Page 1 of Their War

Chapter One: Rhowyn

I didn't know what I was expecting when I entered the throne room. Maybe accolades or snide and sneaky comments, but it sure as hell wasn't the chaos that ensued. My sense of foreboding, the one I had willfully ignored, had come true in an epic way. Sometimes, I wished my gut would be wrong. That for once, my senses of doom wouldn't come true.

Unfortunately for me, I had ignored the feeling that something was wrong. I had brushed it off as if it were simply my anxieties and PTSD from having dealt with the Queen and her ideas of punishment. And because of my ignorance, I now found myself before her, awaiting the full brunt of her fury.

When I realized that she planned to execute Arryn, I knew I couldn't stand by idly. There was no way I was going to let that bitch rip one of the only people in this world that mattered to me away. I could count on the one hand the number of people I could trust, and she would not take this from me.

So, I did the only thing I could do. I reacted. Somehow finding Brannoc's smoky visage in the room watching us from a distance, I begged him to save my men, needing them all safe. I was nothing, a nobody that didn't truly fit into either world that was somehow pulled into a mess I had never wanted, and I couldn't let them be dragged down with me. I wouldn't have them be held responsible for what I was about to do because, in my opinion, I was expendable. I’d rather die than try to move on without a single one of them.

I prayed to any God or Goddess that would listen, honestly not believing that I’d get an answer. Who was I to receive such notice from them, but I felt the need for that extra guidance, a hand to keep us safe while we navigated this treacherous landscape. At this point, I would take anything they could give me. Taking action, with or without that guiding presence, I snapped the knife out that the Lady had given me. My blade sank deep into the Winter Consort's chest as a shocked look bloomed across his face. He dropped to his knees, grabbing his chest as red started blossoming from the point of impact, spreading out like a macabre flower against the pale blue fabric of his tunic. That single movement had him releasing Arryn's arm, now more focused on himself than the so-called traitor.

But that left one other of the Queen’s Consorts still holding Arryn. If Brannoc were to succeed, I’d need to get Arryn fully freed from their grasps. I don’t know how I knew, but some instinct was telling me that what I was asking of Brannoc was well within his powers. This time, I wouldn’t ignore those instincts. I’d never doubt them again. Not after this.

Not waiting for them to react, I charged forward and tackled the remaining Consort, slamming us both into the hard marble floor and knocking the wind from me. When I rolled off the top of the man, my eyes darted to where I had last seen Arryn, nearly collapsing in relief when I saw that Brannoc had listened. My men were no longer in sight, swept away and hidden in the shadows, but no longer in the throne room. Reaching out, I couldn’t feel the smoky presence of him like I had before, and I was certain they were long gone. Brannoc’s actions today proved to me that he could now join the small list of people that I trusted, not just with my life, but with the pieces of my heart that were my Consorts.

I didn't fight the guards as they snatched me by my arms, their fingers digging into my biceps painfully, and pushed me forward until I was kneeling. I held my head high in defiance, no longer willing to bow to this tyrannical sadist, as they dragged me toward the raging Queen who still stood on her dais, her face reddened in anger and fists clenched as she struggled to control her reaction to my impudence.

The crowd had backed away at the first sign of trouble, hugging the perimeter of the room, desperate to stay out of the path of the Queen’s rage. However, as the Queen stalked toward me, her magic lashed out as a tangible force, buffeting against my now vulnerable body as she barely restrained her fury. The courtiers pushed back even further until they were literally against the walls, flattening and compressing until there was no space between them all.

The Queen's eyes flicked to her Winter Consort, who was being tended to by a servant, most likely a healer that would erase the damage my knife had done. I tried to turn to look more closely, but the guards held me firmly, forcing my head down until I was prostrated before her.

“You dare interrupt these proceedings? To harm my Consorts, the equivalent to attacking your Queen?” she hissed out at me. I didn't bother answering her questions, choosing to remain silent. Sure, I was in trouble, but I didn't need to make it worse with my smart-ass mouth.

“While you may have been raised in the human realm, I am still your Queen, even as the trials proceed to find my replacement. Until such a time as a new Queen has been selected, I am the one you must answer to.” She spoke the words loudly, ensuring everyone present heard her declaration, reiterating her power and control.

She started to speak again, but a servant interrupted, “Y...Your M...M...Majesty?” His voice shook as he kept his head bowed, cowering in fear and shivering under the weight of her glare.

“You dare interrupt me?” she asked, her voice seething as she prepared to punish him, her body coiling to deliver a physical blow.

“It's your Consort,” he rushed out, ducking further and squeezing his eyes shut tightly, preparing for the blow that didn't come. After a moment, he peeked one eye open, realizing the Queen had stopped herself and was fuming, waiting for him to continue. “We can't remove the blade. And we can't heal him until the blade is removed.”

Her head whipped to mine, understanding dawning on her. She narrowed her eyes at me in anger before she turned to the servant. “What do you mean?” Not waiting for the man to explain, she stormed over to her Consort, who was still laid out on the ground, the knife sticking out of his chest with blood pooling under him. The guards’ hold on my body relaxed as they turned to follow this development, and I was finally able to look at him.

His face was pale and furrowed in pain as one after another servants attempted to grasp the blade to pull it from him, only to fail. Their hands seemed to slip over the handle time and time again.

I couldn't keep the smirk off my face, pleased that the Lady's true boon was able to help me. As the Queen whipped around to glare at me, she caught the tail end of my smile even though I had tried to wipe it from my face. Angered further, she stomped back over to me, and I couldn't help but be reminded of a toddler stomping her feet when not getting what she wanted. Which, of course, caused me to fight another smile that threatened to emerge. The corners of my lips twitched as I barely contained it.

She grabbed me harshly by the hair, jerking me to my feet easily, and I fought the urge to reach up and remove her grip. My own anger spiked in response as she hissed in my face, “You will remove this dagger before I end you.”

As most of the fae did, she towered over my diminutive human form, her strength able to drag me around like a rag doll. She forced me over to Bernard, flinging me down to the ground, hair ripping from my scalp in the process. I sucked in a breath of pain as my knees slammed into the marble floor, and I could feel more bruises forming. Reaching out my hands to remove the blade instinctively, I hesitated, pulling back instead. “What's stopping you from retaliating after I remove the dagger?”

“You will remove it or else. You are not in any position to bargain.”

“Actually, I’m in the perfect position to bargain. Seems to me that your Consort will bleed out if I don't remove this blade, but if his life is so inconsequential to you, then I am happy to leave it in place. I'll be punished either way.” I paused for a moment as I let my point sink in. “Unless, of course, I gain some reassurances that you won't harm me or my men after I remove the dagger.”

“You filthy gutter rat!” she screeched at me, her face starting to turn an angry shade of red as she trembled from holding herself back. “You dare try to make demands of me?”

I leaned back on my heels and shrugged, holding up both hands. “It's your decision what happens next, but I'm happy to sit here until he either dies, or you make a promise before everyone present that me and my men will be safe from harm.” I answered her calmly, reiterating her choices.

She growled in anger, knowing that she truly had no other choice. Not taking her eyes from mine, I saw the promise in them as we stared each other down. She would do everything she could to make me pay for this moment, and I would need to be on guard. As conniving as she was, she would find a way around her next words. She’d submit now, but she’d find a loophole to come after me. At least this bought me some time to regroup and figure out another way out of this mess.

“You have my word that you and your Consorts will be safe from physical harm,” she said, her words barely more than a whisper.

Knowing it would only piss her off more, I stated, “Louder. They all need to hear you.” If the courtiers didn't hear it, she couldn't be held accountable to her vow.

Narrowing her eyes again, she projected her voice, “Rhowyn Hunt and her Consorts will not be harmed physically in retaliation for this offense toward the crown.”

Satisfied, I leaned over and grabbed the blade, pulling it from the Winter Consort's chest with a sucking noise. As the dagger cleared the wound, the healers immediately laid their hands on the Consort, healing his wound. He promptly passed out from either pain or blood loss; I couldn't be sure, but he would definitely need time to recover.

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