Chapter 21
The Autumn Palace was ostentatious. The walls were made of a reflective glass that mirrored the blinding sun wherever it stood in the sky. As a Night Fae who rarely saw the sun, I found this to be quite bothersome.
As Aurelia and I approached the gleaming castle walls, I had to often lift my hand to shield my eyes from the searing light shooting back at me.
“I’m surprised you aren’t hissing in pain,” Aurelia remarked from beside me, her gaze stoic as she looked upon the palace walls without even an ounce of annoyance. “Aren’t you a nocturnal creature who fears the daylight?”
“I don’t know how you fae folk tolerate it,” I muttered. The pounding in my temples made it impossible for me to find a cleverer quip than that.
“How does it work, exactly?”
“How does what work?”
“Your Night Fae powers.”
I snorted. “We don’t have any Night Fae powers. We just have ordinary fae magic like you.”
“I don’t have ordinary fae magic, remember?” She smiled wryly, but the darkness in her eyes betrayed how much this disturbed her.
It disturbed me, too, to be honest. I was traveling with a woman who held some kind of dangerous power that could set goblins aflame, and she had a mysterious witch rune marking her shoulder.
“Most fae magic is powered by the sun,” I said. “But ours is powered by the light of the stars. ”
“And when the stars go dark?”
I leveled a look at her. “They never go dark, Aurelia. They shine for an eternity. For us. ”
She blinked, her blue eyes full of curiosity as she gazed at me. “You truly believe that?”
I shrugged. “Many fae cultures worship the sun. Ours worships the stars. It isn’t that different.”
“That must be nice.” The words were so soft I almost didn’t hear her.
“What is?”
“To have a belief. A purpose. Something to put your faith in.”
“You don’t?”
“No. I don’t.”
I was hoping she would elaborate, but her expression closed off, her eyes dimming, and I knew that was the end of our conversation. At any rate, we were nearing the outer walls of the palace, and her grip on her reins had gone so tight her knuckles turned white. I wasn’t even sure if she noticed the reaction.
I would be getting nothing from her now. Her mind was on whatever incident had occurred the last time she’d been in this court. Perhaps behind these very palace walls.
A conflicting surge of emotions swept over me—a mixture of sympathy and protectiveness, the urge to shield her from whatever she was hiding from; but at the same time, annoyance and rage rose up as well. I could not defend her if I didn’t know what the threat was. If our plan was to work, I needed to know this secret.
Because I was certain there were people in the palace who knew it already.
I gritted my teeth in frustration. This princess was infuriating. And she accused me of being selfish, of needlessly creating a divide between our kingdoms? How were we supposed to be allies when she kept herself closed off like this?
A darker, more disturbing thought slithered into my mind. What if this was similar to what had happened with the witches? I wasn’t fully aware of the situation, but I could make assumptions. She had dabbled in a darker power, trying to access her magic. It had gone badly. Judging by what she’d done to the goblins, it wasn’t hard to picture the carnage .
Had she caused something similar here in the Autumn Court? Was that why she was keeping it a secret—because she was ashamed?
But no. If that were the case, we would have been escorted with a heavy guard. Perhaps even arrested on the spot.
She had said her father had smoothed things over. Exactly how had he done that?
The questions rattled around in my head as the blinding sun beat down on me from the castle’s reflection. It was lower in the sky now, so it wasn’t a direct beam of light shining in my eyes. In fact, the amber and fuchsia hues of the setting sun cast a brilliant glow on the palace walls, making it look like a kaleidoscope of flames.
I sucked in a breath, and Aurelia chuckled next to me.
“Yes, that is the appeal,” she said softly. Her tone was a mixture of wistfulness and bitterness. “No one can resist the glowing palace of the Autumn Court.”
My brows knitted together as I took in the hardening of her expression. Before I could speak, a loud, metallic creak split the air, and the gates to the outer wall slid open to allow us in.
I straightened in my saddle and put my court mask into place; a look of smugness and superiority. The expression that reminded Aurelia how much she hated me.
But it was who everyone expected me to be. Who Aurelia expected me to be. And it was my armor.
A few guards greeted us at the gate and escorted us through the courtyard. I had visited the Autumn Court a handful of times, but always after sundown because of the customs of the Night Fae. Now, the cream-colored walkways and vibrant red-leafed trees stood out to me. So blindingly bright and colorful compared to the dark gleam of the Midnight Court.
A stable boy tended to our horses, and I resisted the urge to stretch my legs upon dismounting. Gods, I was so sore. But I kept my armor in place, with my spine rigid and my expression unchanged. I linked Aurelia’s arm in mine as we climbed the steps to the entrance doors. Her hand was trembling, and I gave it a squeeze .
“You are a firebird,” I whispered to her. “Magnificent and fierce. No one will quell your flame.”
Her gaze slid to mine, surprise and awareness flickering in her eyes for a brief moment, reminding me of the determined creature that she was.
I only hoped she reminded herself of it as well.
This wretched court seemed to remind her only of her weaknesses.
Aurelia remained poised and stiff alongside me, but her steps were sure and steady. Her chin lifted, and a cold detachment settled in her gaze. She, too, was wearing a mask. And I was surprised and alarmed at how easily I could see through it.
How had we become so close that I could tell when she donned a false persona? I wouldn’t even call us friends, and yet the idea of seeing through her facade felt… intimate.
The guards led us through a spotless marble hallway lined with paintings of droll bearded kings from the past. Our footsteps echoed along with the clanging of the metal swords of the guards.
We reached the throne room, also flanked by guards, and the doors were thrown open for us. I took a deep breath and squeezed Aurelia’s hand once more before we strode inside.
An entourage greeted us. Two rows of armed soldiers created an aisle that led to the dais in front of the stained glass windows, upon which rested three thrones occupied by the royal family. A crowd of nobles filled the space in front of the dais, every pair of eyes fixed on us.
My smirk widened. I did love a captive audience.
The man sitting in the middle throne—the largest of the three—had dark blond hair, a goatee, and a hooked nose. His black eyes were fixed on Aurelia with a hunger that made me clutch her arm more tightly against me. His gleaming gold crown could only mean one thing: he was the king.
He must have recently been coronated. Last I’d been here, the Autumn King had been a white-haired codger who had managed to live a decade longer than anyone expected.
The new king turned and whispered something to the woman sitting on the throne next to him—his mother, I presumed. She had graying brown hair, but her blue eyes were cold as they surveyed us.
The third throne was occupied by the king’s younger brother, who had identical blond hair but was clean-shaven, his eyes a warm brown. He glanced between me and Aurelia with a slight frown as he rubbed his square jaw.
“We perplex them, beloved,” I murmured to Aurelia.
“Indeed,” was her only response. Her eyes remained stoically fixed ahead, her expression betraying nothing as we made our way down the aisle of soldiers. When we reached the foot of the dais, she curtsied and I bowed.
King Tyrone waved his hand. “No need for that. Aurelia and I are old friends, after all.”
Aurelia stiffened next to me but replied easily. “That we are, Your Majesty. I understand congratulations are in order for your coronation. Apologies for missing the ceremony, but I had important matters to attend to in my own court.”
A carefully crafted deception. She hadn’t downright stated she was sorry to have missed it—because she wasn’t. And even if it was only a matter of signing a single document, the excuse was still valid.
Clever firebird.
Tyrone smirked as if he saw through the politeness. “I must admit I was… surprised to receive your notice. I would not have believed it unless I had seen for myself. Is it true you are engaged to be married?”
The entire room seemed to hold its breath with anticipation. Aurelia lifted her chin with a smile and said, “That is why we are here. Prince Fenn and I have reached an agreement between our kingdoms and are delighted to announce the happy tidings.”
Tyrone scratched his chin, frowning as he glanced between us. “I see.”
A tense silence fell between us. Aurelia and I remained perfectly still under his scrutiny.
After a long moment, I couldn’t help myself. I forced a chuckle and asked, “Have we passed your inspection, Your Majesty?”
Tyrone’s eyebrows lifted, his gaze finally snapping to me with a glare. “I am simply caught off guard. It wasn’t long ago that my entire kingdom expected this woman to become their queen. And now you show up to announce a rather abrupt engagement that we knew nothing about.”
“It is not my obligation to inform you of my relations with other kingdoms,” Aurelia said brusquely.
“It is if you intend to maintain good relations with my kingdom,” Tyrone snapped.
“Is my fiancée to keep you apprised of all of her lovers?” I demanded.
Tyrone’s mother choked on a cough, then pressed a hand to her chest as she cleared her throat.
I smiled wickedly. “Forgive me. But if King Tyrone expects my future wife to keep him so informed, then that must mean he expects a missive for every person she takes to her bed. Is that not so?”
Tyrone’s cheeks turned red. “I did not?—”
“Truth be told, this arrangement happened rather suddenly,” I went on. “There wasn’t much time to send proper notice. I even had to send a courier to inform my mother, for which I will be soundly chastised. She will be incensed that she did not receive the news in person.”
Tyrone’s brows furrowed. “Why the rush, then? What led to such a rash development?”
“We wanted to smooth relations between our kingdoms,” Aurelia provided. “We had come to a business arrangement, but… it was prudent for something more binding to bring our kingdoms together after so many years of strife. A union of marriage seemed like the best way to bridge that gap.” She turned and flashed a rather convincing smile at me, which I returned.
“And, of course, it doesn’t hurt that we are wildly attracted to one another,” I added with a chuckle.
Aurelia inhaled a sharp breath beside me, the corners of her mouth twitching and her eyes closing in exasperation for the briefest of seconds. It took all my restraint not to bark out a loud and obnoxious laugh.
Yes, I was putting on a show for the Autumn Court. But I was also putting on a show for her. And the way her fingernails dug into the skin of my arm told me she was well aware of my efforts .
Tyrone cleared his throat and shifted in his seat, his frown deepening.
“We were passing through your lands,” Aurelia said, her voice gentler, “and we knew it would cause grave offense if we did not announce ourselves. Please consider this a gesture of good will between our kingdoms. Your court is the first place we have made this official announcement.”
“Aside from your own?” Tyrone asked.
Aurelia’s expression froze, her body rigid.
Shit.
“Yes, of course,” I said quickly. “The king and queen of the Summer Court made no objections to our announcement. They aren’t exactly as thrilled as we are, but that’s to be expected.” I chuckled again as if we were sharing a joke.
Tyrone did not smile. Another tense moment of silence passed.
Aurelia took a deep breath. “Your Majesty, if we are unwelcome, we will take our leave. I understand if things are strained between us because of past circumstances…”
“Nonsense,” Tyrone said, waving his hand again. “It is merely a surprise, that is all. Of course you both are welcome, as well as any attendants you have brought with you.” He glanced behind us expectantly as if searching for our traveling party, though he likely already knew we traveled alone.
Aurelia’s cheeks flushed. “Ah. Right. Well?—”
“We have none,” I said with a grin. “We thought a more… intimate situation would be fitting. It can get awkward with attendants when we can’t seem to keep our hands off of each other. I can’t tell you how many of my valets and manservants have had to witness my hands?—”
“Fenn,” Aurelia said sharply, her fingernails digging into my arm again.
I laughed as if I hadn’t expected to reveal as much. “Forgive me. Needless to say, our party consists of only the two of us.”
Tyrone’s face was beet-red, his brows lowered in rage. I only smiled innocently in return.
“That is highly inappropriate, don’t you think?” asked Tyrone’s mother. “Not to mention unsafe. What if you encounter robbers? Or the unseelie? ”
“You’ll find I am a capable swordsman,” I said. “And Aurelia is quite impressive with a blade in her hand. She felled an entire clan of goblins on our way here.”
Aurelia turned to gape at me, while the crowd whispered frantically in excitement. Tyrone’s brother raised his eyebrows, a small smile playing at his lips.
“Well,” Tyrone said, sitting up straighter in his throne. “Regardless of how… unorthodox this all is, you two are welcome to stay as long as you wish. We have our Equinox Ball tonight, if you wish to join in the festivities.”
Aurelia sank into a curtsy. “That is most kind of you. We would be delighted to attend.”
My smile was lethal as I replied, “Indeed we would.”