Page 8 of Queen of Ever

‘I still think this is a bad idea.’

‘Nonsense, you’ll be great!Besides, no one would dare dance with the Seelie King’s ward without permission, and my brother has never been one for sharing,’ she said, flashing me a wink as if that was supposed to comfort me.She clearly didn’t realise that dancing with Solas was one of the things I was nervous about.But I supposed I should at least be grateful I wouldn’t have to dance with random lords who wanted to uncover any secrets I was hiding.

My fingers brushed the gold band at my wrist, the one that hid my mark, the mark that declared to the world that I was bonded.Could they tell just by looking at it?There were so many questions that I hadn’t asked, not of Tarian when I’d had the chance, and not of Solas now, afraid of what the answer would be.Solas didn’t like talking about Tarian.He didn’t like that I even thought of him, I knew that much from his expressions.I still didn’t know why they hated each other so much, and others I’d asked seemed to think the discord between the kingdoms was reason enough.

The dress I’d been required to wear had a gold pattern feathered over a fabric that looked as though it should be see-through, but thankfully showed nothing beneath it.It hung elegantly off one shoulder and almost looked like a wedding dress but for the colour.It was certainly fancier than any dress I’d ever worn before, even considering all the finery I’d been draped in while I’d been in the Fae Realm, and I felt somewhat out of place in it.What would Tarian think if he saw me like this?I quickly shook the thought from my head.I wasn’t supposed to be thinking about him.

‘You look like a queen,’ Marietta said.Her own dress was simpler, and green in colour.I almost asked her if we could swap, but I bit my tongue against the request.Given what she’d admitted to me the other night, she probably didn’t want to draw attention to herself either and it would be selfish of me to ask her to.

‘I wouldn’t even know how to be a queen,’ I said.And it was true.Whether it was as Tarian’s or Solas’, I wouldn’t even know where to begin.It would be far better if I could find some miracle that would let me return to my old life.At least as a librarian I knew where I stood.

‘Come, we’re already late,’ Marietta said, as if she was avoiding responding to my words.But she wasn’t wrong.The celebration had started almost an hour ago.Did the fae understandfashionably lateas humans did?It wasn’t as though I could use that as an excuse.I wasn’t exactly human anymore, was I?

Marietta led me from the room, and I let her because I knew I was out of time.This was the moment of truth, the moment all my training proved that I was ready—or wasn’t, which seemed more likely.This was the moment I would find out if the court saw me as anything more than the human who been a prize in The Hunt at Beltane.The memory made me want to stop, to turn around and hide back in my room, but it was too late.The doors loomed before me, opened, and people were already staring.

Oh god.There were so many people.

‘You’ll be great,’ Marietta whispered as I entered, but then she was gone, melting into the crowd as if she had never existed at all.It was an easy room to get lost in, too; pale pink mist drifted around the ankles and knees of the guests, ebbing and flowing like a tide, giving the appearance that everyone was walking among dawn-touched clouds.The windows of the room didn’t reflect the palace ground at all, instead portraying an idealistic landscape of snow-capped mountains with a picturesque sunset that matched the lighting in the room; dim and almost pink, with licks of light flickering across the ceiling in a rainbow of colours as if it was shining off hundreds of gems.The Seelie royal line was known for their abilities with light magic, which was how they could create illusions like these.It was impressive, but made my eyes feel gritty and tired if I stared too long.

I looked around for a familiar face but found none.I could feel my anxiety rising like a wave of panic until someone caught my hand and entwined their fingers with mine.I looked up, a name on my tongue that didn’t match the face that met me with a warm smile.

‘Solas,’ I said, unable to hide the sense of disappointment.

He quirked an eyebrow.‘You’re determined to damage my ego, aren’t you?’

‘Sorry,’ I said, dropping my gaze to the floor, wishing I could smooth out the wrinkles in my dress for something to do, but he held my hand fast.I didn’t like that we were so visible here at the door.

‘Don’t look so sad,’ he said, bringing my hand to his lips, placing a kiss there, lingering until my eyes met his.I should have felt something, my heart should have fluttered, but all I could think about was how much attention we were attracting.It made me uncomfortable, and it felt like he was lingering here on purpose, making a spectacle of his attention to me.Though that was ridiculous.What would be the point of that?I forced myself to smile.‘You’re being too nice to me,’ I said.

‘Nice isn’t my thing.Ask anyone here,’ he said, his lips curling mischievously.

‘How can you say that?You took me in when I had nowhere else to go.’I wasn’t sure if those words were to convince me or him, and I also couldn’t tell which he thought I meant.There seemed to be more going on behind his eyes than he was saying.It was something I’d come to expect from him now.

‘Why do you never say what you’re thinking?’The words slipped from my lips before I could catch them.

He tilted his head slightly.‘Don’t I?’

‘I don’t think so.’

‘If I said what I was thinking, you would blush so severely that everyone in the room would know exactly what I was thinking.’

I felt my cheeks grow warm and my eyes dropped.‘I think that’s what you want them to think.’

‘Clever rabbit, but that doesn’t make it any less true.’

‘Doesn’t it?’

‘I see you’re learning quickly.’His smile widened and there was something in it that made my stomach flip.It was hard to tell if it was because of excitement or fear.

But, of course, I thought of Tarian.Maybe it was the contrast between them that always called him to mind, because of all the adjectives I could use to describe Tarian,charminghad never been one of them.Not like Solas was.In a flash, I remembered the way he’d looked at me under the starlight, the way it had made me feel seen in a way I never had before, like I was something cherished he’d never expected to find.I’d been so sure it was real.I’d never felt like I was being manoeuvred about with sweet talk the way I sometimes felt with other fae, since flattery was a skill he’d either been unable to master or simply refused to adopt.Obviously, I’d been wrong.

‘Now that face won’t do at all,’ Solas said.‘Dance with me?’

I pushed the thoughts from my mind, forcing a smile I didn’t feel.‘Alright,’ I said, forming a curtsey as I had been taught by my etiquette tutor.‘I would be glad to dance with you, Your Majesty.’

‘So accommodating all of a sudden.’

‘If you’ve changed your mind, I won’t be offended.’

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