Page 3 of The Fallen Fae King

Da has been holding on to see me crowned.

He’s been keeping himself alive for me.

I bite my lip to hold back the sob.

I’m not ready…I’ll never be ready.

I study Da’s face, trying to hold onto this moment myself because an ominous feeling in my gut tells me that soon I will lose this. And I’ll never get it back: the scent of roasting meat and sweet blossoms on the air, the sound of harp music and singing, and the beauty of the flowers pushing between the thorns.

My Winter Court.

My people.

My childhood.

I ache at a sense of loss…and yet it’s all here, in front of me.

Then why does it feel like they’re ghosts already? Fading to nothing?

I shiver, hurriedly turning to seek out Ma like she could be missing.

Where is she?

Suddenly terrified, I stumble forward.

“Ma,” I mutter. “Where…? Please…”

Then I see her, and my shoulders slump with relief.

Ma, Queen Aine, is in the very middle of the celebrations like I should have known that she would be.

She is happiest when dancing and singing. She has been teaching me from the moment that I could walk and talk.

She is shining with joy.

Ma leans down to talk to the bard, who is playing the harp and holding a tiny baby on his knee with colorful ladybug wings.

Ma has rounded blue jay songbird wings. She suddenly darts up, weaving around the other fae, as they dance with the birds.

Her blue hair spins around her, while her lavender eyes sparkle.

Then she catches my gaze and waves.

I wave back, caught up in her joy.

“You don’t need to stay by my side,” Da says, softly. “Go enjoy your celebration with your disreputable friends.”

“Oi,” I reply in mock outrage, “I’m the bad influence.”

“Don’t worry. I know that.”

“Weren’t you the same?”

“I was worse. We’re Unseelie, of the House of Thorn. You take after me.”

I glow with pride.

I hope that he’s right. I’ve spent my life hoping that I could be like him, as both fae and king.