My men nodded and grunted in agreement, clearly not trusting the man any more than I did. But he shook his head frantically.
“Lord Freyr is leading men up from Cantref, he and Lord Aydun will box you in,” he said, his words emphasized by his overall worried demeanor. I tilted my head, considering, as he continued.
“When Lord Aydun explained to us what was happening, and why…” He trailed off for a moment, shaking his head once more. “Look, many of us don’t like your father already. He’s cruel, and he makes it impossible for one to improve their station in life, even for us Fae. I loved a girl from a class higher than mine, and because we weren’t allowed to marry, she was married off to another, and I was left to join the army. We were always told it was the gods’ will. That I couldn’t marry up because the gods wanted us in our places. We were born there for a reason, right?” He scoffed, snarling.
“And now? King Aelius goesagainstthe gods? To kill the chosen heir of the kingdom? It’s not only blasphemy; it’s a slap in the face to all of us!” he seethed.
I turned over his explanation in my mind, but his words were laced with pain and resentment that was all too real. His story full of too much truth to be a ploy. I didn’t see how Lord Aydun could truly benefit from this. But just to be safe, I would have to fight smart.
I turned and grabbed three of my men, ordering them, “Get messages to Lord Beltane, Lord Ergun, and Lord Dritan. Tell them to send their men directly here. Now!”
They nodded and took off, and I turned to another. “I need a message sent to Night, for when my sister returns. Tell her that before she leaves again, we could really use an appearance by her. If we’re going to bring this kingdom together, they’ll need to see her.”
The man took his orders and ran off, while I prayed to Hyperion that she would get back in time to make a difference. There had to be more men in Aydun, Freyr, and Kem’s lands who would prefer a different way of life, or hated my father—or even their own lords. Most would be too scared to turn on them. They needed a real reason.
They needed to see that the ruler they’d be getting would be better than the ruler they had.
They needed to know she would fight for them. That she could bring balance back to Day.
In the meantime, I needed to not only prepare my men here, but I needed to address the humans. With that thought, I left the cleanup efforts to continue, congratulating my men on a battle well fought along the way, and headed back inside the palace. The shining golden sun that stood on top of the highest middle tower gleamed in the sunlight.
A beacon of light in these dark times.
The palace had always been a bit ostentatious, assuredly, but I’d always loved it anyway. The entrance was elaborate, with the stairs covered by the overarching cover of the entrance itself. The pointed peak on top came down and then flared out on each side, creating three distinct shapes on top, and then the walls formed a cover over the stairs. Swirling white accents swooped around in shining lines that made it even grander. The sun on top of the palace led straight down to the tower's peak. The tower itself was constructed to form a rounded shape at the midpoint that rose above the entrance, then tucked in smaller and flared out again before reaching the ground.
Several of the other towers had curves to them as well, with pointed peaks on tops, which gave the palace a sense of beauty and creative whimsy that was missing inside.
Oh, the insidewasjust as beautiful. But my father ensured this place remained as hard and unyielding as possible. Lord Aydun’s man was right. My father believed everyone had their place, and they had no business stepping outside of it. While the nobility lived well, the ring system meant classes were kept separate. No one was allowed to marry in a ring higher than their own. Even those outside the city.
Father had ensured every other lord instituted the same rules. He’d learned it from his father, and he would never go against his lessons. He’d spoken of his father like he was a god himself. And this entire palace was filled with cold calculation over any warmth or love as a result.
The halls inside had white floors flecked with gold, while white columns were decorated with gold inlays. The ceiling was painted to mimic the sky, and light from the giant windows hit it beautifully. The walls were golden, but the windows took up much of the space, so it didn’t feel too overwhelming. It didn’t stop me from getting sick of all the gold at times, however.
I made my way to the white double doors leading to my mother’s rooms, and the guards there announced my presence. Entering, I came to a stop before her desk, finding her scribbling away frantically.
“Mother?” I asked hesitantly, and her head shot up.
“Oh, Arien.” She sighed with relief, sitting back in her chair. “I was worried. I’ve been penning letters calling for aid just in case.”
“Don’t worry, we put them down.” I took a seat on the chair across from her. “But unfortunately, more are coming. I’ve sent word to the lords with us to send their men.”
Her eyes closed briefly, and it looked like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. I knew she’d been struggling. Her and Asteria butting heads had left her feeling off center, not sure where she went from here or what the future might bring.
“I had word sent to Asteria, too,” I told her, and her eyes opened to lock on mine. I explained what had occurred outside, and Mother sighed, running a hand through her hair.
It was rare for her to show signs of stress, so often having to keep up the image of theQueen,that seeing her appearing so normal was slightly unsettling.
“Things will get better, you know,” I told her softly. “She just needs time.”
I was surprised to see tears building in her eyes, and I stood up to move around the desk, bringing my mother into a hug. She threw her arms around my middle, clinging to me.
“How do you know?” She sniffed. “I’m the reason for all the pain she experienced.”
I shook my head firmly. “The blame lies with father. He’s the reason all of this happened. You’re both headstrong and coming at this from different viewpoints. She was also raised by parents who, by all accounts, loved her. She’s struggling with the changes to her life and trying to adapt to having a whole new family.”
“She didn’t seem to have any issue with you,” Mother mumbled quietly, hiding her eyes. I knew what it cost her to be this vulnerable.
“A brother is a different thing altogether,” I told her honestly. “And it’s not like she had another brother she might feel like she’s replacing. We’re immortal, Mother. Once we win this, you’ll have all the time in the world to work on your relationship.”
