Priscilla nodded. “I have been locked up and at the mercy of my sister for many years. When our parents died, I was supposed to touch the stone. I am the oldest. But Issie always had a plan to usurp me and take my rightful place. She dabbled in dark magic. She broke our rules.”
It sounded like something the winter queen would do. Isalinda was cruel to the bone. And while it seemed Priscilla did not have the same darkness in her, I needed to make sure. I just had to figure out how to do it without destroying whatever fragile trust we had just built. I wondered … if I could sense and filter out the darkness in Kade … shouldn’t I be able to sense it in others too?
I reached out my hand. “Well, I’m just glad to have gotten you out of there.”
She reached out slowly and placed her fragile hand in mine. “We are well met,” she stated, and I pushed my mecca forward a tiny bit, feeling the energy of her soul.
It took a few seconds to sift through the pieces. Her soul had been damaged, quite badly, but while there was darkness there, it seemed to only be linked to the memories of her captivity. Once I pushed through that, there was a brightlight in her center, an innocence that told me exactly how Isalinda had so easily tricked her.
She’s good, Kade. A good person and a great candidate to take over this realm.
She needs time to heal, but I sense great potential within her, he agreed.
Pulling my hand back, I smiled. Kade reached out his hand then and introduced himself, shaking very lightly so as not to hurt her. I decided it was best to just come out with the truth.
“Priscilla, I can’t even begin to understand what you have been through. I’m sure you are feeling lost and confused right now, but you are the rightful leader of the Winter Court. Do you still want to rule over these people, with the grace and goodness they should have had years ago?”
Every tired and weary muscle in her face lifted then. The light that had been hiding in the darkness shone so brightly that I could see it without even touching her soul. “I’d be … I’d be honored. I’d need some time to remember things and get myself together, but … I’d be honored.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “I think you are exactly what this court needs. How about I keep things going here for a month or so, then you can take over when you’re rested and settled in?” I didn’t want to have to visit this place too often, Ihad my own people to worry about, but I could give her a little time.
She looked confused. “A month?”
Violet smiled. “Two fortnights? One moon cycle?”
Understanding replaced the confused expression, and she nodded a few times. “Oh, yes. I can do that. Thank you.”
I looked at the woman before me, captive for who knows how long. She didn’t look a day over thirty, but fae aging was akin to shifter aging — weird and unpredictable. I was sure she had thought her life was over. There was no chance of escaping while Isalinda lived. But, she could have a family now if she chose. A purpose and a future.
“Thank you for finding her,” I whispered to Shelley. The fae had tears in her eyes too. She was watching Priscilla closely — no doubt reacting to the return of her rightful queen.
“Let’s get you into the castle,” Violet said, her tone kind and understanding. “I can shroud you so that no one sees you.”
Priscilla let out a relieved breath. “Thank you. My mother always taught me that a queen needs to look put together at all times. I don’t want to start on the wrong foot.”
She cared about her people. About pleasing them. I was hoping she didn’t take it too far,though. There was a nice middle ground between crazy Isalinda and a pushover.
I better check on her periodically.I directed my worries to Kade, and he just slung an arm around me as we started to walk.
It will be fine, Ari. She will have others to help her.
He was right, but a part of me felt like I was foisting my responsibility off onto a broken fae, one who was not ready to be a leader.
Reassess in a month,he told me.
That was a good idea. I would give her this time to rest and heal. Then we would see. I had no idea what I would do if she wasn’t fit to rule, but that was another bridge I would cross when I came to it.
Inside the castle, Priscilla led us toward a wing on the east side. “These were my rooms,” she said. Surprisingly, they were still there, exactly as she left them, only covered now in a thick sheen of dust.
“No doubt Issie never stepped foot in here again.” She looked around, her eyes, which were a lovely lilac color, were shadowed.
I glanced around at the dusty wing, filled with ghosts of the past. “Why don’t we strip the former queen’s rooms,” I said. “Those are your rightful quarters now. I think it would be a fresh start.”
Her arms trembling, she nodded. “Yes, I think that would be a nice way to begin it all. Back in my parents’ wing.”
Handmaids were called in and everything happened in a hurry after that. Rooms were stripped; Priscilla was moved into the royal wing to begin her month of rest. Word was spreading fast through the castle about the return of the princess, and already flowers and gifts were arriving.
The fae were rejoicing.
