Page 123 of Faeling
“I swear to you, before I do any dying, I will live a long, happy life for you.” He’d accept nothing less than decades with his fierce faeling. He meant to see this kingdom they stood at the creation of flourish. When it was time to leave it all behind for the afterworld, he’d do so old, fat, and happy. With her at his side.
She said nothing to that, but her sobs did seem to be reaching their end. He couldn’t help the inkling he had that, as much as her parents and her vision were on her mind, so too was whatever secret scheme she kept from him. It was clear that her own fears and burdens had sent her fleeing out into the night. So much weighed on her mind…yet she still wouldn’t tell him.
His frustration could wait, though. As could her answers. He’d waited this long for them; he could wait a little longer yet.
Tonight, he would hold her. Tonight, he would gain a little more of her trust.
Until he had her full trust, Vallek would shelter her from the cold and dry her tears. It was a mate’s due, after all, to have the bad days with the good. Being king meant not only having a beautiful queen on his arm but carrying his queen when she needed succor.
“Come inside, out of the cold,” he gently pressed.
She offered only a single nod, but Vallek took his chance.Sweeping her up off the cold stones, he held her high on his chest and turned to head back into the citadel.
Ravenna drew her arms around his neck, her face burying in the crook of his neck.
That’s it, sprite. I have you.
He swiftly carried her inside, out of the wind, and back to the quiet safety of their bed. The watchful eyes of the guards followed them, their heads bowing to their king and queen as he and Ravenna passed.
It was a relief to enclose her away with him in their quarters. Placing her in the bed, he climbed in right behind her, throwing the blankets over them, even their heads.
In the warm cocoon, she curled herself into his front, her head tucked under his chin.
Vallek forwent words, keeping to a soft, steady purr. Arms secured around his mate again, he would keep watch over her tonight. No more visions, no more tears—he would see to that.
28
Sleep eluded Vallek that night and for much of the three nights afterwards. He stayed awake into the longest, darkest hours, watching over his sleeping mate to ensure that should a nightmare find her again, he was there to banish it.
It was a small price to pay for the wellbeing of his queen, although he wasn’t convinced it actually helped her much. His frustration mounted alongside his exhaustion as the days passed, but he wasn’t to be defeated.
Although he was adamant she take time to rest and get her mind straight, Ravenna refused. She claimed she liked the distraction, and Vallek was loath to deny her. She was patient through the final touches and installation of her own throne, a beautifully crafted piece that announced to all that Balmirra had the most skilled carpenters. As big as his, it’d been stained almost black to hide that the arms and seat were masterfully angled to ensure she wasn’t dwarfed by the chair.
A cushion gave her a little more height and some comfort, which she needed when she insisted on attending the seasonalpetitions. Most legal matters were handled by Balmirra’s robust network of local courts, magistrates, and justiciars, but since the time of the ancestors, any citizen of the city could bring their matter before the chieftain. Vallek kept this honored tradition, and at the beginning of each new season, he heard those petitions and grievances that had risen through the system.
It always proved to be a long day, one that required patience and stamina. Matters that had reached all the way to him were often prickly, and his judgement was final. To his immense pride, Ravenna sat regally in her new throne, listening carefully and offering thoughtful advice. Honestly, it pleased him to find she could be as ruthless, if not more so than him when it came to these petitions, for Vallek didn’t suffer fools.
These traditions were important for both the chieftain and the people, and they had to be taken seriously.
He wasn’t the only one who threw off all his finery at the end of that day. Ravenna hastily unhooked her many earrings and lifted the coronet from her head before using her mother’s grimoire to mix a simple remedy for headaches. She shared with Vallek, and the two of them sat in exhausted, companionable silence for the rest of that evening.
He’d hoped, with how tired she was and how distracted, that her visions would cease. But as they turned down the blankets to get into bed, her eyes went distant, her shoulders stiff. When she returned to him, her lips had thinned and she wouldn’t meet his gaze.
He tried every trick he knew to help her rest. He purred for hours to soothe her, rubbed her shoulders and legs, stayed up late whispering across pillows with her, suggested sleeping draughts and reading and long bouts oftalfon, licked and fingered and thrust inside her cunt until she was exhausted of pleasure, but nothing seemed to help in the end.
“There’s just much on my mind, is all,” she told him one morning, her smile achingly sad. “I’m sure I just have to get used to it.”
It was true that taking on the burdens of a kingdom came lightly only to those who didn’t care about the people and proper management, and despite how aloof or sarcastic Ravenna could be, no one could accuse her of not caring. If anything, she cared too much.
Gathering her up in his arms, he bent to kiss her cheek. “You have a soft heart, love.”
“I absolutely don’t,” she scoffed.
“You do. You’re soft and generous and kind and ever so adorable.”
“How dare you?” she laughed. “I’m dangerous. Ruthless. Not to be trifled with!”
“That, too.”
