The fact that the Misfits were here meant the bloody issue we were discussing was tremendously fatal for our realm.
The Misfits walked to stand between our desks.
I turned back around in my chair and sat straight at attention, trying my absolute hardest to focus past the urge pounding me from the inside out. King Athon no longer appeared to be sleeping, either, which was excellent since he and Father were the most powerful people in all the kingdoms.
The dark green skin on the Misfits wrinkled even more than it already was as they surveyed us—three did, anyway. The raised, large brown moles all over their three-feet-tall bodies showed in terrible clarity under the colorful rays shining down on them. Their heads that were two times too large for their skeletal bodies, looking heavy on their scrawny necks, as did their overlarge pointed noses on their faces. Large, brown owl-like eyes darted from each royal in the room. Their tattered old clothing colors were the only way to tell them apart—red, blue, gold, and black.
Black Louie had to be the fourth gremlin.
He was the lone dark Fae that was staring straight ahead, with an old tomb under his right arm, done appraising us and not having any facial airs at all while doing it—a blank slate of any feelings.
Red Louie tittered. “Don’t you all look so pleased to see us.”
“You would think I was here to end their lives,” Blue Louie joked in a voice so deep it was barely distinguishable.
“They are all here, so I did my job right.” Gold Louie pumped his scrawny fists in the air. His tone was high-pitched and child-like, grating on my already frayed nerves. “Louie, I told you I’d get it right.”
Red Louie griped, “Hush, Louie! Louie needs to say something.”
Gold Louie muttered, “You’re just sore because I was right.”
Black Louie stepped forward, his voice carrying like a slap of authority. “I must speak now.”
The room went quiet. Thank the Fae for that.
“Do you know anything about giants?” Black Louie asked, peering blandly around the magnificent room, not looking at anyone in particular. “And, yes, you heard me correctly. I said giants.”
I peered at the other royals, waiting for them to speak.
But not one opened their mouths.
I blinked quickly in the silence.
Well, this was unusual. I actually did know about giants.
Black Louie turned to face me. “Speak, Princess Trixie.”
All right…that was horribly disturbing.
“Um.” I cleared my throat and glanced around again, all eyes on me. “My grandmother taught me about them.”
Black Louie merely stared with blank eyes, waiting for me to continue speaking as he had ordered.
“Giants were the Fae-created children before us.” I nibbled on my bottom lip and glanced at my father. His emerald eyes were patient on mine, complete faith in me despite the absurdity of what I had just said. I straightened my spine and discreetly wiped my forehead. “There was only one family of giants in the realm, a test for the first creations the Fae made. There was a father, a mother, and a young son.
“The Fae made the giants large, too large for the realm they had built. The mother’s and father’s heads were as tall as the top of a mountain in the Shifter Kingdom, but they were happy. They loved one another deeply.
“One day, their son ventured too far away. He had gangly limbs, as most young do, and he tripped and fell into the ocean. All of his flounderings only pushed him out farther into the water. He screamed for help, but his parents weren’t fast enough. He went over the end of the ocean to his death.”
Queen Mikko gasped in horror. “His parents must have been heartbroken.”
I licked my dry lips and nodded in agreement. “They were heartbroken, but their sorrow soon turned to anger. The two giants started destroying the realm, no longer being careful with its beauty. Soon, the entire realm was torn unrecognizable. This made the Fae angry, their beautiful creation almost entirely destroyed, which, at that time, was their path to their counterpart’s land—their own way of keeping the peace between the dark and the light Fae.
“But they didn’t want to kill the only two giants in existence, so they put them to sleep before remaking our realm even more beautiful. Then, the Fae created the first five originals of our kinds, but there they had to learn too because the originals kept killing one another. To keep everyone safe, they created the Blood Forest to keep us separated, and use it to travel to their counterpart’s land without disturbing our way of life.”
Everyone was still staring at me.
I shook my head. “That is all I know.”
