Page 205 of The Fae Girl 1

Jelric kept her lessons up, as pointless as they were. With every day she grew more frustrated and more grief-stricken.

All I wanted to do was sweep her up, hold her to me and tell her that it would be okay, that she would be okay, but she wouldn’t let me near her.

She all but locked herself in her rooms. Refusing to come out. Even Jelric had to go to her.

And my brother, he knew he’d fucked up, but he was too proud too stubborn to admit it. As much as he blamed me for ‘putting ideas into her head’ he knew he was the cause of this, the real cause of her pain.

Perhaps it would have helped if he went to see her, if he apologised but he was the High King, he bowed to no one.

And certainly not to a creature he believed was his to own as much as the crown upon his head.

So instead he plagued Jelric, constantly asking about when she would be back to full strength, as if that alone would fix everything.

And I could see it in Jelric’s eyes. His disillusionment too.

When she’d stood before us all, when she thought that we had broken her, that was so far from the truth, because the reality was she’d broken us, each of us, in unimaginable ways.

In the end I took my leave of Montefore. I sought refuge in my home, in my nephew’s company too. And I hoped the space would give Alice some peace. Give her some comfort.

But as I walked the halls, as I walked the gardens of Nind, all I could think of was how I wanted this as our home, how I had dreamt of us being here. Together.

The day I was summoned back was a relief of sorts. Despite myself, my heart leapt at the thought of seeing her, at the thought of knowing she was just beyond that bookcase.

But as I rode into the stable yard Jelric was there, waiting with a look that said it all.

“What’s happened?” I asked. “Is she hurt?”

He frowned before shaking his head. “No. Alice is unchanged.”

I sighed, both relieved and disappointed, because I wanted to hear that she was better. “Then what is it?”

“The Sharns have invaded the Ferak Islands.”

“What?” The Sharns were our closest allies. Why would they choose to attack us?

“Your brother has already called all the banners. And called his War Council.”

“When do we leave?”

“We’re making preparations.” He said. Like it wasn’t meant to be me doing that. Like I wasn’t in charge of his army.

“Fine.” I replied. “Where is he?”

“In the council rooms.”

I went to walk away and paused. She wouldn’t want to see me. I could feel already through our bond that nothing had changed. That the few weeks absence had made no difference.

“How is she?” I asked.

He met my eyes for the first time since I’d arrived. “How you would expect.” He said coldly.

I hung my head, turned, and walked away.

My head telling me she needed more time and my heart screaming at me to go see her already, to get on my gods damned knees and refuse to leave until she gave in.

Until she forgave me.

War. We were at war.

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