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Chapter Seventy-Three

KEIR

H oly shit. Aspen was a queen. A real, crowned, and acknowledged queen.

My girlfriend's girlfriend - which was enough to make me smile just thinking about it - was royalty.

My own partner in this mess of a relationship we had was standing there with millions in gems on her head, and the thing looked like it had been made for her.

Although I clearly wasn't the only one trying to wrap my mind around everything that had just happened. We all stood there in awkward silence. I knew we were supposed to go inside. That was what Ms. Rhodes wanted, but there was too much to go over.

Yet Bracken was barely out of sight before Wilder stepped up to Aspen with a smile on his lips. "You know I have to," he said.

Aspen nodded, so Wilder took her hand and knelt, pressing it to his brow. I'd never seen this part before, although I'd read about it enough in my history classes. But Rain? She looked between all of us, clearly confused. I lifted a finger, begging her to wait as Wilder spoke.

"Your Majesty," he said, "I offer to you my service, in all ways you desire. My life, my power, and my loyalty are yours, until the end of time, so long as your loyalty remains to the crown you serve."

"Rise, Your Grace," Aspen said formally, before whispering, "Did I get that right?"

"You did it perfectly," Torian assured her.

But in that moment, an idea hit me, and hard. Before I could think about it - or stop myself - I moved to Rain. Oh, I'd read the words. I also knew what this would mean, but with Ms. Rhodes' offer sitting out there, I had to. It was the only way I could be true to both myself and my friends.

"Rain?" I asked, holding out my hand in a request for hers.

"What are you doing, Keir?" she asked, but she still gave me her hand.

So I knelt before her. "Lorraine le Fae, champion of the Wild Crown, as chosen by the Prince of Crows, I humbly offer you my service, my loyalty, and even my life to stand at your side as we serve the balance of power and the whims of Wild magic together. If you will take me?"

"The words," Wilder offered her, "are 'yes,' and 'Rise, Sir Delaney.'"

Rain's eyes flicked to Aspen, then she smiled and nodded. "Yes. Please rise, Sir Delaney, Defender of the Morrigan."

"Nice touch," Hawke murmured.

Something inside me shifted. Like an internal shove, I felt it, but my body didn't move.

For a moment, I stayed there, on my knee, trying to figure out what had just happened.

But on Rain's shoulder, Jack was looking down at me, his golden eyes piercing in the darkness out here.

Slowly, he turned his head, twisting it to inspect me.

"Knight!" Jack cawed, not even struggling with the word.

What? A knight? A fucking knight! That was an actual position - and one she could give. No wonder they'd joked about it back on New Year's Eve! But before I could start to gloat, Torian had to ruin it.

"What the fuck are you doing, Keir?" he demanded. "You're Summer!"

"Fuck Summer," I shot back, as I stood. "And Winter too.

Fuck crowns, and monarchies, and stupid fae politics from a world we will never see.

Fuck the shit that Aspen is going to get for something she never wanted, and most of all, fuck the Wild Hunt.

" I lifted my brows pointedly, daring him to deny any of it. "Is that what you meant, Torian?"

"That's Hawke's place!" Torian snapped. "He's the wildling. When Rain revealed her power, I knew that was where he belonged. Not you! I would've given you a title, but you took his?"

"What?" Rain asked.

Aspen just waved her off, but I shoved into Torian's face.

"Yeah, and I'm smart enough to realize that your sister's crown means you're working for one too, hm?

The Summer Prince? Well, that means you have no say over Rain's authority.

You have no place to tell her who she can rely on, and I've made it clear I stand with her.

And Aspen. And you, Torian, but I will not choose. "

"You just did. "

"I chose the one place where I can be loyal to all of you." I gestured to Wilder. "My friend." Then Hawke. "Another." And finally to Rain. "My girlfriend."

"And Aspen is going to need our help!" Torian shot back. "Don't you get that? They want me to overthrow her, but I will not! I'm here to support her, and I thought you might help me with that! You were supposed to be the final piece - that's why I agreed to let you into the court!"

So I grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him closer, shoving my mouth against his. We hit hard, and he tensed, but just as I braced for the punch he should throw, Torian caught the side of my neck and pulled me into him.

This time, I kissed him, but he definitely kissed back. Sadly, it didn't last long because I kept trying to laugh, breaking the contact of our lips. Still, when I pulled away, he stood before me proudly, looking like the whole thing had been his idea.

And from behind me, Wilder began to clap slowly. "Keir, I think that's a winning move."

"It was supposed to break his stubbornness," I said, but I was holding Torian's eyes, letting him know that was meant for him.

Torian just shrugged. "It didn't." Then he sighed. "But you're right."

"Of course he's right!" Aspen said. "Fuck, Tor, Keir's not Summer. The guy has Earth magic, or haven't you figured that out yet?"

"What?" Rain asked. "There's Earth magic too?"

"Hasn't been," Hawke told her. "But Wilder and I think that's the only explanation for it. Keir refuses to even consider a season, he's loyal to here - Earth - and he is drawn to the Morrigan - and I'm not sure it's only because of your great legs, Rain."

"Her legs are pretty great," I agreed. "And I'll take Earth magic. It explains why my power isn't that great."

"What?!" Torian huffed. "Are you stupid, Keir?

All semester my own magic has been cracking.

Mine! The heir to both thrones, raised and trained by the Mad Queen herself, with more power than any fae has seen before.

Designed to be a weapon for my mother, and you?

You are the only one who can stop me, and you do it easily . "

"Huh?" I asked, taking a step back. "But I can only defend."

"And defense is what we need!" Torian snapped. "That's why I wanted you on my side. My sister needs us, and you were born to Summer parents. Rain needs Hawke, and he has been with us, and been loyal since I came here. He's the reason I even found Silver Oaks. He's... "

"Your best friend," Rain supplied. "So why don't you just make him Summer?"

"He's a wildling," Wilder pointed out.

"So?" I asked, leaping on her idea easily. "Torian's the Summer Prince. If he claims Hawke as his advisor? His general? Fuck, make him a Summer Duke, Torian, equal to Wilder. Let him swear his loyalty to you!"

"I will," Hawke said quickly. "Tor, you know I will."

"But..." Torian shook his head slightly, more like he was confused than denying it. "Hawke, you're a wildling."

"And I'm your best friend," Hawke said. "Fuck the title.

I don't need one, nor do I care about it.

You are the one who helped me figure out how to control my talents.

You showed me how to even use the seasonal magic I can pull.

So let me be your right-hand man, Torian?

" He stepped forward. "I will be loyal."

"I'd rather you were belligerent," Torian admitted. "Agree to that, and I will."

"I swear it on my wings," Hawke said, sinking to a knee before Torian.

"And I swear to uphold the values of Summer, to serve and protect you and all that you hold dear, as well as serving the power you will inherit, regardless of who claims your crown.

" He looked up. "I vow to be your man, Tor, even when it isn't easy. "

I stepped back, moving to drape my arm over Rain's shoulders. "The words, Torian," I taunted, "are 'Rise, Your Grace."

"What does that mean?" Rain whispered at me.

Torian just placed a hand on top of Hawke's head and bowed his own. "Rise, Your Grace, Duke of the Elysian Fields and Advisor to the Prince. In exchange for your loyalty, I offer my own, as far as I can give it."

"That's a deal I'll take," Hawke said as he stood, and then he leaned in and hugged Torian, slapping his back to keep it from getting too awkward. "A duke, huh?"

"Yeah, and we just fucked everything up," Torian pointed out.

"Yeah," I agreed, smiling at Rain. "We have a talking crow, a shadow that brings crowns, a way to kill the Wild Hunt - "

"Two," Hawke corrected. "I got one too."

Which made me grin. "Good point. Two ways to kill the Wild Hunt, and yet you know what the most important part is?"

"That I'm fucked?" Aspen asked.

I laughed. "That's Rain's job. No." I looked from her to her brother, then to Hawke, over to Wilder, and leaned to even see Jack before my eyes landed on Rain again. "Draw the lines, people. A royal bastard."

"Jack!" the bird declared.

"I actually meant Aspen," I told him. "But you have a point.

Two royal bastards. Two mismatched advisors.

" I gestured at Hawke and myself. "Two pretty cool royals.

" This time, I gestured to Torian and Aspen.

"A traditionalist who is fucking a wildling, so not very traditional at all.

" I flashed a grin at Wilder. "And a whole lot of fucked-up magic.

" I gestured to myself, Hawke, and then to Rain.

"And?" Torian asked.

I leaned in and kissed Rain's temple. "Have you figured it out yet?"

"Nope," she said, "but I'm not the one who knows how this goes."

"Oh shit!" Aspen breathed as my idea hit her.

Rain's words had been the last thing she needed.

"The old way doesn't work! That's what Keir has always complained about!

Summer, Winter, and Wild does nothing but divide, so fuck the lines.

We, the six of us, as screwed up as our arrangements are, make a full and complete court! "

"But that's not how it works," Torian insisted.

Hawke chuckled. "Yeah, so I guess it's time we break the rules." He nudged Torian in the side. "We're pretty good at it, Tor."

"Yeah," he agreed, looking over to nod slowly at me. "We are. Rain, I think you chose well - that man does belong here. I think he might even be the noblest of us all."

"Knight!" Jack crowed, nodding in agreement. "Morrigan-Knight. Court!" And he slung his bill up and down as big as he could.

"We just have to figure out how to keep Aspen alive long enough to make it matter," Rain said.

"And Torian too," I pointed out. "Evidently, he's somewhat important too - and I will fight for him."

"We all will," Rain said. "That's what it means to be friends."