"Cressida, are you well?" Roan asked as he approached.
I balked at the use of my full name; it was something he never called me. It was always Little Bird or Changeling, sometimes even Cress, but never Cressida. "I’m recovering," I replied, unsure how to handle this different version of Roan. He didn’t touch me and that in and of itself was the strangest thing. Roan always touched me. Any way he could brush his skin against mine and drive my libido absolutely insane, he would. When I reached for him, he took a step back—small and almost indiscernible, but I noticed. It hurt—that avoidance. I looked at him, frowning, and finally noticed the strain in his features. He—like Orion—was stiff, wooden in their movements as if someone had shoved sharp sticks up their asses. What was going on?
“I’m sorry, Cress,” he said quietly. “Sorry, we weren’t there when you woke. We couldn’t—it’s been…” He trailed off.
I shook my head. “You have another court to see to,” I offered by way of answer, though it did assuage some wounded part of me that I hadn’t even realized had been hurt by the fact that no one but strangers had been at my bedside when I’d come to.
Roan closed his eyes and hissed out a breath. “Come, the Queens requested your presence and will be eager to meet you.” His words sounded kind, but there was something darker in his tone—sorrow, perhaps? Dread? Whatever it was, it remained present in his eyes as he took me by the elbow and led me forward. The deep crimson of his outfit kept drawing my eye as we walked, and I had to resist the urge to touch the metal that sat atop a leather doublet over his chest. Now was not the time or place for that, and he clearly wasn't in the mood even though just the slightest touch on my elbow from him made me want to move in closer.
As we approached the front of the room, I saw the two women sitting side by side. They were exact opposites, fire and ice. And that only made it clear who was who. Roan's mother was wearing a similar outfit to her son, only the metalwork over her chest was much more intricate. It was finely crafted and was studded with gems in all different shades of red which matched the crown that sat atop her head. She looked every bit the reigning monarch, as did the woman beside her. Sorrell's mother was the Crimson Queen’s mirrored image, only instead of gems of all different shades of red, I noticed that the metalwork had a blue sheen to it and all the gems were white or clear, making it look like she was covered in frost. Of fire and ice, these were the two Fae Queens that still ruled Alfheim.
Roan stepped close but still didn’t touch me as we cleared the crowd and entered the space that remained empty in front of the Queens. Roan dipped his head in a show of respect and only then did he reach out and tug me forward by my elbow. I didn’t know what to do, but these were Queens and when you were introduced to royalty you were supposed to curtsy or something … right? Gods, I hoped that was right.
I dipped into an uneven curtsy, wavering as I dropped, barely managing to stay upright. When I started to stand up again, Roan's grip on my elbow tightened, and I realized that I needed to hold the position until the Queens deigned to notice us and release us from it. My legs shook, but I held, not wanting to disappoint him. In my mind, however, I was screaming at the two women up on their thrones to hurry it up. My knees were not meant to hold like this.
"Roan, my darling, who have you brought me?" his mother asked, finally acknowledging our presence. I sighed in relief as Roan’s tug and subsequent release of my elbow let me stand back up.
I raised my eyes to meet the Queen’s only to find a slight sneer covering her face and fire dancing in her eyes while Ariana, who I hadn't noticed before, stood to the side—just behind the woman’s throne—glaring daggers at me. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as though they were urging me to run while I had the chance, and I knew that this wasn't going to go well at all.
“This is Cressida. We—” Roan began, but Ariana cut in.
“The Changeling.” Her voice was loud and filled with what sounded like disgust, but I knew better, because I’d heard it a time or two before. It was hatred.
A gasp rose from the crowd behind us and the Queens both looked at me even more critically. Their expressions were almost identical, narrowed eyes and pursed lips that peeled back in disgust after a moment.
Mutters started up behind me while I endured the Queens’ equally terrifying stares and tried not to pass out since I was still recovering.
“Filthy humans...”
“Should have stayed with them...”
“Infections that need to be wiped out...”
“Some Fae she is...”
The words all rang in my ears. Tough crowd, I thought. I frowned as I glanced around. I had as much right to be here as any single one of them. I was just as much Fae as they were.
“Is Ariana correct? This is the Changeling you’ve been so worried about?” Roan’s mother asked, her tone suggesting disapproval.
I saw him nod out of my periphery but never took my eyes away from the women on their thrones.
“And this … Changeling is the reason you haven’t proposed to a Fae worthy of your court yet?” she replied, acting as though the very word that described my life was an insult while she gestured to Ariana, who was still standing next to the Queen.
The other woman’s gown was similar to mine, only bejeweled to within an inch of its life. She glittered like some kind of expensive bauble, and while that might distract most people, I still saw the look of triumph on her face, the small smile that played about her lips as she watched Roan struggle with the trap she had led him into.
“I haven’t proposed to Ariana because I don’t care for her and I don’t intend to spend the rest of my life tied to her.” Roan’s voice rang out as clear as day through the now silent throne room.
“She is the best match you could hope for,” the Crimson Queen said with a wave of her hand. “She’s perfectly suitable to be the next Crimson Princess.”
“She may be suitable for you, Mother, but not for me.” Roan’s words were quiet but strong, and anyone who could hear them knew that he wasn’t going to back down easily.
The Crimson Queen’s face darkened and she sat up straighter on her throne. Contrarily, though, the Frost Queen remained quiet, watching with icy eyes that held no emotion. I shivered when her gaze snapped to me. I blinked at the ferocity in her stare and turned away, refocusing on Roan and the Crimson Queen.
“I have waited long enough for a Crimson Princess to be crowned, Roan,” the woman said.
“Is that why you have summoned me and my court brothers?” Roan asked. “Because you wish for me to marry.”
“Yes!” Red skirts swished as the woman stood abruptly, pointing a finger down at Roan. “You have ignored my demands for the last time. You will propose and there will be a Red Wedding.”
My stomach clenched as I turned and looked at the prince that stood at my side. No, I didn’t like this. I didn’t like this at all. The hesitation I saw on his face was like a punch to the gut. I turned back to the Queens and narrowed my gaze specifically on Ariana, who stood back, preening as if the decision had already been made. It wasn’t, and if Roan even thought to propose to her, he was dead.