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“Well, we have a way now—she’s back!” Seldarin nodded down at me. “We’ve been waiting for her to return for the past half century—it’s the whole reason we took the Markings of Lolth.” He touched his spider web tattoos again. “You’re the Keeper of the Records—the Court Historian—if you say something, people have to listen.”
“All right then.” Krynn nodded, rather reluctantly I thought. “I might be sorry later, but I can’t deny it’s true.”
“What…what’s true?” I asked faintly. “What are you talking about?”
The tall Fae didn’t answer. Instead, he nodded and stepped back, releasing me.
“It is indeed The Mark of Lolth!” he said, loud enough for the whole assembly to hear. “This woman is no Mortal—she is the Lost Princess Lilliana!”
“What?” Mordren shot to his feet, his gorgeous face dark with anger. “You lie!” he shouted, pointing at both Krynn and Seldarin. “It’s well known the two of you are friends and you don’t want me on the throne! This is nothing but a plot cooked up between you two half-breeds keep me from my rightful place!”
“Your rightful place is nowhere near the throne of The Midnight Court!” Seldarin growled, his bronze eyes blazing. “Tonight our true ruler was drawn to us—she heard our music and smelled our food as no human would have been able to do. She came to us after so many years of being lost and you would turn her away?”
“She cannot be the Lost Princess!” Mordren protested. “She isn’t wearing the Jewel of Lolth. And look at her—she’s Mortal! Her skin isn’t the right color—it has not even a kiss of Moonlight—and her eyes don’t even glow! How could such an ugly creature rule us?”
All this time I’d been wanting to shrink into the ground—but now I felt a jolt of anger. I might not be as beautiful as the Dark Fae, but I wasn’t exactly a hag!
“Hey—you try living in a minivan for a month with no place to shower and let’s see how good you look!” I snapped, without thinking about it. “I’m just going through a rough patch right now—not that it’s any of your business!” I added.
Mordren’s bluish-purple eyes widened. Clearly he hadn’t expected the “ugly creature” to talk back to him.
I was kind of surprised myself, but I was tired of being treated like dirt! After what my ex-husband had done to me, I had a lot of built up anger and resentment towards entitled men who acted like assholes.
“She needs time to readjust. Clearly she’s been among the Mortals for years,” Krynn remarked, looking down at me. “Regent Mordren, you cannot deny her the trial period that any Changeling who returns to the Fae is allowed. You know the Law.”
“Krynn is right—she deserves the same consideration we show to any Changeling,” Seldarin agreed. “Look at the Court, Mordren—you cannot pretend you’re fit to rule us if you won’t even follow the ancient Laws of our people!”
Mordren frowned…but then the frown smoothed away into a politician’s smile.
“Well of course we must offer this poor, pitiful creature sanctuary,” he said, raising his voice so everyone could hear him. “I would never deny a Changeling anything less—though I doubt she can be brought back to us fully after so many years among the humans.” He looked at me, his eyes narrowing. “Tell me, child, how old are you?”
“I’m not your ‘child.’” I lifted my chin to glare at him. “And you don’t need to know my age—it’s rude to ask.”
“She must be fifty if she is the Lost Princess,” I heard Krynn murmur. “She was stolen away nearly half a century ago.”
“Look, I might not be as young and gorgeous as you—” I began, but Seldarin interrupted with a laugh.
“Young? Krynn’s two hundred if he’s a day!”
“As are you, my friend,” Krynn remarked. He frowned down at me. “I am sorry the Mortal world has been so hard on you, Your Highness.”
“You can’t call her that—she’s nothing but a Changeling who finally came home!” Mordren hissed. “And you know as well as I do that Changelings who have been among the humans for too long loose their Fae powers. So many years of eating human food and breathing human air will have turned her gold to dross. She is nothing.”
“If you’re really not worried about her, then you’ll be happy to put off the Investment Ceremony and welcome her to the Palace to let her recover her strength,” Krynn remarked. “A night among her own people isn’t too much to ask for one who has endured the Mortal Realm so long.”
“Fine!” Mordren snapped. “She can stay in the Palace—for tonight only.”
“And the Investment Ceremony must be postponed,” Krynn repeated patiently, raising his eyebrows.
“Oh…very well.” Mordren snarled, giving me a distinctly unfriendly look. “Not that it will make a bit of difference. Tomorrow we’ll revisit this issue and then you’ll see she’s nothing but a Mortal!”
“It’s agreed then. Come, Your Highness,” Krynn murmured to me. He held out an arm to me courteously, like a gentleman offering to escort a lady.
Reluctantly, I took it, but only because I didn’t know what else to do.
“I don’t understand any of this,” I told him.
“No, of course you don’t. But I will explain.” Krynn shot Seldarin a look. “You’d better come too, Sel. For security.”
