16. Chapter Sixteen Rhowyn
Chapter Sixteen: Rhowyn
She smiled at me indulgently. “That I am.” She was flawlessly beautiful. Slender, tall, and elegant. She wore an understated dress that was clearly of high quality but had minimal design. Pulled back into a low, chic bun, her auburn hair gleamed with golden highlights and the same greenish, hazel eyes I had come to know and love. Her smile was easier to achieve than Callum’s, but I could sense the same fierceness and loyalty underneath.
“Does he know?” I asked as my mind whirled with the possibilities. A part of me feared he wouldn’t know how to react to this development, though I hoped he was happy to find out that he still had family left. From what he had told me, I had assumed that they had all died, but it seemed that I was wrong.
“That, I don’t know. I haven’t spoken or seen my brother in decades; too many years to count.” She said sadly before brushing it off. “But while he was gone, I managed to pull together what was left of our people, moving our castle and hiding it from that odious usurper, waiting for the opportunity that we could finally strike back. Seems like that time is now.”
I stood there, dumbfounded and unable to form a sentence, as I looked around. There was a blacksmith and armory, soldiers decked out in armor coming and going from various buildings, and women who hustled back and forth with stacks of items. All of them rushed about their tasks as if they were indeed preparing for a battle.
“It’s all yours now. Everything we have done has been for this moment. For you to lead us against Titania, to save Avalon from her clutches. My parents died trying to stand against her, but I believe it was all for a purpose. Avalonia has led us all here for this. My soldiers, my keep, my life. They are yours now to command,” she told me gently, kneeling with her last words to bow her head, a hand over her chest in fealty. As if the rest of the occupants had been waiting for her lead, they all stopped in their tracks, kneeling as well. “Our lives are yours to command,” she said.
If I’d thought I was dumbfounded before, then now I was completely flabbergasted. Sure, my men had sworn fealty to me, and the people in the village had done so only after I had proven myself, but this was the first time that so many strangers had done so without me proving my merit. I peered out at all of them, my mouth working as my brain searched for words. Cyerra nudged my shoulder with hers as she said, “They’re waiting for you, You’re Majesty.” She smirked at me before also taking a knee.
“Thank you. I don’t deserve this.” I told the crowd, “But I promise I will do everything in my power to stop Titania and save Avalon. I endeavor to serve you, the people of this land, and to restore balance back to the kingdoms. Together, we can see Titania removed from the throne she should have relinquished years ago to make room for the rise of peace and prosperity. Please, stand,” I said, my words spoken so honestly that I was fighting tears at the loyalty and belief they sent my way.
Seeing their faces, I knew just how important my task was. It had been easy to ignore or hide from the truth when I had been sheltered, first in the capital and then in Brannoc’s home, but now that I’d been out in the world. I knew just who I was fighting so desperately for. Now, I understood Avalonia’s reasonings, and there was no turning back for me. These people needed me. Needed what only I could give them, what they deserved. No one should ever live under the rule of tyranny such as this, fearing the fate of their families and lives as they watched the land fall to ruin around them.
Through my travels alone, I was forced to face the stark difference from the still flourishing capital. The further we had trekked from the center of Avalon, the more destruction and devastation we had seen. All the way out here, it was almost a wasteland. There was almost nothing that I had come to associate with Avalon, such as the vibrant and rich forests, fields, and animals. There was very little of any of those things, and yet, the people here had chosen to devote their lives to our cause and for what was right. Avalonia had wanted me to see this for myself, to rely on my own strength to get here, and to gain the confidence I would need to rule this land and lead it into the future. She wanted me to give her people the futures they deserved, the one that was currently being stolen from them by Titania’s quest for power and invincibility.
“Please, come with me, and I’ll show you to a place you can rest and clean up,” Aurelia said, and I turned to follow her, nothing left to say after a greeting such as that one. So much had happened over the last several days, and my brain was trying to process it all.
A din rose from the people below us as we climbed the stairs that were leading us inside the Keep. We paused and turned to find a soldier running up to Aurelia, huffing out with reddened cheeks. “There are riders approaching.” He managed to huff out the words between breaths.
“How many?” I questioned the soldier, instantly on high alert as my eyes narrowed and body stiffened in preparation for battle. Whatever was coming was the reason that Avalonia had pushed me so hard to get here.
He turned to me, eyes widening as if just realizing I was there, so used to reporting to Aurelia instead of his Queen. “Y..Your Majesty.” He bowed to me, now fully flustered on top of his breathless state.
Losing patience, I did my best not to shake the information out of him as I asked again, “How many?”
“Ten,” he said firmly, finally snapping himself from his shock. “And they’re wearing the livery of the Queen’s guard.”
“Just watch them for now. They can’t see through the shield and glamor.” Aurelia started to give orders before realizing what she’d been doing. She turned to me, yielding the decision to me. “Anything else, Your Majesty?”
“Is it possible to take me somewhere that I can watch them as well?” I asked her. She might have confidence in her shield and glamor, but I still hated to rely solely on magic for our safety and survival.
“Of course. Drakon, show the Queen to the post,” Aurelia instructed the soldier. “I need to ensure the children are protected just in case.”
“Thank you,” I told her, then added, “And please, call me Rhowyn.”
She smiled at me as Cyerra and I followed Drakon to where we could watch the riders’ approach. As the other soldiers realized who was following behind him, they cleared out, giving us plenty of room to squeeze into a box beside the gate we had previously entered through. There were no adornments or furniture, just a small room made of stone that had slivers of windows to watch the approach of friends and foes. It reminded me of medieval archer windows, wide enough to fire upon enemies but narrow to prevent return arrows from entering. Cyerra and I both took separate ones as we investigated the arrival of the Queen’s forces.
From here, I could clearly see the ten riders, dust from their horses kicked up and billowing out behind them. When Drakon had first mentioned riders, I couldn’t help my first instinct that it was my men, but ten was too many. Even with my father and grandfather, there would have only been seven. I wasn’t a fool that didn’t think they’d follow me. Of course they would. Which was why this contingent of Queen’s guards that now rode straight for us was even more suspicious. Had they been following us? Or were they deserters from the army who heard about Avalonia’s commands to abandon Titania and fight for me? I turned to Cyerra, my unspoken questions hanging between us.
She shrugged, just as at a loss as I was, but as they continued to approach, it became evident that they knew exactly where we were. I couldn’t stand by after having somehow brought danger to these people’s front door. This was my fight, not theirs. My fault that they were here, no matter their purpose for being here. For decades, they had been able to stay under the radar, and after minutes of my arrival, the Keep was being sought out. There was no other explanation except that they were here for me.
“They’re not turning around?” Drakon asked, fear tinging his words. Had he ever had to fight for anything in his life? As much as I appreciated their sacrifices, Aurelia’s soldiers still seemed soft and comfortable. Green. Their hearts were in the right place, but they had yet to see the horrors of battle.
“No,” I told him. “They know we’re here.” My words were confident as I turned to exit the box and make my way out of the front gate. I’d face these soldiers who sought to tear down what I was trying to build, knowing I could handle such a small contingent of guards on my own.
“Your Majesty, what are you doing?” Aurelia yelled at me, her voice frantic and cast from the top of the stairs. Knowing the children were now safe, she rushed down the stairs to stop me.
“Protecting my people!” I yelled back at her over my shoulder as I stalked toward the gate. Turning to Cyerra, I told her before stepping through the now-open door, “Keep them back, please.”
She nodded, and I heard Callum’s sister arguing with Cyerra, that I must be protected. I smiled viciously. Maybe the other queens needed protection, but I wasn’t them. I was raised a fighter, and I would die protecting those who needed it. After all, it’s why Avalonia had chosen me.
The barrier was just before me, nothing between me and the walls of the Keep except burnished dirt, so hard and packed that nothing could grow. I stepped across the line, now beyond the shield and glamor, stopping once I knew the guards could see me. Refusing to look back or away, I stared them down as they barreled toward me.
They kicked up dust that blew my way, the wind catching it and flinging it in my face. With a single thought, my air magic kept it from me, leaving me untouched by a single mote. The guards stared down at me from their perches once they slammed their horses to a halt as if they could be threatening to me.
“Rhowyn Hunt?” the leader asked from in front of me, towering over me from his perch on top of the saddle.
“Yes?” I asked them, hands clasped behind my back and appearing completely harmless. My head tilted to the side as I took in the details of each one of them.
“We’ve come to take you back to Titania to face trial for accusations of treason and conspiracy,” their spokesman said, so reminiscent of the previous soldiers I had faced. Although, this time, they threatened more than just a single fae woman and her tiny village.
“You’re welcome to try,” I told him gently, as if offering him a drink of water after his long journey, smiling at him genially. I could sense that it was somewhat unhinged if the nervous glances from the other soldiers was any indication, which only strengthened my amusement.
The leader dismounted, coming to stand in front of me, but I halted him by speaking again. “But I do have to warn you that any who raise their hands against the Chosen Queen of Avalon will face the wrath of Avalonia herself. This is your one and only warning. Turn around. Say nothing of this interaction. Hide from Titania if you must, but if you continue this course, I will be forced to fight back. Forced to kill you, and that is not something I wish to do. Not for soldiers simply carrying out their orders.”
They looked at each other, and several appeared nervous as their horses danced in place, clearly sensing the predator before them. I felt my magic surging forward, my hair dancing in the electricity again. “Now is your chance to make that choice. Disappear, or I will end you,” I warned them one final time.
Unlike before, four soldiers abandoned their posts, and I let them ride off as their leader glared at them with anger. He stalked over to the other side of the road, reaching down as if to grab something. A gasp sounded out as the glamor fell away, and the blood rushed from my face as I realized that the man had Aspen, Callum’s niece, in his grasp. “Either come willingly, or I will be forced to take this little girl’s life. We wouldn’t want that, now, would we?”
How had he known she was there? Instead of finding a benevolent Queen, she’d found herself at the mercy of the Guard who now held her captive, overly confident in her ability to glamor herself. “You will let her go,” I snapped, my anger ramping up my magic as it began to crackle around me, little sparks of electricity jumping as they looked for an outlet. There was no way I would let him harm her. He wouldn’t take someone so important to the man I loved. Someone he hadn’t had the chance to yet meet.
I noticed two of the remaining six guards swallow thickly as they shifted in their saddles, but they remained in place. One dared speak up, “Maybe we should just go?”
The leader turned to the man who spoke up and glared. “She won’t do anything to risk harming this girl.” Turning back to me, he said, “Now, will you?”
“Of course not. She is my responsibility. As are the rest of the citizens of Avalon, as is my right as Queen. I am ordering you to stand down. Walk away. Leave. Now.” My words seethed with authority, hoping he would listen; though, deep down, I knew he wouldn’t.
None of them took my offering of mercy. Instead, the leader pulled a dagger and pressed it into Aspen’s neck, raising a speck of blood. I watched as it ran down her throat. Despite the fact that she was clearly terrified, she held her head high with defiance. The same fire that burned inside of Callum was on display in her tiny form. “Turn yourself over now, traitor,” the leader hissed at me, his intent clear.
From my peripheral vision, I sensed a wavering of another glamor, and I somehow knew it was from Callum’s niece. She was protecting Liam, keeping him hidden while her life was being threatened. Honing my magic, I directed it to reveal what she had been hiding only to me. As the glamor shifted, allowing me to see behind it, I found the boy squatting, looking for an opportunity to strike. Brave, stupid boy.
His eyes met mine, and I nodded slightly. “That’s what I thought.” The leader smirked as if my nod had been my capitulation to his demands. Just then, the boy launched himself at the guard, startling the horse that didn’t have a rider. Chaos sprang forth, but again, time slowed for me, and I watched as the leader turned to avoid the boy’s attack. His horse danced away, bumping into the other guards and distracting them.
The leader raised a boot to kick Liam, his hold on Aspen loosening just enough for her to bite down on his arm and gain her freedom. She ran toward Liam, grabbing his hand and leaving me to deal with the six guards who had yet to show allegiance to their new Queen.
I smirked, narrowing my eyes on the leader. Now, there was nothing holding me or my magic back. “That was a stupid decision, and now you’ll pay that stupidity.”
Not giving him a chance to respond, my magic burst forth and struck the man, electrocuting him and leaving a pile of ash in seconds. Turning toward the others, they charged me foolishly, not deterred, while remaining on their horses. Letting my magic fly on instinct, I spun and ducked blows as if I knew where they were going to strike a second before they did. I didn’t know what this was, but I followed the instinct without question, letting it lead me through the fight.
A boot landed in the small of my back, knocking me forward onto my hands and knees. As soon as my hands hit the dirt, my magic exploded forth from me in a burst of energy that didn’t care who it struck. It simply lashed out blindly to protect me as I tried to recover. Like those images of a nuclear bomb detonating on Earth, my magic grew and sought to make someone pay for the destruction that had been wrought on this land.
I gasped on my hands and knees, praying that Aspen and Liam had made it behind the shield in time, unable to bear the thought that they hadn’t. Magic coursed through me, lighting up my nerve endings as it threatened to consume me, continuing to grow out of my control. Desperately, I grasped at it, trying to pull it back, but it was like trying to hold water in a sieve. More magic leaked from my hold until I was exhausted. After pushing it down for days, my magic was happy to be out. It was reveling in its purpose, chaotic as it danced around me.
I didn’t know how long I had been here, but it seemed like an eternity of me trying to regain control. Weary, I knew I was losing the battle, and magic was about to consume me from the inside out. No matter what I tried, it only seemed to grow and expand, rushing from me with no regard for who was caught in the middle of it.
Just as I was about to give up, a cool spot appeared, and I wanted to cry from what little relief it provided from the burning intensity of my magic. The spot grew, coming nearer. Familiar and foreign all at the same time as it wrapped around me. “Shhh…” a voice sounded out gently as arms wrapped around me. My sobs wracked my body as my magic continued to wreak havoc inside me. “Princess, I’m here.”
I didn’t recognize the voice, so consumed by the magnitude of power that was flowing through me, but I snuggled into the body that was now holding me, giving me a brief reprieve from the uncontrolled magic. “Princess!” the voice snapped at me. “You’ve got to pull it back inside you.” A hiss of pain sounded out as a burst of my magic snapped.
“I can’t,” I told the voice. “It’s too much.”
Another voice, this one inside my head, soothed my thoughts. “ You are stronger than this. Do what you do best. Fight .”
“I’m trying,” I told the voice out loud, desperate to succumb to the agony of the light that was burning through me, leaving my nerves raw and ragged.
“Trouble, if you don’t get your shit together, I’m going to kill you.” Another harsher voice had me smiling softly, my soul recognizing the men though my brain couldn’t focus on anything long enough to think of their names. “Hell, I just might do that anyway for all of the shit you’ve put us through.”
I laughed, another sob tearing from my throat, but the voices were right. Avalonia chose me because I was a fighter. I grasped a thread, trying one last time to pull on it, dragging it back into me as I grabbed another and another. Slowly, so painfully slowly, I was able to get the majority of my magic back under my control, reality starting to return. I gasped as the rest was consumed by the body that held me. Not just anybody, Lennox. “Nox?” I questioned as my eyes finally started to make out details, the light fading as my power ebbed.
He grunted out in acknowledgment. “The rest, Trouble. Pull back the rest!” Callum yelled at me.
“I’m trying, asshole! It’s not as easy as I’m making it look,” I snapped at him. “I’d like to see you try it,” I murmured under my breath, completely and utterly exhausted by this point. Too tired to care about being bossed about like a child.
Nox laughed, and Callum called out, “I heard that! If you don’t get your shit under control, I’m going to spank that ass of yours!” It was my turn to laugh as I wiggled in Lennox’s lap, his own arousal evident at the image Callum gave us. “Now, Trouble!”
Doing as he said, I closed my eyes and focused the last of my energy on pulling back the final lashing threads, gasping as sweat beaded down my face. Finally, I was able to get the last bit back inside me, snapping the lid closed and locking it shut.
Callum snatched me from a drained Lennox, who was still on the ground, my drenched clothes soaking into Callum’s dry ones. I tried to push him off me or to get him to put me down, but my arms were about as effective as limp noodles. “Is he okay?” I asked as I saw Arryn kneel beside Lennox.
“Yes. He may be a little sore, a little high after consuming so much of your magic, but he’ll be fine in no time.” My head swam like I was going to pass out, but I pushed it down. I Will Not pass out again. That shit was getting old.
Callum squeezed me tightly as Arryn strode over to me now. “How are you feeling, my Queen?” he asked me, tenderness and concern in his eyes.
“Better now,” I told him as I leaned my cheek into his caress. I felt his magic course through me, making sure that I wasn’t injured. Satisfied, he stepped back and looked around.
“Want to tell me what you’re doing out here all by yourself?” His eyes scanned the empty and desert-like vicinity, seeing nothing more than scrub brush and dirt.
I pushed against Callum’s chest, and he reluctantly put me down. Surveying the area, I saw the piles of ash from the soldiers and horses that my magic had utterly destroyed and my heart broke. Knowing that it wasn’t my fault, that they had refused to listen to the many opportunities that I’d given them to escape, didn’t lessen my guilt. I still mourned the loss as if they had been my own wayward children.
Cyerra burst forth from the shield then, startling everyone, a huge grin on her face. “Just wait ‘til you see this shit.”
The guys looked at me like Cyerra had lost her mind, and I smiled weakly at them, nodding that they should follow her. “Seems Avalonia had a reason or two for bringing me all the way out here.”