Page 62 of Queen of Ever

WhenIfinallysteppedout of the bath, my fingers were pruned and the water had gone cold long ago, but staying in felt better than stepping out to deal with the mess I currently found myself in.I was no closer to figuring out what the hell I was supposed to be doing now that I’d been left to my thoughts.But there was one thing I knew for sure, and that was that if these people thought I could somehow do something to help their cause, then I couldn’t just leave them all to die.

But what the hell was I supposed to do to help them?I could talk to Tarian, sure, but beyond that, I had no power.

Marietta was waiting for me in the bedroom, sitting on the stool in front of the mirror looking uncomfortable, like she wasn’t sure how I was going to react to her now that we were alone—well, sort of alone.I had no doubt that Cassian would be able to hear anything we said if we weren’t careful to keep our voices down.

Laid out on the bed was a change of clothes, for which I was grateful because wearing the gown I’d been taken in was completely impractical.And the best part was, this outfit came with pants!I gratefully pulled them on before I realised there was still a dress component, a gauzy half skirt flowed down the back of the ensemble, giving an elegant look to the outfit that still made me seem like royalty.I sighed.It was still an improvement, I supposed.

I didn’t really know what to say to Marietta.She’d kept so much hidden from me for so long that I wasn’t even sure I knew her at all.Not that I didn’t respect what she was doing, because I did.It couldn’t have been easy for her to go against her brother like that, even if she was mistreated by the court.

‘Are you not going to speak to me?’Marietta asked, something sad in her voice that made my heart ache.

‘I’m not really sure what to say,’ I admitted as I began pulling on my clothes.How many times had we been in this situation, where she had been responsible for helping me dress and making sure I was presentable to the Seelie Court.But we weren’t at the Summer Palace anymore, and she had shown herself to be more than just the Seelie princess doing as she was told.‘Did you know about the assassination attempt?’I asked.It may not have been the lesser fae who attacked the Seelie village and the Unseelie palace, but itwasthem who attacked me.

‘Of course not!’she said, shooting to her feet, genuine disgust in her voice.‘I know I haven’t told you everything.I was playing the part of helping my brother while gathering intelligence for the rebellion.I wasn’t expecting to like you so much, Imogen.You were always kind to me, and no one ever welcomed me so easily as you did.’

‘But my reactions needed to be real,’ I said, repeating what she’d told me earlier.

‘If I had known they were going to try to hurt you, I would have stopped it.I never wanted any harm to come to you.’

‘And now I’m supposed to help the people who wanted me dead and successfully kidnapped me?’Déjà vu.I was just a piece on the board of a game I didn’t understand, being moved around at the whims of the players involved.

‘There are a lot of angry people here,’ she said softly.‘Not all of them are happy to wait for the queen to execute a plan.Some just want revenge for what they’ve suffered, for what they’ve lost.There are many who would give their lives for just a chance to strike at Solas.Or at anyone close to him.’

I supposed that made sense, but it didn’t mean I liked it any more than I had before.‘And what is it that you want, Marietta?’I asked, suddenly feeling very tired.

‘I joined this cause at a time when I felt lost and alone,’ she said.‘I’ve seen firsthand how cruel the High Fae can be and I was given a choice; I could ignore the problem and live my life trying to be invisible to escape the cruelty that was inflicted on me, or I could help the lesser fae create a better world for all of us.’

‘You make it all sound very noble.But I’m sure it’s not going to be as easy as deposing Solas and Moriana.’

She snorted a laugh.‘You think that’s going to be easy?’

I couldn’t help smiling.‘You’re right, that sounds impossible.’

There was a knock at the door, halting our conversation.‘Come in,’ Marietta said, as if she knew exactly who was standing on the other side.

When it opened, a familiar young face appeared, carrying a tray of food.Pale hair topped his head, parted by two small horns, and a pointed tail swiped at the air behind him.It was the boy I’d helped at the palace, the one Marietta had smuggled out.But now he looked healthier, with a roundness to his cheeks and a spark in his eyes that hadn’t been there at the palace.He was obviously doing better here.

‘Wait, this is where you smuggled him to?’I asked, looking at Marietta.I don’t know where I thought he was, but I hadn’t expected to see him again.

‘Aeden wanted to bring your food,’ Marietta said warmly.Maybe he had wanted to, but I was sure someone else had come up with the idea and put it to him.What better way to win me over than to use him against me like that, to show me that the boy I’d wanted to help had been helped by these rebels?

Marietta waved him in and a blush coloured his cheeks.He scampered forward and held the tray out to me.‘Thank you,’ I said as I took it from him.He offered me a bright smile before scurrying out of the room again, watching me with a curiosity as he closed the door behind him.

I put the tray on the bedside table and nibbled at a slice of dense, seeded bread spread thinly with jam.Humble fare, which made sense if rations were as tight as Marietta had led me to believe.

‘You’re more of a strategist than I gave you credit for,’ I said.

‘I didn’t do it to manipulate you.I wanted you to see he was safe.And if it also helps to sway you, then that’s a bonus.’

‘Uh-huh.’I sat down on the bed, a million thoughts running through my mind.As much as I hated to admit it, seeing Aeden again had altered my position a bit.It was a perfect reminder of the cruelty of the High Fae, a perfect example of why the rebellion existed, and it was something I had a personal attachment to.

Marietta joined me on the bed as well, though she was careful to keep her distance.‘Look, I know this is going to be hard won, but I think with your help, we can do it.’

‘Why with my help?What am I supposed to do?’I asked incredulously.It still seemed impossible that I could be important enough for all this effort.If I hadn't been taken just to be held for ransom, what else could I even do for these people?

Before she could answer, a knock sounded at the door, hard and impatient.‘Are you dressed yet, princess?We’ve got a meeting to get to,’ Cassiansaid, irritation colouring his words.

I pulled open the door.‘Will you stop calling me that?’I snapped.

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