Chapter 27

M ateo's mind swirled like a cyclone. Lady Verona and Rhyka had worked tirelessly to try and convince him he was of Strong blood. He had not believed them, not for a second. But this… this was proven . Raelor's test showed Stromm blood ran through his veins, and blood never lied. But it was more than that. Staring at the King and Queen, he saw the similarities pointed out by the Queen. He felt them too. All of his villainous thoughts finally making sense.

Time stood still. Raelor's claim repeated in his mind. This is your son.

His hands shook. This truth resonated within him like a long-forgotten tune, a favorite scent, or a cherished heirloom. It fit, even though he hated it.

Mateo rose to his feet, and Kragar's axe lifted. Mateo simply shot him a palm. "Down, Dwarf."

"Step aside, Master Kragar," ordered the High Queen while waving the stocky dwarf away. "The fae standing before you is no mere Sublander. He is the Prince of Stromm Palace. "

Kragar's bushy red eyebrows raised. "But my Queen?—"

"Step aside."

Kragar rested his axe on his shoulder with a huff but stayed close.

Mateo studied the High Queen. Their similarities zoomed into focus. Her features were highlighted as if a muted beam like a spotlight flicked on above her. Dark hair, ivory skin, graceful features, and steely gray eyes. Was this his mother? Which of his tendencies came from her?

He backed away and eyed the High King. Was this his father? What part of him did he share?

The Stromms hated lowborns. They hated the Sublands. They kept people like him down. Despite his blood, he was raised a Sublander. "No." He cast away Raelor's blood truth like rotten kill. He forced himself to push the King and Queen from his mind and focused on Faeryn and Manny. They were his mother and father.

Manny's dark skin, small frame, brown eyes… Mateo did not resemble him. But that did not matter. He'd always been told he favored Faeryn. What did she look like? He searched his memory for her, but her image was lost. It had drifted away. She had gone to the Passing Place so long ago he could not even conjure up her face anymore. His gut sank. How long had he not been able to see her?

"You know the truth." The High Queen's tone softened. "I can see it in your eyes, my beautiful son."

Mateo shook his head and looked away, not wanting to see himself in her eyes. Yet he could not help himself. "Suppose I dared to believe such a wicked tale, I must understand how." He made eye contact and pleaded with his mother. "How did you let this happen to me?"

Raelor moved about the room, circling Mateo from a wide berth as if studying a new species. "Powerful magic is the only explanation. Someone with extraordinary gifts wanted you in the Sublands and Avalynn here." The witch cupped his pointed chin. "A Sublander, I presume, since that is your origin. It would explain who abducted Avalynn and where she has been taken. It would shed light on much about her, as well."

They suspected she had been taken to the Sublands—his home, where the red rocks, desert landscape, and Spirit Butte belonged to him. The highborns struck a nerve in Mateo. "Explain yourself. What would being from the Sublands say about her?"

"Her softness," the witch clarified. "Her hesitancy with hard choices?—"

The High King interrupted with a sneer. "Her weakness. Always with her head in the clouds following butterflies. She was never a Stromm. But you…" His eyes widened and lit up. "When you brushed aside all the hunters in the receiving room, stepped forward, and declared yourself as the impending winner—those were Stromm moves. I knew you were special."

"Never mind all that." The High Queen moved closer. She placed her long, elegant hands on Mateo's shoulders. The blood from her arm had dried up already. Only a remnant of red remained. "You must be exhausted and famished. You have been through so much, my son."

She called for a maidservant. "Take the prince to his bedchamber. Provide him a proper bath. Prepare his royal threads. Feed him a feast until he can no longer swallow." From his shoulders, her hands hugged his neck. She pulled closer and whispered into his ear, "We will talk more later. You are home, my prince."

The King slapped Mateo's back. "Tomorrow, we shall celebrate the homecoming of the Son of Summit Range! "

A voice inside Mateo's head said to leave, flee the palace, demand a horse, and race to the Sublands. The blood test was wrong. Still, another voice sang in soprano, " Stay! " The blood test was right.

Split between the Sublands and Stromm Palace, he felt an overriding desire to experience highborn life, if only for a day or two. There was also that deep rumble in his stomach from three days in the dungeon that needed addressing. Staying and indulging the High Queen certainly would not hurt his situation. Besides, the High Queen did not seem the highborn he had always thought of her. Maybe she was not so bad after all. "If I stay, it will be for a short while only."

"As you wish." The queen nodded with a smile.

As he wished? Interesting. If he truly belonged to them as the Prince of House Stromm, then he had the power to help his Sublands family. He straightened his shoulders and lifted his chin. "As the Prince of House Stromm, I demand a wagon of healing seeds and nutritious food be sent to the Sublands under the care of Lady Verona. This is to be done with all due haste. Today." He had no idea if that would work but prayed it would.

"I will see to it." Again, the High Queen nodded with a smile.

He blinked so fast his vision blurred. Was it that easy? Making good on his request, the High Queen ordered Master Kragar to bring in her personal servant, someone named Marina. Tall and thick with a bumpy face, the hulking servant resembled a small troll. The queen issued orders for the things Mateo requested while he merely approved each one.

With no further orders, Mateo followed another maidservant, Penny, upstairs. She reminded him of Maid Nia, but smaller. She wore a white dress. Flowers adorned her short-clipped brown hair. Hands clasped in front of her slender waist, she strolled to the second floor and spoke in a tiny voice, "This floor is where the royal guests stay. It has a sitting room, a library, and a study. It is open to you should you wish to explore it."

When they reached the third floor, she paused at the landing. "To my left is the private chamber of the High King and High Queen. They have their own sitting room and study."

She beckoned him to follow her down the corridor to the right. "This side of the floor has the royal family's bedchambers. For their offspring and family visitors." She passed a closed door. "This is the bedchamber for Princess Ava—" She stopped and pressed her fingers over her lips. She lowered her head. "My deepest apologies. She is not…that is, not…"

"It's okay, Penny." They were already scrubbing Princess Avalynn, now merely Avalynn, from the palace. He had plenty to say but kept it to himself. He would not burden Penny, who picked up where she left off and continued walking.

Stopping at the next door, she bowed her head. "This is your bedchamber, my prince. Everything you need is inside." She motioned ahead. "Down the corridor, you will find a stairwell that leads up to the fourth floor and the servants' quarters. Should you require my assistance, there is a bell beside your bed. Though we can sense when we are needed. We are here to serve you." A quick curtsy and she walked away.

Mateo stared at the fancy wood-carved door that led to his bedchamber. They had already prepared a place for him. With a long exhale, he wrapped his hand around the gold knob and entered the biggest bedchamber he had ever seen—it would have swallowed his entire Sublands home with room to spare.

Rich, burled chocolate-brown walnut wood lined the walls. Underfoot sparkled dark marble floors with thick gold flecks. A fireplace with two purple fabric chairs took up the space on the left. A fire flickered, casting a warm glow throughout.

In front of the fire's flames sat a sturdy marble table with a spread of meats, cheeses, fruit, and a clear goblet filled with red wine. He made a beeline for the table and shoved the feast into his hungry mouth. He'd never been so starved.

After he had his fill of food and finished with the wine, he explored the rest of the bedchamber. As he strolled through the magnificent room, his new reality hammered at him like a tidal wave. What was he doing here? He thought of Avalynn—they were switched at birth. Someone powerful had exchanged their fates, but who and why? He needed to return home, and to her, but paused his thoughts.

Their positions did not change the fact that she was still his betrayer. The greatest deceiver. She wanted him dead and did not bat an eye at his downfall.

A soft knock at the door and he turned to see the High Queen. She no longer wore her ceremonial garb and crown. Instead, she opted for a simple royal green dress. If he didn't know any better, he would think her a regular lady and not a high queen. Still, he did know better.

She carried a stack of clothes and shoes. "May I enter?"

"Of course." He glanced down at his bare feet. His mucked boots were left at the bathhouse. He didn't need them for his execution…but now he was a prince.

She lifted the clothes as if presenting an offering. " Some things have been laid out for you in the washroom, but I thought I would bring more."

He faced her somewhat clumsily, without knowing the proper greeting. "Thank you. After I wash and change, I would like immediate transport to my home in the Sublands." He leaned in closer and whispered, "I do not belong here."

She set the stack of clothes on a cabinet near the door and made her way to the fire. She sat, then motioned for Mateo to join her. She folded her hands on her lap as he settled into his seat. "The revelation of your identity must be difficult. It is for all of us. Especially me, your mother. After all these years, to think that someone so cruelly ripped you away from me and kept you hidden." A lone tear trickled down her cheek. "It is unthinkable."

He swallowed the lump in his throat. He had not thought of that yet. He'd never considered the severity of the pain inflicted on her—a mother's child taken and replaced. And for what? He still did not understand. He cleared his throat. "Why would the Sublands want to switch a lowborn with a highborn?"

The fire crackled. His birth mother shifted in her seat. "An ancient question—why do the Sublanders do what they do?" She sighed, a heavy sound. "We have tried for so long to help that province. But they refuse our aid. They hold fast to the long-forgotten prophecy of an Only One—a uniter of the bloodlines who will supposedly bring peace to all of Faevenly."

Mateo thought of Avalynn and how she repelled the dragon with those powerful blue lights and saved them from fate's certain destruction like Finnian and the elk steed. Did that make her the Only One? He still did not understand it all. But he knew disclosing that information would put her at further risk. He wasn't ready for that… just yet. So he kept his silence.

Her brows pinched together. "The poor Sublanders don't understand that peace exists in Faevenly already. Their denial of the Stromms only harms themselves and the entire realm."

"Denial?" He did not know what she meant. Surely, the Sublanders were blameless. Right?

"We offered them a seat on the Royal Court years ago. The lowborn that calls herself Lady Verona informed us that the Sublands refused. That is why the province struggles. That is why they are lacking. It is their own doing."

Pinpricks raced up and down his spine. Goose bumps lined his skin. The Sublands had been offered a seat? "Why refuse a seat? That makes no sense."

"I agree with you. It was senseless then and remains senseless now. Your father and I have grappled with that question too. All we can do is accept their independence and leave them be."

Heat flushed his face. "Leave them be?" His voice rose. "You tried to manipulate the competition to assure my last place finish and my execution and the Sublands' banishment! How is that leaving anything be?"

She shook her head. "Your father… He means well, but he is impulsive and does not always think things through or implement the best strategies. Our inner council decided that, since the Sublanders could not co-exist with us and the rest of the realm, then it was best for them to leave. They refused, and your father took matters into his own hands."

Mateo had stepped into an alternate reality where everything he knew was turned on its head. And yet, everything the queen said made perfect sense. The Sublands could not complain that they lacked a seat at the table when it had been offered and refused. Such damning information should have been made public throughout the Sublands. It should not have been a secret. No doubt the political maneuvering of Lady Verona and Rhyka.

With regret in her eyes, she patted his hand. "We never meant to hurt the Sublanders. You must believe me, my son."

Believe her? Although he wished not to trust a word, her explanation contained logic. Besides, if she really meant the Sublanders harm, she would not have approved and ordered the delivery of the much-needed seeds and food per his instructions. That kindness alone proved her good faith to him.

"I have taken up too much of your time." Her tender voice soothed his aching spirit. "I will let you return to your rest. But, my son, will you please stay? If only for a little while?" She reached out and touched the slice on his arm that Raelor had made. It had stopped bleeding, like hers. "Perhaps your presence here can bring about a new understanding with the Sublanders. Isn't that what you want?"

He placed his hand on top of hers. What would it hurt to stay and understand this royal life? He could even do what Lady Verona and Rhyka could not— really and truly help the Sublands. "Yes, I will stay for a little while."

When she left the room, he turned back toward the fire. He found his life inside the flames again. "Everything is on fire." Yet this time, his world burned without him knowing who he was or what to believe.