Page 30 of Their War

Arryn’s warm voice whispered in my ear, “Should I be jealous of your response to coffee?”

Smiling and turning to him, I said, “Of course.” My teasing had him leaning in with a playful growl as he nipped my ear and ran his nose along my neck.

“You smell so ravishing right now.” His words sent heat to my core and had me shifting in my seat, careful not to spill a single drop of the mana he’d given me.

Trying to keep things PG, I switched topics. “How did you get this?” I held up the mug to indicate what I was talking about.

“Unfortunately, I can’t take credit for this acquisition. The credit goes to Brannoc. He managed to acquire this couch and coffee last night after we all went to sleep.”

I glanced at the man in question, finding him moving into the room from the kitchen with a plate full of pastries. Studying him, I couldn’t help but appreciate his dark hair which was rumpled as if he’d been running his hands through it all night. The long, lean lines of his body screamed strength in a different way than Callum’s powerful muscles.

He practically floated into the room, graceful and silent as he moved, like a dancer on stage. His movements were hypnotic, and it was only when he presented the plate to me that I was pulled from my study of him. Meeting his dark eyes, I grabbed a pastry. “Thanks for the coffee. It was very much a necessity this morning.”

He smiled at me somewhat bashfully. “Of course.” He moved on, offering pastries to the other guys, who gladly shoved the food into their mouths, devouring the delectable treats. Returning from the kitchen, he moved to the crystal on the mantle. Murmuring some words, I felt the magic build in the room just as an image filled the wall in front of us. The fireplace and everything else behind it were no longer visible.

A crowd of people were gathered in what looked like a courtyard, the low and excited murmurs not audible. I watched as some priests set up a table similar to the ceremony of the Chosen and Consorts’ selection. They moved about the raised platform paying the crowd no mind, but I could see tension in their movements, a sense of anxiety and fear.

We didn’t have to wait long before the Queen mounted the stage, the crowd bowing respectfully to her as she beamed on, her façade of loving ruler fully in place. “Thank you for joining us here today for our anointing ceremony. For all of history, this ceremony has only been able to be enjoyed by a select few. But my hard work has ensured that you will all be able to witness the proceedings as we welcome in the new Queen and begin the transfer of power to the winner of the trials as selected by Avalonia herself.”

She turned and gestured to the side of the platform. “Genevieve, please join me.”

Low rumblings arose from the crowd, obviously displeased with the revelation of their new Queen. Genevieve pasted a fake smile on her face, but her eyes screamed anger at her reception. Evidently, she hadn’t expected any repercussions for her trying to steal what should have rightfully been mine. I couldn’t help but gloat a little at the crowd’s response. I might have been lacking in many ways, but I could clearly see their displeasure at this turn of events. The Queen managed to mask her emotions better than Genevieve, but she was clearly not happy at the response either.

Ignoring the rumblings, the Queen demanded the full attention of the crowd again. “Genevieve has long been a daughter of one of the highest regarded fae to ever serve the Crown. Her father’s loyalty has instilled in her a duty and desire to serve the people of Avalon. She was a clear front-runner during the trials, and there was never any doubt in my mind that she would be the only choice for your next Queen.”

Genevieve clearly glowed from the praises that were being heaped on her, trying her best to look demure and humble but failing spectacularly in her efforts. “Such kind words, Your Majesty. It is such an honor to have been Chosen by Avalonia, and I hope I can be half the Queen that you have been for the fae of Avalon.”

The Queen’s jaw ticked as she smiled, her anger at being interrupted visible to me. She allowed the cunt her moment of glory before taking back over. “Master Jude,” she said to my grandfather, who stood off to the side, fading into the background per the Queen’s preference. “You may begin the proceedings.”

He nodded at her before turning to the table that had been prepared with all the necessary supplies. He held a chalice in two hands, offering it to Genevieve. “Drink from the pure waters of Avalon, so that you may be inundated with Avalonia’s wisdom.”

Genevieve took the drink from him eagerly, smiling as she swallowed several deep gulps of the liquid. She turned back to Master Jude, waiting for his next instructions.

He returned the chalice to the table and exchanged it for a brush, the same as when he’d marked me for the Consort ceremony. He began to paint her, murmuring words over her as he worked. The symbols were familiar but different to what was painted on me, obviously holding a magic of their own in a language I couldn’t even begin to understand. I watched raptly as the symbols began to glow, building in intensity before bursting and causing me to flinch from the sight. When I turned back to the ceremony before us, it was to an angry Queen standing over a prone Genevieve.

“What have you done?” the Queen hissed at Master Jude, turning to glare at him.

He bowed his head and held his hands up as if to ward her off him. “I don’t know what happened, Your Majesty. The spell was perfect, but the marks don’t seem to have accepted Genevieve as the new Queen.”

She narrowed her eyes at him and glared. Her gaze cut to the crowd that was watching everything closely, now fully silent, the air heavy with anticipation. As if to appease and sway the watching crowd, she yelled at him, “How dare you try to sabotage these proceedings!”

“Your Majesty, I would never!” he cried out, aghast.

“Guards! Take him into custody. His crimes are too grave, clearly an act of treason against this crown and the next. For that, he will be executed as soon as the new Queen has had her ceremony. He will witness his failures, dying while knowing that his actions had little effect on these proceedings and the future of Avalon,” the Queen hissed out, passing sentence on an innocent man in order to save face.

Guards grabbed my grandfather by his arms, pulling him from the stage roughly. I stood in outrage at what I was witnessing, unable to contain my rage at the Queen’s actions. There was no way he was responsible for what she claimed, having never met a more honorable person in my life than my grandfather. If the spell failed, it was because she was trying to force a ceremony and selection on the wrong Chosen.

No longer interested in watching anymore of this charade as servants rushed to assist an unconscious Genevieve, I turned my back on the images. I let my eyes meet each one of my men’s, even Brannoc’s dark gaze. “I am going to get my grandfather out of there. I will not let him die for that bitch. I know it’s not fair of me to ask this of you, but will you all help me? Obviously, if you don’t want to, you’re free to go or to wait here or…”

“Rhowyn.” Arryn’s words cut off my rambling as my mind raced trying to figure this out. When he was sure he had my attention, he stood and moved to me. “We told you this last night, but we’re all in this together. You are our Chosen, our Queen. It is our honor to do whatever it is that you need us to do. If that means walking into the heart of the dungeons and breaking your grandfather out of prison, then that’s what we’ll do.”

“Are you sure?” I asked them, but as I met their eyes again, I found only certainty. They meant it. They’d sacrifice everything to help me. They all knelt at once, and as I was surrounded by their devotion, I felt my confidence rising. We could do this. We would get him out of there. This bitch would not win this fight.

Chapter Eighteen: Rhowyn

“Absolutely not!” I said forcefully. After agreeing to help me rescue my grandfather, the guys promptly took an unspoken vote and unanimously agreed that I should stay behind. “I will not sit here while you go after him. I won’t be that kind of Queen.”

“Trouble, if she captures you, then all our hopes are lost. We can’t put you in that kind of danger,” Callum growled, clearly not happy with my declarations.

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