Chapter 19
VALANCE
Hair as silver as mine, cut to her chin and sleek, her eyes a sparkling blue to bring envy to sapphires, my grandmother was a beauty. Her luminous pale skin cast a light of its own, as radiant as moonlight.
“My dear Valance,” the former queen said. “How are you?”
Her dear Valance? Since when was I dear anything to her?
I couldn’t help but answer with an icy tone. “How do you think I am, Grandmother?”
“There is no need for insolence,” she retorted.
“I feel empty,” I said.
She didn’t care. “Oh my. Oh my. What a fine mess everything is in.”
“I—”
“Did you have to run?”
“I—”
“King Oberon, my darling son… He meant to doom us all by breaking the treaty with Spring. He signed our death warrants with his plans.”
“But now—”
“Now he is gone. My darling boy.”
Fine. I wouldn’t try to speak to my grandmother, to try to explain anything. “You knew he meant to move against Spring?”
“Yes. Even when your marriage to Lord Florent had been arranged, I knew where his mind was. Oh, to have wielded that power of iron with the Gentry.” She shook her head, her hair swaying. “You are seriously cursed.”
“I know. I’m living with it every hour of the day.”
“Two curses,” she continued. “From a shadow sorcerer and from a terrible old woman with mysterious intentions.”
“As I said, I live with it.”
She closed her eyes. “This Ren who cursed you… His actions have not harmed the ambitions of the unseelie. In fact, the blame is at your feet. The tale of a berserker curse has been buried deep from the masses. One of a mad prince taking its place.”
Truth be told, I wasn’t surprised. “Fine.”
“Don’t you care?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I care deeply. Do you think I want to be known as the Mad Prince Valance?”
A familiar snarl from my childhood. Such malice and contempt behind every part of it. “You will not speak to me like this.”
Foolish hag. “Why are you here?”
“Because… Because I wanted to see you. My last grandchild.”
“I don’t want to see you.”
“I am here to lend a hand.
“How? By breaking me out?”
She glanced nervously behind her. “I would never do such a thing.”
I know you wouldn’t. “You’re here, dressed as you are, clearly not a prisoner like your darling grandson. Tell me, is the entire royal family on the other side now?”
“Yes,” she said without care. “Because there is no other choice.”
“There are always choices.”
“Not now.”
“Not like Whistoning Village.”
She glowered at me. “Are you somehow trying to blame me for that?”
“Our people killed our own.”
“It was a necessary purge, Valance. There is no choice but to yield. You must understand this.”
“I’ll never understand. You betrayed—”
“Wasn’t it your fault?” she stopped me.
“You’re a coward, Grandmother. A—”
She slapped me hard across my face. Stars burst behind my eyes, pain blooming in my cheek.
Grandmother always hit hard.
“Enough of this, Valance!” she spat. “The Rosestars can no longer hold the throne. But loyalty to the new dynasty does not mean death. We can still have land and power and not be destitute. And you can live. Mercy may be offered to you, should you comply.”
“Comply how?”
She folded her hands before her stomach. “There are two options outside of execution.”
“Being?”
“If you would exercise patience and let me finish, I’ll tell you.”
I kept quiet.
“Firstly, there has been discussion of sending you to the south. It makes the most sense, aside from your death, for the safety of everyone. Secondly, Lasair has considered removing the berserker curse from you in order to allow you to retreat to the Sidhe mounds. If that is the path you choose, you can never make a claim to the throne. You will bear no titles, be nothing more than a civilian with the privilege of living in luxury.”
Impossible… How can a mad prince be left to live?
“Whatever happens to you, Valance, you must bend the knee to your new king and queen.”
“Unless I’m dead.”
“Unless you’re dead.”
I drew a deep breath, curbing my fury. For now. “When is this change of power happening?”
“Imminently. There are many plans in place to move the seat of power here. For a new palace to be built.”
“What of our palace?”
“It will either become a relic of the past or a residence for the monarchs. I’m not sure.”
“And my mother?”
“She still lives. I begged for her life.”
Oh, I bet you did. “Where is she?”
“Safe.”
“Where?”
“It is not your concern.”
“My mother will always be my concern.”
She didn’t give in. I had to take her by her word—which wasn’t much to take.
Mother… I’m sorry, Mother.
How did this former queen sink so low? Her reign had been glorious, prosperous for trade.
She was always remembered fondly, even beyond her reluctance to give up power—her making a fool of herself when forced to abdicate after her century was often swept under the carpet.
Not to me. I always remembered that, along with her cruelty.
“You never loved me,” I said.
“No, I didn’t. I loved your brother more. Your sister. They were built for this. They would never get themselves cursed and end up running and hiding with a human.”
At least she was honest. “They just got themselves killed instead.”
She slapped me again. “How dare you! You vile creature!”
“Likewise, Grandmother. You and the rest of the seelie cowards who turned their backs so easily.”
“As did you.”
“I didn’t.”
“You were to marry Florent, remember.”
“Not by choice.”
“But by necessity. Just like this. Spring holds the ultimate power. It doesn’t matter how great the armies of Summer are. Against the deadliness of iron, we cannot win.”
The evil bitch was right, but that didn’t mean I had to agree.
“It all happened so fast,” I said.
“Yes, Valance. Fear and desperation will do that. And Lord Florent insisted things moved quickly.”
“Those I thought were friends… They wanted to kill me.”
“They were following orders.”
“What now?” I asked.
“As I have told you, you have choices. Things change. Second chances are given. I implore you to take this chance.”
Her breath was rancid to me. Like fish rotting in the sun. “You’re weak.”
She smiled at that. “So brave, aren’t you? So resilient. You’re a fool. Did you think you could flee north on a fanciful adventure with this human?”
I growled at her, my longing for Kormac an endless agony.
“A soul bond,” she said. “Lasair explained it to me.”
“Is she your new best friend?”
“Don’t be so petulant,” she countered. “Enlighten me, Valance. Why are you bound to the human? What did you do to warrant it?”
“That is none of your concern.”
Another slap, so hard the back of my head bounced against the bed.
“You are pathetic, Valance.”
“And so are you.”
She shook her head. “I will not petition for you when your trial begins.”
“Oh, I get to have a trial?”
“Yes. After all, you have slaughtered many. Including my son.”
I laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. “A farce. I will not live in the Sidhe mounds with traitors. I want nothing to do with the seelie court or you. It will not happen. They mean to execute me. Mad Prince Valance will have to die. Don’t pretend otherwise.”
“Not necessarily.”
“Then you’re a fool.”
“There is no seelie court now,” she said. “Only unseelie. The one power. The way of iron.”
“Exactly. I’d rather be dead.”
“Then it is death, dear Grandson.” Another of her menacing smiles. “I will be sure to mention this to Lasair and Lord Florent.”
“Warm those lips before you press them to their bottoms, Grandmother.”
She slapped me again.
I wanted to get out of here and continue my quest more than ever. My desire for revenge a storm in need of landing.
I had to find answers.
My dark caress…
I had to bring these bastards to their knees.
My dark caress…
Now to correct this slide off course.
“You have brought shame upon this family too many times,” my grandmother said. “And now this, the worst of them all. You… You murdered my son.” Tears glistened at the corners of her eyes.
Ah. Here we were. At the crux of it all.
“I didn’t. The curse did. The curse everyone wants to forget.”
She slapped me again, the Gentry guard coming forward. The seelie soldiers who’d come in with my grandmother blocked the guard’s path.
“If she hits him again, she’ll be reprimanded,” the guard warned the soldiers.
I heard her protests in my mind. I knew her well enough to know she’d be enraged at a Gentry fae speaking to her like that.
Tough.
“I won’t,” she told the guard. “I apologize.”
The guard backed off. “Five more minutes.”
My grandmother agreed, wiping at her flowing tears.
“Leave,” I said.
“I’ll leave when I decide to.”
“I don’t want to see your face anymore.”
“You killed my darling boy. I warned him of you. I told him to destroy you, that you were wrong. Anyone can see how corrupt you are. Just look at those terrible eyes. Dark, not bright. How you dress in muted colors, how you wander the palace without a care in the world.”
As much as I loathed her, those words stung.
“I hate you,” she said. “I have always hated you. The wrong grandson died. It should be Daire here, not you.” She lowered her voice. “He would never have allowed this to happen to us.”
“Don’t forget Jehanne,” I countered.
I could see she wanted to slap me again. She didn’t. “There is nothing left for you now. I suggest you bend the knee, take what is offered.”
“There is no offer but death.”
She sighed and walked away, pausing at the door. “See you at the trial.”
My grandmother was gone, along with the light.
Alone again.
The last thing I ever wanted were tears because of her. Yet they flowed free and hot, sobs bursting from my chest. Anguished cries. My helplessness searing agony for anyone close by to hear.
Just as they’d want.
The scum!
“Kormac…” I said.