There it was again, that all-consuming, jittery excitement. I snatched up my as yet untouched crystal flute and took a deep swig of the bubbling, golden liquid within. Fairy wine. It fizzed over my tongue, an explosion of citrus and sweet notes that tickled the back of my nose.
I swallowed, marvelling at how smoothly it went down. “Wow. I thought prosecco was good!”
Polite, if confused, smiles answered me. Of course. They had no idea what prosecco was. They were ignorant of my life. Of my world. Sometimes, I felt like an alien here, but tonight, I was determined to be a happy alien. Anwir’s guests had swarmed to Nairsgarth, mainly from Tir o Gaeaf, the last free kingdom of fae, but others had come from far flung locations, not kingdoms as such, just little clusters of those who’d been lucky enough to escape the three fallen kingdoms. There were witches too, from the other covens dotted about this magical world. And there were other magical beings I was yet to meet. All had come from far and wide to celebrate the princes’ awakening and glimpse their rightful king and the legendary Human Queen. Would there be vampires in attendance? Somehow, I doubted it, though I could all too easily imagine Jacques lurking in the shadows, watching me with too bright eyes.
I took another swig of wine, and my body lightened delightfully. God, I should have eaten more at lunch. There was going to be a fancy buffet this evening, but I had to make a good impression first. I put my flute down with a too loud clink. I’d drink my share after I’d successfully navigated the dancefloor.
Dancing. God, I was going to dance with Anwir. If my luck was in, we’d be doing more than dancing before the night was out. My last night.
I suddenly wished my hairstyle did a better job of hiding my burning ears, but it was too late to start making changes now.
“Right. Let’s get this dress on, shall we?”
At Anwir’s insistence, I was to arrive fashionably late. It would be his grand reveal. I could see the logic and the appeal of being the centre of everyone’s attention, but now that I stood before the closed double doors that led out into the grounds, where the ball was being held, my belly tumbled and flipped at the thought of all those people, strangers, waiting for me.
How could I live up to their expectations? They’d waited millennia for their Human Queen. She’d been woven into legend, into fairytale, but I was just… me.
Muffled music and laughter drifted to me. I hoped everyone had managed to drink at least three glasses of fairy wine by now, so they might overlook my nerves and shivering limbs. Maybe I should have drunk more wine.
What if I tripped on my hem? What if I forgot my dance steps? What if everyone thought I was a hideous frump next to the stunning fae females I’d seen in Tir o Gaeaf? Maybe Anwir would change his mind about the whole thing, leaving me looking like a fool in a ridiculous dress. Now the moment was upon me, I wished I’d gone for something simpler, and foregone the tiara altogether. I was no queen. I was nobody. What right did I have to be here, with all eyes on me?
My legs itched, the impulse to run growing stronger with every second those doors barred my way. It wasn’t too late. I could change my mind.
If I did, Anwir would never win his kingdom back. I wasn’t going to stay, but maybe this one glimpse of me, of hope, would be enough to bolster his people. Maybe he could carry the lie on without me, after tonight. After this one, small thing.
I took a deep breath, stilling my nerves. I could do this. I’d done worse. This was easy. All I had to do was walk to Anwir, smile and dance.
Dance with Anwir.
The thought made me dizzier than any prosecco ever had. God, those dreams had really gotten under my skin.
Beyond the doors, some sort of trumpet sounded, and the music and laughter died. A voice rang out, and I knew they were announcing me, but I couldn’t hear the words over the blood rushing in my ears. I rolled my shoulders back and pasted a smile on my face, not a moment too soon.
The doors swung open.
At the sight awaiting me, I forgot my nerves. The grounds, pretty enough before, had been transformed. I couldn’t see far beyond the sea of eager faces turned in my direction, but I glimpsed towering flower arrangements, ice sculptures, and intricately carved topiary trees. Fairies drifted overhead, a rainbow of glowing colours. Fairy lights. They reminded me of Christmas. Had humans retained some memory of the magical world we’d once been a part of? How else could we have named our Christmas decorations so accurately?
But there was no time to admire any of it.
The music started up again, accompanied by a roar of applause as I took my first uncertain step over the threshold. I was alone. Completely alone as I made my way down the stone steps. The crowd parted, clearing a path for me, and there, at the far end, was Anwir.
My fixed smile became real.
He looked like a dream. Like something from a fairytale. He wore a perfectly fitted jacket of peridot green, an exact match for his eyes, embroidered with an elaborate pattern of golden thread running down his front, either side of his buttons. His close-fitting trousers disappeared into polished, knee-high boots that gleamed in the fairy light almost as much as his sleek, black hair, tied in a low ponytail.
But his expression was what really caught my attention. The slightly stunned, wide-eyed way he drank in my approach. My smile grew as I basked in his evident admiration, glowing beneath his gaze. This was fake. He had to look at me like that if he wanted all these people to believe they stood a chance against the sorcerer king. I was their salvation. Little did they know, I would be gone come morning, and Anwir was merely acting, the way I was sure he’d had to do every day of his princely life.
Still, fake or not, I couldn’t help but return his smile. I couldn’t help but blush as I stopped before him and he took my hand in his, bending low to kiss it, exactly as he had a week ago in the privacy of my room. Just as they had that night, his lips lingered, heating my blood in anticipation of where else they might touch.
“To King Anwir, and his bright young queen!”
The ball erupted into cheers, whoops and the occasional explosion of flame or light. Petals materialised from thin air, flurrying and twirling around us. I laughed in delight at the sight of such flamboyant outbursts of magic. Anwir turned to me, evidently struggling to contain his smile.
He twirled a lock of pastel hair around his finger. “Exceedingly bright.”
Something in his tone had my guts twisting. “You don’t like it?”
“It is… strange.” His gaze flickered over my hair, the smile melting away. “Pretty, in its own way, but I have never seen anything so… I’m just not sure how suitable it is for a queen.”
My steaming blood cooled, becoming glacial. All my hopeful ideas of where the night might lead cracked and shattered to icy dust. It was a good thing I had no intention of becoming anyone’s queen, let alone his. Who did he think he was, to deem any part of me unsuitable? I’d survived hideous ordeals and overcome impossible odds to save him. All he’d done was get himself cursed, and then run away at every whisper of trouble. Besides, I thought my hair would look amazing with a crown, if I ever gave it the chance. Not that I would. “Maybe, but I’m not like all those other queens, am I?”
“No.” He gave me an indulgent smile, nudging his nose against mine as though he’d missed my venomous tone. A show, that was all it was. A performance for his people. “You are most definitely not like them.”
A few seconds ago, my stupid heart might have stuttered as I stared up into those peridot eyes, but now its pace quickened only with irritation.
“It’s time,” he whispered, his minty breath filling my nose.
“For what?”
A low chuckle rumbled through him. “Have I dazzled you? It is time for the opening dance.”
Oh. That.
I dropped his gaze gladly, looking around at the watching crowd. They smiled back, faces alive with happiness. Hope. The floor had cleared expectantly, leaving Anwir and I alone in a vast, empty circle, and I saw that the grass had been hidden beneath a now petal-strewn marble slab. Where it had come from and how it had gotten here was beyond my imagining. Smiling, expectant faces stared back at me; the witches and fae and other strange creatures I didn’t recognise had crowded around the two of us. Music drifted on the simmering air.
Anwir squeezed my hand. It was all I could do not to snatch it from his grasp. “There’s nothing to worry about if you follow my lead. I’ve done this thousands of times. I’ll guide you.”
