old? Her father was barely over a thousand.

He ran his fingers over the fabric of the tapestry. “I vowed to save her from her fate. To free her from the bond. But as a simple farm boy, I couldn’t even get close to her. So I climbed the ranks and dragged myself through the mud. Just for a chance to see her again. It took me a century.” He fell silent again, but Ellie didn’t interrupt. She just waited. “When I saw the swell of her stomach, I realized just how deep the king had her in his clutches.”

Ellie blanched. “You didn’t . . .”

“I’m not a barbarian, Evelyn. No one gets to choose who sires them. It didn’t matter, she hid the child and I never found it.”

The male moved on to the next bit of fabric, as if reading a story from the pictures. “It took a very long time, but I finally managed to kill the king. I thought she would be grateful, that once the bond broke, she’d be free from his grasp and we could go back to the way things were. But her rage—” He shook his head. “It was too late. The damage had been done. The queen who was prophesied to bring peace brought destruction instead. She burned everything in her conquest. Everything that I’d worked so hard to build.”

“She was looking for you.”

He chuckled. “Yes, and when we finally faced off against one another, I knew the only way to free her was to release her from this world.”

Ellie’s mouth went dry. “You . . . you killed The Divine?”

He paused at the final tapestry and Ellie could see the outlines of his jaw working. “The king took her from me in every sense of the word. He ensured I’d never have her, regardless of if he remained in this life or not.” He laughed to himself. “Fate, or rather, the gods have a particular sense of humor. You see, the prophecy hadn’t been fulfilled, so less than a century later, someone else with that vile magic was born. The people celebrated and revered the boy, claiming he would be another great king.”

“You killed him.”

“I killed several. The Fae began guarding the young king then, determined to protect him until he reached adulthood. It became apparent that I needed to do something else entirely.” He looked directly at her. “But how does one change a prophecy written by the gods?”

“I didn’t think we were supposed to.”

He snickered. “Yes, perhaps that is where my problem lies. The fact that, despite being immortal, I do not possess celestial abilities.” He stepped closer and she could see the color of his robes now illuminated by the firelight. Old robes, from ancient times. She’d only seen the runic designs in her history books.

He sighed. “I knew then that the only way to stop the endless cycle was to delete it from history. I raged wars. I swept over the continent. I burned everything in sight. And then I started writing my own histories, keeping the details as close to the original as I could while adding my own twists.”

Ellie’s stomach clenched. “But that would take—”

He turned to her, the faintest outline of his face visible. “Centuries? More? Yes, it would, and even then, those with old memories were hard to sway.” He studied his hands as if he could see the blood of countless victims. “The young were easily swayed, especially those who neglected their studies. War killed the old, or I ensured it did. Why do you think there aren’t many Fae over a thousand years old?”

She felt sick.

“I’ve successfully infiltrated every country and planted the ideals I wanted there. Afterward, I sat back and watched as elders fed it to generation after generation. Soon, no one questioned it. At least until Brónach’s High Lady came along.” He shook his head with disbelief. “A seer. I almost couldn’t believe it. It was like the gods were against me.”

“So you had her imprisoned.”

“No, I ordered her dead, but that son of mine wanted her as his play thing. I told him not to let her escape, but that is another unfortunate tale.”

“But Rion. You didn’t kill him.”