Page 43 of Kings and Monsters

Gwyn joined her by the fire, dressed in clean homespun clothes, and handed her a squat cup made of horn. Rosa sniffed the liquid suspiciously.

"Don't insult my honor. It is honey wine, not poison. It would be breaking the terms of our parley to do such a thing."

"I'm in the Aos Si. One can never be too careful." Rosa smiled before having a mouthful.

Gwyn watched her carefully from across the fire. "Tell me what this is about, little Rosa," he commanded. "You are the last person I thought to encounter in this world. You are no longer human, but something…other. A creature made of magic. How did this happen to you? You had magic as a child, but not this much."

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to make him understand her plea otherwise, Rosa told Gwyn her story of the last year when she returned to Gwaed Lyn after a lifetime away from it. He hissed but didn't interrupt when she spoke of being taken to the Seelie Courts and everything that the queen put her through. He laughed outright in approval when she told him how she killed Ryn Eurion and unsheathedGaeaf Storomfor him to study.

For an old god, Rosa found Gwyn surprisingly easy to talk to. She opened up as she hadn't been able to in a long time. She told him how Merlin had returned with his memories back, of Nimueand the battle with the queen, and everything that happened since, including the terrifying feeling that she was starting to go mad.

"So the lost Seren Du has returned at last to the Unseelie lands." Gwyn rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "That's good. That witch has been left unchecked for far too long. Her magic is breaking the balance of the Aos Si. It won't be long before it explodes in her face. It will serve her right." His silver eyes darkened to steel as he spoke of Aeronwen.

"This's why we need your help. I know that she betrayed you?—"

"Do you?" he said, the sharp edge of a threat in his voice.

"I-I know the rumor," Rosa admitted.

"Yes? And this rumor, did it mention how she trained with me for years, stealing away my spells for her own before she cast her curse and kept me from the Seelie grounds ever since?" His voice was a furious growl, and Rosa's magic shrank away from the angry power pouring from him.

"How could she keep someone like you out? It makes no sense."

"She had taken some of my blood and hair over the time of our…courtship. She used it in her curse to lock me out of the Seelie lands. She knew I wouldn't accept her betrayal and would want revenge for the magic she stole from me. Some were given freely, but it was never enough for her. Power has always been the thing she cared about most. I was too enamored to see otherwise."

"Help me put an end to her once and for all, Gwyn. She's going to destroy these lands if we don't stop her. I want back what's mine. I want her to pay for the centuries of pain she has caused. She's killing Unseelie, one at a time, so she can steal their magic. Her own people are suffering, and she doesn't care." Rosa reached out and placed a hand on his forearm.

"I can break the spell that's keeping you out, and with the help of the Hunt, we'll have the numbers to destroy her golden knights. We can fix what she has broken, so you are never denied the hunting grounds again. I'll give you her head myself. I promise you. Would that not be worth it?"

Gwyn looked down at her hand, and Rosa quickly removed it.

"You are young and passionate, but you will have to give me more than that for me to want to get involved in this petty war."

"Well, what else do you want?" Rosa threw up her hands in frustration. "Spit it out already."

"In addition to the queen's head and access to the Seelie lands, I would like Glastonbury returned to me, filled with my magic again and access to the human realm." Rosa's heart leaped up into her throat as he studied her. "And I want you in the Hunt."

"I beg your pardon? I'm not a part of any deal," Rosa stated firmly, her anger flaring. "Did you forget that I'm doing all of this to get Balthasar back? When it comes down to it, Gwyn, I couldn't give two shits about the Aos Si and whatever ancient blood tie bullshit wars that happen here. I'm selfish and angry, and I want the queen dead and what's mine returned to me. Let me be very fucking honest with you, great and powerful Lord. If I have to do that without the help of the Hunt, if I have to take this sword of kingship and use its magic to break the fucking Seelie lands apart to get Balthasar back, I will do it." Rosa swallowed a mouthful of bitter, angry tears. There was no way she was going to cry in front of Gwyn ap Nudd. "Why would you want me anyway? I don't get it. I'm not even a very good warrior. It's a stupid thing to ask for."

Gwyn lifted her chin, so she had nowhere to look but into his ancient eyes. "It is because all your life you have had people trying to convince you that you are prey, when you are a predator. I felt it in you as a child, the wildness and the darkness,and I feel it in you now. Did you not wonder why of all the men you could have fallen in love with, you chose Leiddiad the killer? You are drawn to it. That is why you feel no guilt for the Seelie you have slain. You liked it. You like the power you now have, because for once in your life, you can be who you are, instead of what you were told you had to be."

"I'm not a sadist. I've only killed Seelie who were trying to kill me. I wanted to be a chef. Can you believe that? Never in a million years would I have imagined this is where I'd end up," Rosa said with a bitter laugh. "Maybe you are right, and I've always felt comfortable with the Vanes because I had that same streak of darkness in me. I don't care, Gwyn. I'm still not going to be a part of your deal."

"And what if Balthasar is dead?" Gwyn asked. "You said yourself that you felt the blood connection to him break. What if he's already rotting in a pit of bodies, dead by Aeronwen's hand? What will you have fought for then?"

Rosa took a deep, steadying breath. "How about this—if we defeat Aeronwen and we find that Balthasar is really dead, I mean a body to prove it without a doubt, then I will willingly join you and the Hunt."

"What about Merlin and the rest of your family? You think they will just let you go?"

"They won't have a say in the matter." Rosa touched her chest where the dark chasm had been forming over the past few weeks. "If Balthasar's dead, there's nothing left for me in that life anyway. I wouldn't want to stay…and you know how much I enjoyed riding with the Hunt today. My magic was tied in yours. I know you felt it."

"And that is another reason I will agree to your terms." Gwyn took a knife from his belt and cut his calloused palm. "I, Gwyn ap Nudd, swear to you, Rosamund Wylt of the Seren Du, that the Hunt will come to your aid in your war against Aeronwenthe Autumn Queen. In exchange, the head of the queen shall be mine, I will have hunting rights restored for the Seelie lands, Glastonbury will become my domain again with only my magic in the land, the bounty on Myrddin Wylt rescinded, and should Balthasar Seren Du be dead, I will have you as a general in my Hunt."

Rosa took the knife and cut her palm before placing it on top of Gwyn's. "So be it." The Unseelie side of her flared at the smell of their blood, the sudden desire to taste the memories of his long life threatening to overwhelm her. There was magic in it, calling out and sealing the bargain they had just made. She removed her hand from his.

"It is done," Gwyn said. "You won't regret making this bargain with me. For now, I will rest. I suggest you wash and do the same. We have a long ride tonight." Rosa was still staring at her bloody hand when he carried some furs and placed them by her.

"Thank you, Gwyn," she managed, her tongue heavy in her mouth.

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