“You did all right yesterday, with the ogre,” Bran pointed out. He winced. “Sorry, Lachlan—I know he was your father.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Lachlan said calmly. “I’m glad Emma bound him away from us and from my mother! You don’t know how he’s tormented her over the years,” he added darkly.
“You could have told me he was your father, you know,” Bran said. “I wouldn’t have thought any less of you.”
“I know.” Lachlan looked down at his feet. “I just…I guess I thought less of myself.” He lifted his chin. “But I don’t anymore—none of us can help our parentage.”
“You’re right about that,” I said and decided to bring things back the original topic. “Do you think I’ll ever learn to control my magic like you do?” I asked the dark Fae.
“Bran was right—you did excellent yesterday with that binding,” he replied. “You’ll find your control, Emma. It’s just that you have so much power in your blood and access to so much more, it’s difficult for you to contain and focus it.”
“It’s like a human fireman trying to hold onto a fire hose when it’s spraying at high volume,” Bran suggested. “The force of it is so great, it’s easy to get carried away.”
“A very good analogy.” Lachlan nodded thoughtfully. “But as you get used to your power, you’ll learn how to deal with it. Have you been practicing the magical shielding spell I taught you last night?”
I nodded.
“I’m ready for the banquet tonight. Well, as ready as I can be.”
“Good.” He nodded approvingly. “If you can block Mab’s siphoning spell, you should be just fine.” He looked sad. “You and Bran should be back in the Summer Court just a little after midnight.”
I frowned.
“And you, too. And your mom—I’m taking the two of you with me. And you and I and Bran are all going to stay together, no matter what.”
“Little one, you cannot have two consorts,” Lachlan said gently. “And it only makes sense for you to choose Bran over me, considering the circumstances.”
“I don’t want to choose just one of you,” I said stubbornly. “And what about that one Fae ruler I’ve heard the two of you talk about? The one whose name started with an E—didn’t she have two consorts?”
“You mean Elianna, the first Queen of the Realm?” Bran asked.
I nodded. “Yes—what about her?”
“Most scholars believe she was only a legend, little one,” Lachlan said gently. “And even if she wasn’t, the Realms are much more divided than they were in the beginning of our history. It would take immense power to bring them together now—more than even you have, I fear.” He shook his head. “No, tonight you will be forced to choose. And I want you to know, I won’t hate either of you when this is over.”
“Of course not—we could never hate each other, old friend,” Bran murmured. Reaching out, he put an arm around Lachlan’s shoulder and gave him a quick hug. “We’re friends for life, no matter what.”
“No matter what,” Lachlan echoed and then the two of them reached for me and the three of us we hugged each other. It made me sad to think that there wouldn’t be anymore three-way hugs with my guys after tonight—so sad I did my best to push the thought out of my mind.
We stopped for our picnic in a little clearing in the woods. There was an old tree stump which we used as a table and Bran and Lachlan dragged some fallen logs up for benches. The sun came out from behind a cloud, making the snow and ice glitter like diamonds. Looking around, I had to admit that Lachlan’s mother had been right—the Winter Realm could be beautiful.
The three of us spent as much time outdoors as possible but in the end, it was time to go back to the palace and get ready for the late-night banquet. I was glad for the late lunch we’d had—I still felt full and I was certain that no matter what Queen Mab offered me, I wouldn’t be in the least bit tempted.
Everything is going to be fine, I told myself, as I dressed in the black and silver banquet dress someone had laid out on my bed. We’ll sail through this banquet and be out of here just after midnight—nothing’s going to go wrong.
I had no idea how terribly wrong I was.
93
The Winter Court banquet hall was filled with all kinds of creatures as well as dark-haired Fae, which Lachlan told me were natives of the Winter Realm. I saw wood nymphs and water nymphs (these were more properly called dryads and nyads according to Lachlan) as well as centaurs, minotaurs, fauns, satyrs, dwarves, nixies, pixies, and one well-behaved giant who was fifteen feet tall and had to sit on the floor beside one of the tables because there wasn’t a seat big enough to accommodate him.
There was even a beautiful, jet black unicorn with a pearly white horn rising from his forehead. He bowed his head to me gracefully, when I went to meet him (how could I resist meeting a real-life unicorn?) and said, in perfectly understandable English,
“You are very welcome in the Winter Court, Princess. But please, be careful.”
“Thank you,” I said, bowing back to him. I wanted to pet his glossy hide but I wasn’t sure if that was good manners or not. So I contented myself with smiling at him.
“The Winter Court is certainly more diverse than the Summer Court,” I remarked in a low voice, as we made our way to the head table where—thankfully—the towering cake with the awful marzipan me, was notably absent.
“Yes, not all the creatures of the Winter Realm are evil,” Lachlan said sadly.
“Queen Elia gave up a lot when she decreed the door between the Realms should be permanently closed,” Bran remarked as we got seated.
“Maybe I can get her to change her mind,” I said hopefully. “I mean, the Summer Court Fae are beautiful, but they could really use some diversity. Sorry, Bran,” I added.
“No, you’re right.” Bran nodded. “I agree—the Summer Court could certainly do with an infusion of fresh blood. But I’m afraid most of the elders who rule and advise Queen Elia, don’t see it that way.” He frowned. “I know my father certainly didn’t.”
If anyone asked me—which they hadn’t—it sounded like some changes needed to be made—to both courts. I promised myself that if I got a chance, I was going to be an agent of that change. I wanted to bring people together—not put a wall between them and force them apart!
But just as I was making grand plans for the future of the Realms, Queen Mab appeared in a cloud of smoke.
“Greetings, Granddaughter,” she said to me, smiling that mad smile that didn’t seem to reach her dead black eyes. “And how have you been enjoying your time exploring the Winter Realm?”
“Bran and Lachlan and I had a wonderful day,” I said carefully, trying to keep my face and tone neutral. It wasn’t easy, though—when I had first met her, I hadn’t known anything about her. Now I knew she was the one responsible for killing my parents. It was really hard to sit there and be civil to her, knowing she had murdered my family and made me an orphan. Still, I gritted my teeth and tried.