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Chapter Thirty-Three

RAIN

W hen I got out of first period, I trudged my way upstairs to get to Math.

This was the class I shared with Aspen, but I was worried about her.

Ok, I was worried about all of us, but her most of all.

On my shoulder, Jack leaned in to rub his head against my hair.

Beneath me, Shadow was perfectly normal. Sadly, that made me even more tense.

So when I heard loud voices in my classroom before I even made it through the door, I hurried a bit. Our math teacher always made it here only seconds before the bell, and the students seemed to be taking advantage of it.

"Did the pretty, pretty princess cry when one of her icy bitches was crushed up?" someone taunted.

"Dude, and I heard that girl was crushed bad, too. Vines held her in place like a ball of meat in the trees."

"Vines? Aspen, don't you like plants?"

"Maybe her pet jevadu did the killing!" someone else offered.

"Who, Torian?" I asked, lifting my voice enough it cut through everything. "I mean, last month all of you thought he was a jevadu. You were giving Aspen shit about being a half-breed, I think it was?"

"Because she's not a real princess!" someone yelled.

"She's Torian's sister," someone else countered, almost like they were trying to stand up for her.

And in her chair, Aspen sat quietly, tapping a yellow Pixie Stix on her desk. She didn't have her head down, but her eyes were on the tip of the tube, not searching for me.

"Morrigan!" Jack cawed.

"Oh, the same Morrigan who picked the Winter freaks over us?" one of the girls sneered. "I mean, Aspen's a bastard princess at best!"

"I'm not a princess!" Aspen roared as she shoved to her feet. "Have any of you heard me use that title? Have I claimed it? No! That's because it's not mine."

"Bastard love child," someone else said tauntingly.

I turned, ready to throw down, but Aspen just lifted her chin.

"A bastard love child Queen, " she said, and the air began to chill slightly.

"I am no princess! I am the Winter Queen, and I didn't ask for any of your permission.

My younger brother has never had a claim to my throne!

I was picked to rule my season, and your opinion doesn't change that! "

"Queen!" Jack cawed into the stunned silence that followed. "Morrigan! Court! Knight!" Then he took off, flying around the room. "Court! Court, court, court, court, court, court!"

But when he came back our way, Aspen lifted her hand, and Jack accepted. Landing lightly, my crow looked right into her face and dipped his head. "Queen," he said softly.

"And that is all the proof any of you need," I told the class just as the teacher finally walked in. "Jack, like all true fae, cannot lie. If he respects her crown, then you should as well."

"What - " our teacher tried.

But I lifted a hand, proving I wasn't done.

"Just be glad Aspen is a kind queen. She hasn't had a tantrum to kill dozens of faelings because of the taunting.

She wouldn't destroy an entire season because she's had a bad day.

" And I reached out, offering my hand to Jack, who gently hopped from Aspen's wrist to mine.

"None of that means she can't. The Winter Queen is just as strong as the Summer Queen.

That is why we have a balance of seasons, so there can't be a tyrant without opposition! "

And from behind the large desk at the front of the room, our teacher began clapping slowly.

"Well said, Rain le Fae. The fae courts were designed to be equal, but not identical.

When one is strong, the other can rest. This is why it's common for Winter users to have summer hobbies.

But if you could all take your seats, we do have a quiz coming up. "

The entire class did, but while they were getting settled, I leaned over toward Aspen. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," she said, sounding like she really meant it. "Wait for me after class so I can - "

"Majesty?" the teacher asked, making both of us flinch.

"Just Aspen," she replied.

"Aspen, I would appreciate you not interrupting my class."

She ducked her head. I had to smother a giggle, but even better was the way the entire class reacted.

People looked over with awe as if it was all finally sinking in.

Maybe having me stand up for her didn't count because I was human?

I could lie, after all. But our teacher couldn't, and would know if it was some strange fae ruse - never mind that I couldn't figure out how that would even be possible.

Surprisingly, Aspen somehow kept her attention on the notes she was taking. Equations were written. Shapes were drawn. I should've been doing the same, and yet I kept looking around subtly, checking how everyone else in the class was taking her little announcement.

Over in the far back corner, a pair of girls were smiling. Their ties had diagonal stripes like mine, which meant they were basically powerless. A guy in the front row kept ducking his head to look back with an almost wistful smile. I couldn't see his tie, but he was one of the smart ones in here.

Sadly, there were also the jesters. In truth, I wasn't sure if they'd been accepted by that group, but they sure acted like they belonged with those arrogant assholes. The two guys who'd called Aspen a half-breed were keeping their heads down. If they looked over at all, I couldn't tell from here.

But a girl behind Aspen kept making faces at the back of her head.

Her friend, sitting on the far side, was struggling not to giggle.

By the wall, a girl was drawing on her tablet and trying to hide it from the teacher.

I couldn't be sure if that was a good thing or no big deal, but I made a mental note of it.

When the class was finally released, most of the students hurried out. One, a girl, paused like she wanted to say something to Aspen, but then chickened out and scurried through the door. I packed up my things slowly, not wanting to push my way out with Jack on my shoulder.

"Hey?" Aspen said. "Is it ok if I walk with you?"

"Won't you be late?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Not worried about that." And then she smiled.

That made me relax a bit, so when we reached the end of the row, I offered her my arm. She looped hers through it, turning to smile up at Jack on my shoulder.

"You make good backup, Jack."

"Morrigan," he grumbled.

"And you too Rain," she said next. "I didn't..." She paused as another smile broke through. "I didn't think I was going to do that."

"Are you happy because you did?" I asked, wondering if that was why she kept smiling. Well, hoping it was.

And she nodded. "Yes! That means it's done now. Everyone knows, and I don't have to worry about Torian saying it for me." Then she nodded her head a few times. "And I'm going to be a good queen."

"Yes, you are," I agreed. "Aspen, I've never doubted that."

"But being queen isn't easy," she said. "I mean, it's a lot. Like, a lot -a lot. I don't exactly know what it is I'm supposed to be doing, and most of my court was killed off, so I've kinda been dreading this, you know?"

Ok, I clearly wasn't keeping up. "And yet you're smiling?"

She nodded. "Yep, because I've figured it out."

"Care to share?"

Still holding my arm, she turned halfway towards me as she towed me towards my next class.

"I want to be the nice queen. Not a pushover, but nice.

I want to be a queen who understands what it feels like to have a shitty life, be in a shitty position, or any of those things.

I also want to be the hero, like you are.

Someone who lifts others up when they need it most."

"Me?" I hadn't expected that.

She nodded. "You saved me from the Huntsman, Rain. Twice!"

"Once," I corrected. "The second time you saved me."

Which made her smile again, but it faded too fast, turning into something much more somber.

"But Carol was one of mine. I was supposed to protect her, and I didn't, because I was trying to hide who and what I am.

I was too scared to take the crown - and I wouldn't have, if the Huntsman hadn't been trying to kill you. "

"I'm sorry," I mumbled.

She just leaned in, half-hugging me. "I'm not.

See, I was upset about it last night. I wanted to be upset about it, simply because someone should mourn her, and while I didn't know her, she was still one of mine.

And then Torian showed up, and I started resenting how I'd kept my mouth shut for so long. I'd been careful, and that's stupid."

"But it's also smart," I countered.

She made a little noise and shrugged. "Yeah, maybe.

But I'm done hiding this, Rain. I'm done trying to be quiet and safe.

I don't want to pretend like I'm not something for Titania to fear.

Torian's scared they'll come after me next, but good!

I'd rather they come at me than some girl who should've been graduating from college this semester! "

"Oh, that sucks," I groaned.

"And no family," she said. "All dead." She made a little shrug again, almost like she was trying to push that off.

"Torian keeps telling me he'll handle things.

He always says I need to be protected, but I pointed out how it felt when the Huntsman was dragging me and you showed up. All three of you, I mean."

"Bad?" I asked.

"Rain, I've never felt so hopeful in my life. Not even when I finally met my brother! It was like I knew I was going to die, and then I wasn't, and that feeling? It's..."

"Intense," I realized.

"But I have that. I have everyone on the court to fight for me. Who did Carol have? Or that dirt guy?"

"Drift," I corrected. "The one who was almost frozen?"

"Yeah, him," she agreed. "He deserves to know there's someone on his side.

We all do, and I have an entire court. They have no one, and we have all seen too much bad in our lives.

So yeah, Carol Dumont made me realize my people deserve a queen just as much as The Silent do, and the Children of the Exodus, and the jesters.

All of us have someone to look up to - except my people. "

"The Winter users," I realized. "But who will you look up to, Asp? Torian? Isn't that wrong somehow?"

She slid her hand a little lower. It didn't reach mine - since we were in public and that would get us moved - but she did lightly caress my wrist.

"I have you, Rain. You're the Morrigan. You're the balance, and you're doing an amazing job."

"Jack," my crow grumbled, almost like he was pouting.

"You're amazing too, Jack, but you do have a limited vocabulary."

"No shit," I agreed.

But Jack shifted to see Aspen better and twisted his head. "Queen?" he whispered, making it an obvious question.

"Yes, she's the queen," I assured him.

He shook his beak and kept watching Aspen. "Morrigan. Knight. Queen?"

Aspen sucked in a breath. "Are you asking if you can use that?"

This time, he nodded.

"Yes." Her answer was calm, confident, and without any hesitation. "You may call me queen any time you want. I'm done trying to pretend I don't exist!"

"Court!" Jack told her. "Jack. Morrigan. Queen. Court!" And he nodded like he was proud.

"Hey," I said, pausing at the last set of stairs that would let me head down to my next class without taking her too far off course. "I'm sorry about Carol. I didn't know her either, and I would've fought for her."

"Does that mean you don't agree with me?" she asked, scanning my face.

"Aspen, I think this is crazy. I mean, magic is real?

The rest of it? I'm along for the ride, and doing my best to keep up.

If this is what you want to do, then I will fight for your right to scream it all day long.

If it's something Torian, or Ms. Rhodes, or anyone else makes you feel like you should be doing, then fuck them. "

"No, this is all me," she said.

"Then I'm proud of you," I told her. But I rocked my head from side to side. "And I'm kinda pissed I can't brag that my girlfriend's a queen."

"And mine's the Morrigan," she said, squeezing my arm. "Yeah, let's not risk that yet. If Ms. Rhodes makes us move, we'll have to set up a whole new system of gates to include you, then teach you how to gate, and that's just a mess."

"Wait. I can gate?"

She shrugged. "No idea, but I can gate to you - and I will if they try to keep us apart."

I was struggling not to smile. "I want to learn how. I mean, if there's ever a reason you need me, I want to find a way to get there."

"You need a little more training," she said, holding up her fingers about half an inch apart. "Screwing it up makes a big mess."

"Ok, but one day?"

"One day," she swore, "we will have green, black, rainbow, grey, and white gates."

"Because screw the magical binary," I said as I took a step back. "Now get to class, Majesty!"

She snapped me a silly salute. "Heard!" And then we both turned and walked just as fast as we could.

Likely, I'd be late, but I didn't care. Aspen was ok with being the queen now?

To me, that was the best news! Not that she'd officially announced it or anything else.

I was just relieved she didn't regret accepting the crown.

Mostly because I had a feeling she was exactly what the fae needed right now: a queen who didn't have the biases of her parents.