Page 18 of Kings and Monsters

Unseelie warriors moved between crowds of normal fae dressed in long dresses or strangely cut suits. Everyone stopped and stared at them as if they had two heads. Most took one look at Bran and scattered. Bleddyn's face was a mask of calm indifference as he followed the old faerie. The way he walked though told Rosa he could have led them himself.

A set of guards stood at a pair of black gates of obsidian. Bleddyn gave them a nod, and they obediently stepped aside.

"No one has been able to enter here since the last king died, but they still guard it," Bran said, patting the gate like it was an old friend.

Bleddyn drewWidow's Furyand slid it into a long slit in the gates. A shudder ran through the obsidian, the midnight blue of Bleddyn's magic curled out from the sword, and the gates opened on their own. Bleddyn pulled out his sword, and they fell into step behind him. There was an overgrown courtyard and a long wide flight of stairs that led up to locked and dusty double doors.

"This was the royal palace," Bleddyn said softly for Rosa's benefit.

Rosa slipped her arm around his. "Show me."

His power felt different,more, and yet despite the thousand small changes, he was still Bleddyn. She held out a hand behind her and Merlin took it. This place was a part of them too, and the Unseelie side of her that was Bleddyn's blood magic could feel a sense of homecoming.

Bleddyn led them through dusty hallways of stone and wood. The tapestries on the walls were crumbling with age, the murals dull and covered with films of grime. Parts of the stone were scorched from a fire hot enough to melt it.

Had there been a battle in here?Rosa could only guess. Bleddyn had never spoken of what had happened in the time between the queen killing the kings and him being taken prisoner.

Bleddyn pushed open another set of arched doors, and they entered a dark throne room. Rotting banners hung from the ceiling, and a set of thrones sat at the top of a dais.

Bleddyn let Rosa's hand go and slowly walked to the center of the hall, nudging the dusty ground with the toe of his boot.

"What is he doing?" Rosa whispered to Merlin.

"I do believe he's looking for another keyhole for the sword."

"Why? What do you think will happen?"

Merlin grinned in the bleak light. "I think you should just watch and remember what I said about swords, kings, and the land."

"Trust you to turn this into a teaching exercise," she grumbled.

Once again, Bleddyn slid his blade into a gap in the floor and turned the hilt like a key. Magic exploded out of him, filling the room before rolling through every part of the palace. Dust, death, and decay were stripped away and restored. Glass globes and candles filled the chambers with light. The standards that hung in the hall changed and unfurled. Rosa touched the impressed rose and seven-pointed stars that decorated her breastplate as her standard materialized.

Despite the huge outpouring of power, Bleddyn didn't look even a little fatigued. He looked like a wild, dark creature, as he had in the forest, at once as powerful and unknowable as a thunderstorm.

"I never thought I would see it restored in my lifetime," Bran said, staring. "Bleddyn, why did you stay away so long?"

Bleddyn turned to Merlin. "Take Rosa and Arthur and find some rooms for them. Rest because I'll need you tomorrow."

Rosa wasn't adept at court life, but she definitely knew when she was being dismissed by Bleddyn. "You should try to get some sleep too," she said and followed Merlin out.

"He's going to have a hard time of it," Arthur commented once they were out in the now clean hallways.

"What do you mean?" Rosa asked.

"A king returning to a kingdom that he abandoned? It would be difficult to trust a king like that."

"He had his reasons," Merlin said. "If it wasn't for Balthasar, nothing could have convinced him to come back."

"They won't let him turn his back on his birthright again. A king is nothing if not a slave to his people. There will be opposition. We need to stick together," Arthur said.

"Don't worry, Pendragon. I'll ensure we find rooms that are joined so I can protect you from the scary faeries."

Rosa didn't want to let them know how thankful she was at that idea. Not all the amazed faces in the crowds that night looked happy to see the Seren Du family. If they decided to act, Rosa would feel better knowing Merlin and Arthur were close by.

"What happened to Eirianwen?" she asked.

"She was with us until we hit the black gates, then she slipped off into the crowd. No doubt wanting to be back in her own house," Arthur said.

---