“With all due respect, Thane, fuck your mother’s orders.”
The prince blinked, and his uncle let out a sharp gasp. Thane stared at his old friend, who merely stared right back at him.
But then he couldn’t help but laugh. Lorcan never was one to mince his words. Thane did not know why he’d expected him to do it now. With anyone else, he would not have allowed it, but Lorcan was different. The warrior was the brother he’d never had.
“You know how I feel about the High Queen,” Lorcan continued. “She’s taken the crown from your father and has plotted to keep it from you. Now, she’s keeping your betrothed as a prisoner in her chambers. I’d never say this anywhere but in the safety of your private chambers, but Thane...If she’s behind these attacks, she needs to be stopped.”
Thane’s laughter died on his lips. His warrior’s words unsettled him. In truth, it was only because Thane had recently had very similar thoughts himself. The entire plot suggested something that he did not want to face. If someone had commanded Ula to kill Reyna, it would have come from inside the castle. If not the High Queen herself, then someone else very close.
Lord Bowen cleared his throat. “As much as it pains me to entertain these accusations against the High Queen, your guard here does have a point, son.”
Thane sighed and dropped into the lush golden sofa beside his unlit hearth. Dull sunlight streamed in through the windows, warming the room. But Thane felt cold. “Did you really have to do this without asking me? And taking Reyna, Lorcan?”
Lorcan eased into the chair across from him, propping one ankle on his opposite knee, the leather of his armor creaking. “You would have been obligated to say no, and while I’m happy to defy the High Queen...I serve you first and foremost.”
Thane nodded.
“And, as for Reyna...I think it’s time you acknowledge that she’s far more capable than you’d like to admit.”
Thane looked up. “You saw her fight?”
Lorcan was silent for a long moment, as though he were carefully considering his words. “She’s powerful, Thane. Don’t turn her into a pretty object who sits by your side at Beltane.”
Thane flinched, frowning. Only a few weeks guarding the girl and Lorcan had become someone who spoke in her defense and took her out before dawn to trap assassins. Perhaps he’d made a mistake in assigning Lorcan to her guard rotation. The warrior was clearly beginning to forget Reyna’s purpose here.
Certainly she was powerful, but she had agreed to be his betrothed. With that came certain responsibilities and expectations. There was decorum, and it was there for a reason. The low fae looked up to the rulers of their realm. Not because of who they were but because of what they stood for.
“You think she isn’t suitable ?” Lord Bowen asked with a frown.
“Yes, Lorcan,” Thane said evenly. “What exactly are you suggesting here?”
“You’re angry,” Lorcan said. “You shouldn’t be. There have been plenty of Shieldmaidens in this kingdom over the years.”
“Shieldmaidens are shieldmaidens,” Thane argued. “Not future High Queens. One cannot be both.”
Lorcan cocked his head. “And why not?”
Sighing, Thane shook his head. As a warrior, Lorcan would never truly understand the burden that had been squatting on Thane’s shoulders ever since the day he had been born. Expectations, rules, responsibility. The future of an entire kingdom depended upon the way he—and those around him—handled himself. And now, the alliance with the ice fae meant thattwokingdoms depended on Thane. Just as soon as he got his throne from his mother.
Lorcan was a warrior. He only had to worry about the fight. At times, Thane did envy his old friend. What would it feel like to have a life so free of complications? To know exactly what needed to be done? To never find himself torn in two, knowing that a single decision could change everything?
That was why there were such strict rules. On what to say, how to act, what to wear, and when to smile. It made the bigger decisions all the more easier.
Bigger decisions such as what to do about a household servant attempting murder on his future wife.
Thane drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. “We must hide Reyna’s involvement in this. For her sake. And for yours.”
He left the full weight of his words unsaid. Lorcan was a clever lad. He would understand.
“Is that truly wise, Thane?” his uncle asked. “It will be difficult to hide.”
The truth may be twisted but never false.
Again, Thane drummed his fingers. “I do not want to give my mother further ammunition against Reyna.”
Lorcan sighed. “Very well. Tell her that I set the trap, and do not mention the princess.”
“And the three guards who spotted you on your way to the tunnel?”
