Chapter Thirty

RUNE AND I, NOW DRESSED, settled in the chairs around the oval meeting table, and the eight other Council of Doctrina members gathered in the other seats. Rune and I sat on either end of the table—a fact Rune wasn't cool with since it had only been an hour since we got back and he still wasn't ready to be physically separated from me yet.

"Thank you for meeting here on such short notice," I started and folded my hands over the tabletop. "I'd like to start with what happened during the days I was gone."

"We weren't exactly sure what happened to you," Jesiah said, his brown eyes locking on mine. "It was still fairly early, so we didn't want to raise alarm with the Fae of Morardia just yet."

"Your disappearance stayed in-house, if you will," Angus added. He shot a pointed look at Rune before adding, "As did the reaction and removal of your partner."

Rune's eyes narrowed on Angus, and I felt Rune's growing temper like it was my own. His emotions were still raw and messy from believing I'd been dead for three days, not to mention the news I'd sprung on him back at the island. Angus throwing jabs Rune's way was not going to benefit anyone. It would only serve to make my Fox explode.

"Were there issues with any citizens or in the community while I was gone, Dawn?"

The round, dark-skinned woman sat up straighter and leaned toward me. She was the elected citizen to represent the people of Morardia and their voice. "No, Your Highness. Everyone has reported excitement as they continue to get resettled here. People are enjoying finding work around Morardia again and building it into a prosperous home once more."

Dawn suddenly grew nervous as her eyes darted away from me, and she scratched absently behind her ear. "There have been some Fae who aren't acclimating as well as others due to the plan you have for peace. There hasn't been any action taken, but they make their disagreement clear."

My heart sank with dread, and my shoulders sagged slightly. "I see."

Dawn quickly perked up again. "But that's just a small percentage of Fae. I'd say only fifteen percent are against it."

"What about everyone else?" asked Brennus, a scholar, sipping on his tea.

Dawn fiddled with the handle on her own cup and replied, "If fifteen percent are against the plan for peace, I'd say thirty-five are completely for it. The remaining fifty percent are skeptical."

"Where do you fall in those groups?" Angus asked her, raising a dark brow.

Dawn stilled, and her eyes seemed to fill with terror as she glanced at me.

Smiling reassuringly, I said, "It's okay, Dawn. You can be honest."

She swallowed hard. "I'm in the skeptical group, Your Highness. I just—I just don't see how peace is possible. I don't see how we can truly get along. I'm not even sure what that looks like."

I met Rune's eyes across the table. "We're hopeful that the coronation and Joining Ceremony will help alleviate those worries. Many Fae, including Land Fae, will be at the celebration, and we're confident it will show everyone what a future of camaraderie looks like."

Dawn smiled softly. "I hope it does."

"Speaking of the coronation and Joining Ceremony, we need to get the seamstress out here to make new outfits for both of you," Dallas said. She still had dark circles under her eyes, but her complexion looked better. Rance had assured me she slept while I was getting Rune, and he'd managed to get her to eat. She'd already had one banana and a cup of coffee while sitting here and was pouring another as she spoke. "We're less than a month away, and they'll need time to get your measurements, design, and create your clothes."

"The royal tailor has finally gotten all moved in and set up his workspace here in the palace," Angus informed. "He won't have to work out of his bags anymore. He'll be ready to get started once you two pay him a visit."

"Why do we need new clothes?" I asked with a sigh. "Isn't there enough on everyone's plate as is?"

"The outfits you wear are a big part of the celebration," Jesiah answered. "The to-be crowned Queen and King always wear new clothes that have been made specifically for that occasion. The outfits are always gorgeous and elaborate, and it's something that everyone looks forward to on that day."

"This day is all about showcasing Land and Water Fae working together," Rune mused thoughtfully. He cocked his chin as he seemed to think about something. "What if we also employ a Land Fae to help with designing and creating the clothes? The outfits are a big deal, so imagine the kind of message it will send if people realize they were made by a team of Water and Land Fae who worked together."

Imani pursed her lips and gave an impressed nod. "That's not a bad idea."

Dawn bobbed her head. "I think that would be a great message. People love admiring the royals' attire on this day. If they realize that Land and Water Fae worked together successfully to make something that beautiful, it will look good for the message you're trying to send."

"Key word being ‘successfully,'" Angus grumbled. He gave me a pointed look. "There's no need to have a Land Fae work on it, too. The royal tailor is perfectly capable of doing the job."

Before I could answer, Rune folded his hands on the table and stared directly at Angus. "It's not a matter of capability. It's a matter of showing everyone as many instances of Land and Water Fae cooperation as possible. In order for Fae to believe in this mission, they need to see the potential results first-hand. This is a simple yet efficient way to provide an example of what peace could look like."

Angus leaned back in his chair, and his jaw worked as he clenched his teeth. It seemed to take everything in him to keep his face even as he regarded Rune. "And do you know a Land Fae who would be qualified and willing to work with the royal tailor?"

"I have an idea, yes. I'll contact her today."

"I'm glad we have that matter settled," Jesiah said. He looked at me. "Are you still planning on inviting King Elias and other Land Fae to the event?"

"I am," I answered.

I'd mentioned in a previous meeting that I wanted to invite King Elias and any willing Land Fae to the coronation and Joining Ceremony. I hoped it would be a step in showing them my intentions and goodwill. Everyone was immediately against it due to the security risk, but I felt it was important to this journey toward peace. In the end, we decided only King Elias and his inner circle would be invited, along with approved Land Fae who were investigated extensively and deemed low risk.

"I still disagree with inviting that King ," Angus griped, and he spat the final word like the mere sound of it repulsed him.

"He probably won't even come, Angus," Jesiah replied calmly. "But if he does, we will welcome him as a guest."

"Because I'm sure he'll act as one," Angus growled.

"Elias is a fearsome Fae," Rune offered. "But he does follow customs and always carries himself with decorum. He won't attack while here. He likes things to follow the correct order. He won't act until an official call for war has been made between him and Bria, not the one started by his father."

"Well," Angus boomed with a fake chuckle. "We should give him an award then. A King who murders entire Kingdoms but does it with class."

"Angus," I snapped, my patience finally reaching a breaking point.

His gray eyes met mine, but the hostility didn't fade. His anger was clear, but the exact cause of it was muddy.

Angus had questioned Dawn about where she fell in her beliefs about peace with Land Fae. Well, I didn't need to ask Angus his stance. He'd been against peace from the beginning, and clearly, his feelings hadn't changed. He was too angry. Too bitter. Too lost to hatred.

Taking a calming breath, I said, "We are all guilty and played a part in creating the current state of Ambrolia. Just as you view Land Fae as callous, malicious, and the enemy, they view us the same way. We have both done wrong, and we both need to work to come back from that. You seem to believe that you're on the side of being right while Land Fae are the ones in the wrong. There is no right side, though. There are simply two fractured Kingdoms in desperate need of healing, both of whom committed offenses against the other.

"I understand your opposition to a fresh start with Land Fae, Angus. Really, I do. I know you distrust them and don't believe a future of friendship is possible, but I plan on proving you wrong. I hope that you, like the others who don't agree, see the good in what we're doing. I don't expect that change to happen overnight, nor do I expect to find you having casual dinner with Elias. However, I do expect you to be open-minded and willing to give the Land Fae a chance."

His cheeks reddened.

The room was quiet as everyone waited for his response.

Finally, he gritted out, "Yes, Your Highness."

I knew he was agreeing just to table the discussion. He probably wasn't going to be as open as I'd prefer. Hopefully as he interacted more with Land Fae, especially at events like the upcoming ball, he'd slowly see the good in creating harmony.

The tension in the room dissolved as the conversation switched to my disappearance. I explained what happened, and everyone nearly fell out of their chair when I revealed the real fate of my mother. Shock was an understatement. It was as though I'd just told them that the very world they lived in was a lie.

"Is there anything we can do to bring her back?" I asked, passing a desperate look between the Water Fae here.

Jesiah stared at seemingly nothing as he shook his head, dumbfounded. "I can't … I can't believe she's still alive."

"Does that mean Bria won't become Queen?" Rance asked, looking at the scholars for an answer. "Because the current Queen is still alive after all?"

"Since Alesta isn't here," Brennus answered slowly, "Bria will still become Queen. If a royal is unable to lead, which it sounds like Alesta can't, the throne falls to the next in line. The title of Queen will pass on to Bria via the completion of the public coronation."

Angus held his head in his hands and stared down into his cup, silent for once.

Maggie, one of the scholars, rubbed her forehead and said, "To answer your question, Bria, getting Alesta back won't be easy, if even possible. If it was an extreme emotion that triggered the power and sent her there, I assume she'd have to experience the same thing to come back."

"Though it sounds like it's too late for that," Imani noted as she squeezed her eyes shut in anguish. "It sounds like you have to immediately experience another trigger of emotion to pull you back."

"How did she send you back?" Rance asked me, his voice heavy with awe.

I shrugged. "I'm not sure how she did it. She didn't explain. The best way I can describe what it felt like is to visualize a house of cards. When I'm like this—human, fleshy, and normal—I'm a house of cards standing solid. But when I became water, it almost felt like I folded in on myself, crumbling into nothing. Only the abyss I fell into was some sort of state where I existed as water within water.

"When my mother sent me back, it was almost like she reached inside of me, controlling the water that made me up in that state and forced me back like a house of cards rebuilding from the base up. I slowly came back, taking form, both physically and mentally. She did that at the same time that I remembered Rune. I think the two things—her forcing me solid and my sudden memory—sent me back."

Jesiah ran a hand through his braids. "I'm not sure how to get her back or if we can. It may be something she has to figure out and do. But we'll look into it. We'll exhaust every avenue in researching how to bring her home."

The news was both disheartening and exciting all at once. On one hand, it worried me that there was nothing we could do, and on the other, I couldn't help but feel hopeful that together, we'd find a way to bring my mother back. If not, perhaps we could figure out how I could become water and return. If I mastered it, I could go back and maybe teach her.

A knock came at the door, cutting off the discussions. Dallas and Rance got up to answer it.

Khalani swept into the room, and she looked at me with worry. "Bria, you have visitors here. Land Fae. Ardley said they were harmless for the most part, so I left them in the west wing sitting room."

I raised a curious brow and rose from my seat. "Ardley knows them?" I faced the Council of Doctrina and quickly said, "This meeting can end here today. Thank you all."

"What do you mean, ‘harmless for the most part?'" Rune asked as he trailed after me and Khalani.

Rance and Dallas were right on our tail.

Khalani grimaced, and she tucked her white strands of hair behind her ear. "Ardley was at the border when they arrived, and he was the one who had them escorted here. He said they don't pose any real physical danger. He said it would be emotional danger, if any. I don't know what the hell that's supposed to mean, but then again, it is Ardley."

I shared a confused look with Rune. No one seemed to come to mind for him either as we drew close to the sitting room where our guests waited. Hushed voices came from the other side of the closed door, and with one final questioning look at Rune, I pushed them open.

My stomach immediately soured with apprehension.

Three sets of eyes immediately found me when I walked into the room, and I was surprised to see how unsure the three women looked considering how fierce they'd been when I'd previously interacted with them.

"Well, this is unexpected," I began cautiously. "To what do I owe the honor Aidan, Yasmine, and Talia?"