The Fae King's Ruin

The Princess and the Seven

Even though Aislin was already inexcusably late, there wasn’t a single ounce of remorse that she felt for being so. There was a lightness in her feet as she hurried along the halls of the pristine palace, quietly humming some Unseelie shanty that she’d heard plenty enough times to be able to repeat the song without blushing.

Avery had been right. She felt a hundred times better about their betrothal after having breakfast with him and getting to at least brush the debris off the surface of both their personal lives.

Not that it mattered, nor did she need to actually get to know him to get married to him. Still, it felt assuring to know that he cared. For that fact alone, Aislin was grateful. She had seen all kinds of marriages, and it seemed as if hers would be far from the worst.

But as she walked back to her room, worry began to creep in the corners of her mind. Avery obviously had hoped for a marriage like the one his parents had. A love match that bore a son to a most fruitful kingdom. And Aislin couldn’t blame him for wanting such a thing. Wouldn’t be grand if everyone ended up with the one they truly loved? But what if he was trying all these things—the meals, the conversations, the innocent-enough yet highly dangerous touching—to create something romantic with her?

It was silly, of course. Aislin was getting married to him. Why shouldn’t she at least try for the same thing and see where it would take them? 

The answer? Selfishness. 

She had already given up her freedom and the life she used to live. She had no complaints about the union that would yield benefits far bigger than she could ever leave behind in a thousand years. Who would blame her if all she wanted was to safeguard what’s truly left of her? As she said to Avery, she had no illusions. No expectations. She would be a good queen, a good wife, and a great mother. She would shirk no responsibility to the crown. But she could be selfish and save her heart for herself.

Aislin reached for the handle of her door, finding her cousin imprinting tracks all on the carpeted floors as he paced. He stopped once he saw her before thunder clapped high above them even with no signs of clouds in the sky. 

“Where were you?” he demanded, almost shouting. “No note. You purposefully left your guards behind. And I couldn’t get a hold of one of your maids to ask where you were off to.”

Aislin closed her door with a sharp ‘click’, before glaring at her cousin. “If you must know,” she ground out, “I was having breakfast with the King. I only ran a little late.”

“‘Little late’?” he echoed, nudging Aislin out the door again. “Aislin, those nobles might be lesser than you as advisers, but they have the capacity to make your life easy. Being late will not send them the right message, no matter whatever else you were doing.”

She held in the roll of her eyes. Aelthrys had always been a stickler for rules and decorum. She was quite used to this side of him.

“I won’t be late again,” she promised. “But wearing a watch on my wrist is quite uncomfortable with these on.” She pointed to her manacles.

Aelthrys glanced at her and stared forward, glowering as he led her through a series of hallways. He quietly stewed in his anger, and Aislin waited for her cousin’s curiosity to win the war against it. 

When at last it did, Aelthrys asked, “What did the King want with you?”

She shrugged, frowning as she adjusted the fitted sleeves of her dress. “He said last night as wer were having dinner that he wanted to speak to his future bride. I thought it unwise to say no to him.”

Aelthrys paused in the middle of a hallway filled with portraits of some fae males and females that seemed to belong to the Seelie Royal Family. “You had dinner with him, too?”

“He barged in, wanting to ask me if I would marry him for the Treaty. I said I would and then he invited me to breakfast.”

“What did you talk about?”

She looked away, pretending to focus on a portrait over his shoulder, quelling the blush that was sure to rise in her cheeks. “He wanted to get to know me, and was very forthcoming in the process,” she murmured, keeping her voice from echoing in the large hall. “He has very romantic views on the subject of marriage.”

Aelthrys stepped into her line of sight, eyes wide even as she glared at him. “Aislin,” he breathed. “You decided all on your own that you would marry the King of the Seelie Fae? Without consulting me?”

Whatever hard lines that marked his features as the feral General of the Armed Forces of the Unseelie Fae, they had somehow all vanished as Aislin stared at her cousin. His silver eyes that were usually as immovable as steel now appeared molten. His jaw was slack and wasn’t grinding on his teeth. No vein ticked at his temple. Aislin was shocked to find that Aelthrys was both hurt and worried about her.

She took his rough and calloused hands in hers, squeezing as tightly as she could. “There was nothing to consult about, cousin,” she whispered, staring into his eyes. “I know my duty.”

“But you made me promise.” Aelthrys blinked, shaking his head slightly with shock in his eyes. “I haven’t exhausted every option yet like you told me to before agreeing to marry him.”

“King Avery spoke to the last Salem witch. The Queen of Magic. She told him it was the only way.”

Fire flashed in her cousin’s eyes. “The Queen of All Magic is not fae,” he roughly said. “She doesn’t know everything.”

Aislin gave him a little smirk. “You don’t really believe that. I know you think very highly of her.”

Aelthrys shook his head again, staring at a small spot on the crystalline floors. Aislin sighed, knowing that her cousin wasn’t mad about her acceptance of the union. She knew the issue was far more personal.

All her life, Aelthrys was more of the brother she never had. He protected her, loved her like she was his own sister. And in some ways, they were true siblings. So she knew what hurt him about the situation the most.

With a finger on his jaw, Aislin gently made him look at her, smiling as she was met with no resistance.

“You did not fail me,” Aislin said with conviction. “I made the choice because our people, our home, would be lost if I didn’t. Now, I have the opportunity to make lives better. Marriage is a price I do not mind paying for.”

She was met with a heavy sigh. Then Aelthrys squeezed her hands back three times, before saying, “I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

Tears pricked her eyes. “Then I have everything I need,” she replied softly with a smile.

A new kind of strength surged through Aislin. It warmed her to her very core, settling whatever anxieties she had about her uncertain future. Aelthrys would be the one, constant figure in her life. And that filled her with courage as they faced a nondescript, opaquely yellow diamond door.

Hands still clasped together, Aelthrys nodded at her. A silent encouragement as he put a hand on the brass knob and pushed open the door.

Rustling and chairs mutedly scraping on the carpeted floor of what seemed to be a conference room. There were no decorations, just no-nonsense chairs, and a long table. A small trolley with carafes and glasses was on one corner of the room but that was about it.

Aelthrys let her enter first, her eyes already noting who was waiting for her. She had known that the fight in the Great Hall during the festival had severely decimated her brother’s Cabinet members and board of advisers. She looked at the seven people gathered, including her Uncle Elrin, and realized she had a major staffing problem and a lot of work ahead of her in studying about every single one of them.

“Apologies for the tardiness,” Aelthrys said before she could open her mouth. He was cool and collected now, the menacing stare back in his eyes as he took his precious time making eye contact with them all as he spoke. “The Crown Princess Aislin and I had matters to discuss privately before we shared them with the rest of you. This meeting will be short as there is a Great Council meeting later that the Princess must prepare for.”

Her uncle’s thin, gray brow rose. “How amusing,” he drawled. Black eyes shifted to her. “Tell us, Your Royal Highness. Are the rumors true?”

Aislin glanced at Aelthrys, whose pursed lips told her all she had to know. She turned back to the rest of her paltry Cabinet. “Yes, they are true. In order to seal the Treaty, King Avery and I have agreed to marry.”

All seven of them stilled. Lord Elrin glowered at Aelthrys but he remained unfazed.

“You let her accept the King’s proposal without our consent?” he hissed. “Are you barking mad?”

Aislin’s magic prowled awake as her nostrils flared. “Watch your tone,” she warned her uncle. “And watch your words. The General does not ‘let’ me do things. I accepted the King’s hand because I could damn well do it with or without your opinion.”

The rest of the Cabinet straightened, Aislin obviously having ruffled their feathers with what she had said. She was annoyed by it, especially since they ought to have been used to the treatment by now. A wave of guilt rushed over her, however, and Aislin berated herself about not following in her brother’s footsteps. Gods, this was not going great.

“The Princess made the right decision,” Aelthrys interjected, always backing her up. “And we are here to advise, not to dictate her actions. This will be good for the Unseelie, and Princess Aislin should be thanked for her sacrifice and impeccable sense of duty to the crown.”

“And we do recognize that,” said a wiry, sallow-faced fae with leathery skin and thick, half-moon spectacles perched on his nose. “However, it is highly unusual that we, as your Cabinet, seem to be the last to know about your impending marriage.”

Another fae male jumped in, this time with widely-spaced black eyes and a rotund belly. “Have you discussed terms with the King?”

Aislin tried to swallow inconspicuously. “We haven’t yet, but the King did agree to one.”

“What is it?”

Pulling her shoulders back, she responded to Lord Elrin’s question with a hint of pride. “I asked the King to let all matters Unseelie be put mainly under my authority. He graciously agreed with no hesitations.”

They all glanced at each other except for Lord Elrin. He wiped his hands on the front of his intricately embroidered black jacket with the air of someone who thought themselves far too important. Aislin ground her teeth together but forced herself to remain calm as his dark eyes slowly scanned her.

“Thank Ilyn for your common sense, then.” Lord Elrin smiled at her in a way that turned his features into something closely resembling a snake. “Very well. Your remaining Cabinet members shall draw up a list of… stipulations that you will bring up to the King the next time you have a little chat with him. For now, your role in the Great Council must be exceptional.” He glanced at Aelthrys. “I assume the General will keep you updated on whatever you must know within your kingdom.”

“But everything’s fine? Are my people well?” she asked, the first hint of worry breaching her voice. Lord Elrin raised a brow at it.

“Everyone in Mhoryga is well, Princess.” The fae male with the glasses answered her in an assuring tone. “Lord Elrin is right. For now, the Great Council takes precedence in all your duties. We will keep the realm running.”

She nodded, a small dip of her chin that was the exact opposite of what she felt. But she had no choice. She had to stay here in Alfheim for now.

Then as one, the Cabinet bowed, and the snake-like grin on Lord Elrin’s face muted but still remained as a ghost over his features.

“Run along now, Princess,” he urged in a saccharine voice that felt mocking. “Go and change the world.”