Page 3 of Straw and Gold
But the woman I thought of as my sister was not fae like us. Seraphine was human. She would live ahumanlifespan.
But not if I could help it.
I pulled back from her arms, taking a deep breath. “I’m going to miss you so, so much.”
She smoothed her thumbs over my cheeks, holding onto my face. “I’ll miss you too, my sweet girl.” She sniffed, then her mouth pursed into a serious line. “Don’t let your husband give you shit, and don’t lose sight of who you are and were born to be. You will be queen, and with that comes a responsibility to your people. Bring them your many talents and they will love you.”
I nodded. “I’ll try.”
“No, you will succeed,” she commanded. “I believe you can do anything, Morella, Ravenfae Princess of the Brackish Wood.”
I fell into her arms again, overwhelmed with her endless love and the hope she continued to give me over the last thirteen years of my life.
First, I’d get my husband to help me transform Seraphine into faekind.
Then,together, he and I would bring more prosperity to our kingdom and live happily ever after.
I askedmy brother many questions on the carriage ride through Moonstone Wood. As always, Korven accommodated my curiosity about the curses woven for the people of Revelry—the same curses I would never have to deliver. He spoke of various ones with some sounding dreadful, others more irritating than anything.
“And the crew won’t suspect the captain’s curse?” I asked. “Wouldn’t it be obvious?”
“I doubt it,” he answered, watching the grassy fields out the window. “Do you really think pirates would notice if their captain’s heart was missing from his chest?”
“But how will he live? That’s a pretty important part of his body.”
Korven laughed, shrugging. “How did Seraphine live in a spirit form until her curse was broken?”
I sighed and watched the Citrine Cliffs draw closer. “I’ll miss her so much.” I turned to him, smiling. “I’ll miss all of you.”
My brother tensed, whispering, “We can turn around, Morella.”
“What?”
“We can still get out of this contract. You know the escape clause. We can turn this carriage around and send word to the king.”
I frowned, about to speak, but Korven stopped me, taking my hands. “You signed that marriage contract when you were fifteen years old. There’s no shame, or guilt, or anything fucking wrong with making a different choice at twenty-eight. All you have todo is write to him. Explain you’ve changed your mind and you will be a free woman.”
“I don’t want to be a free woman.”
“You made the choice when you were a child! You’ve never even met the man!”
“And how long had you known Seraphine before you slipped a ring on her finger, hmm?”
He shook his head. “That’s—that’s different.”
“Why? Because you knew her when you were ten?” He remained silent and I continued. “Look, brother, I hear you. But I want this. I can do good things as queen and I amsureI can love my husband.”
“What if he’s covered in boils?”
“Then I’ll write to Seraphine for a salve.”
He laughed, pulling me to his seat and tucking me in under his arm.
I rested my head on his shoulder and pulled a handful of thistle nuts from my pocket, munching on each one and savoring the saltiness. “Do you think I can be a good queen?” I asked.
He kissed the top of my head, taking one of the nuts I offered him. “I think you’ll be the best queen. And we will miss you, too. Dearly.”
We arrivedat the town of Cenmar just as the sun kissed the horizon. Korven secured our room at an inn calledThe Miller’s Daughter, planning to stay the night before he would fly home in the morning.
