Page 33 of Chaos and Destiny
“You had four parents. Two who gave you life and two who raised you. You’ve lost nothing. You’ve only gained.”
“Don’t,” I warned. “Don’t sit here and tell me I’ve lost nothing. I don’t believe either of you.”
“Why would I lie?” the prince asked.
“I don’t know why you do any of the shit you do. Why make me sit at the end of the table at a banquet? Why force me to go home during a ball? Why lock me in your room for days without a single fucking explanation?”
I realized I’d nicked his skin, and as he sucked in a quick breath, I almost apologized for it.
“Put the knife away, Ara,” Aibell ordered.
“No. I’m not your puppet, I’m not his puppet, I’m not the world’s puppet. You can’t just walk in here and be like, ‘Oh hey, you know that guy that raised you? Yeah, he isn’t your father.’ There’s not a single thing either of you can say to me to take that title away from him. Get on with your story so I can decide for myself if it’s true.”
“You are Alewyn’s Promise. Because of that, your blood is powerful. It’s why Thas—” He paused. “Your father has always taught you to dispose of your blood. It’s why your parents knew they would have to die as soon as your prophecy was given. Let me start from the beginning.”
I dropped my knife and he turned in his chair to look at me then reached out to take my hand. I stepped backward. “Don’t touch me.”
He looked to the floor and then rested his hands on his lap.
“Your real ...” He paused. “Your other parents came from the Flame Court. They were high fae living in the court. Your mother was friends with my mother a long time ago.” He swallowed and continued. “Everyone was thrilled when they announced you were on the way. As a gift for her friendship, my mother brought in a seer the day you were born. The seer revealed not only half of your prophecy, but all of mine as well.” He took a deep breath and scratched the back of his head.
“Do you want to tell this part?” he asked Aibell.
“No. It is you who must tell her.”
His shoulders slumped as he released a long sigh. “When the seer announced that you were Alewyn’s Promise, your parents knew, if they lived, you would likely die.”
“But why?” I shook my head, heavy denial settling in the pit of my stomach.
“Because if anyone discovered who you were, they could use them to get to you, or possibly use their blood, which runs in your veins, to control you with magic. They had no choice. They took their own lives to give you a chance at one. Thassen and Viola, the only parents you knew, were then enchanted by my father to never speak of your true nature or purpose. While they probably wanted to tell you numerous times, they couldn’t.”
I paced back and forth as he told his tale. My tale. He couldn’t have known that I’d been taught to hide my blood. But didn’t everyone?
“Your parents were chosen to be your protectors because of their strength and cunning. Your mother was so smart and your father, as a member of the Wild Hunt, would go undetected. Thassen knew my father when he met my mother and trusted no one else.”
Deep pride melted over me, knowing my father had been chosen. He was worthy of so much more, as was my mother, who really was a cunning fox. I’d always thought I got my auburn hair from her, but maybe I hadn’t. That hurt more than I thought it would.
“Go on,” Aibell encouraged him.
“The seer was later killed when we learned she gave your secret away. My father had not thought to enchant her, and that’s when we knew we had made the right decision. Thassen and Viola lived and worked in the Marsh Court and would keep you safe but hidden in plain sight. Word traveled about Alewyn’s Promise until suddenly, one day, no one could speak of you. Nealla had made a blood oath to Alewyn to protect you. Even Aibell is bound from telling all she knows.”
I looked at her, and she confirmed with a soft smile. So maybe she wasn’t purposefully withholding information.
“If no one else can speak of this, what makes you so special?”
He glanced at Aibell and back again. The fact that he referred to the old hag for every damn thing was slowly eviscerating my last nerve. “Because while you were fated to be Alewyn’s Promise, I was fated to be your Guardian.”
A subtle shift in the room didn’t go unnoticed as the two guards exchanged knowing glances. I’d think about that later. I had enough to process. “Is that it? I’m just supposed to believe my parents weren’t my real parents because you said so, and now you have to save me from the big, bad guys? Well, where the fuck were you when I was killing fae just to get to the castle? Where were you to save me from the queen when she captured me? How about capturing me yourself? Just fulfilling your fated duties, Fenlas? No thanks. I don’t need a Guardian. I can take care of my gods-damned self.”
“I thought you were with her.” He tipped his head toward Aibell. “I thought you were safe. I did help you escape the queen. It was one of mine who freed you.”
I snagged the book off the table, the dress off the floor and moved toward the door. The three douchebags tried to block me. “Don’t make me hurt you.” I glared.
“Let her go,” the prince commanded, and reluctantly, they let me walk out.
I didn’t think about the queen, I didn’t even think about Coro, I just stormed through the castle until, finally, I was outside of it. I wanted to fall to my knees with the weight of what they had said. But how could I believe any of them? My parents were gone. All four of them, if the prince were to be believed. My vision clouded with the onset of tears I forced away. Aibell was wrong. I had lost everything. Iwasalone. Irrevocably.
Walking down the worn road, I went directly to the inn where I had stored my things. I’d spent two unpaid days locked in that castle and it was going to be an issue. I was in no mood to deal with issues. Stuffing the book into the waistband of the prince’s oversized trousers, I realized I looked like a homeless street wench.Oh well.
