Page 47 of Chosen By the Fae King

Silence hung heavy over the table as I paused. I didn't want their pity. “Ten.”

“And the land?” Nox asked, his voice tight. “What became of it after they passed?”

I gave a bitter laugh, decorum starting to slip away. “It was seized in lieu of taxes we could never pay. By the grace of the gods, it was sold to a family in Greenhollow who allowed me to work it and earn it back. Now it's mine again.”

Zoriyah rolled her eyes, a sneer twisting her lips. “How theatrical. I'm sure your sob story will earn you points in your sad little village, but spare us the dramatics. Many died in the wars. Many lost loved ones.”

Anger flared, hot and bright, chasing away the grief. Stay calm, I told myself.

“And how many loved ones did you lose?” Xerag asked pointedly.

Zoriyah clamped her mouth shut and I thought I might try to make friends with Xerag.

“It wasn't my intention to be theatrical,” I looked at Nox. “I simply wanted to see if Zoriyah was capable of compassion, which would be one of the most important things the kingdom would demand from its queen.”

Then I leveled my stare back on the Queen of Mean. “I don't want the role, but more importantly, you don't deserve it.”

She inhaled sharply, fists landing on the table.

“Find your heart and change my mind,” I challenged.

Shoving back from the table, I stood on legs that trembled beneath my skirts. The room spun and tilted around me, a dizzying kaleidoscope of color and sound. I needed air. Space. Escape.

Without waiting to be dismissed, I fled. Murmurs and exclamations followed in my wake, but I didn't stop. Not until the solid oak of my chamber door shut out the rest of the world.

Only then did I crumple, sobs wracking my frame as the memory of my parents' final days resurfaced. The sting of loss felt as fresh as the day they'd drawn their last ragged breaths.

At some point, I drifted into a fitful slumber. Tossing and turning, dreaming of days when I had what felt like a home. And of a voice whispering to rest easy, that all would be well.

And for the first time since my world fell apart, inexplicably, I dared to believe it.

Ten

Aeryn

Our training today was brutal. What was the purpose? If this was mere training and assessment, the trials were going to be worse than I feared.

By the time we finished the obstacle course, my arms shook and my legs trembled. Mud caked my boots and streaked up my legs, my tunic ripped in several places from snagging on thorns.

The others looked just as disheveled. Raina leaned against a tree, panting. Her platinum hair had come loose from its braid and stuck to her sweaty neck. Even Zoriyah, usually primped and poised, had leaves tangled in her lustrous mane. Her cheeks were flushed an unbecoming dark pink.

We trudged back to the castle in silence. I wanted nothing more than to sink into a hot bath and scrub the stench of sweat and dirt from my skin.

Once I reached my room, I went straight to the bathroom and peeled off my filthy clothes. Standing in the shower felt like too much energy, so I decided on a soak in the tub, stepping into the steaming water with a groan.

The events of last night crept into my thoughts and I gritted my teeth. I didn’t want to think of Zoriyah's drunken words or how Nox had forced me to stay at the table. He hadn't stopped me when I finally fled, so perhaps he was being merciful.

One could hope.

A knock rattled the door, startling me from my brooding. “Aeryn? Are you alright?” Sofiya’s gentle voice filtered through the thick wood.

I'd been half asleep when she checked on me after returning to our floor after the group's meal with the king. I'd asked her to let me be and she had.

“Fine,” I said, not offering her entrance into the bathing chamber. “Just tired.”

“I’m here if you want to talk.”

Her concern warmed me even through my irritation. Sofiya always seemed to know when not to push.

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