Page 5 of Straw and Gold
“Will you bargain with her?” he questioned softly.
“I don’t know.”
“You might as well.”
“What if there’s something wrong with her?” I shook my head in exasperation. “What princess would agree to this?”
He shrugged. “In her letters, she seemed sane.”
I turned on him. “You read them?”
“One or two over the years.”
“I told you to burn them.”
“I did burn them…eventually.”
“You’re a bastard.”
He laughed, grabbing my shoulder. “And you were a fool to get rid of them so easily. There might have been all kinds of scandalous secrets in those letters.”
He moved to leave, but I stood in his way. “What did the letters say?”
“Oh,” he drawled, “this and that. She likes to spin.”
“Spin?”
He nodded, picking at his teeth. “On a spinning wheel. She claims to be very good at it.”
I huffed. I’d heard as much from her mother when drafting the contract. “What else?”
“I really don’t remember. This was years ago.”
“If she’s not insane, what else is wrong with her?”
Pausing a moment, he gasped, snapping his fingers. “What if she’s ugly?”
I gave him a skeptical look.
“Like really,reallyugly. Absolutely hideous. Think about it…a Ravenfae Princess is basically a bird, correct?”
“Raven,” I amended.
“Right, and she probably has a beaked nose and beady black eyes. In fact,” he continued, standing tall and laughing, “I’ll bet you fifty marks she has the feet of a crow!”
“Raven,” I rebuked.
“Whatever. Point is, you and I have never actually seen a Ravenfae. Fuck, this entire kingdom and over half of Revelry hasn’t—your contract negotiations with the Ravenfae Goddess was done by letters, even. So, what if she’s half a bird and then here comes along a contract of marriage to a far-distant king?” He tsked and shook his head. “Sounds like the best offer she’s going to get.”
I nodded slowly. “Maybe you’re right.”
“Two hundred marks says you’ll find her unattractive.”
“I don’t want your coin if you’re wrong.”
“I’m sure I’m not. I do want your coin, though, if I’m right.”
“Fine,” I said in exasperation. “Just go await the carriage and bring her to the throne room when she’s ready so we can get this ceremony over with and get to the drinking.”
