Page 4 of A Crown So Cursed
“She is not the only contender,” I remind him, my voice as cold as the chill of my empty bed.
The High Lord Minister’s cheeks stain crimson. With his lips pursed, he peers down at his shoes, sliding his long-clawed fingers behind his back. “Yes, well… forgive me, Majesty.”
And then, his smile sharpens, a blade honed on centuries of courtly intrigue. “She is not. But the question remains, Lord King, how long will you allow this indecision to fester?”
Again, I lean forward. But words do not come. Instead, I allow the silence to swell between us, laden as it is with the weight of unspoken threats and the fragile construction of alliances that may shatter with one wrong word.
Lord Elric bows—a gesture so minutely executed it borders on insolence. “I am certain I needn’t remind you. It is only my influence that keeps you on the throne.”
My silence stretches, heavy and unyielding. I can feel the Púca’s gaze upon me, its weight almost tangible, but the creature remains silent, an observer in this game of thorns.
“Left to their own devices,” he continues. “There are many who would vote no confidence… and yet…if you might only see your way to choose… A queen will provide a measure of stability for this court. She will give us a reason to unite and perhaps lay to rest the specter of dissension that has too long haunted these halls.” The undercurrent in his voice implies more than a simple plea for unity; it carries a veiled threat. I stare at him, feeling the frost in my veins threaten to crack.
There is nothing I can say that will improve the situation.
I lean back now, imagining our parlay as a game of Queen’s Chess.
A game I am losing.
Or rather, a game I have already lost.
I am only reluctant to move my last piece.
But stalling will only serve me for so long.
“Fret not,” I concede. “I will choose, but not at the expense of the throne’s dignity, or my own. What would you have me do? Pluck a bride from this crowd as I would a piece of ripened fruit?”
He smiles. “If you wait too long, fruit may rot, and there may be consequences for that.”
Again, I lean forward, daring him to speak more plainly. “What consequence?”
Lord Elric’s obsidian eyes narrow, a hint of the tactical mind he is renowned for flashing briefly as he considers my retort. “The continuation of your lineage, of course, the stability of our realm—both for the better if you do as the Court requests?”
More like… demands.
There is no choice to be made here, and I know it.
He pauses for effect. “Unless there are other...factorsat play?”
I sigh, then sit back, disappointed that the jeweled blade at my boot will not find a good use this eve. “I am aware of my duties, Lord Elric. You needn’t remind me.”
“I wouldn’t presume,” he replies. “It is simply that…I believed we had an understanding?”
“I will choose when I am ready,” I say again. “Not a moment before. For now, I amenjoyingthe…” I search for a word to describe the night’s decadence. “Celebration.”
The High Lord Minister’s eyes glint, though he quickly masks his annoyance with a veneer of subservience. “Yes, of course, Majesty. I meant no offense.”
“You will have your way,” I reassure him, and he nods, and satisfied with that, turns on his heels, his pointy ears twitching.
Indeed, those overly long ears are a testament to his age—the points extending well above his golden sheaths. It is a lesser-known fact…Elvin ears elongate as we age, and I know the High Lord Minister resents the small points of mine—a stripling youth who never coveted the crown or the throne, and who cannot even be bothered to choose a mate for the sake of the realm.
But they clamor for a queen, and I have promised to give them one.
“He is right, you know,” says the Púca, piping up now that Lord Elric has gone. “If you allow it, thiscelebrationwill continue in perpetuity,” he advises. “Those dancers will spin for eternity. And regardless, for the sake of this court, you must eventually choose.”
I wave a hand dismissively. “One thing you can be sure of…when the subject of heirs has arisen betwixt immortals, it is only because they are already plotting my death.”
“You cannot know this for certain.”
