Page 28 of Songs of Retribution

I'd only met the King a few times before. We'd visited often when Mother was alive but I’d rarely done so since her death. Once I began to attend court, the visits stopped.

"How is the weather in the Prasanna court, Prince Shaan?"

"Pleasant enough, though wet currently as our entire world is."

The King nodded, and an edge of a smile raised his lips. "And you, Elisa. I fear Prince Lennox didn't inform me of your connection with the group." His words were mild, the look he gave me gentle. It was like he could see Margaret's son more than a political leader for the moment.

"I'm Seelie, Your Highness," Elisa said in her kind way. "But presently grateful to live in the Prasanna palace thanks to the Maharani’s generosity."

The King pressed his ringed fingers over his knee. "Well, it seems there is a story to be told there."

Elisa hesitated, her eyes darting to me as she tangled her fingers together in her lap. I smiled at the King. "You're aware my father takes issue with those who possess too much magic."

There was no point in acting coy. It was becoming common knowledge that I stood openly against my father. It was time to draw out where I aligned, and it was on the side of magical freedom and acceptance.

The King reassessed Elisa, skimming his eyes over her though he never tapped into his light or shadow powers. She hadn't used her magic so he couldn't read her trace, but he didn't seem to even search her for wards. "Well then,"—the King gestured to the coffee and cake—"I'd love to hear about your trip, if you'd amuse me."

Once we'd finished the refreshments and conversation, the King rose, and we stood with him. "I'll have someone find you rooms so you can rest after your journey."

My heart pattered, but I tucked my hands behind me and rolled my shoulders back. "Thank you. Prince Shaan and I will only require one room."

The King cocked an eyebrow but did nothing more than nod before turning to a guard and speaking to them. When he shifted to us, he looked at me. "Prince Lennox, may I speak with you alone?"

Shaan bristled beside me. I wasn't sure if it was the Atalla bond, but I could feel defensiveness crackling along him. I gripped his hand—no point in pretending we were anything other than a couple now—and squeezed it. He released a quiet sigh, gave me a nod, and joined Elisa with the guards.

Lennox Reid.A sparkle of magic grabbed me, and I opened myself to it.One wrong move and you call me. I'm not eager to use my magic, but I'd do whatever I must in order to protect you.

I love you, Shaan,I said simply though there was so much more I could add about how grateful I was that he loved me, how much it meant that he fought for me before I could even see the value in it. And how I wish I could show him that his powers were a blessing, and that his brother didn’t see him, not truly, not the strength of his heart and fierceness of his love as I had.

My eyes lingered on him until he and Elisa made their way out the room. The King turned towards a massive window and looked out it. I stepped alongside him. The mist had grown so thick it appeared like waves, frozen as they rolled over the tops of cliffs scattered with a few lone pines.

"You rule a beautiful country," I said.

"I suppose each court has its beauties, but I'm partial to our lands. This view never grows old."

I didn't know what to say to that. My mind scrambled, searching for purchase, some way to steer the conversation and find out why he'd pulled me aside. Surely it had something to do with Shaan, or my connection to the Prasanna court, or both. "I have to say the only view I've seen that may compete is the Prasanna palace at sunrise. It's very different, but equally breathtaking."

The King sighed. "You look a great deal like your mother. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Most say I favor my father." Except Aila; she'd always said I had Mother's golden coloring, her expressions.

"They're mistaken I think." The King pursed his lips, his eyes going distant. Another beat of quiet passed before he spoke again. "So, you're partnered with a Prasanna fairy–a Prasannaprince, at that?"

I tensed, though his words weren't unkind, more matter of fact. "Shaan is a good man."

The King met my gaze, his indigo eyes intensifying. "That may be so, yet this connection will make your goals more difficult."

"I'm not here for easy, King Frederick. I'm here for what's right. And the most honest thing I've ever lived is being with Shaan."

The King nodded. "Yet if rumors hold true you intend to take leadership of the Seelie?"

I swallowed because he didn't need to spell out his thoughts. The Seelie would never accept Shaan as my partner. It was impossible. And yet, was surviving a fall from a cliff into dangerous waters not impossible? Was enduring pirates and unimaginable wild fae and holding Neia's life in my magic through insurmountable terrain not impossible? I'd done all of that. I was no longer frozen in fear about things labeledimpossible.The anxiety still lingered there—a constant buzz in the back of my mind—but I didn't choose to give in to it. And Lira had the mark for the Seelie powers now anyway. Perhaps my role would be as an advisor to her. Despite how Sai had used that news to verbally punch me, I wasn’t upset with Lira over it. I’d gladly support her.

"Perhaps I've developed the ability in the last year to believe in the impossible, King Frederick."

"Please, just call me Frederick. We are family, are we not?"

My heart warmed. "Of course."

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