Page 87 of The Nightmare Queen

His face is stoic as he moves us through the fray. "We’re playing a part, remember? Have to make it convincing.”

Things returned to normal quickly enough after Rorin and I stopped making such a spectacle of ourselves. The celebration melting away into all of its expected finery and debauchery. Performers, court jesters, and enough food to probably feed both the war fronts for weeks. The look on his face is all I need to know that seeing all of this wealth being flaunted about haunts him.

I finally spot our companions huddled tightly in a booth with one another. My men opted to skip the masks it would seem and because of that Millicent looks like an absurd decoration next to them. Bennett too, with his pale green outfit and mask of vines. He and Axel are laughing about something while Millicent’s placed herself on Orem’s knee. Mousy, Armond, and Ezra are the only three missing from the group, but I can’t say I’m surprised. My stomach dips at the thought of the latter, the taste of him still sour on my tongue threatens to turn it.

Rorin grabs two drinks from a server, passing me one of them. He smirks before tipping the glass to his lips, swallowing the shimmering orange drink. I do the same and grimace. “It looks good on you.” He notes gesturing a hand up and down the length of me. “The dress.”

“Did you expect me to look anything but good? Ever?”

He shakes his head laughing, “no, of course not.”

I make the same gesture at his clothes that he did to mine. “You don’t look…awful.”

His brow raises. “Mm. It’s the mask, isn’t it?”

“It helps.” I say. His face breaks into a wide grin and I have to hide my own behind the lip of my glass.

While watching the crowd we both notice a guard flagging down Rorin. The guard’s head jerks towards where an anxious looking Mousy waits. “Great. I’m sorry, Eveera. It would appear there’s Will needs help handling.”

“I’ll come with.” I state.

His eyes are apologetic. “Stay. I'm sure it’s nothing but petty noble issues. Go and sit with the rest of our group, try and have fun with Millicent, I promise I'll be back quickly." I nod, setting my drink down on passing server's tray.

“I can keep her company, prince.” We both turn our heads at the intrusion of Baelor’s voice which has Rorin quickly shooting an arm out to push me behind him.

“I’ll handle him.”I say through the seal. Rorin looks over his shoulder his mouth open to object, but the guard from the doorway has no walked over here, urging Rorin to follow him. He looks guiltily between myself and the guard.

He turns around and pulls me into his chest, letting a kiss settle on the top of my hair.“Playing a part, remember?”He reminds as thetenderness of the kiss spreads through me. He reluctantly lets me go, and when he does a cold hand quickly replaces his touch, wrapping around my wrist, directly over the rune.

“A dance shall we, Your Highness?”

“Sure. I’ll just need to melt my skin off where you touched it later.”I say off handedly to Rorin.

Baelor leads me out onto the floor, we stand uncomfortably close as he spins me into the steps of a waltz. “You certainlywerea surprise for me to happen upon. In Vellar of all places.”

I give him a strained smile, my teeth clenching tight. “You’re right. I’m typically happened upon underneath beds or in closets.”

His eyes light, “ahh yes. The Queen of Nightmares. How could I forget? Your magic islegendary.” The serpents on my back slither in response to the way he references my Wield.

“I imagine all magic is quite fascinating for you. Considering you have none of your own. Though I guess you’ve acquired quite the variety of Wielders with your occupation of Evendell. Nature magic is a unique force, to be sure. You control nature, you control the battle fields, the crops, the water supply. Funny how that is.” Baelor’s fingers twitch against me in irritation, but his smile remains on his lips. It dawned on me after fighting them in Bair and after see the almost desolate farms fields. Yes, armies drain resources but the rate at which they were depleting? It wasn’t adding up - not for petty skirmishes. But if nature Wielders were tainting the land…the pieces of the puzzle fell together much quicker with that explanation. “You may think you have them here, with your peace treaties, and your niceties. But you do not fool me, King Baelor. My power isn’t meant to be used only on the offensive. And I am not afraid of Wielding. You don’t become the boogeyman without a certain repertoire.”

His lips turn down in a frown. Deep lines shadowing his already gaunt and sickly pallor. “Power is not just in the ley lines, Queen Eveera. It is in the devotion of men too. You’d do well to remember that.”

“It’s a good thing I have both then, isn’t it?” I warn as the music dies down the two of us separating from one another with a curt bow.

After Baelor slipped back into whatever hell hole he came from I decided to take up space in a shadowed balcony and wait for Rorin to come back. The celebration has gone on in all its grandeur in the meantime and my higher vantage point has given me the ability to overlook the whole of it. Down below me I can see everything and everyone. I lean forward on the railing watching the people come and go, my men are still in the same booth minus Millicent and Bennett. She’s off talking with a few other ladies and Bennett must have gone and joined with Rorin and Mousy.

In the far right corner I see the bright red hair of Pruella, she’s surrounded awkwardly by her guards. As if she sensed my stare, the young princess looks up into my corner, our eyes meeting from across the room. I narrow mine at her, debating on whether it would be easy to enter her mind and figure her out. It would be stupid of me to try to Wield on her in such a public setting. Especially when the people in this room save for two or three are not favored to me and by some sick twist of fate and ideals, I have a feeling they would be much quicker to defend her than defend me.

My focus drifts away from the princess and I’s staring contest when I feel the all too familiar presence of him at my back. How he got up here so quickly, or how he found me draped in shadowsis a wonder to me.

I grip the edge of the balcony breaking eye contact with her and staring down at all those dancing, at the king and queen staring over the court, the all too casual behavior with Baelor amongst them. Behaving like they’re old friends or comrades.

His voice is low. “You’re hiding.” With how often he leans in to talk to me, or how frequent I feel his warm breath on my skin, I wouldn’t expect to have goosebumps rise on my flesh at it every time.

Whoooosh.My breath leaves me in one long exhale, I can feel his gaze drop to where my chest is rising and falling. I noticed awhile ago that he tends to count the motion though he hasn’t deigned to give me an explanation. Not that I’ve asked however.

“I’m not hiding. I was bored.”

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