We were in what Rhon called a planning and discussion room, at least that was the translation from some fairy word I couldn’t pronounce, much less spell. Rhon felt it would have been improper to meet in Bluebell’s room and Clove had agreed. So, we’d made our way to this room and I’d shared with them Lensy’s idea for a fairer and more egalitarian rule of Rubalia.
“The people won’t accept it anyway,” Rhon said. “They’ll expect a queen, a hardline royal ruler, as we’ve always had. They won’t accept me or Bluebell.”
“What people?” I asked. “The people who’ve been enslaved by those hardline rulers? The people who’ve lived in fear of those hardline rulers?”
“The fairies who’ve benefited from the fairy royalty being the most powerful in all of Rubalia,” Clove said. “That’s who will care.”
“And what will they do?” I asked. “Go up against our army? Storm the palace?”
“There are other ways to attack us,” Bluebell said, her shoulders hunched. “Other ways to hurt us.”
I bit my lip to stop myself from saying anything I’d regret. And then I bit it again. There were several things I’d have liked to say to Bluebell, all of them along the lines of her getting a tougher skin, but I could imagine what a lifetime of being treated like trash could do to a person. I knew those words wouldn’t help her. “So you make sure you’re well guarded and well protected before you go down this path. You don’t have to tell the people all the details of what you’re doing. At least not right away. We can tell them there’s no better ruler than Rhon or Bluebell available. We can inform them more slowly about the larger changes to the way Rubalia is ruled.”
“I—” Rhon started.
But I wasn’t done. “Not only that, but if you want to make a change, now is the best time to do it. The people have been brutalized, traumatized, and they need hope. You two can’t be the only ones who were hurt by the old way of doing things.”
“You’re assuming we were hurt,” Bluebell said. “You’re assuming the way we were treated was wrong.”
“I was taken from my family when I was five and made your companion and servant,” Clove said, her voice tight with unleashed emotion. “I was trained how to fight and how to kill when I was ten, because the king didn’t want to expend more resources on you, but as a royal family member you had to be protected. I killed a man when I was twelve. I don’t know they were wrong, but I am certain they weren’t right.” She turned to face Bluebell and took both of her hands in her own. “You are one of the brightest people I know. You may have been shoved aside, but you watched and you listened and you learned more about the way this kingdom operated then anyone other than the king himself. I know you can be a good leader. I know how long you have wished to be in the middle of things and not an outsider.”
“No,” Bluebell said. “I have never complained, I have never given any indication I wish for anything but the life I have. I am not a true fairy. I am unfit to rule.”
Clove slammed her hand down on the table. “No. I don’t ever want to hear you say that again. You are every bit as much a fairy as Rhon and Chloe and you would be a better ruler than any of those fairies who were born with the ability to shift. I won’t allow you to hide in the dark any longer, not when I know how badly you wish to step out into the light.”
Tears misted Bluebell’s eyes. “How do you know what I wished?”
Clove smiled, maybe realizing she was finally getting through to Bluebell. “You aren’t the only one who’s observant.”
“Good,” Rhon said, clapping his hands together. “One benefit of you being kept in the shadows, Bluebell, is that most of the people who knew you can’t shift are dead and gone.” He looked at me. “I’m not sure I believe your plan will work, or that it should work, but I think we’ve got a queen in Bluebell if you want to step aside.”
“No,” Bluebell said. “I thought…Don’t you want to be king?”
“I’m a half-breed,” Rhon said. “And too distantly related to royalty to be a real candidate. You’re the better option, so start acting like it.” He smiled when he spoke, but there was sorrow in his eyes. “I was accepted into the fairy palace because of my lineage, but many of my cousins and even my own half-sister were enslaved or killed as rebels by the fairy king. Clarinda is right, change would be good for the land.” He looked at me. “You said we need someone neutral, someone to keep the council in check, to prevent any one group from taking too much power. I could be that person, or one of those people. Half-breeds have always had torn loyalties.”
It was such a good idea, I didn’t know why I hadn’t thought of it myself. I finally relaxed, confident my cousins would improve Rubalia and ensure a better life for everyone.
“And maybe it would be best if I left,” I said. “So there is no other option for the leadership. No queen to contest your rule.”
Rhon nodded. “It might be for the best. Although, if you said a few words first…”
I remembered that forced speech on the balcony and I understood what he meant immediately. The people should hear it from me. “How much time do you need to get our people here for my announcement?”
“We’ll send out the messengers within the hour,” he said. “You can speak the day after tomorrow and leave soon after.”
I left Bluebell and Clove and Rhon to discuss the details of her becoming queen and of the upcoming meeting they’d be having with the rulers of the other kingdoms of Rubalia. I wandered out of that room in search of Frost. I found him, back in the dining hall, and realized I was hungry again.
I filled a plate and sat next to him where he was seated on the floor, his back against the wall. The long tables were filled to capacity. “Why are there so many people here?”
He put down his empty plate and placed a hand on my thigh, squeezing it. “Many people were displaced by Ludwiggia. Their homes were destroyed. The palace has been flooded with people needing a place to rest and find food before they begin their journey home.”
“And the ones who are here are all friends of our friends? Of the people who fought beside us?”
He looked confused for a moment, but his expression cleared as he must have remembered me overhearing Chervil ask for help with his friends. He grinned. “Not a one. But the palace guards were reluctant to allow strangers to enter the palace, so we found it prudent to pretend to know them.”
I nodded. “In that case, I’m surprised there aren’t more here.”
“You should take a look outside.”
After I’d finished my food, I followed him to a small balcony not far from the dining hall. The palace grounds and the fields beyond were filled with tents, amongst which people moved. There had to be thousands of people. “How can we feed them all?”
Frost shrugged. “I’m not sure we can, but many of them just need safe shelter and are willing to hunt or help local farmers to bring in more food. Many are staying now to see their new queen.”
“They aren’t here to see me,” I said, leaning into him when he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Bluebell has agreed to take on that job. We’re going home.”
He kissed the top of my head. “Thank fuck.”
***
“Fairies and fae of the Fairy realm,” I said to the crowd below me. “I am Clarinda Jessamine Roseblossom Regalia Frangipani, the rightful heir to the fairy throne. My friends and I journeyed here to fight the nightmares and to take back Rubalia for its people.” Cheers erupted and I waited for them to die down. “Many lives were lost to the nightmares. The lives of children, of people we loved dearly, of many royals who lived in this palace. A fairy named Hieronymus died saving my life. He came here willing to sacrifice himself to save Rubalia and he should be remembered as a hero. A brave rock troll died to save a young girl who’d lost her parents, a young girl who bravely led us across Rubalia and through the wilds here to the fairy palace. Trolls and redcaps who journeyed from the Non to help the people of Rubalia died fighting nightmares. Field dwarves
, elves, and harpies we met during our journey also fought against the nightmares. Our goal was to save Rubalia and it didn’t matter whether the person who fought with us had wings or horns or hooves or bark for skin, what mattered was that our goal was the same. I hope that in the future we never forget their sacrifices and that the divisions in Rubalia can be healed. I hope all types of fae, all people, can work together for a brighter future in Rubalia.
“I may have royal blood in my veins,” I said. “But I don’t belong to Rubalia, I belong to the Non. I will always love Rubalia and the people here, and I hope to visit often, but I will not be your queen.” The crowd gasped and I heard a few shouts of outrage. “In my stead, Bluebell Buttercup Pansyria Rosemary will rule as your queen.” I’d laughed pretty hard when Bluebell had told me her full name, glad to have found someone with a name worse than my own.
The crowd shouted their disapproval, but I held up my hands and waited for them to quiet down. “She is the only surviving fairy of purest royal blood left in all of Rubalia. In fact, her blood is purer than mine, because both of her parents were full-blooded fairies and both carried the royal blood in their veins.” The crowd murmured, but seemed to be more of a mind to consider Bluebell as their queen.
“I can assure you, my subjects, she is the better woman to rule as your queen.”
I stepped aside and stood next to Frost. Bluebell moved up to the rail, but her hands were shaking and her first word, ‘hello’ was so quiet even I could barely hear it.
Clove stepped up just behind her and put a hand on Bluebell’s shoulder. Bluebell sucked in a deep breath and started again. “I am Bluebell Buttercup Pansyria Rosemary and I am the heir to the Fairy throne. I will be crowned tomorrow at dawn.”
The crowd didn’t cheer, but they didn’t boo, either. They were uncharacteristically silent, as though unsure what to do.
A large dust cloud rose over the palace walls and the sound of horses’ hooves and stomping feet sent the crowd into an absolute panic. Bluebell looked to me for advice, but I gestured with open palms to her. This was her show. She had to take the lead or the people would never accept her. She took another deep breath and turned back to the crowd. “People of the fairy realm,” she said in a commanding voice she must have dug particularly deep to find. “Do not fear. My guards are even now riding out to investigate the disturbance…”
Her words trailed off and I followed her gaze to see the palace guards riding alongside a carriage. A carriage behind which marched a seemingly infinite stream of nightmares. Above them flew more than twenty dragons. Had they come to attack us? Had Chelsea and Benny betrayed us all? They could have done so very easily, by controlling the nightmares through Ludwiggia. I sucked in a deep breath and calmed my own irrational fear.
Bluebell didn’t seem to be suffering from any concern about treason. She smiled at the crowd. “Chelsea, dragon queen, and Benedict, dragon king, are marching the nightmares to the portal inside our gates to return with them to the nightmare realm. Let’s see them off with a cheer.” The crowd roared, seemingly in approval of Bluebell’s assurance. I, however, was less certain. I slipped away as Bluebell began speaking again to the crowd, making promises of how wonderful life would be under her rule.
I raced down the halls with Frost by my side. I ran out of the palace gates just in time to see the carriage crest the final rise before it reached the palace. I raced on and a familiar voice called for the carriage to halt. Benny stepped out, Chelsea by his side, broad grins on their faces.
There were ten palace guards escorting the carriage and none of them looked as though they’d been enthralled or were worried about the nightmares behind them. The fact that the nightmares stared straight ahead, but seemed to see nothing, helped to calm my fears. “Chloe,” Chelsea said. “I’m glad I’ll get the chance to say goodbye before we leave.”
“You are leaving then?”
Her smile fell. “Yes, of course.” She paused and looked back over her shoulder at the nightmares behind her. “I suppose we do look a bit like an army. You aren’t the first to expect the worst of us.” She gripped my shoulders. “But I promise you, Chloe, we’re taking them back to the nightmare realm. We’re going home. I’m going to see my family again and rebuild the nightmare realm to the glory it once knew.”
The ‘under dragon rule’ was implied, I supposed. “But Ludwiggia,” I said. “She will heal, and then you’ll have to take on all the nightmares.”
Chelsea smiled and gestured for me to look into the carriage. Ludwiggia sat, staring straight ahead, a dopey smile on her face. She looked somehow more frightening with that empty smile. On her head was a strange contraption that looked like a crown, but appeared to be attached with spikes that penetrated her skull. It was incredibly gruesome. “What have you done?”
“We found an elven iron smith and a healer who were more than happy to help,” Benny said. “Her brain won’t be healing in our life-times.”
I supposed I should have been horrified, but Ludwiggia didn’t appear unhappy and, considering that she was a mass murderer, it seemed fitting punishment. I’d expected to feel some gratification seeing her that way, but I didn’t feel much of anything beyond an eagerness to get back to the Non and never see another nightmare again.
“I wish you well in the Nightmare realm,” I said, turning back to Chelsea and Benny. “Don’t come looking for me if you have any problems.”
Chelsea smiled and reached out to shake my hand. I took it in my own and she pulled me in a for a tight hug. Gah, hugs. I hugged her back, but pushed her away after just a few seconds. I liked her alright, but not enough to hug her forever.
“So you and Benny?” I asked. “King and Queen?”
She smiled, but there was sadness in her eyes. “I believe you would call it a marriage of convenience.” She shook her head and I realized I must have been giving her a disapproving look. “Don’t worry, Chloe. Benny and I have an understanding. This is the best relationship either of us could ever hope for. We are both too broken for romance.”
I nodded, doing my best to understand. “I wish you every happiness.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I won’t be here for the memorial service. Will you say goodbye for me?”
“Of course.”
Benny slapped my back and grinned. “Have a good life, fairy queen.”
I smiled, a touch sad to be seeing the last of him. “Didn’t you hear? I abdicated my throne. Bluebell will rule in my place.”
He scowled and shook his head. “Your complete disinterest in power and wealth is exceedingly disappointing.”
I punched his shoulder. “Enjoy the rest of your life, Benedict.”
I followed Benny, Chelsea, and the nightmares through the palace gates and watched to make sure every last one of them left through the portal to the nightmare realm.
***
The fae in Rubalia don’t bury their dead like we do, they don’t have a big ceremony and a casket lowered into the ground. The dead are put back into the earth and covered with dirt, without a marker of any kind. They are buried away from water sources, but they are otherwise left to decompose and return to nature. Frost and I stood together with hundreds of Rubalians and watched as Hieronymus and Jerome were lowered into the ground. Words were spoken, but I can’t remember them. I was in my own mind, saying goodbye and thanking them both for the sacrifices they’d made.
The trolls and redcaps who’d been part of Pippi’s crew had been buried already, but I thought of them, too, as I watched Hieronymus and Jerome buried.
After the burial, we attended a day-long party at the palace, what the fae called a remembering, an opportunity to reminisce about the dead with others who’d loved them.
We’d been eating and drinking and sharing stories with everyone who’d journeyed with us to fight the nightmares, as well as any members of the court or residents of the surrounding areas who wanted to participate. We remembered not just those who’d given their lives during the journey h
ere, but also the royals and residents of the area who’d died at the hands of nightmares. I was tired and a bit weepy, but I felt lighter somehow, remembering all the good of the people who’d been lost. I felt lighter because I’d let go of the chance to rule in Rubalia and now this mess we’d made with the party would be Bluebell’s problem. I felt lighter, because I was going home very soon.
I saw Vervain and Lensy step out of the palace and into the gardens and I smiled. It was the first time I’d seen Vervain outside of her room since before I’d woken up. I hurried over to them. “It’s good to see you out,” I said. “Thank you for all you did to help us get here, for leading us across Rubalia. I’m so sorry about Jerome.”
She nodded, her eyes welling with tears. Her face was puffy, as though she’d been crying for hours and she swayed a bit in place. I imagined she hadn’t eaten for a while and was probably exhausted.
“Are you sure you want to be here?” I asked. I resisted the urge to look over her shoulder at Lensy. Vervain had earned the right to make this decision for herself.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m the only one who knew Jerome. If I didn’t come, there’d be no stories about him.
“Tell me,” I said. “I’d love to hear them.”
We sat on a garden bench and she told me about Jerome, a gentle man, who’d loved her like a father when she’d thought she’d never have a family again. An exceptional man, whose loss would affect her for the rest of her life. I listened to her stories and pictured the kind man I’d known so briefly. I promised her I’d never forget him.
She nodded, tears running down her cheeks, and stood. She walked away from me and Lensy and wove through the crowd to find someone else to tell about Jerome. Lensy, too, was crying. “So much loss,” she said. “I don’t know how to convince her she won’t have to lose anyone else.”
“You can’t,” I said, watching the young girl telling her story to Pippi. Even Pippi’s expression softened as the girl spoke. I’d never experienced losses like Vervain’s, but I’d lost my father and I knew how long it took for that pain to diminish, how hard it could be to open yourself to loving and depending on anyone else again. “You just show her, every day, that she can count on you, and hope maybe someday she will.”
Fairy, Neat (Fairy Files Book 6) Page 26