Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

R osa ate the strange fruit that Arthur had given her without tasting it. Normally she would have been excited to try new, unknown flavors, but her mind and enthusiasm weren't present. She rubbed at her chest, the phantom pain still aching. Please be okay, Bal.

Rosa couldn't sit around and wait. She put on her jacket and picked up her sword. She had taken two steps outside of her room when she heard a deep chuckle.

"You are too predictable, Rhosyn," Merlin said from a shadowy alcove.

"Let me go, Merlin. I won't wait around for another brilliant plan while Bal is subjected to God knows what torment," she replied stubbornly.

"So you want to get caught and flayed? Because that's what the queen wants. She's provoking you, and you are reacting exactly as she intends. You are my blood, Rosa Wylt. Be smarter than this."

"What do you expect me to do then? Sit around and wait?" She swallowed the tears that threatened to spill out as the feeling of helplessness overwhelmed her.

"Come with me," he said, tilting his head in the direction of his room. "We need to talk this through, and if you aren't convinced by the end, I'll take you to the stables myself."

"Fine, but this better be good," she grumbled.

"The whiskey will be. I stole it from the cellars," Merlin said.

"I should've known that would be the first place you would go exploring."

Rosa placed Gaeaf Storom down on a polished table and sat down on the chair pulled close to the fire. Merlin passed her a cup holding a liquid the color of mahogany.

"Are you sure we won't get any weird faerie side effects if we drink this?" she asked and smelled it. It reminded her very faintly of nectarines and earthy peat moss.

Merlin sat down opposite her. "Would it matter? I think you would look good with a pair of horns."

"So would you, gorgeous." Rosa took an experimental sip, and warmth ran into her bones. "Woah, this is going to be a black out drink."

"Cheers to immortal livers," Merlin said, and they clinked glasses. "I'm curious to know what your plan was if you did manage to leave?"

"Simple. Find my way to the Seelie Court, eat a few guards, slip in through the tunnels, and kill the queen."

"Easy as that! You aren't going to succeed that way, or Bleddyn would have done it. Just because Balthasar managed to creep in to get you doesn't mean the queen is dumb enough to let it happen again. I know you are impatient, but believe it or not, I do have a plan."

Rosa drank another mouthful of the strange whiskey to wash away the tears in her throat, her lips slowly going numb. "Is it waiting for the Unseelie to get their act together, gather reinforcements, and meet the queen head-on?"

"No. That is their plan. I've already been out into the city and seen what recruits they have, and it's not going to be enough. We need to look for allies elsewhere."

"If allies were so easy to find, I'm sure Eirianwen would have recruited them by now."

"Not all of the ancient ones could easily be convinced." Merlin's golden eyes glittered over his cup. "I think one might. It's going to be dangerous to try to meet with him. It'll take Arthur and me time to get to him?—"

"You and Arthur! What about me?" Rosa was done being left behind, especially if this ally could help her get Balthasar back. If she sat around and waited, she would drive herself mad from grief and worry.

"I need you to stay here and look after Bleddyn," Merlin said. "He needs you."

"No, he doesn't. He has the Unseelie to keep him busy, and there's no way that Eirianwen won't protect him. Not that he needs it."

Merlin snorted with disbelief. "He needs protection from her . I've never seen Bleddyn so careful around a woman. He's still not sure if she's going to stab him in his sleep or not."

"All depends if he deserves it. They just need to have it out, clear the air, and they'll be fine. They are both too stubborn and polite to actually do it. Eirianwen will die to protect him. I know that much." Rosa crossed her boots in front of her. "I also know you aren't going anywhere without me, Merlin. If Balthasar is dead, I have nothing left but my revenge. You aren't going to lock me away and keep me from it."

"If I wanted to keep you locked up and away from Gwyn ap Nudd, you wouldn't be able to do a damn thing to stop me," Merlin snapped.

Rosa stilled. "You are going to see Gwyn? As in…"

"The Lord of the Hunt? Aye. That's why you need to stay put and stop being so difficult."

Rosa was barely listening. She was thinking of Glenna Wylt and a wild, stormy night so long ago. "I'm coming, Merlin. You'll need me."

"Why would I? I already have Arthur to annoy me and keep me from doing anything too hasty."

"You don't get it. Gwyn ap Nudd and I have unfinished business."

Merlin let out a pained sigh. "Of course you bloody do."

Despite her frustration, Rosa decided not to leave. Merlin had succeeded in getting her drunk, and she had ended the traumatic night curled up beside him in his massive bed. Even wasted on faerie whiskey, she hadn't wanted to go back to her rooms alone, and she had fallen asleep with Merlin singing softly to her under his breath.

The Unseelie rose at nightfall, and Rosa stumbled back to her own rooms for a bath and a fresh change of clothes. She had dreamed about Gwyn ap Nudd for the first time since she was a child.

Ever since Rosa had begun to get her memories back, strange pockets of random events had appeared in mind, and she had struggled to sort the true from the false. Her memories of spending time with her grandmother had been in the hazy gray area where she wasn't sure if the memory was real or not.

Merlin had tried to grill her about what she knew of Gwyn, but she had made up an excuse about not wanting to talk about it until she could get her memories right.

To his credit, Merlin had accepted that. He had his troubles trying to keep his own memory clear and linear. He wasn't the kind of person to drop it though. He would wait a day or so and then corner her until she caved.

Rosa braided her hair and studied her face in the mirror. She looked worn out, black circles shadowing her feverishly bright hazel eyes.

"What do you remember about that night, Rosa?" she asked herself.

She could recall the smell of the sourdough in the air, fresh from the oven. Glenna was always showing her how to cook things. She closed her eyes, and she felt darkness inside of her when she thought of Gwyn. There was no memory, only the feeling of terror and anticipation and longing.

Something in her magic shivered and made her eyes snap open. Bleddyn was summoning her. She would try and find the memories later.

Rosa found Bleddyn in an anteroom of the main hall, studying a map on a large table. Bleddyn looked every inch the Unseelie king from his waist length black hair to his polished boots. He was dressed in a new black jacket that was decorated with silver stitching to match his undershirt. All that was missing was a crown.

"You look beautiful," Rosa said, meaning every word. "What's the occasion?"

Bleddyn wrapped an arm around her shoulders and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I've asked Eirianwen and the other generals to meet with us. I thought I had better look the part."

"Try not to yell at them and make them wee themselves in fear," she teased.

"With both swords present for the first time in thousands of years I am sure they will be anxious enough." Bleddyn's mesmerizing eyes were gentle as he asked, "How are you, my Rosa?"

"Heartbroken, afraid, and pissed off, but holding it together until I can kick the Autumn Queen's skinny ass," Rosa replied. "Don't worry. Merlin talked some sense into me."

"Doesn't sound like something Merlin would do. Whatever you two are planning, please don't do anything too rash," Bleddyn said with a frown.

"You know us, Father. We wouldn't know how to be rash," Merlin said, coming into the anteroom. Like the rest of them, he was wearing clean clothes of Unseelie design—a high collared black jacket, waistcoat, slim fitting pants, and boots. Somehow, he still managed to look like a disreputable rake that would ruin a lady's reputation.

"Nice of you to join us," Bleddyn said.

"It's not my fault. Rosa made me drink with her last night. I'm starting to think she has a problem."

"That's rich coming from you."

Merlin bent over to study the map. "What does this do?"

Bleddyn let go of Rosa and gestured to the parchment. "This is what the division of the kingdoms used to look like." He moved a hand over it. The lines shuddered and moved, with the spread of orange widening. "This is what the borders look like now. The Autumn Queen's power has blown out the original marker stones, or they were purposely moved."

"And we are going to move them back?" Rosa asked.

"To the best we can. I want to send some warriors to do it. Once Aeronwen feels what we are doing, she will try to retaliate," Bleddyn explained.

"I suggest a diversion," Arthur said as he joined them. He pointed to a stretch of forest. "Something here would be good."

"Why?" Rosa asked.

"Because it's far enough away from this border stone." Arthur tapped the figure on the map. "By the time she figures out what we are doing, she won't be able to reach us in time. A big enough diversion, and she'll pull men in from elsewhere. If we have enough people willing, we can coordinate it, so they are moved all at once."

"I knew I woke you up for a reason," Merlin said, flashing his cheeky grin.

Rosa folded her arms. "I believe I was the one who woke him up."

"Not now, children. Our guests are here," Bleddyn hushed them.

Eirianwen came into the chamber seconds later. She looked like a warrior queen—her tight black jacket complete with an arm and throat of leather scales, and a cloak of royal purple trimmed with raven feathers was folded over one strong shoulder. Her hair was free of its braids, falling in waves of silver down her back and clasped back from her face with an elaborate hairpiece of black metal. A beautiful sword hung from her hip, its scabbard the same rich purple as her cloak.

Merlin let out a low whistle. "My lady, you are looking terrifyingly gorgeous this evening."

"Thank you, Merlin. It is nice to be home," she replied with a smile.

"My son is ever the master of words," Bleddyn said, giving her a deep bow. Rosa was surprised to see the points of Eirianwen's ears pink when he kissed her hand. "Thank you for coming, Eirianwen."

"I would never miss your first meeting with the generals. I can't wait to see what you are planning to impress them with," she said, her attention moving off him and to the map on the table.

"My plan has been the best so far," Arthur stated, stepping forward with a wide smile.

"I'm sure it has, young king." Rosa hid her smile. Eirianwen would consider Arthur young. Rosa was still struggling to reconcile him with his name that carried the weight of history.

Eirianwen's gaze flickered to an amused Rosa. "How are you feeling this morning, princess?"

"Vengeful."

"Excellent. It might serve you in good stead once the others arrive."

Rosa tensed as three Unseelie males arrived. She could feel the magic and violence on them, and she knew who they were. The generals had finally come to greet their lost king.

"Seren Du, at last, you return home," one said. He was as tall as Bleddyn with sharp elongated eyes and cheekbones.

"Madoc," Bleddyn greeted. "I remember you from when you were a child. Welcome." Rosa had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep her face straight as Madoc bristled.

Next, a tall Unseelie stepped forward, his red hair, orange eyes and black skin made him one of the most striking faerie Rosa had ever seen.

"My king, it is an honor to meet you at last. I'm Aiden."

"Aiden… Was your father, Calon Tan?"

"Yes, my king. I am surprised you remember him."

"Fire Heart is hard to forget." Bleddyn laid his hand on his shoulder. "I'm honored to have his kin by my side."

"And what of your own kin?" The third man had been lurking near the door as if he was unsure what kind of welcome he'd receive. When he finally stepped forward, Rosa's magic shuddered inside of her, like a deep thrum. The man was a little shorter than Bleddyn and looked like he could've been Merlin's clean-shaven, respectable Unseelie doppelg?nger.

"Holy crap." Rosa stepped forward and gave him an impertinent poke in the chest. "Where do you fit into the tree, cousin?"

His clenched jaw softened in the face of Rosa's friendliness. "I'm the son of Nesta, Bleddyn's Aunt."

"Daesyn? You were just a little baby when last I saw you." Bleddyn looked him over before smiling. "Look at the fine man you have become. I'm so happy to see you." He held out his hand, and they clasped each other's forearms. Rosa knew it was the closest the Unseelie came to a man hug. Rosa had no such hang-ups. She pulled the startled Daesyn into a hug and kissed his cheek.

"Hello, cousin. I'm Rosa."

"Let the poor man breathe, Rhosyn." Merlin gently tugged her back. "Welcome home, Daesyn. Don't mind Rosa. She is excitable."

"It's quite all right." Daesyn grinned at Rosa, and it was pure Seren Du. "I'm honored to be kissed by the woman who killed Ryn Eurion."

"Oh, good, you've met," Bran soared into the room, his robes and wild hair blowing around him like a mad wizard. "We had best get started."

"I don't remember you being invited," Madoc said.

"I don't remember caring. I go where I am needed, not where I am wanted," Bran snapped, eyes fierce under his brows.

Madoc wisely shut up.

Rosa hadn't been to many of the Vane's 'War Councils' when she had been back in the real world, and trying to sit through men arguing reminded her why she had left such things to Balthasar.

Eirianwen kept pace with the other generals, but it became clear that Madoc resented her presence. Eirianwen ignored the way he talked over and dismissed her ideas. It was 'Mansplaining—the Faerie Edition,' and a few times Rosa had looked at Eirianwen, silently asking permission to teach the impertinent general a lesson in manners. Each time Eirianwen had shaken her head at her, eyes dancing with amused understanding.

"How do you propose we move these stones?" Madoc demanded when Arthur repeated his idea.

"Merlin has done it before," Arthur replied coolly. "He once moved stones from Ireland to England. Many hundreds of leagues."

"And over an ocean." Merlin lit a cigarette, ignoring the disapproving look Bleddyn gave him. "I can teach my father and Bran the form of the magic if you are concerned that my power alone won't be enough."

"Why would Bleddyn need to know it? Where do you plan on being?"

"That's not something you need to be concerned about." Merlin smiled threateningly and refused to elaborate.

"I can create a good enough diversion at this border here." Eirianwen pointed. "Something that can provoke the Autumn Queen out of her nest. She has an affinity with the forest there?—"

"How would you know that? Does your halfling blood tell you?" Madoc sneered.

Bleddyn tensed, and Eirianwen locked her steady eyes on Madoc.

"I know it because she keeps a temple to Braciaca there, the only one she has visited since she cast the eternal autumn," she replied. "My blood has nothing to do with it."

Rosa frowned, trying to unravel what Madoc could mean. Merlin would be considered a halfling, as opposed to turned as she was. But Eirianwen looked full Unseelie. If she had been half human, Bleddyn would have said something. Something itched in Rosa's head, a title Bleddyn had once used to address Eirianwen… Child of Morning and Midnight.

"Your blood has everything to do with it. How do we know the queen didn't turn you while you were locked up in her prison? Your allegiance could be questionable due to your actions alone! Why didn't the queen just kill you? You can't be trusted. You're not even alive, you Bánánach?—"

"Bleddyn, don't!" Rosa cried out as she saw his wrist twitch. Widow's Fury rested under Madoc's chin, Bleddyn's face cold and impassive. "We have to be better than the queen. We can't kill every asshole we meet, or there will be no one left."

"My daughter's compassion stays my hand, but I promise you this—if you speak in that disrespectful tone or question Lady Eirianwen's loyalty again, I won't hesitate to gut you. Be worthy of this council, or you will be replaced," Bleddyn warned.

"I could steal his voice for you, my king," Bran offered, twisting his staff slowly. "By the time he learns to talk again, he might have learned to be cleverer with his words."

"Eirianwen, shall I kill him for you?" Bleddyn asked her. He hadn't moved his sword, and Madoc looked too afraid to breathe. She studied the general with calculating eyes.

"Let him live. He's a good soldier, and we have few enough of those," she said at last.

Bleddyn nodded, and his sword vanished back into the scabbard hanging from his hip.

After that, the meeting went more smoothly, but Rosa was struggling to pay attention. Her mind drifted to the conversation with Merlin the night before.

How would they convince Bleddyn to let her go to see Gwyn? The pain in her chest bloomed afresh as she thought of Balthasar. If they managed to defeat the queen, would they find him alive?

They needed to be in the strongest possible position. She would do her best to convince Bleddyn, or she would do it without his permission. Without her, Merlin was bound to get himself into a deeper mess.

After the generals had left them alone, Eirianwen turned on Bleddyn with all the pent-up frustration the meeting had caused.

"You shouldn't have stepped in and threatened Madoc," she said angrily.

"I wasn't going to stand by and let him continue to insult you," Bleddyn argued, his cool demeanor shredding.

"I have tolerated their insults for centuries! I can handle mutts like Madoc and his snide comments."

"He called you a traitor! You! The only person who has stood by them. I deserve them berating me, but never you. I don't care if it upsets your feminine principles. I won't have anyone disrespect you. If it weren't for Rosa, I would have taken his head."

He was so angry that he was shimmering. That was the Bleddyn she knew. She had thought the human world had stolen all the fight out of him.

"I'm not yours to protect anymore. I can fight my own battles," Eirianwen said steadily, even as her heart pounded with the intensity of his anger.

Bleddyn slammed his fist down on the table. "You might not be my betrothed, but you once were, and that is enough. An insult to you is one to me. If I had known that you lived, you would be his queen right now, and he would be food for crows."

Eirianwen swallowed a hundred words that leaped to her tongue. She knew the signs to see he was furious enough to go after Madoc where Rosa wouldn't stop him. She took a long breath and rested her hand on his tense shoulder. The touch seemed to diffuse his frustration as it had hundreds of years ago. Maybe underneath it all, he's still your Bleddyn.

"Listen to me, you pigheaded faerie. We still need Madoc and his men. Kill him after the battle is done if you must, but wait until then. We need the numbers, and he hates the Seelie more than he fears me."

Bleddyn managed to smile at her. "Very well, but if he's stupid enough to continue to undermine you?—"

"I'll kill him myself and claim his men by right of conquest."

"There is the vicious woman I fell in love with," he laughed.

Eirianwen let her hand slide from his shoulder, his words hitting her like a blow to the guts. "If anything, she's a little more vicious these days."

"Why did he call you a Bánánach?" Bleddyn asked, throwing her off balance. The Bánánach, the restless dead fallen in battle and still haunting the world. They all called her that when they thought she couldn't hear.

"Because Madoc is a superstitious idiot. There are few that call me that because they believe I'm not really alive. They saw me die, and then I came back months later and raised an army. The fear is useful to keep them from challenging me."

"If they knew you before death, they'd know you were already that frightening," Bleddyn teased.

There were still questions in his eyes, but she wasn't ready to answer them. Not yet . He would look at her like all the rest when that happened.

"Come and dine with the children and me tonight," he asked unexpectedly.

"Why?"

"Because I don't like the idea of you eating alone." He straightened, emerald eyes gleaming with secrets. "Merlin wants to tell you what he's planning. He needs your advice and your knowledge of the Unseelie lands."

"Sounds like he's planning to do something stupid."

"Undoubtedly. The first thing you need to learn about Merlin is that even his stupidest plans seem to work out in the end." He held out his arm to her. "Please, it will be a way to thank you for helping Rosa last night."

Eirianwen thought of her shared smiles with Rosa, that moment of unexpected friendship. She only had a cold house waiting for her, so Eirianwen silenced all the reasons why it was a bad idea and slipped her arm around his.