The Fae King's Ruin

The Lady and The General's Introduction

Neither Aelthrys nor Aislin moved from her couch until sundown. They remained leaning against each others’ shoulders; never speaking, never going past heavy sighs and the occasional woeful moans. Her whole body felt like leaden weight with no significant amount of motivation in sight.

It was like her body was telling her to give up for the night. Cleaning and dressing up for dinner would be something that Aislin was going to skip entirely because it seemed like too much work. Even eating dinner came across as a herculean task for her.

No, there simply was no moving from her spot tonight. Aislin was drained physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and she was in no right mind or capacity to handle anything else but be paralyzed by her own thoughts. Because thinking alone was proving to be incredibly taxing. As she chewed on her lip, she stewed in her guilt and fear.

Guilt, because she had lied to the people she cared about, asked for Avery’s trust and support, only to put him in a difficult situation minutes later. And fear because, in all honesty, she did not know how much this hurt her relationship with him. They were not bound in the same way she and Aelthrys were, and although Aislin was sure that Avery would never do anything to impede the Treaty and its goals, she might have ruined whatever chance she had in having a loving marriage with him.

And dammit, she wanted that. If she was fine with a marriage of convenience before, that was not the case anymore. She wanted the chance to say vows she meant at her wedding. To have children not just out of duty but out of love. To grow old and look back at the story they have written and not feel a single ounce of regret because they had each other all along.

A fairytale. A love match. Aislin only wished she had not blown her chances.

Throughout the palace, clocks chimed twelve. The sound snapped Aislin out of her stupor, coming back to the present and the comfort of her warm suite. She looked over and saw Aelthrys, his head lolled to one side, his mouth agape as he slept. He never snored, but he still looked awfully mean even when all his facial muscles were relaxed. Aislin stretched out a sore spot in her neck and lower back, listening to the fire crackle silently before she heard the faint knocking at her door.

She co*cked her head to the side. Aelthrys must have taken down the sound ward he had put up earlier just before he burst out screaming at her. She wouldn’t have heard such a soft noise otherwise. It must have been one of the girls because Aislin did not have a single clue as to who would come knocking at her door at this late hour except for the person already fast asleep on her couch. Everybody else would either be sleeping or having a great time in the Grand Hall.

Except it was not just anyone that had come knocking.

The first things she saw were feline-green eyes, puffy and gold-rimmed as if they had been crying. Then her gaze went to her straight, slightly upturned nose that was also tinged golden from being touched too many times before they went to her slightly less-than-perfect head of curls.

“Catteline,” Aislin breathed, confused.

She sniffled but schooled her expression into one that resembled the mean face she had used on the Princess the first time they met. “My cousin had told me of what was about to happen,” Catteline said, each word perfect and controlled. “I had also been told that should I wish to lay eyes upon my betrothed, I should come to you.”

Her heart stopped in shock. “You’re Avery’s heir?” she asked weakly as realization slowly dawned on her. If Avery had told her of the proposal she had made and Catteline was as distraught as she is now, then she must be his heir apparent.

Aislin’s mouth began to taste like cotton. Exactly how did that conversation go between them?

“Look, Catteline, I—”

The Lady lifted a hand. “I had known for a very long time that duty would call on me someday. I knew that since the day I accepted to be my cousin’s heir. Now, please, just show him to me, or I swear to Ilyn that I will tear this door off its hinges.”

Eyes wide, she sputtered, “B-But he’s sleeping!”

“Then wake him! Tell him his future bride wants to see him!”

“Aislin, let her through.”

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Aislin looked back at her cousin. Sleep was still evident on his profile but his eyes were sharp even if the rest of him was so obviously rumpled. None of them were in any shape to receive or entertain anyone, let alone have two newly betrothed people meet at midnight in her parlor where anything could happen, but being in the middle of Aelthrys’ glare and Catteline’s narrowed slits for eyes was so uncomfortable that she just threw her door open and silently let the lady through.

Before she closed the door, Aislin murmured to the guard standing outside, “If you hear any shouting, call for the King’s Hand.”

In the middle of her parlor, Catteline and Aelthrys had proceeded to stare each other down. Scared to go near them, Aislin remained by the door.

Catteline’s back was to her so she could not see her expression but a mask had slipped over her cousin’s face. Not scowling threateningly or smiling— because who would be smiling at this junction? Just a blank face with a vaguely polite mien that she’d seen him adopt around people he barely knew.

“Good evening, my lady,” Aelthrys greeted Catteline with a bow of his head. “I heard you wanted to see my face with urgency.”

Her narrow shoulders stiffened infinitesimally. “Were you not curious to see mine?”

Aelthrys smiled a vicious little smile that was without any humor or warmth. “No.”

Aislin inched closer to the door. Catteline sniffed with disdain, probably looking down at the General in that way she did even if someone towered over her.

“No? You do realize we could be married a while.”

“Not if I can help it, lady…?”

She heard Catteline gasp. “You don’t even know my name!” Her head swiveled to Aislin. “Why doesn’t he know me?”

She winced and held out a hand. “I didn’t know you were the King’s heir, Catteline. Honestly! And I don’t think you’ve ever crossed paths before. I’m sorry.” Then she shook her head and pointed between the two. “Aelthrys, I would like you to meet Lady Catteline of Montfoltier, the King’s cousin visiting from Italy. Lady Catteline, this is my cousin, General Aeltrhys of Cetha.”

Catteline sniffed again, blinking back tears. “I’m not visiting anymore,” she said sullenly. “Because of this fiasco, Avery needs me to stay here indefinitely.”

Aislin smiled weakly. “If this was any other time, Catteline, I would have told you that I was happy you’re staying longer.”

The Lady nodded, pinching her pouty lips. Her fingers toyed with the sleeve of yet another knitted sweater as she glanced at Aelthrys.

“Does he hit women?”

Aislin blinked at the sudden question just as Aelthrys tensed visibly. Misreading their silence, Catteline continued. “I know how females are treated in the Unseelie court,” she muttered harshly. “Unseelie males are known to be harsh against their wives, mistresses, daughters, and maids.”

She took a small step closer to Catteline and put a hand over her heart. “I swear to you that my cousin is an honorable male. He would never touch you in any way without your consent.”

Catteline looked at her as if she was inclined to dismiss her words. In fact, it did not seem to Aislin that her answer to her question mattered at all. A test, then. To see how Aelthrys would react. Judging by the small, satisfied look that crossed her face, it seemed as if her cousin had passed.

Slowly, Aelthrys tilted his head at Catteline. “You have seen my face upon your request and you have insulted me to my face all for a childish assessment on whether I would throw a tantrum at the slight against my character,” he drawled as Aislin’s eyes went wide and Catteline’s mouth popped open. “Are you done for the night? Or do you want to continue this elsewhere so my cousin can rest?”

The affront on Catteline’s face was almost comical. Aislin clamped her mouth— and her amusement— shut and watched as the Lady, who was a head and a half shorter than the General, step up to him until she was leaning her head back to glower at him. Despite the height difference, it was still pretty impressive of Catteline. Not many people dared to come face-to-face with Aelthrys, yet here she was, not even an ounce of fear or apprehension in her cat-like green eyes.

Aelthrys raised a brow as Catteline leaned closer. “Listen here, General,” she spat. “I will marry you for the sake of the Treaty. And as soon as Aislin bears me a niece or a nephew, I will be ready to serve you the divorce papers. Until then, do not speak to me. Do not touch me. Don’t even go near me, or else I will unleash upon you the wrath of both my brothers. Do you understand?”

“Perfectly,” he sneered.

With an angry huff, Catteline turned on her heels and stomped away, passing Aislin with barely a word of goodbye before she slammed the door behind her. In the quiet of the room, Aelthrys slumped back down on the couch and promptly closed her eyes.

“Lock the fu*cking door before you go to your room, will you?” Aelthrys muttered angrily. “Quick, before she gets it into her head that she had not said enough to last her a lifetime.”