Page 77 of Songs of Retribution

A smile pulled at my lips. I hadn't been willing to let myself think of anything beyond the war because it felt so precarious and impossible. I loved hearing Luz discuss it. "You know you're my mother's favorite child." They grinned wickedly, and I rolled my eyes as I continued. "I'm sure she'd love to have you stay however often you want."

They bit their lip. "I've just been thinking, maybe a being can have multiple homes, you know?"

I looked at Lira quickly and returned my gaze to them. "Yeah, I think I do know actually."

They smiled then nodded towards the tent. The five of us flowed into where the Maharani stood, dressed as elegantly as ever. Her expression was unwavering, her hands pressed together as she waited for everyone to settle.

"The Seelie will arrive today." She spoke slowly, her gaze meeting each being in the space before continuing. "And scouts have confirmed they have dragons which seem to be controlled in some manner."

Lira shuddered next to me, and I slid my hand closer to hers, so that the backs of our knuckles brushed.

"We are prepared, though," the Maharani continued. "What we need, however, is to imbue our troops with a sense of unity and hope. They must believe they can win this battle and that those who sacrifice their lives won’t do so in vain."

As she spoke, the group stilled. Her words hung in the air, heavy with the reality that loomed over us. Fairies in all our courts would die today, and there was a possibility it would be for nothing. My heart ached at the idea. We'd done everything we could to protect our people and fight for those who were abused by the Seelie.

"Perhaps," the Maharani said, her voice still calm though I didn't know how she possessed such composure in the face of what was coming, "it would be expected for me to speak with our armies. However, after prayer and consideration, I believe it would be wiser for them to hear from someone they are more familiar with. Someone who has fought alongside them and understands them on a level that a leader removed from such interactions cannot."

The kings in the room nodded. General Daksh bowed, a dark lock of hair slipping over his forehead. "If I may, Maharani, Prince Sai seems the perfect fit for such a task."

Everyone turned to look at me, and I rolled my shoulders back, prepared to take the burden. I'd spent my entire adult life shoving down my insecurities and exuding confidence when I didn't feel it. Despite my worries and doubts, I could give a speech imbued with conviction. Lira clasped my hand, Luz nodded, Shaan watched me with unwavering faith, and Lennox smiled at me. He smiled like we were friends and he trusted me explicitly.

My lips parted with a puff of breath as I faced General Daksh and my mother and bowed low. "It is an honor that you select me for such a task, General. I thank you for your consideration, but I believe I know someone who'd be better suited for the role."

"Who would that be?"

"Prince Lennox." I clasped his arm, and he went stiff beneath my touch.

Several leaders in the rooms shifted from nodding agreement to having pinched features and narrowed eyes. Magic glittered over Lennox like he reached for his glamour. I could feel the subtle tingle of it beneath my fingers, then he sucked it back down though he remained perfectly still.

The Maharani considered me with sharp eyes. "Perhaps, Prince Sai, you would offer your reasoning."

"Most soldiers here respect me. The Prasanna, of course, but the Alegre also see me as my grandfather’s heir." The Rey nodded. "The soldiers who don’t respect me, fear me because of the reputation King Carrington has crafted for me." King Frederick frowned, but I could tell my words had rung true. "Yes, I could go out and speak from my heart and relate with the soldiers. I've faced death and loss and hardship. It's true."

I tightened my grip on Lennox's arm. He didn't move away from me, but his discomfort was palpable. "But," I continued, "so has Prince Lennox. Unlike me, however, he can unite us in a way I couldn't. The Seelie and the Froh trust him more, the Prasanna have worked alongside him, and the Alegre saw him when we found the city. He is the link between all of us and he knows how to bring hope to a hopeless situation."

There was a silence in the space when I finished speaking, but the truth in my words seemed to strike a chord, not the least of all with me. Lennox had stood unwavering in the face of so much, and he was still here, still fighting.

The Maharani eyed the five of us carefully before settling on Lennox. "Prince Lennox, would you accept this nomination?"

"I…" He swung his face around, his eyes wide as they landed on me. They said so much—the weight of a hundred fears and insecurities—but I knew he could and should do this. I nodded at him, hoping my certainty would shine through. He cleared his throat and turned back to the Maharani. "I would be honored."

She looked to the other court leaders in the room. King Frederick agreed immediately. The Alegre Rey hesitated for a moment, appraising the reactions of the leaders from his court before returning his focus to the Maharani. "Very well."

* * *

An hour later we stood among the leaders. The Maharani was focused and regal at the center atop a hill overlooking a valley filled with thousands and thousands of soldiers, an endless sea of different colored uniforms. The Prasanna and Alegre forces made up the majority, but the Froh had a solid contingent as well. The Seelie group was the smallest, but even they'd had a trickle of new recruits join in the last few days.

There were so many beings stretched out below us, standing at attention beneath a rising sun that highlighted the gold grass and illuminated the mountains in the distance, that hope bubbled in me. We were no minuscule, half-formed army. We were a force to be reckoned with and if we didn't defeat Carrington, we'd at the least give him a taste of the hell he sent us to.

Lennox stood at the front of the fifty of us on the hill, Shaan on one side, Elisa and Lira on the other. Looking at them made me think of what Luz said. Maybe, like homes, we could have more than one relationship in life we treasured as well. The Atalla bond made me feel like Lira was everything to me, but my siblings and friends were every bit as valuable, just in unique ways.

Luz, who stood to my side, nudged me. They'd picked up on the maudlin course of my emotions and tried to help me focus again, but it didn't matter. I'd have nothing but focus when Carrington arrived, dropping into the hum of my magic. Until then, I'd allow some sentimentality to seep into the cracks of my nerves.

The soldiers before us seemed the same—uncertain, if still standing brave and prepared to die. The few faces I could make out in the front lines looked up at us with grim determination.

Lennox cleared his throat. He hadn't had time to write a speech, so whatever he said was going to come from the heart. Emerald Prasanna flags, crimson Alegre ones, silver Froh banners, and even a few emerald Seelie flags battered about in the wind.

"You may not know me," Lennox began, his voice resonant as it echoed around the valley. "I am Prince Lennox of the Seelie." A small roar of cheers rose from the Seelie group but not the others.

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