Page 34 of Till Kingdom Come

I had heard that the king allowed his subjects to come in to see him with their problems and requests, and it was a practice that had proven to be popular. I wondered what the populace would think about a new king and about one that was only part Elven? Rumor had it that Hendris always listened and tried his best to help solve the problems or grant the requests of his subjects, no matter how trivial they might be, so he was no doubt beloved by them.

He was extremely handsome too, with black hair, dark eyes and a trim figure. Not so much as Killian, of course, but I might have given some thought to casually flirting with him a bit except for one obstacle. The obstacle in question had my hand in a tight grip at the moment as we waited for the king to beckon us closer to the throne.

And what a throne it was—or perhaps used to be. It was quite large and made of wood but gilded with gold that was tarnished now and turning black, just like the gilded paneling on the walls of the chamber. There was a slight smell of mold, though bowls filled with sweet herbs were dotted around the room. Under the chair of the throne was a large panel of glass in a patterned window frame and within this glass sat the crystal known as the Blood Crystal. It was a huge chunk of Painite and supposed to be a vibrant, glittering red. Instead, it was muddy and dark, looking truly like old, dried blood. I’m sure it was my imagination, but it seemed to shudder to itself every few minutes, as if enduring some terrible pain. I knew it had been deteriorating steadily since King Brendan’s death six years ago, but I hadn’t realized it had gotten so bad.

King Hendris rose to his feet, his eyes widening as Killian and I came forward to meet him.

“Your Majesty,” I said, “allow me to introduce my husband, Royal Consort Killian. He doesn’t speak the Fae language, as he was raised by the English.”

The king couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away from Killian, and I didn’t blame him. Hendris stepped forward and held out his hand. Killian took it and bowed slightly over it before glancing up at him. “Your Majesty,” he said, “How very good of you to meet me.”

“And you, Your Highness. Your husband tells me you think there may be some familial relationship between us. Is that right?”

“That’s what I’ve been told, sir. I’ve been told that my mother was married to a member of your family.”

“Who might that be?” he asked.

“Your late ruler, King Brendan. I believe he was my father.”

Hendris’s eyes widened, and an exclamation ran around the room. “How extraordinary.”

He took a few moments to recover and then said, his manner noticeably colder, “I can see that you obviously have Fae blood. Not much elf in you, though.”

“Half,” I said, breaking in. “From his father’s side.”

Hendris glanced over at me sharply. “I see. Do you have any proof of what you say? My late uncle had only one son, but that child has been missing for many years.” His voice was chilly as he looked Killian up and down. “Surely, you’re not claiming…”

“He’s not ‘claiming’ anything. I’ve brought him here for you to be aware of him and who he is. He’s not asking anything of you.”

We glared at each other for a moment. Going by looks alone, it might be difficult to see that he was Brendan’s son, and he was right about Killian not looking particularly Elven. His ears were only very slightly pointed, and that had only really been since we’d arrived here. When I’d first met him, they were completely rounded like a human’s. He was frankly far too good-looking, and he had the green eyes of a Fairy, so that really didn’t help his case.

“Who was your mother supposed to be?”

“Her name was Ashlin, and I’m told she was once the wife of the late King Brendan. She left him for reasons as yet unknown to me, but I am their son. I haven’t seen my mother since I was about five years old, so my information on her is limited.”

“Yet you expect us to believe that you’re the son of Queen Ashlin and King Brendan.” Hendris’s tone had grown sharper. I took exception to that.

Gasps went around the chamber from the councilmen to the courtiers and servants as I stepped forward in anger and instinctively drew Killian slightly behind me.

“I understand your shock, Hendris, but I won’t have you speak to my consort in such a way. He’s only repeating what I found out about his parentage. HeisKing Brendan’s long-lost son. We believe King Brendan kidnapped his mother and held her captive for a few years. I’m sure you’re familiar with the story. She escaped, took her son and disappeared into the mortal realm twenty some years ago.”

“This is outrageous!” Hendris shouted, his voice loud as he jumped to his feet and began to pace in front of us. He leveled a look at his council, who were looking stunned.

“Surely, you don’t believe this drivel!” he shouted at them, and I took a step forward to get in his face. My hand was on my sword as I faced him.

“Be careful, Your Majesty. I’ve warned you once already that I won’t have my consort disrespected or spoken to in such a way.”

“You-youwarnedme! You arrogant young…” Two of his council members rushed forward and began whispering furiously in his ear. The guards, both his and mine, moved restlessly closer to us, their hands on their weapons too.

Hendris tried to jerk away from his advisors, but in the end, he subsided and nodded his head, though still looking furious. I was glaring back at him, my own blood high and ready to fight him here and now. I felt Killian’s hand on my arm, and it calmed me a little, but I wanted badly to run Hendris through with my sword.

Perhaps he saw it on my face, or perhaps my reputation and that of my father had preceded us, because he turned away quickly and sat back down on his blackened throne and seemed to be brooding for far too long.

Tension hung thick and heavy in the oppressive air of the throne room.

Finally, he spoke. “What proof do you have of what you say? Surely you don’t expect me to simply take your word for this.”

“Proof that Killian is Fae? Simply look at him.”

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