THE FINAL
The trip back to the Underworld was much less frightening this time. For one thing, Maeve no longer had to worry about her father lurking around every corner, and for another, the cave seemed to recognize their purpose. There was no terrifying fall or watery plunge into the darkness. She and Idris simply walked into the cave with the Cauldron, and suddenly, they were back in the chamber with the fire pit and empty throne. They set the Cauldron of Rebirth back on its pedestal and Maeve spoke into the misty gloom.
“As the new Lady of the Court of Bones, I apologize for the actions of my ancestors. Now that the Cauldron is returned to its rightful place, I hope you will see fit to remove the curse from me and my people.” The fire sprang to crackling life, and as it did so, an old woman in a black cloak appeared next to the Cauldron, which was now filled with eerie glowing water that moved like it was alive.
“For your service, I would be glad to remove the curse from your bloodline,” the Cailleach said in a crackling, papery voice. “But you removed your own curse yourself. Or at least, you have transformed it into a boon.”
“What?” Maeve said, not sure what she could be talking about, but then she remembered what had happened when she had stepped in front of Idris to protect him from her father. “You mean the wolf? That came from the curse?”
The old woman smiled, quite at odds with her terrifying reputation. “That form is yours now. It will come at your call whenever you have need, and you will pass it to your children. For the key to the curse was to be loved by someone so much that they would die for you. Your beloved nearly did twice. I suspect he’s not a terribly intelligent man,” she said with a wheezing cackle. Idris scowled. “But he does love you,” she added. “As I'm sure you've realized, a love like that is worth more than any gift I could give you.”
Maeve smiled at Idris, taking his hand, and his cheeks went a little pink. “So the rest of my family will be free now, as well?”
“Indeed, though they have not earned the wolf as you have. One other gift I would offer you and your mate, a look into the waters of my cauldron, wherein the future is revealed.” Maeve swallowed, remembering the mists from the fire, and looked over at Idris. Understanding passed between them, and she let out a relieved breath.
“No, thank you. I don’t think we want to know the future,” she said. “It makes things too complicated.” And frightening, she added in her mind.
“Very well,” the Cailleach said amicably. “You’d best be on your way. You both have a lot of work to do.” They walked away hand in hand and the crone gave a cheery laugh. “The throne of the king will soon return. I wonder if they will have a part to play.”
**********************************
In the few short weeks since Lord Cian’s death, there were already many changes within the Court of Bones. For one thing, the weather had been turned back to normal. It was still a place that tended to rain and fog, but of a natural sort, and some days, the sky was bright and clear. The sun shone on the day of the coronation feast of the new Lord and Lady, as if the sky itself was celebrating, and the fields outside the castle were already beginning to grow grass again. The castle was still a dreary, forbidding place, but now banners flapped in the breeze and a few blooming apple trees lined the road up to the front gate. Both visitors and natives alike marveled over the sudden but for the most part, welcome changes.
The Court of Bones, according to its new rulers, was supposed to be a celebration of the land and mortality, not a grim and terrible place, for death was a natural thing, not something to be feared. Most of the remaining courtiers, though nervous, were hopeful that the court was headed back to its former glory, and spoke of the relative youth of their new Lord and Lady as perhaps a good thing. The extended family of the former Lord were, for the most part, quick to come out in support of his daughter and her husband, as were the Lord and Lady of the Heavens, for obvious reasons, and the Lady of Waves. All in all, despite a few malcontents, the atmosphere was hopeful.
The coronation ceremony was quick and not terribly formal, the crowns placed on the heads of the new Lord and Lady by the former heir, Prince Conall. Those that were disposed to notice such things pointed out that, though his face was now marred by burns he openly admitted were caused by his own father, he was often seen to smile, and he left the celebration early on the arm of a petite woman who may or may not have had cat ears. The feast was cheerful and varied, full of strange delicacies from the Court of the Heavens, known as ‘real food’, and the music and dancing lasted late into the night. Lady Maeve and Lord Idris danced often and even contributed to the music with their own talents. Many members of the court found tears springing to their eyes during their duet on the cello and flute. There were no assassinations or duels, and reportedly a good time was had by all, for the first time in centuries.
It was nearer to morning than to night when Idris and Maeve got back to their own room. It had taken some work to transform her father’s dreary gothic suite into a place they could both feel comfortable, but with wide windows and a balcony overlooking one of the new gardens, it was starting to feel like home. Idris flopped sideways onto their bed with a sigh, looking as limp and heavy as Maeve felt. She slipped out of her overdress and removed her jewelry before lying down next to him, and he turned to embrace her.
“How does it feel to officially be the Lady of the whole court?” he asked, brushing a lock of hair from her cheek. She smiled.
“Not much different than it did last week,” she said. The coronation ceremony was more of a formality than anything. Their succession had been confirmed by the other courts the day after Cian had died, and they had immediately set to work arranging things to their liking and trying to restore the court to some state of working order. “I was gratified that no one tried to murder us.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed at his familiar, cool scent. They had so much work to do, but with him at her side, she felt it was possible.
“Maybe a few of the old guards are displeased at their loss of influence, but I think most of the people are relieved. You’ve given them hope, something they haven’t had in a long time,” he said with evident pride. Maeve felt her cheeks reddening.
“I think you have just as much to do with that as me. I got a lot of compliments on you. Half the single ladies at court wanted to know whether you had a brother. They were sad to learn that he’s only ten.” Not that she would've wished most of those ladies on anyone. Of course, it wasn't entirely their fault. The Court of Bones had not been a nurturing place to grow up in for many, many, years. They would change that. They had to, for their own children. Though they planned to wait a few more years, there was no question in either of their minds that they wanted a large family, and Maeve thought a bunch of children running around might be just what the court needed.
Idris laughed. “It was you and your brother who defeated your father, and that makes you their heroes. I’m just the heroine’s handsome husband.”
“You are pretty handsome,” she said, leaning in for a quick kiss. “But that’s not why I love you. I couldn’t do this without you.” He pulled her closer until their bodies were pressed together, their legs entwined. “I want to fill the court with gardens. To make it bloom again, as it was meant to,” she said, with a satisfied smile. She had finally realized where her true passion lay when she had seen what remained of the Lady’s garden, and now she had the whole court to coax back to life.
“I think that's a worthy goal,” he said, his fingers idly stroking her hair. “And we have a lot of other rebuilding to do. This castle is ridiculous, for one thing, and if we’re going to make this place into a functioning court, people are going to need places to live.”
“So that's what you're going to do? Build things?” she asked with gentle curiosity.
“I suppose so,” he said, smiling. “I have to do some research first. We may not have enough people here for a city yet, but I want to make sure everything is planned properly for the future.” It seemed Lady Rowan had been right. Idris had only needed the right sort of inspiration to find something he really wanted to do. They lay together in silence for several minutes, each contemplating the busy future ahead. Maeve might have almost started to doze, dreaming of orchards and roses. “You don’t regret it, do you? Marrying me?” Idris asked suddenly, startling her back to awareness, and she looked into his eyes, surprised that he would even ask the question.
“Of course not, Idris. I love you. Why would I regret being with you?”
He looked away. “It was kind of last minute. And most of the Aos Si don’t get married. It’s supposed to be silly to try to tie yourself to one person for such a long life…”
She rose up on her elbow to look at him, using her other hand to caress his cheek. “We can never know what’s going to happen in the future, but right now, I can’t imagine wanting to be with anyone other than you.” She kissed him again, deeply and thoroughly, trying to pour all of her emotions into this one meeting of lips. His hands slid down her back, pulling at her shift to gain access to her skin. Maeve would’ve thought she was much too exhausted to be interested in that sort of thing today, but when his tongue slipped between her parted lips, she moaned and started undoing the myriad of buttons that came between him and her.
After several seconds, Idris growled impatiently, and a touch of magic made their clothing disappear. She laughed as his hand moved appreciatively over her hips. “You need to teach me that one sometime.”
“Mmmhmm. Later,” he said roughly, kissing her neck and then marking it with his teeth. Maeve gasped, and she felt his length pressing into her hip. She writhed against him, and he groaned, his fingers flexing on her hips before moving upward to caress her breasts as she sat up, shivering. “You are the most beautiful of women,” he said, his eyes wide with fervent ardor. Her fingers traced down her chest as she rose up on her knees before sliding down onto him. They both let out identical moans of bliss as they joined together, and she braced her hands on his shoulders as she started to move, rolling her hips against him in a slow tidal rhythm. He wanted to go faster, surging up to meet her on every downward stroke. She would give in, eventually, but she liked to tease him sometimes, to draw out the pleasure, and so she went even slower, drawing out every motion until he groaned with need and rolled her onto her back. She chuckled low in her throat as he sheathed himself inside her again.
They rocked into each other at a fierce tempo now, and it didn’t take long for her to feel the humming tension building in her core. She let out a low keening moan and his lips met hers, swallowing the sound, and she slid her fingers into his hair, scraping her nails over his scalp. Now he was the one moaning into her mouth, his hips driving into her again. Her back arched as she felt herself balanced on the brink of ecstasy. He thrusted into her deeply, his groan vibrating in his chest, and they crested the peak together, clutching at each other almost desperately as bliss pulsed through them. Afterwards, they lay together in a sweaty tangle of limbs until their breathing slowed. Eventually, they recovered enough to crawl back up to the pillows and pull the blankets over themselves.
Maeve could see the gray light of the pre-dawn hours peeping through the curtains. Luckily, everyone would probably be sleeping in today, and they had nothing scheduled until the evening.
Idris pulled her against his chest and she nestled close as he kissed her hair. “I really do love you,” he said in a sleepy whisper.
“Love you too,” she murmured against his chest.
***********************
Five months later, a bell tolled in the Court of the Heavens on what should have been a joyous occasion. The Lord and Lady had just welcomed their fourth child, a healthy daughter. But everyone was in mourning; the skies were gray, and the faces of the servants and the courtiers were downtrodden. A few months earlier, a visitor had come to the court, a mortal from a family that had long been allied with the Aos Si. He had come to remind the Lord and Lady of a treaty that had been signed when Lord Aidan had still been a child. He hadn't remembered, no one had.
Now, Aidan and Rowan both wept as they kissed their newborn daughter. She would be safe and loved, but she would not be theirs, not really. That was the agreement. The fourth child was promised to be raised among mortals, unaware of her heritage until she came of age, an ambassador bringing the magic and blood of the Aos Si into the mortal realm. There was a certain sense of reciprocity to it, Aidan thought as he finally handed his child over to the man who would raise her. In a way, he had stolen Rowan away from her father, and now he would surrender his own daughter. Not that it was any comfort, to him, or to the rest of the family who had been eagerly awaiting her arrival.
“Will you name her?” the man asked. His name was Gordon Blythe, and he was, to all appearances, an almost painfully normal sort of person. At least, Aidan thought, he had a good heart. They had investigated him as thoroughly as possible in the months since discovering the existence of the treaty. The Lord of the Heavens looked to his wife. As painful as it was for him, he knew this was much more agonizing for her. He had not been the one to carry the child, to feel her growing inside his body, all the while knowing they could not raise her. It was only right that she be the one to bestow a name.
Rowan nodded, dashing her tears away with the back of her hand. “Seren is her name,” she said, brushing her fingers of her baby’s silken cheek. It meant star, a legacy of her birthright. Even at a few hours old it was clear she would take after Aidan, dark haired, and dark eyed.
“We would like to give her a blessing,” Aidan said. They had worked for months to perfect this spell, the only gift they could give their daughter before sending her out into the world. It had been hard to choose just one thing, but crafting a spell to alter one’s fate, especially for an Aos Si was difficult as it was. They had only the power for one blessing, and they chose the things that meant the most to them.
“Of course,” Gordon said. The Lord and Lady placed their joined hands on the infant’s brow. A web of magic encircled the baby before sinking into her skin and disappearing. “What was it, if you don't mind my asking?”
Rowan spoke, her voice cracking. It had taken a lot of power; it was not a spell to be undertaken lightly. She only hoped that it would lead her daughter to happiness rather than ruin. “We blessed her with the fate of true love, that she would find the one person she was meant to be with. If she can have the same happiness that we have found, then we will have given her the greatest gift we can give.”
He left soon after, back to the mortal world, and Lord Aidan watched him go through a scrying glass until he was sure they were safe in the mortal world. Then he went back to his wife, lying next to her in the bed and gathering her in his arms. There was nothing more he could do to comfort her. The fact that they had three other children, that they would likely have many more, would not erase the loss of one that had been so wanted.
It was days before either of them felt able to return to their duties, but finally, Aidan forced himself to go to the council chamber and hear reports. Nothing much caught his attention, until Conall spoke. The former Prince of Bones had proved to be an able information gatherer, though he was not as useful in the field as his lover, he had a more cunning and strategic mind than Fenella, which was saying something. Aidan was often glad that he was now on their side. Despite his past, he had little doubts to Conall’s loyalty.
“I've heard something from the Court of Waves that concerns me,” he said, and Aidan looked up, the tone of Conall’s voice penetrating the gray of his thoughts. “Your brother Niall has been sighted there. His motives are unknown, but he's been sighted in the company of one of Aine’s half-mortal daughters. Rumors have been swirling that she intends to name the girl as her heir.”
Aidan sighed. He had so hoped they would have a small break from political intrigue now that the situation in the Court of Bones was settled. Idris and Maeve were doing a fine job as Lord and Lady, considering the mess that they had inherited, and if they were not in a hurry to produce an heir of their own, he could hardly blame them. They were still young. But Aine was another matter entirely. Her realms had been stable for centuries because she was such an able ruler, but if she was thinking of retiring… “There’s been no word from Prince Meirion?”
“None,” Conall said, raising his eyebrows. “Most people assume he died in the mortal realm a long time ago.”
“He isn’t dead,” Aidan said firmly. “At least, I don't believe so. It's been over a hundred years now since I last saw him, but perhaps if we could get word…” He shook his head. “Just keep an eye on things for now, and keep me informed.”
“Of course.”
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Message From The Author:
This book is part of the “Platinum Dragons” series. All the books in the series are listed below and can be read standalone too!
Collect them all!
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