Page 45 of Their Chosen

From my lessons as a child, when my parents had been grooming me for this possibility, I knew the pull would only get stronger the longer I denied it. On one hand, I wished they were here because they'd be so proud of me being a consort. On the other hand, they weren't here, and it felt wrong to be a part of something so crooked. Any selection process that could result in someone like that bitch, who cared nothing about the people or the land, only wanting more power for herself, wasn’t the right thing for our people. It might have been good at one time, but it felt twisted now, and I couldn't resolve myself to being a part of it. Not if the Queen would benefit in any way, which I had strong suspicions that she would.

I knew I'd have to decide soon, and I had no idea which way to go. I needed to make sure my people would benefit, or it would have all been for nothing.

Still needing more information, I sought out the servants who might be able to tell me more about Rhowyn. I marched down the hall, looking for Larissa first, knowing she was attracted to me and more likely to give me what I was looking for. I found her in the kitchens as she got her meal for lunch and quickly grabbed some food for myself. I sat down next to her at the table. “Afternoon, Larissa. How have you been?” I turned on the charm and gave her a smile.

She was instantly flustered, stuttering over her response. “I- I'm w-w-well, Callum. H-how are y-you?”

I ignored her obvious nervousness and replied, “I've had better days.”

“Oh no!” she gasped. “A-anything I- I can h-help with?” Her face scrunched in concern.

“I don't know. It's just that the Queen wasn’t happy with any of us for not having information on the new Chosen, and I'm not sure I can face her again without something to give her.” I let my smile slip and lowered my head and shoulders, doing my best to look dejected. I felt a little bad for manipulating her, but I desperately needed information in order to make an informed decision about whether or not to embrace my role as consort.

“Oh!” she pouted and leaned toward me obviously wanting to console me. “M-maybe I c-can help? I w-was assigned to be R-Rhowyn's ladies’ maid. Al-although I-I'm not s-sure h-how much I can tell you s-since I only m-met her once s-so f-far,” she supplied eagerly.

I glanced up at her, forcing a pleading look onto my face. “Anything would be helpful.”

“Larissa!” a voice cut in before she could give me anything. “Don't you still have some chores to do?”

Larissa jumped guiltily, scrambling to her feet., “Yes, Juniper. I'll go do those now.” She rushed the words out and then fled the room.

Juniper glared after her, one hand on her hip until she’d left. Then she turned that glare on me, and I immediately felt guilty, even though I didn't show it.

We stared each other down, her displeasure evident, but neither wanted to speak first. Finally, she moved closer to me, and I stood. “I'm not sure what you’re doing, fishing for information on Rhowyn, but I know it's not for the Queen. I know you well enough, boy, to know you have other reasons for being here.”

I caught her meaning. She wasn't just talking about my interrogation of Larissa. As I studied Juniper, I wondered if I could get any information from her. I would have to trust her on some level, and I wasn't sure I could do that. However, the fact that she suspected my motives for staying close to the Queen and hadn't said anything yet, made me think that I could. Testing the waters, I said, “What if you were correct? What would you do?”

She considered me for a moment before replying, “It would all depend on your motives.”

Deciding I needed to open up more, I said, “May I escort you to your next duty, Juniper?”

She squinted at me as I offered her an arm but decided to take it. “I had just been gathering some snacks for my Chosen's room for after the introductions. You can help me carry them back.”

I gathered a couple of trays of food and drink, walking Juniper toward Rhowyn's room, neither of us speaking. We both knew that in this castle, the walls had eyes and ears. She opened the door to Rhowyn's empty suite for me. “You can put those on the table over there.”

Once I had entered, she shut the door behind us. Setting the food down, I turned to face her. “You can speak plainly in here. Wards have been placed to prevent spying during the trials.”

Nodding, I inhaled deeply before speaking, still anxious about placing my trust in her. “You were correct on both counts earlier. I wasn't gathering information for the Queen but rather myself.”

“Now, why would you feel the need to go digging for information on Rhowyn?” Her face remained hard and gave nothing of her thoughts away.

“Because I am here at the pleasure of the Queen as punishment for my parents' betrayal, but I allow her to control me so that I may protect my people. And since Rhowyn arrived, I've been forced into a dilemma that I never wanted. I need to make a decision soon on the course of action that will keep my people safe, and I need to know more about the new, mysterious fae who was selected as a Chosen when no one even knew she existed.” I laid it all out there in a way that didn't give too much away, just in case my judgment of Juniper had been wrong.

She stood there and judged me in the same way, and I tried to present an honest and strong front for her, hoping she'd decide to trust me and give me something that could help me. Still on the fence, she asked me, “What exactly is it that you are hoping to hear or find out?”

“Honestly, I'm not sure exactly. I guess I need to know if she's honorable, trustworthy, strong, or kind. I need to know her character.”

“Well, I'm not sure how much I can help you with that since I honestly haven't had much interaction with her yet, but I can tell you that she's smart, strong, and capable from what I have seen. She's arrived in a completely foreign place and has not gotten overwhelmed or allowed her circumstances to control her. And she's managed to gain three strong fae men as her consorts. I would also wager that her mysterious fourth is just as strong and honorable. If anything, that tells me the most, because if they're meant to support and balance her, then she must be quite powerful and competent on her own with enough connection to the land to be Chosen despite spending her whole life on Earth.”

The way she spoke about Rhowyn's fourth made me think she suspected me of being the one who hadn't come forward yet. But that aside, she had good points about Rhowyn's strength and power. To be Chosen with so little interaction with the land and having us all as her Consorts could only mean that she had something desirable, something that would make her a strong contender for the throne. I still struggled with whether she would be a better queen than our current one.

“In your opinion, Juniper, would she be a good queen for her people?” I asked her bluntly, needing to get to the heart of the matter.

“In my opinion, Callum, she couldn't possibly be worse than our current options. And because of that, I will help her to win the trials in any way I can,” she stated bluntly, and I believed every word she said.

“Now, I must get back to my other duties. Just remember, the Consorts are also meant to provide balance and truth to their Chosen, which means ensuring she doesn't become the type of queen that you have only known.” She finished, effectively dismissing me and giving me a lot to think about.

“Thank you for your time and help, Juniper, I won't forget it,” I told her as I went to exit the suite. She just smiled at me knowingly as I left the room, not needing to say anything more.

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