12

The rest of my summer vacation blew by. It was full of laughs and fun and went beyond what I'd even thought to hope for. Seriously, it was that great, and I felt their love for me in every day of events and the planning it took to make it all work.

So it wasn't just the little girl in me that was healed, it was the teenager and even the woman who kept seeming to not be enough for them.

I was enough. If they put this much time and effort into planning a summer vacation for me… They loved me and saw me.

And that meant everything.

We hit every Universal Studios Park, taking a full day at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando and just being silly. The one in Japan was killer with the Super Nintendo fun and all kinds of different attractions.

There was also Michigan Adventures in Michigan that was an amusement park and a water park.

Great Wolf Lodge that was in Niagara Falls that we spent a weekend at. It was all-inclusive and really nice, mostly sized for kids, so the hobgoblins loved it.

Kings Island near Cincinnati that had some great roller coasters and a ton of food options that made our tummies happy. We cracked up at the person who worked the carnival booth guessing our ages since almost no fairies or shifters looked their real age.

Hershey Park in Pennsylvania that smelled like chocolate and was some innocent fun for the kiddies.

Alton Towers in the UK and Port Adventura in Spain that were a kick with getting different options for the food around them. Plus, Tripsdrill in Germany that had the fun of all the old German fairytales that were supposed to be scary, but real life was much worse.

We spent a few days hitting the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia since they had multiple attractions. Dreamworld, WhiteWater World, and Movie World. It was really great… But Australia still terrified me. I'd seen enough on social media to be validly afraid of their spiders, snakes, and buggies.

Seriously.

The yearly tournament we now hosted with the best of the best in swords was great. I didn't get involved this time, so it was just against the commanders. Other fairies participated this time to have a shot at them, and everyone seemed to just have fun.

Well, besides a few sore losers, but they didn't do much besides bitch on social media.

Both the vamp and witch councils were full now with their council members. I was glad that whole nightmare was over. I wasn't stupid enough to think there would never be problems again, but I hoped it would be many, many years before the next time a council had to be completely redone.

If ever.

I had a meeting with Edelman, Sontar, and my dad to sort out my schedule. I was glad that we were beyond any backlash or issues given it was my last fucking year at Artemis.

My classes Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays were:

Power Training

8-9:30

Lageos

New Magical Development II

9:45-10:45

Lageos

Faerie's Economy

11-12

Professor Sontar

Lunch

12:15-1:15

History of Councils

1:30-3

Professor Sontar

And Tuesdays and Thursdays were:

Practical Enchantments

9:45-10:45

Professor Sontar

Local Ordinances

11 – 12

Commander Morgan amp; Commander Talila

Lunch

12:15-1:15

In reality, Power Training would be every morning and start earlier than that so I could get in my full workout. And it was nice we moved New Magical Development II to right after so my dad didn't have to spend most of his day in teacher mode.

I asked for Faerie's Economy which shocked Sontar. I knew about it now and had put in a lot of work to get caught up on it… But I still felt like I should get the background and history of it. I understood inflation and the progress of money in the United States, and I felt like I should know that about the world I would rule.

Made sense, right? I think it was more asking for something that was basic to others. But I hadn't grown up with it and… Yeah, people were silly sometimes.

History of Councils was pretty much going to be a blow-off class for me. I'd really learned everything before and after arresting two councils and handling the situation with the dragons who were still building their council now. But I still received backlash that I shouldn't have a say in much given it wasn't my council and there was no way I could be knowledgeable on them.

Yeah, well, now I would have it on my fucking resume, and I actually did pay attention and study, unlike most of the fools who constantly told me I was wrong.

When I wasn't.

I also asked for Practical Enchantments. It might have seemed silly when I was already in another semester of developing new magic and "pulled miracles out of my ass" like some people said. But going back and even working with that little girl who made a portal appear in front of me helped me.

I wanted more of that instead of building on a foundation of my magic just giving me the answers and going crazy.

I wanted to not end up crazy so yeah, basics and sanity sounded great.

I agreed with the commanders when they said the next step in my education was a class on local everything. I finished with the Guardians education and had everything outlined to merge them officially and legally when I was queen, but there was a lot more to a government than the military.

A lot fucking more.

And just like the United States of America wasn't all that fucking united most days and had everything different between the states, so did Faerie. Unfortunately. So there were completely different rules on the west side of the light realm to the east side.

Oh, and of course, there was the same in the dark realm. So there was going to be a lot of everything learned with that this year so I had a grasp on all of it by the time I was queen and could change it.

Fun.

But it was all done and without people throwing a fit or trying to flex their power over me, so I was happy about that.

What I wasn't happy about was the fact that no one would let my twenty-fifth birthday pass quietly how I wanted. I liked just the relaxed party with those close to me and having dinner with my dad. That was what I wanted.

Yeah, not happening when I hit the legal age to become queen. It wasn't actually that I agreed to take the job finally, but it was a real thing and a deep tradition in Faerie. An heir getting her wings and coming of age to rule was celebrated as stability and promised a future for the realm.

So basically, I didn't have a choice.

I did manage to get the festivities to be before my actual birthday so I could have my relaxed day with my dad. I snapped on the commanders when they pushed and reminded them that it was the last fucking birthday I would have with my only parent and to back off.

And then I acted like a child and stormed off.

Apparently, getting older didn't mean I would fully mature. Whatever.

Neldor laid into them after I left, and I was glad everything was settled the next time we all spoke. He also said he would make it clear that word would be passed around Faerie that I felt uncomfortable with the normal week-long celebrations, festivals, and more given some of our people were still frozen in darkness.

One of them being my mother who was the actual queen and couldn't celebrate with me. People needed to remember context and what was around them more than the fucking traditions sometimes. That wasn't unfair to ask.

It really wasn't, and I was glad when it seemed the average fairy agreed with me.

It was in the video Neldor had put out about my invention of the hope crystals and telling people that I was working on a way to help witches and warlocks with their cleansing. That it wasn't only about my future mother-in-law, but saving fairies from headaches later to handle someone off their rocker with magic and figure out how to help earlier.

He said it more eloquently, but I appreciated it. I really did, and he was much better at the videos than I was. He was damn good in his role.

Even if he framed it as being my shield in a way that made me a bit uncomfortable.

But it worked and that was what mattered to me.

ButI had a long lecture and sit-down with the female commanders to address something else. Apparently, turning twenty-five was more than just a number or requirement to be queen. It was a bit of an attitude adjustment. No longer did people look at me as the princess as heir but as more… Ready to jump into the role?

I didn't fully understand it, but I did. It was like Hudson had talked about being the child of royals versus being seen as an adult royal. Meaning even at school it was time to step up my game. They admitted I'd done a lot of it on my own and appreciated I wasn't a pain in the ass perfectionist, but I had to step into the role more.

And that meant no more modeling and showing up to public meals in a sports bras and booty shorts.

I actually understood both points, and they seemed relieved that I wouldn't push back. I made it clear that I would do my best, but fairies needed to work on their judgmental nature as well. And I wanted that balance made clear to people.

I agreed that I had to act the part, and the Queen of England would never have modeled anything, much less lingerie… But she'd also been in a commercial for a Bond movie to help her economy and image. Faerie needed to adapt as well.

I was glad when they admitted they felt the same and would work for it, all of the commanders would.

So I smiled and did my part for the birthday celebrations, glad fairies and fair folk were happy. But honestly, it was all a blur because it made me uncomfortable being the center of attention like that.

Funny for the woman who would be queen of a world.

The guys were my rocks through it all. I was never left alone and they were always there to help me. Darby especially which I tried to not be surprised at, but he reminded me if anyone understood what an introvert went through, it was another introvert.

And he pushed hard for people to remember that I was one… And I pushed hard if anyone tried to tell him it wasn't his place. Honestly, it was a good show of us being a team and letting Faerie know he was going to be in their future.

So fucking accept it already.

It helped us too. We were almost back to being us. For real. On the same page and everything that I'd prayed for.

And they'd been my rocks months ago when I'd learned that I was going to be twenty-five… Not twenty-four.

Yeah, that one had thrown me as well.

"Why not tell me sooner?" I'd asked my dad. "Everyone freaked out how much earlier my wings came in and—"

"They still would have, and they were still early," he sighed as he sat down next to me. "At first, I was so disoriented and there was so much always that—years blur for me, Daughter. I've lived too many. It was Iolas who finally called me out that you would be mad at me for hiding your real age from you, even for your protection.

"He didn't realize it at first either because he hadn't been part of the plan. He didn't know that your mother covered you in a glamour to hide you. You were smuggled out of Faerie by someone trusted and we were going to meet up after… After. When I didn't show—I will never know for sure what happened."

"What do you think happened?"

He sighed again. "I think she was discovered and hid you in the only place no one would look. But I've seen the memories you've shown me and—you weren't a newborn, Tamsin. That program with the humans is for babies. You were over a year old and the humans would have known that."

"You think that person put a glamour on me to make me look younger?" I blinked at him, trying to handle how crazy that was.

"Yes. I think—there were a few demons who ranted about killing the fairy too late before I ended them. I think she realized demons were on her tail since you were unprotected. She put a glamour on you and locked in your essence. It would have faded over the years as any magic does without more power being infused into it."

I nodded, like the glamour of the Vogel's mountains or even the fairy properties. "And you didn't tell me sooner because I was kept so quiet when I was born and because of your mating. It worked to get me here where I can take over."

"Yes. I'm sorry, but yes. Some of the commanders have figured out what's been going on, and that was why they became so pushy for you to declare you were all in, setting up your government—all of it."

"This is a lot, Dad."

He nodded. "It is, but you are in the right space to hear and process it. You weren't before."

No, no, I definitely hadn't been.

But my guys had been amazing about it… Even Neldor who had clearly figured it out. I felt a mess telling them and like it had changed everything.

Until Lucca spoke.

"Oh, thank fuck," he exclaimed as he jumped to his feet and gave me a serious look. "Do you know how hard it was for me to try and date someone younger than me or even the same age? Older women are so much sexier. I mean, it's just—you just became forty times hotter to me now that you're a year older than me."

"You're such a fucking asshole," Hudson whispered before bursting out laughing.

And he wasn't the only one.

We all glanced at each other and laughed. Lucca just beamed at us all like he knew he'd done well with his goofy smile. He winked at me and I felt better.

Yeah, it wasn't really a big deal. It had just felt like one.

Their support meant more than an extra birthday celebration. They all reminded me that we would have lots and lots of them and they would all be together.

That meant more to me than all of the birthday celebrations.

My dad and I had our day, and the guys came over after dinner for cake and to give me presents. The kicker?

They were all super sentimental and overlapped… But that wasn't planned.

Julian paid for a professional photo shoot for my dad and me, plus for all of us to have some pictures together all dressed up. I loved it. It was something perfect that I would absolutely want and never have thought to have done for myself.

Hudson had framed some candids of us together after flying, both in his human form and as River.

Neldor had made some framed canvases of candids of me with my unicorns and one of me with my dad riding.

Lucca had gotten other pictures from Izzy of me and my dad and put them together in a photo album.

And Darby had put together an album of pictures from my time at Artemis with room for my last year.

Yeah, I cried. It was all so amazing and thoughtful that I absolutely cried.

Apparently, the gods had given me the best gift possible by giving me five mates who were perfect for me.

Abso-fucking-lutely perfect for me.