The Fae King's Ruin

The Princess and the Table of Montfoltiers

Food had never been Aislin’s love language, but she was starting to think it was Avery’s and it was nothing short of adorable.

He beamed with happiness and pride when the parade of plates of food started and the original menu that she had approved included all of those that he requested on large platters. Aislin was gobsmacked, not really expecting the massive kitchen staff to have all that he requested on hand. But they did and the gasps of unrestricted joy that erupted from her kin made her heart soar and her eyes fill with emotion.

She craned her head in the direction of where Dore and the others were sitting and immediately saw her friends’ elated reactions as the platters were set in front of them. Everyone else was talking excitedly to others who understood the situation. Beside her, Aelthrys hummed thoughtfully.

“What?” she asked.

Silver-core eyes briefly glanced at her. “They will never forget this, you know?” he replied quietly, scanning the room. “Every single one of them will remember that a Seelie King had gone out of his way to give them something they least expected but wanted.”

Aislin turned to Avery and stared as the King laughed about something his cousins have said. To him, it wasn’t some big gesture. He probably saw it as a disturbance that he could easily fix and did it without thinking hard and long about the ramifications. She, however, saw the big picture now.

Eventually, the Unseelie Fae would begin to stand behind a Seelie King not because they had to or because Aislin married him. They would stand in support of Avery because, after years of being in the shadows, they were finally being seen and heard.

The thought that Avery didn’t seem to think about that now made her reach over and clutch his hand over his armrest. When he looked at her over his shoulder with a curious grin that had been stuck on his face, Aislin shook her head and simply smiled back.

“Princess Aislin,” Catteline formally called over, smiling with tightness in her eyes that she did not understand, even made more confusing when paired with how tense Avery had gone under her touch. “I believe you haven’t met my mother yet, Duchess Dowager Freyja,” she said, putting a hand over the shoulder of the regal woman sitting beside her. “And these are my brothers, Duke Grishan of Montfoltier—” The serious, kind-eyed, darker-haired fae sitting beside his mother and an open seat nodded his head. “—and the Captain of Montfoltier’s forces, Calix.” The one with the scar across his left cheek grinned foxily at her. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Aislin said, smiling. “I appreciate you coming today. I hope it wasn’t too much of a trouble.”

The Duchess Dowager shook her head gently. “Not at all, Your Highness. I do apologize; we should have met with you sooner, but I didn’t know King Avery was even getting married until half a week ago.”

Her bluish-gray eyes glanced disapprovingly at her sons, whose same colored eyes held something a bit more than embarrassment within them. Avery smiled cheekily at his aunt.

“How are you sure that Gris and Cal didn’t tell you, Aunt Freyja? Maybe you just forgot. Don’t get me wrong, you are as lovely as you were on your wedding day, but you are getting on in years.”

Her sons and daughter laughed despite the sharp, reproachful glare that she sent her nephew’s way. Avery chuckled and conjured up a fully-bloomed rose for her that she accepted from him with pinched lips. “If your uncle and father were here, boy, you would not be laughing like you are now.” Catteline snorted, the unladylike gesture earning a frown from her mother. “And you, young lady!”

“What did I do now?” her daughter cried, putting down her fork that already had a piece of tofu speared on it.

“We will talk about it later,” she said, then added in warning, “Don’t even try to get out of the family meeting I have organized.”

Aislin blinked, pinching her lips and feeling more than a little awkward and curious at the same time about getting a glimpse of how domestic their family was. She had a feeling that there were bits and pieces she was missing from the whole conversation, but Aislin decided that she’d save the conversation either way.

“Er, everyone.” She smiled nervously as their eyes all settled on her. “Perhaps you haven’t met him yet, but this is my cousin, General Aelthrys.”

The silence that dropped onto their table was, in a word, uncomfortable. While the Duchess Dowager pleasantly smiled at her cousin, Catteline’s brothers were a different story altogether.

Duke Grishan’s serious face fluctuated between anger and hatred, a muscle in his jaw and temple ticking away furiously as his eyes glared at Aelthrys with such a ferocity that it slowly wiped away Aislin’s smile. If that had not done it, the other brother, Calix, would have with his foxy grin turning positively shark-like.

It was at that moment Aislin realized that perhaps she was not saving the conversation after all.

Thankfully, as if by some kind of divine intervention by Ilyn itself, a Seelie female in a gorgeous, body-hugging, crystal mesh gown of silver came walking quickly to their table, curtsying with a flushed face, breathing heavily as if she had run all the way here. Her curly red-gold hair in an updo bounced with her movements, her long limbs making her a bit clumsy rather than graceful.

“I am so sorry for being late,” she whispered, glancing at everyone sitting at the table. “Cillian kept clinging to me even in his sleep. I think he’s just not used to traveling yet.”

“No one faults you, dear,” the Duchess Dowager replied. "Your husband was wrong to give the sleeping potion in the first place.

The glare of anger/hatred gone, Duke Grishan’s face lit up with a small grin just for the female he helped to the seat beside him. “Princess Aislin, General Aelthrys, this is my wife and Duchess of Montfoltier, Elena. Cara, this is the King’s betrothed and her cousin.”

Warm, bronze eyes widened with happiness. “Oh, it is so wonderful to meet you, Your Highness! That dress,” she gasped, her perky smile stretching even wider. “I love matching outfits.” Then, to Aelthrys, she politely said, “It is a pleasure to meet you, General.”

“A pleasure to meet you as well, Your Grace,” her cousin respectfully murmured. 

Elena’s glance at Catteline was all Aislin needed to see to know that the Montfoltiers weren’t exactly approving of the impending marriage. Save for the matriarch, however. Avery poured her a drink and gave her the glass with a heavy look and an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

What?

Aislin looked around the table, and as everyone else ate, she realized that there was definitely more to the story than each one was letting on and that she had better keep her mouth shut. For the moment, anyway.