The Fae King's Ruin

The Princess and the World

It was only when Aislin got back to her rooms that she let herself wonder if King Avery had been onto something earlier this evening.

Of course, her plan had gone awfully awry. Appearing in the Grand Hall to dine alone, surrounded only by her maids, did not yield the results she’d hoped. In fact, she’d gotten more odd looks than she had last night when the king, his hand, and her cousin joined her. No one approached, no one dared. It didn’t matter that she was the most powerful Fae royal in attendance that night; hers was not a power they wanted to touch.

Like she might have been infectious or something.

By the time dessert had been served, she’d gotten out of her seat and, with her chin held high, walked out of that godsawful Hall. She wanted nothing in the world but for no one to know how miserably she’d embarrassed herself in front of the Seelie Court, wishing instead that she heeded the apprehension written all over King Avery’s face when he heard of her plan.

He could have said, in plain words, that what she was about to do was a bad idea. Too bad he was too polite for his own good which, coincidentally, was more than she could say for her next-door neighbor.

Aislin took off her embroidered slippers and her earrings and the pins in her hair, doing her damned hardest to cool down her heated cheeks. But her magic roiled in her very veins, misinterpreting her negative emotions, thinking there was a threat on the horizon. She stopped fiddling with the buttons of her dress and sat down on a chair, working on her breathing.

Once, twice.

Then, exhale.

A knock on the door interrupted her, hauling Aislin back on her feet. Aelthrys had one brow raised when she opened it.

“How was your evening?”

His tone was casual enough that she rolled her eyes. “Impossible. How is it that you heard already?”

Aelthrys didn’t respond, instead following her to the couch where she plopped onto, gown and mess and all.

“You could have told me, you know?” he said after a minute of stifling silence. “I would have helped you.”

“Even with your help, I doubt the outcome would have been different.”

“It would have,” he said with a confidence that made her crane her neck to him. “You picked the wrong night to dine alone. None of the milder courtiers were in attendance, ones who would be more likely to converse with you. But even with them gone, your positioning was wrong. You sat smack dab in the middle, thinking they’d flock to you once your presence was known, not taking into consideration their own apprehensions.” He shrugged. “I would have sat nearer to the corner. It’s private enough that anyone who wished to speak to me wouldn’t have to brave all those stares.”

Aislin stayed sullen even if she knew he made sense. “I want to go home,” she muttered. “There, the monsters are familiar.”

Those silver eyes became admonishing and she knew instantly it had been the wrong thing to say. He adjusted himself until his leg was bent and propped up on the couch beside her. “We came here to strengthen our ties with the Seelie, Aislin. The monsters here are no different from the ones at home. They’re simply wearing different skin.”

She sincerely doubted it yet said nothing in response. Aislin had years of experience handling Unseelie courtiers and was an expert in maneuvering her way through the mess and tangle of cobwebs. Her very education focused on how she could survive amongst the lions and wild beasts of her brother’s court. Aelthrys would know. He was often tasked with accompanying her to court functions. As the crown princess, she was a main fixture of such revels. He’s seen firsthand how adept she could charm and captivate an entire crowd.

So, it wasn’t her. She’d lost her footing entirely. This was a court where her personal brand of scheming would only be seen as treasonous. She needed a way in; someone to teach her as she’d been taught. Aislin wasn’t arrogant enough to admit that.

“Are you ready for tomorrow?” she asked Aelthrys instead, playing with the fabric of her gown. “More specifically, are our new delegates ready?”

Aelthrys nodded. “The brief earlier went well. They know our stance on key matters and have been drilled in protocols. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Good.” Aislin sighed sharply through her nose. “I don’t want to waste this opportunity.”

Because she knew just what it cost, not only to her but to the king as well.

His ragged face when she saw him… Aislin was surprised that his attendants or that Hand of his had let him out of his chambers looking so exhausted and run down. It wasn’t a good look on him, nor a comforting one for a subject to see their ruler in that state. More than that, it made her feel marginally guilty.

He faced hell from his own people because of her. And even if it wasn’t her problem to lose sleep over, she worried.

The Seelie Fae had no business aligning themselves with the losing side of the war. She and her court were infamous enough that any slight favor of the king towards them might change their perception of him. Aislin had no idea how a Seelie government worked, but what if he could be voted out of the position? What if they replaced him with someone who would recognize the fact that the Seelie had more to lose than to gain in the Treaty?

It was a thin line she had to learn to tread: gaining ground for her people and making sure she wasn’t asking too much that it would incite the spark of another civil war.

As they sat on the couch, Aelthrys took the opportunity to report on other court matters that she listened closely to. Everything was fine, basically, and those they were keeping an eye on— namely their uncle and his cabal of coward rats— had been more preoccupied with the changes to the Great Council to plan or do anything else. Mhoryga was doing fine as well, he assured her, but they wouldn’t be able to go home until things settled enough for them in the Seelie Court. Their ties with them were still strenuous at best and he wasn’t comfortable in turning their backs to them for even a second.

Once that was done, he left to retire for the night, leaving her to stew in her thoughts. And once she was tired of that, too, she went to bed, clearing her mind from every speck of thought just as sleep came for her.

***

Her maids must have been enchantresses in another life.

That was the only sound conclusion Aislin could make as she stared at herself in the floor-length mirror of her room with awe. They'd outdone themselves again, in a way that she could see a queen staring before her and not a princess. Power surged in her veins, trembling just beneath her skin. For once, she didn’t look pale in the pallor of her Court. There was a rosy tint to her cheeks and a creamy glow to her skin, contrasted greatly by the dress.

The wine-colored masterpiece was their work, she had no doubt, down to the very last embroidered flower and handsewn crystal. The off-shoulder sleeves and neckline partnered with the corset highlighted her figure and décolletage tastefully. With the satin and chantilly lace, the medium-length train, and the wide skirts, the dress weighed Aislin down, the same way the glimmering crown atop her head symbolized a different weight altogether.

Aelthrys entered her room without so much as a knock— not that he needed to, anyway— striding to where she stood up on a platform with casual grace.

He gave her a once-over and nodded in approval. Wordlessly, he bowed his head with all formality, bringing that feeling back.

Of being queen.

Every beat of her heart told her that this was her destiny, no matter what she thought of herself. That for once, Aislin was at the right place, at the right time, no matter what happened last night. It was such an intoxicating realization to have made at such a momentous time in her life.

They exited into the hall. The guards assigned to her— not as a prisoner but as a Royal in her own right— were already waiting, ready to accompany them to the Silver Hall. Aislin stood straighter as she passed them. Aelthrys hung back, the others taking their cue from him as he let her take point. Everyone they passed, whether from her court or not, bowed or curtsied in acknowledgment. She didn’t know if it was from fear or deference, guessing it was largely the former, but for now it would have to do. She’d change their perceptions about her and her entire court soon enough.

Their little party rounded the corner and she instantly found the King of the Seelie Fae’s eyes in the long hallway.

They glowed like bright golden stars in the already well-lit palace and were looking at her as if they knew exactly the moment she entered his atmosphere. He was surrounded by some of his advisers, his Hand, and significantly more guards than her. It was crowded for such a big place, yet she found every single detail apart from him insignificant.

He grinned at her, shoving his hands inside his white, straight-cut trousers. His ocher jacket with embroidered black roses in the detailing highlighted the golden undertone in his skin. A golden circlet resting upon his brow signified his crown, understated as he downplayed his own power. Subtle, but unmistakably there.

Aislin aimed straight for him, her own footsteps needing no direction until she stopped just before Avery. She curtsied, a quick dip with excellent grace, then smiled.

“You are beautiful, Princess Aislin,” he said, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards.

She smiled back with confidence still thrumming in her veins as she willfully ignored everyone else who was listening in on the exchange. “Thank you, King Avery. And so are you. We even compliment,” Aislin gestured between them.

Avery chuckled, looking at both himself and her dress. “Yes,” he agreed. “I suppose we do. Are you ready to go and change the world?”

Aislin turned to the intricately designed silver doors, so clear that she could see herself reflected back. Her heart began beating fast all of a sudden.

This was it, Aislin thought.

True change for her people would be just beyond these doors. The real battle was just beginning and they would need her to fight for them every time she was in there. She could afford no distractions. Her logic and sense of justice would be her only allies.

She looked at the King of the Seelie Fae, still awaiting her answer patiently. Another ally, she knew, but he was yet to be tested in the truest sense. Until then, Aislin could not fully lean on him.

But there was somebody in the room who had been her rock throughout everything. She looked to her cousin standing behind her.

Aelthrys was dressed in a gray version of his uniform, bringing out the color of his eyes that now bore into Aislin’s very soul. To others on the outside, his stare might have been regarded as cold and distant, but that was only because they did not know him the way she knew her cousin. His silver stare comforted her even if she could see the slight impatience in them.

Chuckling a little, garnering a confused look from the King, Aislin nodded and said, “I am ready.”

The moment their presence and titles were announced, the silver doors of the Silver Hall opened up wide, flooding the circular room with sounds of rustling as the delegates all stood. Directly opposite them, Aislin noticed her throne not in its usual place anymore but sitting beside the unique throne of the Seelie ruler.

Avery and Aislin strode across the room, somehow completely in sync as if they had rehearsed this plenty of times before. She was relieved Avery did not offer his arm for her to hold onto when they entered. That would have sent a message different from how she intended to present herself, being wholly independent of him despite sharing the same title. But he did help her up the steps of the dais, his hand warmly gripping hers lightly until they were at the top.

It took every fiber of her being not to flex her hand when his warmth left her.

They both turned. On Aislin’s immediate right was Aelthrys, her eyes moving down the half-circle row and realizing that Avery had mixed up the seating of the delegates.

“Welcome to the new composition of the Great Council of the Fae,” Avery said, his voice carrying in the wide space. “The Crown Princess of the Unseelie Court and I will both head this council from now on to expedite processes that would otherwise take most of our precious time.”

He turned to Aislin, and feeling his eyes on the side of her face, she loudly said, “All in favor?”

Despite not being in the plan, Avery and his Hand, thankfully, did not contradict her as one by one, hands voted in their favor.

Aislin did not need to count. They had the majority.

This time, she met Avery’s stare. There was a surprise and a hint of confusion in them, but also an understanding that it had to be done. She gave him a subtle nod which he returned before they sat on their respective thrones and began to change the world.