Page 53

One Week Later

I turned to the next page in my current read, an old book of war records, breathing in the smell of leather and ink on paper surrounding me.

The royal library was quiet today—Laurence and I were some of the only ones inside, tucked away in our usual small pocket of the main room.

Today had been the first day since the battle that we were actually able to do some research of our own—and the first day I had felt up to doing so.

Quinn, who normally wouldn’t bother with books, had requested the library workers to bring her multiple manuscripts lately.

She had specifically been looking into the ink the Southern royals use for marriage tattoos, to better understand the vague feelings she had been having lately.

Chester had been busy as ever, with The Haven’s infirmary just now beginning to thin out some.

He was not our only trokav in the castle, but he was the best we’d got, so he was often needed.

Whether it be a newer trokav asking questions or a patient needing immediate help or simply making his rounds, he had his hands full.

Rayven had been doing his best to entertain the royal siblings from the Ocrein Isles, Byn sometimes joining him when he has a spare moment.

Apparently, Rayven’s parents were quite close with the Prince and Princess’ parents back when Rayven was young, before he relocated to the South.

I didn’t know the entire story, but since Rayven was the only one besides Byn they were familiar with, he had bitten the arrow and had been keeping them occupied.

Teagan, as our usual point of contact for the North, had been trying to get in contact with my brother, but had so far failed.

It seemed Dimitri didn’t want to be reached right now.

So, in her spare time, she had been with Margo, trying to comfort the little one.

Margo blamed herself for Ezra’s... death .

We decided not to tell her about Quinn’s revelation, just in case we were only getting her hopes up to crush them again.

She’d taken it really hard, but she was resilient.

To get her mind off of it, Teagan has been training with her, trying to coax any zirilium Margo has out of her.

Byn and I have had back-to-back meetings almost each and every day with various groups—the nobles, the advisors, Quinn and her captains, the Islander royals and the points of contact for their army.

The day after we returned to Cairnyl, we made an announcement to all of Cairnyl that King Horace Heartshire of the North was dead, and the battle had been won—but not the war. It had been an awful feeling, hearing my new people cheer for the death of my father.

Byn had kept the details vague, but rumors spread anyways. Fortunately, I’d been so busy, I hadn’t had the time to listen to all of the gossip.

When I’d had time outside of meetings, I’d been showing Aurora around The Haven, and some of Cairnyl. One evening we took to the skies, and I gave her a tour from the sky, pointing out different landmarks and shops that Byn had once pointed out to me.

I made sure she knew she had a place here with me, but she still seemed like a shell of the female I used to consider as close as a sister.

“Hey, where’d you just go to?” Laurence asked quietly, a habit he held despite the library being mostly empty.

I sighed. “We’ve been so busy the past couple weeks, I’ve hardly had any time to process anything. I mean, can’t we all just catch a break to catch our breath? Even for a moment?” I asked, frustrated.

“A crown is a heavy burden,” he responded simply, as if that fixed my problems.

“Tell me about it,” I mumbled.

Leaning forward against the table and resting my chin in my hand, I forced myself to actually process the words and numbers in the records book before me.

Slowly, my eyes widened with each statistic I read.

“Laurence,” I said after a few moments.

“Hmm?”

“Am I reading this correctly?” I asked, sliding the book across the table over to him and pointing to a section of what I just read.

His eyes scanned the page, then did so again for a second and third time. His head snapped up and our eyes locked, his mouth hanging open slightly.

“Does this mean what I think it does?” I asked, keeping my voice quiet as I began to pick at my finger’s cuticles.

Slowly, he nodded. “I think so. But how—”

“Aviva?” Teagan’s voice called out through the library. Laurence’s library habits obviously hadn’t rubbed off on her just yet.

She sounded slightly panicked, so I quickly closed the book I had just slid to Laurence and scooped it up into my arms before heading out to the main portion of the library.

“I’m here. Teagan, what’s wrong?” I asked, heading towards the entrance where she stood.

“There’s somebody here to see you. I told her there was no way they were getting an audience with the queen alone, so Byn is already with her and her two companions, and I’m to escort you and be present,” Teagan explained, hooking her arm through mine and beginning to lead me away.

Though I could tell by how swiftly we were walking that she was stressed.

Laurence followed behind us without question; I’d grown used to the sound of his footsteps being nearby.

“We don’t know who they are?” I asked her, allowing her to lead me across The Haven and towards one of the private meeting rooms that only the royals use.

“Oh, Byn and I know who the female’s companions are—they’re some of our nobles.

But we don’t know who she is, where she came from, or what she wants.

She said she’ll only explain everything with you present,” Teagan responded.

Somehow, she didn’t seem to feel any nervousness about having a stranger in our home.

After another couple minutes of walking, Teagan stopped before a honey-colored wooden door with a golden handle. Without any warning, she opened the door and walked in, holding it open for me.

I looked back to Laurence, catching his eye. He nodded without me even having to speak, and took up position right outside of the door, already on guard. I patted his shoulder as I passed by in silent thanks.

Shutting the door behind me softly, I turned to face the strangers who dared to enter my home and practically demand an audience with me.

And came face to face with the female from the market. The same fae I had chased and who had seemingly disappeared.

I was so startled, I almost dropped the book in my arms.

“You,” I said quietly to her, stunned.

“Me.” Her mouth quirked to the side in a smirk.

A smirk that reminded me of Dimitri.

Her wavy hair had been cut even shorter than the last time I had seen her, now sitting just above her shoulders.

Despite that, I instantly recognized her by her eyes—a striking ring of green surrounding a center of brown.

A beautiful hazel that brought out her light, olive skin.

She was wearing casual clothes under her open cloak, though they looked a little worn.

Her hood was pulled back to show her face and ears, adorned by gold and a deep purple gem on each ear.

No running or hiding this time, I supposed.

Her two companions consisted of an older female with graying, dark hair and a nervous smile who stood alongside a brown-haired male, also graying at his temples, but with a much more guarded expression.

They both looked like they had at least a little bit of Ocrein Isle heritage to them, but the striking green eyes of the female and the chocolate brown hair of the male made me think they were both more Southern than anything.

Regaining my composure, I crossed the room to where the female from the market sat in a chair next to the low-lying table.

I listened to my boots gently click against the marble floor as I took up a spot next to Byn on the couch, Teagan moving to stand near her brother and king.

The two older fae stood near the window, the female of the two still obviously nervous, though almost in an excited way.

“I’m assuming you have questions,” the younger female said after I sat.

“Why did you run that day in the market?” I asked first.

She laughed, tilting her head back, before responding, “Don’t you want to know my name? Or why I’m here?”

Grinding my teeth, I forced out, “What is your name, stranger ?”

She smiled, as though she won some kind of game I didn’t realize we were playing. “Matea. Nice to meet you, Your Majesty .”

“Alright, Matea. Now, why did you run?” I said, my patience tired of being tested as of late.

“It’s… sort of a long story,” she said, showing a glimpse of nervousness for the first time since I walked in.

“I have time,” was all I said.

“Well, you see, I’ve been hidden away my entire life, by my grandparents.

” She motioned to the two figures standing near the window.

“It wasn’t safe for me to let the world know I existed, at least not until recently.

My grandparents even made sure my name wasn’t jotted down in any family records.

It’s bittersweet, really.” She smiled with a hint of sadness.

I didn’t react, my face perfectly neutral.

“Anyways,” she carried on, “that’s why I ran in the market. Ever since I was little, I’ve been taught to be a wraith, a ghost. Nobody was supposed to catch me like you did that day.” She paused. “You’re the first one to truly see me.”

“So, what changed? Why are you here now? It’s been over a week since I chased you at the market,” I questioned.

“You killed your father,” she stated bluntly, shrugging lightly.

I flinched at the ease with which she said that sentence. As if the fact didn’t haunt me in my nightmares.

Byn tilted his leg towards mine until our knees were touching—a silent support. A lifeline.

Matea didn’t let the small movement go unnoticed.

“What does the death of King Horace have to do with you ?” Byn asked, picking up the slack when I fell short.