“I needed you to unite our people,” Danu said gently. “It has been difficult to bring you to this point, and I've had to resort to some underhanded behavior, I admit it,” her head turned to Tiernan. “I'm sorry I forced you to fight with Seren, that I compelled your hand against her in violence. I know how it hurt your heart to do so, and it hurt me to move you in such a manner against her. But it was done to bring you here, to this point, where she is now yours. I hope you will forgive my interference, Tiernan.”
“Of course, Goddess,” Tiernan bowed his head. “There is nothing to forgive.”
“You have been through much, and have always remained true to me. That will not be forgotten.”
“It wasyou?” I shook my head at her. “You made him say those things? You made himhitme?”
“I knew it was the only way to force you into leaving him,” Danu said softly. “The only way you would ever turn your back on such a powerful love. And if you had never left Tiernan, you would never have accepted Raza.” She turned and smiled at Killian, “Or Killian.” Danu turned to me once more, “Your human reservations needed to be stripped away so that you could accept what would truly make you happy.”
“And what would makeyouhappy,” I smirked.
“What will makeour worldhappy,” Danu conceded. “Now that it has all unfolded as I hoped it would, I know you will move forward with grace and dignity. You shall bring peace to our world, Queen Seren Firethorn, and hopefully between our world and my brother's.” The seelie crown lifted from the floor and floated over to Danu's ghost-like hands. She placed the sun-tipped crown on my head, “May all here bear witness that I, Danu, Goddess of the Fey, have crowned this woman, Seren Firethorn, Queen of Seelie. Her right to rule shall never be questioned.”
The fey bowed their heads in acceptance.
“I have brought you through the fire, my children,” Danu smiled softly, “all of you,” she looked back to me. “But I promise that it shall be worth the burn. Those we have lost will be mourned, but their numbers are far less than those who would have perished had I not acted. Forgive me for my interference, I love you so.”
Then Danu faded away.
But her voice echoed in my head, “Now stop being stubborn, Seren, and love those whom I have bound to you.”
Chapter Forty-Nine
My first act as queen was to hug my cousin.
“Bress, I'm so sorry I failed you,” I whispered.
“You saved me, Seren,” he said. “You freed me from her, and you even allowed us one last moment together, one last memory that was happier than any I have of her. Thank you for that. You have won my eternal loyalty today.”
“But I let you be taken,” I shook my head.
“My father tricked me,” Bress sighed and looked toward his silent father. Conn had left the king's crown on the throne and went to stand off to the side, lost and alone. “But I cannot truly fault him. I was manipulated by her once. I was as he is now. I'm going to try and help him through it. Unless you had other plans for him?” Bress glanced down at Moire's corpse.
“I hold no ill will towards your father,” I shook my head. “I hope you can reach him, lead him out of the mental maze she's put him in.”
“I'll try my best,” Bress hurried off to his father.
Then my own father came to me, and hugged me tightly, “I have never been so proud. I knew you could beat Moire.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I basked in the parental praise and the fatherly love for a few minutes, then let him go so I could hug my men. “Raza, are you still alright with this?”
“I am content, mo shíorghrá,” he wrapped his wings around us for some privacy, “but the dragon in me screams for more. I want to move up the wedding.”
“How much moving are we talking about?”
“A week,” he said immediately.
“What? Have you been thinking about this the whole time I was fighting Moire?” I teased.
“Not the whole time,” he said seriously. “Most of it was wasted on worry. Obviously, I had nothing to be concerned about. You are one of the strongest women I've ever known.”
“You may be just a little biased,” I kissed him.
“Biased or not,” Raza said, “you are undoubtedly powerful. You have just won Seelie, and you are heir to Twilight, something that has never happened in all of time.”
“And soon I shall be Queen of Unseelie.”
“In a week?”
