Sorrow grew rich in my chest, swelling in my stomach. The story wasn’t even over and already I hated it. I felt guilty, despite the fact that I had nothing to do with the past actions of humans. Despite the fact that I was not really human myself, I felt responsible somehow.
"The courts began to fight amongst one another,” Roan said, his voice quiet and somber. “There were some, only a few, though, that sided with the Brightling Court. They were convinced that the humans still had potential. That they did not understand the harm they were causing and if they knew, they would stop. Others, like my own Court of Crimson, as well as the Court of Frost, believed that the Brightling Court had endangered us all. Their lineage aside, the Brightling Court had brought the humans upon us and had allowed them to steal away our land’s magic for themselves. There had once been a plethora of Fae courts, but now there are few. The more powerful courts began taking over the less powerful and soon it became a battle of wills and ideals, Brightling against most others.”
“What exactly happened to the Brightling Court?” I asked, my voice just as quiet as his own, nearly swallowed up by the wind. I was grateful when he shifted and pressed against the top of my head, an acknowledgment that he’d heard me.
“The Brightling Court is no more,” he said in a sad voice. “Centuries of magic, generations of Fae were lost to us. I can’t be sure of how or why, but the rumor is that they were betrayed by their human allies, their magic stolen. A Fae without magic won’t last long. Magic is our life force. That’s why the loss of our land’s magic was so devastating to us.”
“Is that what really happened?” I bit my lip. Had the humans truly been the cause of the extinction of an entire Fae court? With all of their wisdom and magic?
He shook his head. “It is rumored that they were betrayed by their human friends, but I know that can’t be the entire story,” he admitted. “The main member’s—the Royals of the Brightling Court—were tried and executed by the Court of Crimson and the Court of Frost. The rest of their court dispersed—many killed in the ensuing war with humanity and many … well, there’s no telling if there are any more of the Brightling Court left. It was enough for the rest of the Fae to have the Royals gone so there could be no other uprising, no more sympathy for humans after they had destroyed Alfheim and hurt the Fae people in ways that, although we didn't know it at the time, we would never recover from.”
Silence echoed between us, punctuated by the constant clomping of horses’ hooves beneath us as well as the soft laughter and talking that filtered to us from behind and in front. A chasm of sadness had opened inside me. It was several moments before Roan spoke again.
“After the dust settled from the wars between our own courts, the Queens of the Court of Crimson and the Court of Frost decided to launch their attack on the humans.”
“Revenge?” I winced as I asked it. I wouldn’t blame them, but I hated the thought that so many innocents were dying because of the crimes of the few. Innocents like Nellie’s parents.
“Perhaps,” Roan replied. “But I think it’s more than that. Fear. Humans have greater numbers than we Fae. Despite their lack of natural magical ability, they do pose a threat.”
“Not all humans are bad,” I pointed out. Nellie wasn’t. She was good. She’d helped me despite her fear.
Roan’s head turned down and I looked up, our eyes clashing. “Not all Fae are good,” is all he said in response. It turned the sorrow in my chest into something else. Something cold and hard.
It turned the sadness into fear.
Chapter 6
Cress
The horse continued forward, it’s svelte body flexing with the movements. The Frost Queen and the Crimson Queen waited ahead in the Court of Frost. My mind swirled with thoughts as the true understanding of why the Fae hated humans so much was brought to life. If they found out about Nellie, then everything Sorrell had said would be true. Nellie would die and it would be my fault for bringing her here.
I fell quiet for several minutes as I tried to absorb the information, tried to wrap my head around the idea that an entire court had been exterminated. Was I … was the Brightling Court where I’d come from? I wondered absently. After what Roan had said about the Brightling Court—the fact that they were the court that had participated the most in the Changeling exchange—it made sense, didn’t it? Originally, we’d assumed that I was like Roan—a Crimson Fae. But that didn’t appear to be true anymore. I didn’t have the same powers he did. My hair didn’t burn with my emotions the way his did. If the Brightling Court was where I’d come from and it was now extinct … what did that mean for my future? What did that mean about my past? Had my parents sent me off to be exchanged because they’d known what was coming? Or had they even cared if I lived or died?
I’d never know because the fact was, they were gone.
A knot formed in my throat as the thought wormed its way into me and stoked the already burning embers of hatred for these two Queens into full flames. What made them so special that they got to decide who lived and who died? Or who got to experience Alfheim?
I cleared my throat. “You said the lack of magic from the portals made Alfheim like this?” I asked.
He hummed deep in his throat. “Well, yes. Initially. When the Court of Frost was the only court left in Alfheim, however, it got worse. The Frost Queen tends to have that effect on her surroundings when there are no other courts to balance out her magic. This is her base of power. Once she settled, she never left, and now I don't think she can. Her castle and her power are too tied to Alfheim or possibly even too weakened in general to leave.” He paused and I could feel the quick intake of air as his chest shuddered against my back. “I would keep that to yourself while you are in her court,” he said a moment later. “Sorrell’s mother does not take kindly to any who would point out her possible weaknesses. Neither does my mother for that matter. Perhaps that is why they’ve remained such steadfast friends even in the wake of the Frost and Crimson Kings’ demise.”
He talked of his father’s death and Sorrell’s so casually. I wondered how long ago it happened. There was no emotion when he mentioned it. None that would reveal any great loss, anyway. When I spoke again, I decided to focus on something else.
“If your mother is in the Court of Frost then why doesn't she counterbalance the Frost Queen’s power? She's the Queen of the Court of Crimson after all, isn't she?" I asked, questions making my head swim.
"She is, but much of her power comes from the court itself. I am now the controller of the Court of Crimson, along with Sorrell and Orion. It is our rite of passage to rule a court.” Roan glanced over his shoulder in the direction we'd come from and I realized he was talking about the castle we had been in when we traveled here.
"Why don't the other courts come back then and help counteract the effects?"
"The other courts can only stand the cold for so long before they have to leave. No one can stand it for extended periods of time without being from the Court of Frost itself. Despite her hatred of humans, even my mother often visited the Court of Crimson in the human realm. She has slowly adapted though, stubborn woman that she is. Her power protects her, but it couldn’t protect an entire Court from the Frost Queen’s power. Maybe, if the Queens stepped down and gave their mantles of power to someone else, they could leave this realm and give it a chance to recover. I have my doubts that will ever happen though. They are of an older generation, set in their ways. They’ve also had the power they wield for too long. To step down would mean to give that up. And like humans, Fae, too, can become power drunk. So, Alfheim suffers.”