“Why, by the Tree, did you bring her here? She’s just an ordinary mortal girl,” said a voice, cool and smooth as a frozen pool. Rowan remembered hearing that once before in the scrying bowl.
“I think she could prove useful. Certainly, more entertaining than her father,” said Lord Kennet. “The man does nothing but complain and try to escape. As if he hadn’t approached me of his own free will. Mortals are so ungrateful.”
“She’s awake,” said the first voice. Rowan sighed. She’d been hoping to get more information, but there was no longer any point in pretending. She opened her eyes and then rapidly snapped her mouth shut before a scream managed to claw its way out of her throat.
These were not the beautiful, graceful beings the tales had led her to expect. Before her, filling up her entire field of vision, was a living, breathing dragon. Its scales were brilliant, burnished gold, shining with inner light like the sun come down to earth, but it was the electric blue eyes that told her that this was not some fearsome pet, but Lord Kennet himself.
Fear was one of the weapons he would use against her, and so, she forced herself to master it. Taking a deep breath, she pushed herself to her feet and faced the dragon with her chin held high.
“I’m here to negotiate for the life of my father, Geoffrey Ravencroft. I believe he has some sort of contract with you,” she said, forcing herself to look the terrifying Lord in the eye.
Another dragon, this one with scales of white and pale blue, peered out from behind the first. “She’s got guts. I like her.”
“Bold. For a mortal,” said the last voice, the one Rowan was already beginning to associate with icy water. This dragon had dark scales, midnight blue and deepest violet.
“Indeed. I knew she would be entertaining. Very well, Rowan Ravencroft. You wish to have your father restored to you, but what will you give for it? He and I had a fair bargain, and my aid does not come without a price. Will you take his place in my Court? I don’t see how that will do you any good.”
“I…” He was right; that wouldn’t do her much good. Besides, she was fairly sure if that happened, her father would end up fighting to get her back anyway.
“I have a notion. A deal that I think is more than fair. I have two sons, you see, and I love them both equally.” The one with the dark scales snorted in derision. Lord Kennet continued without acknowledging the interruption. “I’m getting rather bored with ruling the Court of the Heavens, but I have yet to decide who shall inherit my post. I think you shall choose for me.”
“What? How could I possibly choose your heir? I don't know anything about running a Court.”
“I can't believe I’m saying this, but I have to agree with the mortal,” said the dark dragon.
“Oh, come on. It could be fun,” his brother retorted.
“That's enough,” the golden dragon boomed, making the ground vibrate beneath their feet. “As it happens, both Prince Niall and Prince Aidan are equally capable. You must choose in a way only you can: with your heart.” Rowan gaped at him, confused and not a little concerned.
“You come from a prestigious magical bloodline of mortals, and I am interested to know how that might benefit the blood of the Aos Si. So, choose one of my sons to father your child. Whoever you choose will inherit my throne, and your child after him. As soon as the child is born, you and your father will be free.”
A maelstrom of emotions rushed through her, making it difficult to speak. She was furious to be treated like a brood mare, for one thing, and horrified by the idea that she could do such a thing with a stranger, let alone a dangerous, magical stranger.
But what actually came out of her mouth made her cheeks color with shame. “But you’re dragons! Surely that is biologically impossible as well as improper.”
All the dragons snorted and coughed with amusement, which only annoyed her further. “In any case, you can hardly expect me to make such a ridiculous deal.”
“I think it’s quite reasonable, considering,” Lord Kennet said, still chuckling his amusement. “Your father is bound here every night for the rest of his life, but you might spend as little as a year among us, if that is your wish. As for your other concern, I assumed you were aware that all fae of our stature are natural shapeshifters.”
He waved one of his golden claws, and there was a flash of light that culminated in a shower of sparks which tinkled like silver bells. When the air cleared, there were three men, so beautiful they might as well have stepped out of some fantastical painting.
The one in the center, the tallest, was obviously Lord Kennet, with skin of sun-kissed bronze and hair that was a riotous tumble of golden curls. “Does this meet with your approval, mortal?” he asked, gesturing to his two sons with a cat-like grin.
Rowan was still furious, but she also knew, if the Lord could be trusted, it was a fair bargain, if reprehensible. “All that is required is for me to remain here until I have borne a child to one of these two?” she said critically. “And both my father and I can go free? What about until then? Will I be a prisoner? A slave?”
Lord Kennet shrugged. “You will be a member of my household. And then a member of the household of your chosen mate, at least until the child is born. You may spend your time however you wish, otherwise. You will be afforded every material luxury, I assure you.”
The prince on the left grinned at her. He looked much like his father, only his blonde hair was so fair that it was nearly white and hung in loose waves just past his chin. He was dressed like a warrior from a storybook, in glittering mail with a jewelled sword hanging from his hip.
Despite the martial attire, he seemed cheerful, and the only clue that he was not a mortal man were his long, gracefully pointed ears. Rowan shivered and turned her gaze back to Lord Kennet.
“And what about my father? Will I be allowed to see him? What will happen to his…body in our world?”
“I’m afraid I can’t allow you to see poor Geoffrey, as I’m sure he’ll try to contrive a way out of the bargain,” the lord replied with a feral grin. “But he is being cared for. As for the mortal realm, I already have an agent there who will make sure everything is taken care of. A reason for your absence will be provided, and you will find your home and social position just as you left it.
As long as you remain in the Court of the Heavens, time will pass normally for you, so you needn’t worry about finding yourself an old woman upon returning or other such nonsense.”
She wanted to ask about afterward, but she could hardly bear to think about it. Would she be allowed to see her child? Would she even want to? A half-fae child born out of a contract? Rowan wasn’t sure whether she was more afraid that she would feel no maternal feelings for it, or that she would.
She couldn’t believe she was even taking the idea under consideration. But she couldn’t leave her father here, and she knew she wouldn’t get a better deal. At least she wouldn’t have to marry anyone. No one back home need ever know. She took another deep breath. “If I accept this bargain, am I correct in assuming that I am not required to decide right away?”
“I hope that you will not. Though, as I have said, both my sons have the abilities needed to rule this Court, it is still a decision that will shape the future for millennia to come,” he said. Rowan shivered at the thought. Millennia. Any child that she bore to these unearthly creatures would live beyond a time when even her bones turned to dust. “Please consider your choice carefully. And who knows, you may even come to like it here.”
“I doubt that highly,” she said in a frosty tone. The lands of the Aos Si were not meant for mortals. Tales told of their beauty, but also their malice. The Fair Folk could be powerful magical allies, but they loved to trick unwary mortals, and exposure to their wild revels could even cause madness, if the stories held even a grain of truth.
To save her father, she would take this deal, but she would remain on her guard. “However, I will accept the bargain. I will bear one child for one of your sons, and then you will free my father and me from this contract forever.”
She stuck out her hand, and Lord Kennet grasped it in his much larger one. Magic twined around them, binding their words to the very fabric of the universe. “So mote it be,” spoke the booming voice of the Lord of the Court of Heavens, and there was a sound like a thunderclap.
He smiled and clapped his hands together. “Now that business is concluded, I believe a feast is in order. I suspect you’ll want to get yourself changed. I’ll send for someone to show you to your rooms.” With that, Lord Kennet turned and strode away.
“See you later, human girl,” said the fair-haired prince with a jovial wave. Rowan waved back feebly, wondering if he followed after his father, being at a loss for words. What had she gotten herself into?
“Do not let your guard down. No matter what my father says, the Court is dangerous,” came a familiar voice. Rowan turned to see that one prince had not followed his father and brother. Looking at him, it was hard to believe that he was related to them. Both the Lord and his other son were heavily muscled to an intimidating degree, but this prince was slender and lithe as a jungle cat. His long hair, swimming with all the colors of midnight and shadow, flowed down his back like a silken waterfall, and his angular face was the picture of preternatural beauty, but his expression gave nothing away.
“Er… Thank you, Prince-?”
“Aidan,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Leave it to my father to not tell you anything important. Why did you agree to such a ridiculous bargain? Far safer for you to let your father serve his time here. He’s not as unhappy as you think.”
“How am I to know that? In my world, he lies in his bed as if dead, unless he’s raving like a madman. He’s my father, and people depend on him. It would be irresponsible of me to leave him here to waste away.”
Prince Aidan shrugged his shoulders. “Suit yourself. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He turned and walked down a different corridor than the one his father had used, and Rowan scowled after him.
“If he was half as concerned about my well-being as he pretended to be, he would have said something before I agreed to this idiotic contract,” she said sourly, looking around the room she’d been left in. It was some sort of…lobby or meeting area, a huge round chamber with a floor of polished crystal and vaulted ceilings painted in a solar motif. It might have been a palace in the mortal world, only the air practically shimmered with magical power.
Rowan could feel it tingling against her skin. There was no furniture save for a table in the center and piles of cushions everywhere else. She supposed dragons didn’t need chairs. Does the form of dragons come naturally to them, or is that something that was intended to frighten me? she wondered. But tales regarding the Aos Si almost never mention dragons. It’s all very nonsensical.
Lord Kennet had said he would send someone for her, but after several minutes passed, Rowan began to feel both nervous and annoyed. Was this some kind of test or trick? There were several archways leading off in different directions, and she went to each in turn, peering down the corridors.
They all looked fairly similar at first glance, but just as she was about to try walking a little way down one, she heard the sound of quiet footsteps behind her.
“Oh, Lady Rowan, I’m so sorry to keep you waiting,” said a voice, and Rowan turned around to find a young female fae regarding her apologetically.
“I don’t think I’m any sort of lady,” she replied, arching her eyebrow. “But I am glad you’re here. I was beginning to worry.”
The girl shook her head. “Lord Kennet has ordered that, as the future mother of one of his grandchildren, you’re to be treated with the highest respect. I do apologize again. It took me much longer to arrange things in the mortal realm than I expected.”
“You mean, you’re his agent in my world?” Rowan said in surprise. The young fae looked no older than ten, and with her long white hair and ice blue eyes, she would have stuck out like a sore thumb. “You must have looked quite different there.”
“You mean, you don’t recognize me?” the girl asked with a hurt expression. “Perhaps if I do this?” A moment later, white cat ears had appeared on the top of her head. Rowan blinked, stunned into temporary silence.
“Fenella?!” she finally managed to say, horror and anger beginning to overcome her surprise. “You mean to say you’ve been working for a lord of the Fair Folk the entire time?”
“It’s not what you think!” she said, holding her hands in front of her like a shield. “I was only supposed to keep an eye on you, and report anything suspicious. Otherwise, I was merely your familiar.”
“But why me? Lord Kennet had a contract with my father. He had no reason to care about me.” Unless this was always his plan, she thought to herself. Only, that made just as little sense. Why would he want his sons to have a child with a human woman?
Fenella shrugged. “I’m not privy to the High Lord’s personal affairs. All I know is that someone in the upper echelons of the court was interested enough in you to ensure that you were kept safe. And now that you’re here, I’m to serve as your guide and handmaiden.”
“I suppose that’s a bit of a promotion from housecat,” Rowan said wryly, shaking her head. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think this was some sort of fantastical dream, brought about by bad food or a fever. But her magical training told her that this was all too real.
“Yes,” Fenella agreed, her smile showing very white and lightly pointed teeth. “It will be nice to be able to eat proper food again. Speaking of which, let me show you to your room so you can get ready for dinner.”
*
Rowan shivered as she walked down the corridor toward the feasting hall, guided by Fenella. Not that she was cold. Despite the fact that there were balconies open to the night air every few yards along the hallway, the air was as balmy as midsummer. But the outfit she was dressed in made her feel as though she was walking into battle stark naked, and it had been the most conservative gown in the wardrobe.
Made of many layers of sheer, diaphanous fabric, it left her shoulders bare and gave a generous view of her décolletage before sweeping all the way to the floor, clinging to her hips without a petticoat in sight. It would have been scandalous even at the wildest London party, but she couldn’t deny that it was beautiful.
Dyed pale blue at the top and embroidered with clouds of fine lace, the color darkened to periwinkle around the belt at her waist, which was fashioned like a many-rayed golden sun. But the bottom of the dress was midnight blue and embellished with crystalline stars that sparkled as she moved.
Fenella had also braided her chestnut hair into an intricate updo and arrayed her with sparkling accessories depicting the sun, moon, and stars in gold, silver, and diamonds. When Rowan had seen her reflection in the full-length mirror of her new bedroom, she had hardly recognized herself, and felt stuck somewhere between awe and utter mortification.
“You’re sure that this is the current fashion in the Court?” she asked Fenella for likely the thousandth time, wrapping her arms around herself more tightly.
Her handmaiden laughed, a cheerful sound like birdsong. “You’ll fit right in. Just wait and see.” And then they had arrived at the doorway to the feasting hall. To Rowan’s dismay, a booming voice announced her arrival, and every eye turned in her direction. At least Fenella had been right about one thing; her attire was by far the least outlandish among the ladies of the Court.
Even some of the men were dressed in fantastical getups, headdresses that looked like horns or antlers, outfits composed primarily of body paint, and wings and claws that may or may not have been real. If anything in the Otherworld could truly be called real.
But, as she made her way to the high table set up on the dais, she saw that the two princes, at least, had dressed more conventionally. She wondered if that was to comfort her or if it was only that they were beautiful enough not to need ornamentation.
Aidan was on the left, dressed in a silk tunic of dark indigo like the scales of his dragon form. A silver coronet, set with onyx stars and a horned moon of fiery opal, was nestled in his raven hair. The other prince, who, Rowan remembered, must be called Niall, had taken off most of his armor but was still wearing a white and gold enamelled breastplate and a sky-blue cloak. He was wearing a crown as well, golden and fashioned like an eagle with wings spreading over his temples, a giant aquamarine held in its beak. He grinned and waved as she approached.
“You look absolutely gorgeous, Lady Rowan,” he said when she got into hearing distance, his smile wide enough to show his white teeth. “Wouldn’t you agree, brother?”
“It is a slight improvement over mortal fashion,” Aidan remarked drily, barely glancing her way before turning his attention back to his goblet.
Rowan’s cheeks were burning, but she managed to speak without stammering. “You are both looking quite charming this evening as well, my Lords.” She took the seat between them, her heart fluttering with nervousness at being so close to them.
Then, it occurred to her that she was seated at the center of the high table in front of the entire Court, almost as if she was presiding over it. It was not a comfortable feeling. “Will your father not be joining us this evening?” she asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking as Fenella filled her glass.
“No, he has matters of his own to attend to,” Niall answered.
“Thank the Tree,” Aidan muttered from her other side. She wasn’t sure if he intended her to overhear it or not.
“Besides, I think he wanted to give us the opportunity to have you all to ourselves. Father can be a little overwhelming.”
“I had noticed,” Rowan agreed, and Niall laughed, a loud, hearty chortle. She felt some of her tension ease. Immortal nobility of the Otherworld he might be, but Niall was surprisingly easy to talk to. And the food was delicious.
Rowan had felt a pang of anxiety as she swallowed the first bite. All the tales warned about tasting the food of the Otherworld because it was enchanted to keep you there forever, but if she was going to be here for a year or more, there was little point in starving herself.
Now she wondered, feeling like a traitor all the while, if the reason for the legend was only because the food was so fantastic that you’d never want to stop eating it. She’d never tasted so many different amazing and exotic flavours.
And there was music, like nothing she had ever heard before. It seemed to get inside her, strumming her heart until she wanted to laugh aloud or weep. She was so caught up in it that she hardly noticed the touch on her arm, and when Niall spoke into her ear, she jumped. “You seem to like the music. Would you care to dance?”
Once again, she felt blood rushing to her cheeks and a thrill of alarm in her heart. Dancing with a prince of the fae, surely that was dangerous to the point of idiocy? But there was no denying that he was handsome, and she couldn’t forget that she was bound by her word to become much more intimate with one of the princes.
May as well start getting to know them. “I would like that,” she said, placing her hand in the one he now offered her. Niall pulled her to her feet and led her past the tables and out to the garden where the musicians played. Rowan felt eyes upon her, and she looked back to see Aidan scowling at them in disapproval. She scowled back. If he didn’t want her to dance with his brother, he should have asked her himself.
The garden was lit only by the full moon, which hung so low in the sky she felt she could almost touch it. There were a few other couples twirling around to the merry music, but Rowan still felt self-conscious, especially when Prince Niall put his hand on her waist. She could feel the heat of his fingers through the fabric of her gown, and his grip on her other hand was strong and sure. “I don’t think I know the steps to this dance.”
“Me either,” he replied, and then he whirled her across the floor. Niall was much more graceful than his muscular build would suggest. She supposed that was only to be expected from one of the Aos Si, but it still made her heart soar with glee as they spun across the garden. It felt like flying.
She closed her eyes to keep from being dizzied by the scenery racing by, and she could hear her heart pounding in her ears. The music slowed, and they came to a stop. When Rowan opened her eyes, she could see that Niall looked a little awkward as he removed his hands from her.
“Thank you for the dance, Prince Niall,” she said, sketching a curtsey to him. His face relaxed into a grin.
“I enjoyed it, Lady Rowan,” he replied easily. “I was thinking, since you’re supposed to be getting to know us, maybe you’d like to come visit my domain sometime soon?”
“Your domain? You mean you live somewhere else?” she asked, blinking in surprise. She hadn’t yet considered the possibility, but she supposed it made sense.
“Any fae with enough power can create their own domain here,” Niall said. “I have one, and so does my brother. Anybody who’s anybody in the Court is bound to have at least a small one. Still under the Lord’s jurisdiction but powered and bound by one’s own magic.”
“I see,” she said thoughtfully. It was possible that this could be somewhat risky. Rowan knew that her bargain with Lord Kennet had said nothing about keeping her safe. But there was no way she could get to know the Princes enough to make this decision if she did not extend them at least a little trust, and she would make sure that she was not completely defenceless
“In that case, I would be quite interested in going for a short visit, at the very least, if you would not mind giving me a few days to prepare.”
Niall smiled again. “Of course. Have your handmaiden send me a message whenever you’re ready. I’m excited to show you around.”
“I’ll look forward to it,” she said, and she found that she meant it. She couldn’t say that she trusted Prince Niall completely, but he didn’t give her the same feeling of heart-gripping terror that his father did. And she truly was interested to see his domain.
“Until then,” he said, his voice a little softer, and he brought her hand up to his mouth, brushing his lips against her knuckles. Her heart fluttered, and she blinked in surprise before giving herself a sharp internal rebuke. This is no time to swoon over the first pretty man you see.
He walked away, not back to the feasting table, but through the garden. She sighed after him and turned to return to her seat, but then she noticed that Prince Aidan wasn’t there either. For some reason, she felt irritated by this discovery.
“Are you ready to retire, my Lady?” asked Fenella, appearing at her side as if by magic. It probably is magic, Rowan admitted to herself.
“Yes, thank you. This has been a rather exhausting day.”
*****************
Rowan didn’t think she’d ever get to sleep, no matter how tired she was. The bed was huge and soft as a cloud, but it wasn’t hers. Every unfamiliar night noise reminded her that she was now trapped in the Otherworld, the place she’d always been warned against.
Even teachers, like Professor Archwood, who had regular contact with the Aos Si told the students that the world of the fae was dangerous for mortals. She shivered every time she imagined all of the things that could be going on outside her room.
Then, she heard music. It sounded like it was coming from right outside the window, and she was tempted to go look, but the music was sweet and sad and soothing. It seemed to steal inside her mind and carry away all of her anxieties. An image of a starry night sky appeared before her eyes, and before she knew it, she was sound asleep.
The next morning, Rowan decided to speak to Fenella about Prince Niall’s invitation. She wasn’t entirely sure how much she could trust her (former?) familiar, but she decided that she may as well get as much information as possible. The moment she brought it up, Fenella’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Have you chosen Prince Niall already, then?” she said, her eyebrows raised and her hands clasped together.
“No,” Rowan replied, shaking her head. “But he invited me, and it didn’t seem like a bad way to get to know him. You don’t think it will be dangerous, do you?”
Fenella pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I mean, it always pays to keep your guard up here, especially among the nobility, but I don’t think it’ll be any less safe in Prince Niall’s domain. He seems like he’d be too concerned with his honor to try and cheat his brother, no matter how much he wants to be heir.”
Rowan had a strong sense that this was too frank of a statement to be false. Maybe she would have an ally here after all. “So, tell me, Fenella. What do you think of the Princes?”
“Well, I have been gone a while, and I’m not exactly high ranking, but I’ll tell you what I know,” she said, plopping down into a chair across from Rowan and curling her knees up under her. “From what I understand, the Princes are close in age, but they have different mothers.
Prince Aidan’s mother was a high-ranking lady from the Court of Bones, and the rumor is that Lord Kennet truly loved her, but she died when Aidan was very young.”
The Court of Bones. Rowan had heard of it before. All aspiring wizards in Britain were taught the basics of the three Fae Courts. The Court of the Heavens consisted of spirits of the air and celestial bodies, the Court of Waves was ruled by spirits concerned with water, and the Court of Bones was supposed to rule over the land. But it had a sinister reputation for being a place that glorified death and pain. It was hard to know how true that was.
“How did Aidan’s mother die? Surely it’s not that common.”
“It’s true that we Fae don’t age like mortals do, and we’re immune to most illnesses, but we can still be killed. Some people think it was political. There were people in this Court that didn’t like having a woman from the Court of Bones holding so much power. There was even a rumor that she was killed by her own relatives for betraying them.”
“That’s horrible,” Rowan said, shivering. She’d assumed the danger here was mostly of the magical variety, but it seemed this place was also politically cutthroat. What had she gotten herself into? “So, what happened to Aidan after she died?”
“He was raised here until his father remarried, but he was still a child when Niall’s mother, a lady of our court, shipped him off to his mother’s relatives.”
“Back to the Court of Bones? From what I’ve heard, it doesn’t sound like a nurturing place to grow up,” Rowan said, thinking back on how cold Aidan had been. Cold, but never cruel. At least that was the sense she got from their brief interactions.
“I don’t think so either, but Prince Aidan seems to have come out of it all right. He and Prince Niall bicker, but I don’t think there’s any real animosity there. Hopefully, Lord Kennet’s little contest doesn’t change that.”
“So, you think both of the Princes are decent people?” That was how Rowan felt, honestly, but she wasn’t sure she could trust her own senses.
“I don’t think either of them are evil, if that’s what you’re asking,” Fenella said with a shrug. “But I do think you ought to get to know the both of them yourself. What’s normal to me might end up being really shocking for you. And, as you should know, nothing here is what it seems.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Rowan said firmly. “Thank you for your information, Fenella. I just realized,” she said, flashing a bashful smile, “I’ve been calling you by the name I gave to a cat, but you must have your own name.”
The fae girl smiled and shook her head, her white pigtails swaying. “Low-ranking fae like me don’t always have personal names like you mortals do. I like Fenella well enough.” It was such a strange thought to Rowan, to not even have a name to call oneself by, that she found herself frowning. “Anything else you want to ask me, or are you ready for your tour of the palace?”
Rowan shook herself and smiled. “I’ve been wanting to ask you some things about the way magic works here, but we can talk as we walk, if you’re willing.”