Chapter 26
Fragments of rainbow light glimmered behind King Thalorys and Queen Rhaevin, reflecting off their mirrored thrones. The king and queen held their stoic stances as they looked upon their son. My slippers echoed as I stepped across the ivory floor.
Rich hues graced the room, from hair to dress—each were different and beautiful.
The court was a masterpiece—just like in Lythira.
The half-human, half-fae princess that crossed the divide without permission or warning was on display for the High Court to judge.
It was the first time Lioran laid eyes on me as the Princess of Bailoc. His silver eyes flickered as they caught mine.
“We meet at last, Princess Aelira of Bailoc.” King Thalorys settled into his throne.
Lioran’s dark curls, enchanting eyes, and sharp jawline were all his father’s.
“It is my honor to stand before you, your majesties.” I lowered into a curtsey, but my chin held high. Tradition would be held here, but I would not be silent.
A flash of a smile danced on the king’s face. “You were called here to settle a debate.” The king’s voice boomed over the court.
“I hear a pact was broken in the human realm and you sought sanctuary in mine.”
Only one person could make that claim—Thalen.
Elric watched me from across the room. He didn’t travel with us, and yet he was here. Watching and waiting for whatever the king commanded.
Boots echoed across the floor. I hadn’t forgotten their eerie cadence.
Thalen stepped beside me, towering over me. His presence made me shudder.
“What is the nature of the claim?” Lioran broke the silence.
“Lord Thalen, you may make your claim known,” King Thalorys commanded.
“Your majesties, it seems Prince Lioran has been holding onto something that is mine.” Lord Thalen stepped into the center of the throne room.
He said it like it was a sword, or a horse—but it was me. I was the something he traded for.
“What would that be?” Lioran held his calm.
Thalen examined me. “The Princess of Bailoc.”
With a sharp inhale my knees locked.
King Thalorys shifted to the edge of his throne. A wry grin settled on his face. “Explain the nature of your claim.”
“She is my wife,” Thalen said, moving closer.
My lips parted, desperate to correct his words, but I couldn’t speak.
“Well, my wife to be…our wedding was unfortunately interrupted.” Thalen lifted his chin higher. He carefully studied Lioran and me, as if he was assessing who would break first. “She is promised to me.”
Lioran’s nostrils flared. “Human pacts have nothing to do with the fae High Court.”
“A pact is a bargain, is it not? A bargain with a fae can’t be broken,” Thalen retorted.
“You made a pact with the King of Bailoc. Not me.” I couldn’t let him stand uncorrected any longer.
“There is truth in his claim?” the king asked.
“King Ardyn of Bailoc and Lord Thalen made a marriage pact—a trade for supplies. I never agreed to it.” King Thalorys and Queen Rhaevin exchanged knowing glances.
“Oh, didn’t you?” Thalen crept closer, his breath grazing my cheek.
Lioran’s expression was stoic—unreadable.
“I still remember our kiss, Princess Aelira. After the pact was announced, we shared a rather passionate moment. It didn’t seem like you disagreed at all.” A thinly veiled smile spread across Thalen’s face.
I never admitted to kissing Thalen, because I didn’t do it willingly.
Lioran’s gaze fell to the floor.
“Princess Aelira is this true?” the king asked.
With a shaking exhale, I was ready to tell them all the truth—to reveal Thalen’s lies, but I knew I couldn’t. Challenging Thalen further was too dangerous. It was a game I couldn’t win.
“He kissed me.” The half-truth left my lips.
Thalen waited for me to say more, but the murmurs of the court were the only other words spoken.
“That’s enough.” Lioran rolled his fingers into his palms.
“The tension still exists between the human and fae realms. News of the Princess’s whereabouts spread to Bailoc. The king is outraged.” Thalen assessed the king and queen.
A magic barrier divided our worlds, but when Thalen spoke, it was as if all memory of it had faded.
The queen angled her head at the king, their lips moved, but their voices didn’t rise above the crowd.
“Out of respect for the crown, I seek a private audience with you both,” Thalen said.
King Thalorys waved his hand. “The court is dismissed.” Trailed whispers followed the ladies and lords of the court. Cora looked back, offering a subtle nod before she left.
Calyth stood beside Pyrran—both brothers carefully studied me.
“Proceed,” King Thalorys commanded.
“A rather large grievance was made against me, but I may be able to look past it.” Thalen stroked his jaw. I swallowed hard. “And it shall be handled with absolute discretion.”
“It’s in your best interest to stop talking,” Lioran interjected.
Calyth flinched as Lioran’s voice boomed.
I held an inhale waiting for him to speak, dreading the words that would follow.
Thalen faced the king and queen. “Prince Lioran knows my bride intimately. Which poses as quite a problem for all of us.” Thalen exhaled.
Heat radiated through me, rising into my cheeks. Lioran drew in a sharp breath, each inhale quicker than the last.
“A lesser fae would discard her for even the accusation of it.” Thalen took a step closer to the king and queen, before he looked back at me. I felt the cruel power his stare carried.
“What evidence do you have to support your claim?” Lioran asked.
My heart drummed harder in my chest. The lines around the king’s eyes thickened as he squinted. The queen sat in silence, her skin growing paler.
“I back his claim.” Pyrran commanded the attention of the entire royal family. “I saw the two together in a rather heated moment in the Heart of Lythira. I tried to stop him, but from what I hear things have only since progressed.”
My cheeks reddened with every word.
I had given myself to Lioran. It was intimate and private. They would take it all from me—even the beauty of the memories that lingered—to humiliate me.
Lioran gritted his teeth. He could have torn Pyrran apart with his glare.
“My son, what do you say to his claim?” the king asked.
“Why would you seek to destroy her reputation before this court? What do you have to gain from it?” Lioran clenched his jaw.
“Interesting. He avoids addressing the accusation entirely.” Thalen folded his arms over his chest as he inched closer to me.
His voice was a soft whisper only I could hear.
“You gave yourself to him and he won’t even stand up for you, but I will.
” Thalen’s hand grazed my shoulder, my stomach clenched with his touch.
“Prince Lioran, are you going to dispute the accusation, or stay silent?” Thalen pressed further.
Please. I begged him with my glare.
I was desperate for him to end it.
But Lioran’s gaze dropped from mine. It landed directly on the throne.
It broke me.
“You could at least claim her here, Your Highness. In a way you already have,” Thalen spoke before I could.
He would ruin me—Lioran would let him.
“I am not yours to claim, nor am I his,” I snapped.
King Thalorys tilted his head. The queen studied me as she raised her chin higher.
“We have a joint problem we can easily solve.” His shoulders set back as he strode closer to me. “If you honor my accord, I will keep the ever-growing threat of Bailoc at bay. The lingering consequences of her transgressions will be handled.”
I shuddered; the onyx sent a chill spiraling into my chest.
Thalen knew how to bend me, to break me.
“You tread on dangerous ground, Lord Thalen. Coming to the High Court…making accusations that involve your future king.” King Thalorys’s voice left the room trembling.
“Handle her discreetly. My court is not a place for you to air your failings. You lack control over your bride—take her from my sight and reclaim it.”
I clutched at the gown, silently gasping.
Thalen’s hand settled on my back, with a gentle nudge, he tried to guide me to turn, but I still held the king’s gaze.
My eyes narrowed, threatening his. It wasn’t wise.
It wasn’t even intentional—just a silent promise that I would never forgive his lack of grace.
I was not Thalen’s—I would never belong to him. Not even if I chose it.
They could demand I leave with him. Force me to marry him and I would.
But it would never make me love him.
Lioran’s chest shuddered. His gaze caught mine—there was a glimpse of terror laced with pain.
He stood there still. There was no protest—no claim.
He would just let me walk away as if I meant nothing at all.
Nothing in my life had ever stung so deep—not the wound from the sylkren, not when King Ardyn called me worthless, or traded me for supplies.
Thalen nudged me again and pushed me closer to the throne room doors. I don’t even remember leaving, but suddenly we were standing out in the courtyard.
The doors slammed behind us.
Thalen’s shoulders stiffened. “This isn’t what I wanted.”
I pried his fingers off my back. “That is all you have to say? I thought you were here to reclaim me.”
The vile words settled on my tongue. Thalen’s gaze sharpened, and then I knew I shouldn’t have said them.
Fyn and Cora waited near a single tree that lay in the center of the courtyard. It twisted up through an arched opening. The sun shone down on Fyn—it highlighted the glare in his eyes. Cora watched the others as they passed through the space, only once did her eyes lift to look back at me.
“He stole you from me. Tried to steal a future from you,” Thalen said.
“You humiliated me…you treated me like I was nothing but a—"
“You were humiliated?” he snapped. “It was your choice.”
The glare in his eyes cut through me. I bit my tongue to keep from saying more.
“What did Lioran have to say? Did he say anything at all on your behalf?” Each word was more pointed than the last. “Everything you risked…and he just stood there.”
Thalen inhaled slowly—his exhale was even more controlled.
His hand slid down my waist slowly—his gaze trailed me. As his thumbs grazed my stomach, it revolted. “You don’t have to face this alone; I will be there with you…every step of the way.” He spoke with complete certainty. “I want a life with you—as my wife.”
How could he want that? He still barely knew who he stood in front of.
“Face what?” I asked him as I pulled away.
“What you’ve created. You’ll need me.”
“Lord Thalen, an urgent correspondence arrived for you.” Lord Elric walked up behind me. He didn’t address me at all—only held out a slender piece of parchment. Thalen’s fingers wrapped around it, but his eyes didn’t lower from mine.
“Your Highness, please consider my offer—before it’s too late for you to decide otherwise.” Thalen spoke the words like he hadn’t just threatened me—like he wouldn’t force me to marry him, but I didn’t believe it.
Without even glancing back, Thalen left with Elric. The moment he disappeared from view, Fyn and Cora headed toward me.
“Well that just confirmed what we were all suspecting…” Fyn growled. “If Thalen touches you again—”
“What happened?” Cora asked.
“Thalen accused Lioran of knowing me…” Nausea rolled through my body reliving the accusation—heat returned to my cheeks. I struggled to say the word. “Intimately.”
“What did Lioran do?” Cora asked.
“He avoided the accusation.” My eyes squinted in the sun’s glare.
“What could he have done?” Fyn’s eyes surveyed mine.
“Anything,” I whispered, blinking back the tears that finally formed.
“What does Thalen want now?” Fyn asked.
“He says he wants a life with me.” I heard the words as they escaped my lips and almost didn’t believe them.
“I can think of many ways to propose to someone, but that isn’t one of them,” Fyn scoffed as he gritted his teeth.
“Lioran will figure something out. I’m sure he has a plan.” Hesitancy laced every word Cora spoke.
I scoffed. “There’s nothing to figure out.”
Fyn’s hand rested on my shoulder. “Don’t just resign yourself to—"
“A life without Lioran?” I leaned into Fyn as everything spiraled around me. His hands steadied me. “It’s too late.”
I didn’t mention the king’s words. The command Thalen was given. None of it mattered anymore.
All I could do was hope that there was a way I could choose a future without him still.
The sun kissed the sky and slid from view. I waited in my chambers for word from Lioran, but as night crept in—I simmered in the dark.
He wasn’t coming.
“Thalen knows…” I said. “He knows how Lioran and I were together.”
Cora sat in a chair near the window. “How could he?”
“I don’t know, but there was something about the way Thalen spoke. He was so confident about what he knew.”
“It’s a part of his game—strengthened by his magic. He strategizes, he manipulates—he leans on what makes you weakest. So that you’ll fall.”
“It wasn’t just strategy. He knew,” I murmured.
“Maybe he does. If he does—what more can he do with it?” Cora lifted a plate toward me. “Eat something…please?”
“I can’t.” I took the plate and placed it back on the table. “He will make me marry him—then, he can do whatever he wants.
“He hasn’t though. You are standing here still.” She eyed my untouched plate.
“What does it matter? Lioran hasn’t come to see me.”
“I’m sure he will come find you soon.” Cora’s voice wavered.
A sinking feeling gripped me, tormented me, and wouldn’t let me go.
Our time was over.
“He’s not coming.” My voice grew meek.
Cora blurred through my tear-tinged vision. “You don’t know that.”
“I’m exhausted. I think it’s best I retire for the evening.”
“We will be summoned to dinner shortly,” she said.
“With the king and queen?” I shuddered.
“There’s been no mention of a formal gathering, but something will be set up for visiting guests. Lioran may be there.”
“Then send him my regards.” I slipped into the bed, still in my gown—too exhausted to shed the weight of it.
“How can you be so upset with him? What could he have done, Aelira?” Her words hung over me—anger crawled through me. “What did he do?” She asked again when I didn’t respond.
“He did nothing,” I said.