four
Thenextmorning,Iwoke at the crack of dawn. I hadn’t seen Silas after returning from Irina’s the previous night because he’d had “work to do.” I hadn’t asked him what sort of work would keep him away overnight, and I figured maybe he wasn’t ready to tell me yet either.
Silas arrived to collect me when I was finishing breakfast as the sun peeked above the horizon. “Good morning,” he said, sweeping my wild hair back and pressing a kiss against the sensitive place on my neck. “You look beautiful. I’m sorry I missed you last night.”
“It’s fine. I had a great time with Irina and Henry, and then I slept like a rock.” I stood from the table. “By the way, I really don’t think it’s necessary for you to waste your morning sitting beside me at the castle. I know you’re busy investigating the lycanthrope, or whatever else it is you do.”
“I wouldn’t dream of missing it,” Silas said dryly. “The first Fae Queen holding court in centuries? Nowhere else I’d rather be.”
We said goodbye to Millie, who was starting a loaf of bread and putting away the breakfast dishes. We walked hand in handalong the riverbank, not speaking, as the castle loomed ahead of us.
“Nervous?” Silas asked.
“Yes,” I admitted. “I also just don’t know what to expect.”
“Nobody does. This is new to everyone. Including yourself—don’t forget that. People might expect you to have all the answers, but having all the answers isn’t your job.”
“What is my job?”
“Hell if I know,” Silas said. “Like I said, this is all new. All we have to go off is ancient lore and whatever texts weren’t destroyed from the era of Fae Queens, and those are few and far between. I’m sure Seer Goddard will have collected a few for you.”
This morning I’d chosen a simple white dress. At Silas’s insistence, I’d put my thin circlet on my hair, the azure gem sparkling under the sunlight. I felt shy wearing it, almost presumptuous. But Silas insisted it was important for me to appear confident, even if I was still working on getting there internally.
I also wore simple shoes and earrings, minimal makeup. I didn’t look like a queen. I didn’t feel like a queen. And yet after we reached the castle and ascended to the second floor, I sat on the throne, with my crown shining above the water and beneath the sun, and something felt very, very right.
Islanders started showing up nearly an hour before court was supposed to begin. I instructed the Rangers assigned as security for the event to let them come in and start early. By the time the court hours officially started, I’d already seen ten people and had a line of others winding down the staircase and out the front door, snaking down the riverbank.
“I know Irina.” An elderly woman handed over a single daisy as she stepped in front of the throne. “I’m a Forest Dweller with her. I don’t have anything to offer you except my support. But Itrust and love Irina, and since she believes in you as the queen, so do I.”
I reached forward, clasped the older woman’s hands in mine. I felt my eyes smart with tears. “You’ve given me more than you know.”
“I never thought I’d see this day again.” The woman’s lined face crumpled into a watery smile. “A Fae Queen. Will you be able to heal our destroyed lands?”
I accepted the small daisy from her and tucked it gently behind my ear. Her eyes lit up at the gesture. “I haven’t had time to investigate the torched lands just yet, but it is one of my top priorities. The curse destroyed a lot of things, and I will work to return this island to its former healthy self.”
“You’ll do it.” The woman nodded, as the Ranger beside my chair cleared his throat, signaling it was time for the next guest. “You’ll do it, my dear.”
As I sat and listened to islanders, I filed away as many concerns as I could. At one point Millie joined my side, and I had her help me take notes so that I could revisit their ideas and worries later. I received lots of questions—about myself, about my powers, about the island.
Will you heal the island?
Will you find whoever is responsible for the curse and the attack of the Furies?
Will you support the people and creatures on this island?
Then there were personal questions.
Have you accepted Silas as your mate?
How can you trust yourself to rule when you don’t know this island?
What if your powers can never be controlled?
There was dissent, but that was kept to a minimum, thanks to the Rangers standing on either side of the throne. Vitriol was quickly redirected into cutting questions.
Why would I ever trust you, someone who knows nothing about this island?
Who do you think you are, coming in here with no training to take control?
