A door slams.
“Can someone please enlighten me as to why you're having a shouting match within my chambers?”
At the sound of that cold, authoritative voice, we all turn to face the door that leads to the rest of my mother's rooms, watching in silence as Adelphia ambles towards us, each click of her heels more foreboding than the last. Garbed in the same gown and jewels she wore earlier in the day, her eyes are as arctic as the column of ice she stops beside, fixated on the thorns alone.
Her aquamarine and starlight jewels brighten as she raises a glittering teal hand. The ice melts and returns to her in a stream, vanishing into her palm as the thorns tumble to the ground.
“Poisoned thorns, Kiora?” she asks in a lethal tone with which I’m all too familiar. “You wish to poison my daughter?”
Kiora’s jewels illuminate and the dripping thorns disintegrate with a wave of her hand. “Of course not,” she says with a brittle smile. “I would never do such a thing to my dear sister.”
Aurora snorts and Adelphia gives her a warning look that she quickly heeds, returning quietly to her seat.
“What is the meaning of this?” Adelphia asks, her frigid gaze landing on each of us in turn.
Drawing her shoulders back, Kiora lifts a haughty chin. “Your son,” she sneers at me, “has arrested my brother on false charges.”
My mother’s pale green eyes snap to mine, narrowing minutely before falling to my nose, unable to hold my gaze for long. Fortunately for me, that hateful act lost its sting long ago.
“Darius,” Adelphia says, warning laced in her tone.
Kiora’s lips twitch into a smug smirk, I’m sure recalling the many instances over the years that Adelphia sided with her family over me. But in her blind arrogance, she failed to realize that in this instance, Jareth performed the one act Adelphia will never condone.
“I have ample evidence that Jareth has assaulted females and women on several different occasions,” I say, before adding, “among a litany of other crimes.”
Adelphia’s back stiffens as her gaze snaps to mine, and my stomach roils at the haunted look in her eyes. “Did he rape any of them?” she asks, a slight quiver to her tone.
I swallow thickly and shake my head. “None that has been reported, but I wouldn't be surprised if something eventually came to light.”
Shutting her eyes, she exhales an audible breath through her nostrils, staying that way for several moments until her eyes suddenly snap open. Her features harden to stone as she slowly pivots to face Kiora.
“You find this behavior to be acceptable? Because he is your brother, he may do as he wishes without consequence?” Adelphia questions sharply. “How would you like it if a male touched you without permission?”
Kiora stares blankly, her lack of empathy towards her brother's victims more than apparent from her bland expression. “I demand he be released at once.”
“You demand?” Adelphia laughs, a harsh sound that abruptly cuts off when she hisses, “You will demand nothing of me.”
But Kiora refuses to back down. “My father -”
“I am the Queen!” Adelphia cuts in, stalking towards Kiora, her hand pressed against her chest. “Not your father. Not you. Me.” Adelphia’s face shutters, an apathetic mask slipping into place as she smooths her palms down the front of her gown. Turning her back on Kiora with a regal twirl, she drifts toward the chair at the head of the table and seats herself. “You will remember your place, Kiora. I stand by Darius' sentencing.”
Kiora boldly glares at the Queen before whirling on her feet and moving towards the door.
“Did I dismiss you?” Adelphia asks coolly, pouring herself a glass of wine.
Hand pausing above the door handle, Kiora slowly pivots to face Adelphia. “May I please,” she says through clenched teeth, “be excused?”
Adelphia cocks her head to the side and smiles sweetly. “Of course.”
Face mottled in rage, Kiora glares at Adelphia beneath her lashes as she curtsies before rushing from the room.
“Mother,” Theon groans, fingers pressed to his temples.
“Don’t ‘Mother’ me!” she snaps, slapping her wine glass onto the table with a loud thunk. “I will not be spoken to in such a way by anyone.”
Theon's shoulders slump and he dutifully nods his head.
“And Theon? If she ever speaks to me that way again…” Adelphia waits for his solemn gaze to meet her steeled one. “I'll put her in the dungeons right alongside her brother. Wife or no wife.”
Theon purses his lips, but says nothing more as he jerks his head in assent.
A double knock on the door blares within the room and Theon answers it, quietly slipping out the door before several palace servants swoop in with heaping bowls and platters of food.
Well trained, the servants barely rustle, let alone clatter as they serve spit roasted pig, smoked fish, herbed vegetables, and warm bread with freshly churned butter. A fae servant attempts to ladle chilled beet soup into my empty bowl but I wave away her attempts. In silence, she removes the bowl and follows the other servant out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind her.
“How many lashes did he get?” Adelphia asks, taking a delicate bite of fish from her fork.
“Ten,” I reply.
She chews thoughtfully. “I would've given him twenty.”
I chuckle. “I was tempted to, but decided against it.” Reaching for the bread, I tear off a chunk. “Besides, burns last longer than a whipping."
Adelphia and I share a rare smile, but hers drops all too soon when my sister speaks.
“I would've cut off his balls,” Aurora says around a mouthful of food.
I grimace, readjusting myself in my seat as I spread butter across the warm bread. “That's a bit extreme,” I reply halfheartedly. Jareth may very well deserve it, but there’s something inherently wrong for a male to suggest any punishment that involves mutilating a cock.
