To Love a King (Court of Annwyn)

by Shona Husk

  “It’s been called a global state of emergency, an unprecedented catastrophe,” Caspian said.

  “It’s not unprecedented. It’s just that no one alive has experienced it before. At least it hasn’t reached a billion yet.” He knew that it wasn’t uncommon for up to a third of the human population to die in a power shift. He’d read human history and compared it to the stones singing. He’d made it his job to learn everything he could about both worlds. He was willing to bet Sulia knew very little beyond how to get her own way at Court.

  “No one has mentioned fairies. It’s a toss-up between climate change and biological warfare. Although there are a few now calling it end of days and waiting for the other signs.” Bram leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “Are you ready to leave?”

  Felan looked at the hopeful faces, then back at the TV. At least even if he failed, the death would stop in the mortal world. However, he’d be condemning Annwyn to the rule of a scheming monarch who’d toy with mortal lives for her own amusement. He had to win for the fairies. He had to win for Jacqui and his child being created, for his son, Caspian. He checked his watch. Dawn was coming to Annwyn, gray over the skeletal, winter-clad trees.

  “Let’s do this.” He handed the watch to Dylis. “The execution will be at noon.”

  She took the watch and put it on even though it was too loose around her wrist.

  “The next time you see me, I’ll either be King or banished.” He didn’t mention the other possibility—that war was declared and he was killed in battle.

  Caspian stood and hugged him. “Good luck.”

  He patted his son’s back. “I’m sorry for any pain this will cause you.”

  “I’ll live.”

  “Yes, you will.” Felan drew back, the heaviness growing in his heart. As much as he’d rather spare Caspian any pain, he didn’t want him caught. If Sulia won, he had a better chance here than in Annwyn.

  Lydia gave him a quick hug too. “We’ll be thinking of you.”

  Dylis and Bram had a quick kiss, then Bram gathered up his things from the floor. They’d all been waiting for him to come downstairs. “Taryn is outside with Verden.”

  He’d already guessed that. No one was saying good-bye, but it was on the tip of everyone’s tongue. In silence, Bram and Felan walked out the back. Taryn and Verden were sitting at the table. She was on his lap, her back to his chest as they stared up at the sky. They were talking softly but stopped at the sound of boots scuffing on the paving stones.

  Taryn got up. “It’s time then.”

  Verden stood with her, his hand on the small of her back. For a moment Felan wished he had woken Jacqui, so they could have one last kiss, one last touch. No. This way he had to survive to get that reward.

  Taryn walked over, her lips pressed into a thin line. She’d grown up so much since the moment she’d first come to Annwyn a few short months ago. When he’d asked for her to attend, he’d never expected she’d end up as Hunter, helping him win the crown.

  Verden didn’t move. He crossed his arms, his sword glinting in the starlight. “I’ll make sure Dylis and Jacqui get to the doorway.”

  “Thank you.” But Felan knew Verden was doing it for Taryn. Once Felan was King, Taryn would be free to return to Verden’s side. “The first thing I do will be to lift your banishment.”

  The previous Lord of the Hunt nodded. “You’d better.” Then he released a sigh. “I have people looking for Sulia’s hostages. We will find them and free them no matter the outcome.”

  Would it matter if he lost? If he won, he would have to keep a better eye on the fairies in the mortal world and remind them that they still must abide by Annwyn’s rules. He was also going to close some of the loopholes that Sulia was exploiting.

  Felan took a final look around. Jacqui hadn’t woken to come running down to say farewell. This was it.

  He turned and walked through the garden and out the front gate, toward the cemetery where they would cross to Annwyn. Taryn and Bram walked behind him. He listened for any sign of a Grey, watching and waiting. There were a small number of Greys all over the world in various states of wasting. How quickly would Sulia be able to rally another group? He was guessing not fast. She’d planned the attack at the grove for a while—that he’d already saved the trapped fairies had annoyed her, but not spoiled her plan for his death.

  He stopped at the doorway and glanced back at the house. It would be a long walk for Verden, Dylis, and Jacqui if they came under attack, but there was nothing he could do except trust they would get to Annwyn before he shut the border.

  “Before I risk my life, I’d like to know if congratulations are in order?” Bram kept his hand on the hilt of his sword.

  “Everything is in place.” He sounded so cold. But he couldn’t let himself celebrate, not until afterward. He looked at Bram. “I will not celebrate until I am on the throne and stability is assured.” Then he would let himself be distracted by the joy of having another child and what that meant. He had to be a better father this time around.

  Bram nodded. “Shall I go first then?”

  Felan nodded. They all drew their swords, expecting the worst when they stepped through but hoping those loyal to Felan would have kept the doorway clear.

  The air shimmered and the temperature dropped. The smell of frost and decay hit him as he inhaled. Snow drifted down from the heavy, gray sky and landed like stars on his dark blue coat. No one was at the doorway, but someone had been watching and was now running toward Castle Annwyn.

  Felan turned to the gate and thrust his sword into the side of the tree. It hummed for a moment. When Taryn put hers in the tree opposite, the doorway would be completely sealed, but that wouldn’t happen until after his mother’s execution, as Jacqui and Dylis still needed to get through. This was just a partial seal to stop people from leaving. It would make it much harder for Sulia to implement her plans if she couldn’t get messages across the veil. A partial seal hadn’t been done since…since his great-grandfather had been on the throne. Sealing the border was a forgotten trick, one which he was counting on.

  “Test it,” he ordered Bram.

  Bram gave the sword a tug, but it remained firmly lodged. He looked at the hilt. “That’s the King’s sword.”

  “I swapped with my father.” Two swords were needed to close the doorway: the King’s and the Hunter’s. He’d been hoping it didn’t have to be the King who activated it, and for the moment, luck was on his side. So far, so good. Except he was now unarmed. “Let’s move.”

  Felan didn’t want to give the watcher of the doorway time to make a full report and for Sulia to make alternate plans. If the watcher was on his side, well, the sooner he acted, the better.

  The powdery snow coated the ground, covering the dead grass and mud, giving Annwyn an eerie stillness. In the castle he heard music, but it had lost the lilt of summer and was more raucous, harsher and harder.

  Someone, one the fairy servants who had been loyal to Gwyn, ran up to him with a clean coat and shirt.

  “Get me a sword,” he said without looking up.

  He stripped in the hallway and redressed in the black. They had really reached the bottom of winter if black was in fashion. The cuffs of the coat glittered with obsidian beads, and gold thread spread from the buttons across his chest and over his shoulders. The collar jutted under his jaw, and the hem swept the ground. At least if he was going to die today, he looked good. A silver sword was placed in his hands. His sword. What was his father wearing?

  “Ring the bell.” The fairy nodded, gathered the old clothes, and disappeared.

  Felan pushed open the doors to the Hall of Flowers and stopped. Sulia was having a party. Food, half-eaten, and drink lay on the tables. A couple cavorted against the wall.

  Gone was the glamour of the Court—this was a shallow mockery. Sulia and her human consort sat at the table
where the King usually sat. They raised blood-red glass goblets and then laughed.

  “Come to join in the revelry?” She grinned, her pink eyes and pointed smile making her look like an angel hell-bent on revenge.

  “There is a Court meeting today.”

  “We know, but you are here without a human. Stuart has seen her, claims she isn’t pregnant.”

  “Stuart does realize that up until about three mortal months, there is no outward sign of pregnancy. My fiancée is safe in the mortal world. I will not bring her for you to attack, again.”

  Stuart had the grace to fidget and look away. He’d simply been telling Sulia what she wanted to hear. Did he realize what he’d signed up for?

  “Oh, it was hardly an attack. We just wanted to know who she was and knock that baby out of her.” She laughed as if were a joke.

  Felan’s fingers curled. He couldn’t leap onto the table and kill her. He had no good reason to, and the laws still stood. He could get himself banished. On the other hand, there was no rule to say he couldn’t kill Stuart. He glanced at the smug-looking human, not pretty by fairy standards—probably not by human standards either. And certainly not smart enough to finish the job, fortunately. Stuart wasn’t worth his time. “The child is fine.”

  The bell began to chime, calling the fairies to the Hall of Judgment.

  “If you don’t mind, I have a meeting to preside over. Party if you wish, but some of us have the serious business of ruling to attend to.”

  Sulia threw down her glass, which shattered over the table. The party stopped as people turned to look. “You aren’t King. You will never be King. The people like me; they come to my parties, play my games. I will win.”

  “Are you willing to declare war when you haven’t even declared yourself as a contender? I think you are all talk, Sulia. Stop wasting my time and stop playing games.”

  Her mouth opened.

  Felan spun on his heel and left before she could form a reply. This time there was more than Bram and Taryn at his side. He nodded to familiar faces, including those that had returned from the mortal world to avoid the power shift. Just because they didn’t live at Court didn’t mean they didn’t have a stake in what happened here. What happened in Annwyn rippled across the veil and into the mortal world. And the effects amplified and came back to Annwyn, swelling the river, and back and forth it went until something changed.

  Smart fairies understood that.

  Dumb ones partied with Sulia and hoped to pretend it would all be fine when she became Queen. It would, but the kind of Court she led would touch the mortal world, and not in a good way. Open debauchery, sneaky games…it would be worse than his father’s Court that had allowed scheming and backstabbing to become commonplace.

  His would be different. He wanted it to be better for everyone. As he walked into the chamber, now empty and hollow, snow falling through the bare branches and his father sitting on the throne, he wondered if he was aiming too far and the distance was too great. One step at a time and he could cover the ground he needed to.

  “Father.” He bowed and kissed his father’s hand. His skin was cold and dry. And when he looked him in the eye, the wasting was there, turning pale blue eyes cloudy. He doubted his father even had the strength to leave the throne anymore. There was no silver buckled at his waist, as there was no point in wearing a weapon when there was no strength left to wield it.

  “I hope you plan to do more than talk today, Son. Annwyn is draining me.” His words were soft, like the rustle of summer leaves now long forgotten.

  Felan leaned close and whispered in his father’s ear. “It ends today.” He almost choked on the words. He was going to lose his mother and his father not long afterward. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. There were so many things he should have spoken to his father about, things he should have said.

  His father sighed. “Thank you.” Then his father gripped his wrist. “Do not let that bitch take my throne. If I wanted her to have it, I’d have given up waiting for you.”

  “I have a plan. I won’t let her take it.”

  His father released him and eased back against the throne.

  Fairies filed into the hall. Some were obviously Court fairies, dressed up in black and shades of red and blue so dark they were almost black. Their faces seemed sharper, impossibly pretty yet cruel. Winter was affecting everyone, even if they didn’t realize it. Even those from the fringes of Annwyn were dressed in darker clothes. Those that had been in the mortal world looked different; their features were still angular, but their beauty was still there, luminescent instead of deadly. Some wore mortal clothing; others had changed for the occasion. A few still wore the bright colors of summer, as if to remind everyone what they were missing.

  The changeling, Isaac, was there with his fairy lover, the woman who had his soul. Felan recognized her as the daughter of the man who’d been Lord of the Hunt before Verden. A powerful family to have on his side. Felan knew Sulia had tried to win them over to her side, but it seemed they had chosen long before crossing the veil. Felan hoped he didn’t disappoint them.

  They flooded in until Felan wasn’t sure if the room would hold anymore. As he stood and waited by his father’s side, he scanned the faces, trying to gauge how many clearly supported him, how many supported Sulia, and who was undecided. It was hard to tell. Who had been offered deals by Sulia while he was on the other side of the veil? More importantly, who had taken the deal?

  The doors to the hall remained open, and fairies gathered on the outside when no more could fit inside. Was this every fairy in Annwyn and across the veil, bar those who were banished or exiled? Quite possibly. His word must have spread far and wide. He bit back the smile and lifted his hands for silence.

  “I called this meeting, not my father, the King. Annwyn is weakening. Winter is settling. Death has bled to the mortal world.”

  “And yet you do nothing but talk. I have an heir and consort.” Sulia walked through the crowd, arriving late for maximum impact, Stuart at her side.

  He was going to kill them both—with iron.

  “You transgress, Sulia. Crown Prince Felan called the meeting; he gets to speak first. You may speak second. Show some respect for the laws.” The King leaned forward. His words resonated with power that would drain him further.

  Sulia looked away, a smile still on her lips as if she didn’t care. Her rudeness wouldn’t sit well with those who respected the old laws.

  “I didn’t come here to make a speech. I came to tell you that the Queen will be executed at noon, and the borders will be closed.” For a moment there was absolute silence. One snowflake fell and landed with a splat on his black boot.

  Then sound erupted all around the room—shock that it was happening today, relief that it was nearly over. Sulia turned paler.

  Felan raised his hands again. “I have one mortal day to present my pregnant consort. Then the coronation will take place and spring will return to Annwyn.” He nodded and smiled as if it were all in the bag. Unless Sulia stepped up to contest him officially—or something happened to Jacqui—it was. He had to believe everything was happening according to plan.

  Some fairies clapped at that news.

  “You cannot bring forward the execution.” Sulia stepped forward. “You do not have that power.”

  Taryn moved from her place on the other side of the King’s throne. “As Hunter of Annwyn, I can, and I freely give him that right. Sire?” Taryn inclined her head at Gwyn.

  He gave a single nod. “Let this bitter business be done. To delay any longer means letting winter settle more deeply. I do not wish a long, hard winter on anyone.”

  “Thank you for attending.” Felan gave a nod to the crowd and then acted as though he planned to leave, thus ending the meeting. He didn’t even glance at Sulia. She was about to miss her window to challenge him.

  “Wait. I
want my chance to speak.” She moved toward the front, but didn’t dare step up and place herself on the same level as the King in a formal meeting. “How do we even know you have a pregnant wife-to-be?” Sulia patted her swollen stomach, drawing attention to the fact she was more than ready to take the throne.

  “By your own admission, in the Hall of Flowers in front of many, you attacked her with the intent on harming the baby, and you also arranged an attack on me.” He looked at the crowd. “Do you want Sulia and her consort as your rulers? Or me and the woman I’ve been seeing for over seven mortal years?” He paused to let the words sink in. That was a half-truth at best, but he had been watching her in the mirrors all that time. “She has been preparing for that long.”

  Not a total lie, but as close as he was going to tell. He needed to be clean, for his words to be true, where Sulia was all about deception. He hoped that his honesty wouldn’t come back to bite him.

  “I will not step aside when Sulia has not formally declared herself a contender. If she wants the throne, she will have to fight me for it.” He stared directly at her. How far would she go?

  Her face hardened, and her mouth pulled tight into a thin line, as though she hadn’t expected this from him. Was Sulia’s only plan to get rid of Jacqui, so she could step in and claim the throne by default?

  “I back my son. I do not agree with Sulia’s methods, which she learned from the damned Queen.” The King’s words were designed to remind people that Sulia had once been a favorite of the Queen and that she was most likely tainted by the Queen’s corruption. The King looked at Sulia. “Step aside and do what is right.”

  “No. I have every right to contest the succession, as does every fairy here.” She looked around as if expecting others to step forward. No one did. Succession was rarely challenged by those without a blood claim, yet Sulia had a claim, and she wasn’t using it to her advantage.

  That gave Felan a moment of concern. He glanced at his father. Did he know that Sulia was related by blood?

  “Then do it and stop dancing around the edges. Make your announcement.” Felan stared at her, hoping she’d blink first and step back. Had she hoped to win through underhanded trickery? That wasn’t the way fairies worked. The games and deals were honest; words were kept. Did Sulia plan on destroying even those simple values?