The Fae King's Ruin

Rumors

That morning, when Avery suggested that they have dinner with the Montfoltiers sans his aunt, Aislin was more than a little hesitant to accept the invitation. She still had not forgotten how awkward it was that the Duke of Montfoltier and his brother kept glaring daggers at her cousin, and she believed that dragons ought not to be poked when sleeping. Although she trusted Aelthrys to be on his best behavior and not retaliate in any way, the fact that the two brothers, plus Catteline, grated on his nerves.

If she was being honest, she felt responsible for putting both of them in this position, but more so for Aelthrys. Catteline only had to deal with her, whereas she had brothers that would no doubt defend their sister’s honor against him no matter what. The only reason they have not yet pummeled Aelthrys with their fists is that Avery had also sanctioned the Proxy Clause despite the fact it was still scheduled for deliberation and approval in the Great Council.

She would not be surprised if Grishan and Calix stayed to witness the deliberation that would affect their sister’s fate. In fact, it would only be a matter of time before they start petitioning Avery to find another solution if they have not already.

Aislin voiced her concerns regarding the matter, but Avery only assured her that his cousins would be on their best behavior.

“And besides,” he had said. “How would we be able to lessen the awkwardness if we didn’t expose them to each other?”

She held her tongue in after that, choosing instead to let him have his way and merely observe later. Just in case, however, she decided to add in the note she wrote to Aelthrys informing him of the dinner to behave.

Aislin made her way to the Royal Library, fully planning to start tidying up her defense of the Proxy Clause when she saw Lord Elrin heading straight for her. She discreetly glanced around but already knew that this hall had always been vacant at this hour. There were four guards posted on either side of the doors to the library, and Aislin decided that if she needed witnesses, they would be enough. 

Pausing in the middle of the hall, in plain view of the guards, she smiled at her uncle as he made the customary bow and kissed her hand.

“Good afternoon, Your Royal Highness,” he greeted. “May I speak with you a moment?”

She raised a brow. “Ambushing me, are you? What is this about?”

His already thin lips pinched together even more. “I do not wish to upset you. I am only here to inform you of something that is highly sensitive in nature.”

Lord Elrin opened his arms, gesturing towards the far side of the hall with the big windows that overlooked the gardens. It would certainly take them out of range in the hearing of the soldiers but she was curious as to what he had to say.

Going against her better judgment to never be alone with her uncle who was plotting against the life of the one she loved, she slowly walked over to the window and patiently waited for him to talk.

Pits of soulless, black eyes pinned her. “I know you hate me,” he began, and she could not help but roll her eyes at him. “But if there is anything about me that you can trust, it is my vested interest in seeing you succeed as ruler. So, I am asking you to HEAR me when I say to you that there is a plot against the little Unseelie Village given in your name.”

Aislin took a step back. “What?” she gasped.

“I heard reports of it just today. Apparently, some of the King’s nobles are not amused with the idea that their city is being invaded by us and that your betrothed is sanctioning it.” Lord Elrin shook his head. “You need to convince the people in that village to go back to Mhoryga. We already have full control of the realm and they would be safe there with their own kind.”

She held up a hand, blinking as she tried to process what was being said. “Where did you hear this from?” Aislin asked, her mind already working.

“We have several informants on the inside,” he replied gravely. “Gold, after all, is still a currency people understand.”

Her nose flared, but despite not liking the fact that it was so easy for Elrin to get his claws into anybody anywhere, there was a much bigger concern that was staring her in the face. 

“When will they attack?” she asked, facing the window as she embraced herself.

“We aren’t sure yet, but our sources determined that the plans are still in the early stages.”

She glanced at him. “I will need names,” she told him. “Lord Elrin, if you are lying about this I will have you outed and hanged for treason, family or no. Do you understand me?”

He put a hand over his heart, his fingers clutched in a claw. An Unseelie symbol of a promise. “I swear on my life, Princess.”

Aislin stared at him, trying to see if he was lying. This would definitely not be the first time and she expected this to just be some ploy to distract her from the fact that he himself was heading a scheme to ruin her own fiancé, but she could not take a chance with her people. With a wave of a hand, she dismissed him and for the first time in a very long while, he went away without having angered her directly in a single conversation.

She did not know why she was this surprised. After all, even if they were Seelie, they were still capable of violence. They hunted her people down for centuries. Peaceful communities without the protection of the patina the Seelie had were massacred when found in deep forests. Families torn apart, hate festering. She should not have let her guard down and not expected that there would be opposition for the amount of support that Avery was showing towards her people.

Knowing that she could speak to her cousin later to discuss the new matter, Aislin breathed in slow and composed herself before turning back to enter the library. She looked at no one once she entered the large, magnificent hall but readily took a few pieces of parchment from the tray where it was provided and chose a seat in the back row. She borrowed a few books that she needed from the shelf and went back to her table, shook off the excess ink from the quill also provided, and started writing.

Her defense was composed of several reasons why the Proxy Clause had to take effect and why her suggestion was airtight. She wrote of how the same rules that applied to her and Avery also applied to both of their heir apparents since they were also of different sexes, and that marriage was the only way to ensure that the Treaty remained intact should something happen to her or Avery. 

As she wrote, she deeply resented how barbaric the rules were that tied them all together. She hated how she had to defend a small fixture in a Treaty made up of more than a thousand words, yet held very great power over two people she cared for. There was no small amount of guilt within Aislin as she did her job while hoping against all hope that anyone who would disagree with her on the Council had a better idea that would not subject Catteling and Aelthrys to marriage if it could be avoided. 

For a split second, she let herself entertain the thought of trying for a child with Avery before their actual marriage, but the complications and allegations that could arise with doing that could also raise more problems than it would solve.

She finished at half-past five in the afternoon. Dinner would be at seven in a private dining room for just them. She gathered her things and reshelved the books quickly before going on her way. As she passed the main corridors that led upstairs to her suite, she noticed something strange.

Everyone, even the staff, had their heads bent together as they whispered with perplexed and incredibly intrigued looks on their faces. They barely gave Aislin a glance as she passed slowly, trying to get a whiff of their conversation. Their preoccupancy told her that the gossip was big and juicy, and she hurried to get to her maids.

Aislin was right in assuming her maids knew exactly what the rumors were all about as she caught them all speaking with slightly hushed tones. There was a sparkle of excitement as they spoke to one another and startled greatly when the door she closed snapped shut loudly. 

Narrowing her eyes at them, she said, “Tell me. I want to know.”

Periwinkle’s brown eyes widened, her expression guilty in being caught. “Tell you what, Miss?” she squeaked.

“I have seen everyone be abuzz with the new piece of gossip that the palace is currently wrapped up in and I want to be in the loop.”

The girls all looked at each other hesitantly, which made her frown. “Is it about me?” she asked. Was it about the attack being planned against her people? Surely her maids would inform her of something in that scale without hesitation?

She tried not to let her panic go out of hand and waited patiently as her head maid tried to tell her the gossip.

“Well, it is not about you, miss,” she said quietly. “It is more about your cousin, the General— and the Lady of Montfoltier.”

Aislin discreetly sighed in relief. But gossip about Aelthrys and Catteline together was not all that comforting either.

“What about them?” she asked, even though she was almost too afraid to.

Ola twisted the small rag she had in her hands. “Er, some people witnessed the General save Lady Catteline when she was splashed— on purpose, they said— with wine. It happened in the courtyard and a lot of people saw it. The General pulled her away from there and some spied them going to the garden behind the Silver Hall.” The fae blushed, unable to hide her grin. “Some say they kissed, milady!”

Aislin’s brows were raised. “I’m sorry, did I hear you right? Aelthrys and Catteline kissed?”

The three of them nodded. Periwinkle was biting her bottom lip to keep herself from smiling. Ola had a hand over her mouth and Willow’s face was so golden from her blush that she might as well have been a potato.

She shook her head. Nothing said in the gossip made any sense. Aelthrys and Catteline hated each other and only very rarely managed to be civil with each other. So why would they be off in a garden kissing each other?

Looking at the girls, however, she was comforted at least that they were not weirded out by the thought of an Unseelie getting involved with another member of their nobility.

“I highly doubt that they kissed,” she said, almost regrettably, to them before adding, “Or had a decent conversation at all.”

Willo frowned thoughtfully. “You might be right, Princess. The Lady Catteline was seen spitting mad right after the General left. She made even the guards blush with her cussing!”

She chuckled, shaking her head at her maids. “Please kindly draw me a bath and fetch me an appropriate dress to wear for a dinner with the King and the Montfoltiers. I’ll just stow away these papers in my office.”

They curtsied as they left the room, but not before she heard Ola lament, “But I was rooting for them!”

Aislin shook her head again in amusement, wondering what their reactions would be if they knew that those two were about to get married anyway.