25. Timas
Chapter 25
Timas
A loud rap on the door pulls me from my thoughts. We arrived back at the palace yesterday, and despite my urging to bond immediately with Emilia, going as far as to call the priests, she asked to wait so Sigrid could make it back. I can’t say I was overly happy about that decision, but who am I to not give Emilia what she wants? Sigrid has become a mother to her so I understand her desire. The rap sounds again on the door, pushing me into motion.
“Come in.” I holler, and immediately the door to my suite pushes open. To my surprise, Estola walks in. She looks like we are about to have a hard conversation, which raises my defences. I am not sure how many fires I can put out right now.
“Good Morning, Your Majesty.” She tips her head in respect.
“Good Morning, Estola. Please don’t tell me you have come with bad news.” Her tight smile tells me it’s not great news.
“I’m sorry, Timas. The Council has called a meeting.” I can’t help the sigh that comes out of me. I may have to wait one more day to complete the bonding ceremony, but I was really hoping to avoid the council drama. Wishful thinking, I suppose .
“Of course they have. what about this time?” Her face darkens, she’s angry at something.
“They wish to discuss the bonding of you and Queen Neeve.” I just stare at her. Bonding with Neeve?
“For what purpose? The Night Court is back under the control of the rightful Queen. There is no longer any advantage to our pairing. Besides, I doubt Queen Neeve will want to have a political bonding now that the Night Court is free. From what I understand, she has someone in the Night Court.” She exhales heavily.
“I am aware. While you were away, I was able to do some more digging. This meeting is nothing more than a power move on some of the Council’s part, but I think it would be best to go along with it for now. I have a plan to expose the corruption and, hopefully, this will solve our problems for good.” Estola would not lead me into a situation that would put me in a bad place.
“Fine. I will pick up Emilia and go to the meeting. I will not wait for her to meet me this time.” A slight twinge of panic spikes in me. I know she is safe, and since I doubled her guard and receive updates constantly, I am confident she is in her suite, but I can’t help but feel it nonetheless.
The guards on either side of her door see me coming, and immediately, one of them knocks on her door. After a moment, the door opens, revealing the new lady’s maid I requested for Emilia. Sylphina may have been a victim of the deceit Rian undertook, but she wasn’t vigilant enough to be that close to Emilia. She is the most valuable person in this palace, and I will not risk her again. This woman, Calnasa, has worked with the royal family for over one hundred years. She may not be young, but she is reliable and trustworthy. Emilia wasn’t overly happy when I told her Sylphina was in the dungeon, but she understood the reason why I did it, though she had asked for leniency for her. Her kind heart is too much sometimes, but I don't want her to be unhappy, so Sylphina might end up being exiled instead of being imprisoned.
Just inside the suite, Emilia stands by her little desk and finishes some sort of letter. When her light blue eyes look up to mine, I can’t help but pick up the pace so I can wrap her in my arms. She stands quickly, meeting me with the same urgency I feel.
“I missed you,” I whisper into her hair. She responds by giving me a chaste kiss.
“I think the guards on the balcony are a little too much.” Raising an eyebrow, I stare at her.
“I will not lose you again and since you refused to have a quick bond ceremony yesterday, you will have this until you are safely tucked away with me in my suite.” A shiver passes through her, her eyes light with desire.
“Fine.” Her pout is not remotely real, but I love that she has become a bit more feisty. Something changed in her while she was held captive by Oberon. She doesn’t seem to be as anxious and wants to be a part of the Court, not a bystander like she is looking in from the outside.
“The Council has called a meeting. We must go.” She looks at me for a long moment, probably trying to figure out exactly what they would want. I was able to tell her what happened while she was away, but only briefly. She intertwines our fingers and starts heading towards the door, which gives me such joy that she is not afraid and is willing to face the Council together.
The halls are quiet, which is good because I do not wish to see or speak to anyone right now. It has been a long couple of days trying to find my flower, and I wish to just be with her for now. With Oberon handled, there should be no murders to deal with, and the tension in the city can finally ease.
“Have you seen Garrick lately?” Emilia is terrible at hiding her emotions, and it’s evident in her voice that she is worried.
“Not since we returned from the Shrouded Forest.” She makes a noncommittal sound, but I know she is concerned. He has been acting odd since the fight. Putting distance between himself and everyone else. Short answers, and he has stopped joking around with Milori, which has made him annoyingly, well, annoying. “He’ll be ok.” Squeezing her hand, I hope it gives her some reassurance.
“I hope so.” The meeting chamber comes into view, and the doors are pulled open, allowing Emilia and I to enter. The five council members stand from their seats and bow slightly as we enter. I bristle at the attention Zilor gives Emilia as if she is the problem with this world.
“What could the Council possibly want from me after such a long and arduous journey we have just returned from?”
“We beg your forgiveness, Your Majesty. Some have raised concerns, and we thought it best to deal with them quickly and efficiently.” I can’t help but notice the quick glance Raza’l gives Zilor as he speaks .
“Well I am here, what is it you want?” I pull the chair out beside mine to allow Emilia to sit. She smiles up at me and sits, adjusting her skirt. Taking my seat beside her, I look at, what is supposed to be, a group of loyal Day Court Fae, but I can’t help but wonder where the snake is.
“The matter of the political bonding has not been decided, and we would like to have that matter concluded.” Raza’l says. A rush of anger heats my face, but I am tired of all these games.
“What needs to be decided? There is no reason for the bonding anymore. The Night Court has been dealt with, Queen Neeve has been appointed as Queen of the Night Court, and is in the process of fixing that which Oberon tried to destroy. Within the next week, she will be bringing her people out of the forest and setting up new homes on some of the islands I have allocated.”
“You don’t get to choose that!” Zilor practically yells. Rage is starting to burn inside me.
“Excuse me? I am King of the Day Court, am I not?! I have the power to make alliances and decisions for this Court!”
“There are some, Your Majesty, who believe you are not fit to be King and are not making decisions with the best interest of the Day Court people.” Zilor looks angry, and though he is trying to hide his anger, the red coming up his neck says otherwise.
“Who are these people? Let them stand before me and share how my decisions do not benefit my people. Or are these ramblings from a treasonous group who desires to cause more dissent in Court.” Zilor pales slightly, but he doesn’t waver.
“I, for one, am pleased with the reintroduction of the Night Court.” Raza’l says. His comment surprises me, though maybe it shouldn’t. He has always fought to maintain strength as Fae. He has never discriminated against whether they were Night Court or Day Court. Zilor glares at Raza’l in response. “Lady Emilia, may I ask you a question?” I take in Raza’l, and I’m wondering where this could possibly go. I want to step in and redirect him but Emilia seems to straighten her back and prepares herself for the imminent questioning.
“Of course.” She sounds strong and composed, and I think I fall even more in love with her, which I didn’t think was possible.
“Is it true you sent your lady’s maid to the Human Kingdom to gather information on the situation with the Orcs as a way to give the Day Court the knowledge needed to aid in our interactions with the Southern Orcs?” His question doesn’t seem to be filled with condescension but rather admiration.
“I did. The King had many things to contend with when Chief Ruk informed us of the happenings of the continent. It is unreasonable to expect one person to think of every possible issue and deal with them accordingly. I only did what any good partner would do. I love Timas with everything that I am and if I can help him, or the Fae people, I will. I am not just here as the King’s spirit bond. I am here to work alongside Timas as his bonded and I take my loyalty to him, and the Fae people, seriously. I am honoured to be in the position that I am.”
The room is quiet as the Council allows her words to sink in. She is standing not only for me but for my people. I always wondered if I would end up in a political bonding, where I would not love the person I was bonded to and I would carry the weight of King on my own, but I was wrong. Fate decided to give me Emilia—loyal, loving, compassionate, and funny—as my spirit bond. Placing my hand on her leg, I squeeze it gently, she looks at me with a smile and I know that I will spend the rest of my days loving her and giving her all she needs.
“I was wrong about you, Lady Emilia. I was wrong to think that you would not be a good Queen for the Day Court. You have shown dedication to the Court and acted with integrity, always putting the concerns of the Fae people first. I ask your forgiveness, and I give you my sworn loyalty in return.” I’m shocked. Raza’l has been one of the hardest council members to convince that Emilia was worthy of being Queen. To give his loyalty is a great honour.
“Forgiven Raza’l. I hope we can get to know each other better.” The tender moment lasts all but a moment before Zilor stands abruptly, pushing his chair back and knocking it to the ground.
“This is ridiculous! She is Human! She can’t lead the Fae people. I say we call a vote on the King’s ability to run the Day Court! He constantly puts his own selfish needs before the Courts! He has no integrity.” Zilor shouts.
“Funny you should bring up integrity, Zilor.” Estola’s cold stone face turns to take on the gaze of Zilor. “I have just recently discovered something that might bring your own integrity into question.” Estola doesn’t stand or show too much emotion, but her words hold weight. Is this what she was talking about?
“How dare you call my integrity into question! My family has been a noble house far longer than yours!” Zilor practically spits at Estola.
“Yes. You have always thought that you were superior to everyone, including the King. Seeing as if the King were to step down, you would be an intermediate ruler. Interesting that.” Zilor steps back like he has been hit, surprise covering his face.
“I would never…”
“Be quiet, Zilor. I have proof.” Estola turns to the guard at the door and waves to open the door. As he does, Zornak—surprisingly— comes in, dragging a nobleman in with him.
“Get your hands off me, you disgusting brute!” Zornak throws him on the ground. He barely catches himself before his face meets the stone floor. Estola stands and walks over to the man on the ground while Zornak moves to stand beside Estola–very close to Estola. Interesting. The noble on the ground finally finds his feet and stands, trying to dust himself off. When he finally gets a look around the room he blanches at the audience. His eyes land on me, and he hastily bows.
“Your Majesty,” I look at Estola. She is running the show at this point.
“State who you are for the council.” He looks around the room, his gaze stopping for a long moment on Zilor, who is mad and scared in equal measure.
“My name is Alton of the house of Thornwern.”
“While you were away, Your Majesty, I discovered a small group of nobles using blackmail to control the Council in a bid to force you into a political bonding with the hope of restoring more rights and powers to the noble class. We knew of one instance where they successfully blackmailed Aecus to call for a vote on the Royal Compliance Act. It also appears they have been blackmailing Uldor as well, to ensure his vote would be a ‘yes.’ They took his granddaughter and were holding her captive. As of this morning, she has been rescued and delivered back home safely.” Uldor lets out a heavy sigh or cry as he falls back into his chair. His hand covers his face as he tries to regain some self-control.
“She is safe?” Uldor finally says to Estola.
“Yes, Uldor, she is safe and at your house right now.” Estola softens at Uldor's expression. She is not going to run and give him a hug, but she gives him a smile, which is a big gesture for her.
“Thank you.”
“Are you saying my council has been manipulated by the nobles?” Anger burns within me.
“Not all noble houses, but a few. Alton, who was the leader of your little group? And remember, you are not as powerful as me, and I will be able to tell if you lie.” Alton repeatedly clenches his fists nervously, looking around the room when his gaze lands on Zilor.
“Zilor was the one to gather some of us who have taken some issues with the current state of the Court. He promised us more power once he became the intermediate ruler once the King stepped down.” I push to my feet and slam my hands on the table, vibration running through it.
“WHAT?!”
“He’s lying! Please, Your Majesty, I would never do such a thing!” Zilor scrambles backwards.
“Your words are writing your own punishment, Zilor. I have two other nobles in custody who are willing to testify to your traitorous acts.” Estola waves a couple of the guards over to surround, not only Alton, but Zilor as well.
“You have committed treason against the monarchy. Not only have you harmed your fellow neighbours, you have also manipulated this Council, which is to aid me—the King—not control me. You are sentenced to death, and your noble house is stripped of its name and privileges. Take them away.” I command the guards. Zilor yells and begs forgiveness as he is being dragged away, but the disgust I feel for him is overwhelming. “Another council member will be elected, but until then, I will be with my spirit bond, and I will not be disturbed until after our bonding ceremony tomorrow.”
Leaning down, I wrap my hand around Emilia’s and tug her up from the chair. We leave the meeting room and head to the outside gardens. I need some fresh air after that entire ordeal. We find Milori and Garrick sitting at a table playing a card game, so we walk in their direction.
“Ha! Won again!” Milori throws his cards down, throwing his hands up in the air. Garrick just grunts in response. “What’s wrong with you? Normally, you win at least one hand out of every ten.” Garrick pulls the cards together.
“Just distracted.” He mutters.
“Timas! Emilia! Come join us!” Milori stands, bringing over two more chairs for us. Once we are seated, the energy drops and the group becomes quiet.
“I take it the meeting went well?” Milori asks.
“If you mean I found out there was a traitor on the council who turned several of the noble houses to try and manipulate me into giving them more power, then yes, it went well.” Garrick just looks at me but doesn’t say anything while Milori sighs at the admission.
“When Estola told me about that, I was livid. I can’t imagine how are you feeling. I went out this morning and helped rescue Uldor’s granddaughter. Poor thing was terrified but she is home safe now.”
“Does this mean everything is over now? No more murders, no more descent within the court? We are safe?” Emilia looks at me with such faith that I can’t help but say yes. Milori snorts at that.
“That is pretty optimistic of you, Timas. I doubt there will be peace in the Court for long.” I try to ignore the nagging feeling that he is right, so I talk to Garrick instead.
“How are you doing, Garrick?” Startled, he looks over at me as if his mind is somewhere else.
“What? Oh, fine.” He says it way too quickly, which Emilia notices.
“Are you sure? You’ve been acting kind of odd lately.” Garrick quickly stands and pushes his chair in.
“It’s been a long couple of days, that’s all. I have to go. There are things I should do.” And with that, he leaves. If I didn’t know any better, I would wonder if he had met his soul bond. He is distracted and often looks for someone. But that’s crazy, he’s likely just tired.
“I’m worried about him,” Emilia says. Bringing her hand to my mouth, I kiss it gently.
“He’ll be ok. Now let’s think about our bonding ceremony. Just one more night and you will be all mine.” A gagging sound comes from Milori.
“I can’t with you two. Have fun, I’ll see you later.” Then, we are finally alone.