Page 26 of The Iron Fae
Watching the servants slowly make their way back into the kitchen, I stand. A lazy groan leaves me as I push against my back.
“Mother makes appointments with each of us regularly. It’s our allotted time with her. At this age it’s mainly to make sure we are upholding our duties and protecting our image. When we were younger it was chit-chat while she helped teach us to do simple magic or something else of that nature. Once, she taught me to embroider.” Violet sticks her tongue out. “What a wasted talent I now have.”
“If only we could all be so lucky. She tried to teach me to play the piano.” Kai finally lifts his head.
“Tried?” I offer. I grab my plate and move to the seat I’d originally occupied. Most of my meal was uneaten. It’s hard to have enough oomph to cut your food when you’re sitting like a dummy in a ventriloquist’s lap.
“Oh, I know how to play. But my fingers are a bit clumsy.” Kai wiggles his ringed fingers before picking up his fork to eat his meal too.
I shove a piece of chicken into my mouth and try not to think about his fingers on my bare skin. Both Rowan and Violet push their empty plates away. They had plenty of opportunity to finish in the lingering silence their parents offered.
“I thought you told me she liked humans.”
“Seems she wasn’t in a particularly good mood today.” Violet rolls her eyes. “It’s hit or miss with her.
“You two played your part well.” Rowan smirks. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d assume that chemistry was real.”
“You are just jealous,” Kai says between bites. “You wish Briar could be a pretty object on your lap.”
Rowan chuckles. “You’re not wrong. Nothing you said there was a lie.”
“Just don’t get your hopes up, brother.” Violet picks at her teeth.
“I think it’s too late for that,” Kai interjects before Rowan can speak. They exchange bickersome expressions.
The room without the king and queen feels less stuffy. My shoulders still hurt from the constant tension they had held during the meal. As I’m finishing my plate, I find myself looking absently at the king’s plate, still plenty full.
It’s clear who the powerhouse is in this kingdom. Queen Avaleen has everyone pinched and until I get my powers and claim my crown, I’ll be just another thing for her to crush under her shining, pointed-toed heels.
I think this realm could use a taste of a queen that isn’t wicked.
Not that I’m saying that Avaleen is comparable to Cordelia... because like… she isn’t. Avaleen wasn’t a ruthless madwoman for one.
But the standards of this realm need reform.
And I’m the right woman for the job.
Vote Briar Anders.
Seven
Slippery Slope
The uncomfortable silencefrom dinner follows Kai and I down the halls. While every passing hall resembles both the one before and the one after it, thanks to Rowan’s quick guided tour, I now have some sense of where I’m going.
Seeing as my dress doesn’t have pockets, the greatest downfall and most certainly an engineered feat of a misogynistic culture, I find my hands feeling lost. I try to let my arms swing at my sides but it feels too forced for the pace Kai has set next to me. Yet, if I clasp my hands in front of me not only do I become some innocent character from the eighteen-hundreds, but my interlaced fingers bounce against my stomach, now bloated from eating. There is clearly no winning with Fae fashion.
Kai’s hands, I note, are clasped behind his back. He whistles softly as he escorts me to my room. Oblivious to my nervous state.
“Kai?” I finally break the quiet.
In front of us, two servants pull the curtains of the balcony closed. The sun sets without the vivid pinks and oranges as if it too is exhausted by today.
“Yes?” He lifts a brow, his whistle dead on his lips.
“Your mother is awful.”
His chin drops to the floor as he stifles his laugh. “And?”
