56. Chapter 56

Chapter fifty-six

M orning training had been hell but Haven was glad for it. It kept her mind off of what was happening three days from now and what was happening tonight, being crowned queen and her marriage to Nik. She didn't know which she was more nervous about. Although, if she was actually honest, she knew exactly which event had her nerves tied up in knots.

Haven knew she would be a great queen, gone were the days of second guessing and doubting herself. She was going to be a kick-ass queen and she knew it. Her biggest challenge would be remembering that on the days her anxiety crept in. What she didn't know was how tonight was going to go. Rea had assured Haven that everything was taken care of but her friend was only able to ease her racing heart so much. It still pounded in her chest as she waited for Rea in the library.

"Hey H!"

Haven turned from where she was perusing a section about ancient fae languages, finding her friends walking towards her. She hadn't expected Roman to come along but Haven welcomed all the help she could get.

"I hope you don't mind, I ran into Roman on the way here and he asked to come along" Rea smiled sheepishly.

"Of course," Haven responded, "Maybe with an extra set of eyes we might have a chance at finding this thing." So far, she'd been searching by herself since she'd found her way into this realm and had come up with a whole lot of nothing.

"Alright," Roman clapped his hands together, "What are we looking for?"

Haven pulled out the note Binah had tucked into the bag she gave Haven. She pointed to the bit about an old diary that would help explain some of the other things Binah had spoken about in her letter. Haven had underlined it after her third day of searching,

Haven, this belongs to you. Soon you will figure out what I mean.

Until then, please keep this hidden. Do not show it to anyone.

You are so incredibly powerful. I need you to believe this, to believe in yourself. You are in for a lot in these coming weeks, it will not be the quiet and easy adventure I told you.

For that I am so sorry.

I have no doubt that you will make a wonderful Queen.

I hope they do not get to you before you are able t o

come into who you are. There is an old diary hidden deep in the castle library that will help explain.

Please be careful and trust no one.

-Binah

"I think the ‘they' she mentioned might have been Niks father. I can't be certain but there's nothing else that makes sense." She told the group.

"Makes sense" Rea agreed

"Where have you searched so far?" Roman asked

Haven quickly explained everywhere she'd searched, from the right side of the library to all the way left and almost through the entire second floor.

"I think we should split up" Haven announced, reading over the letter again.

"Sounds good" Rea and Roman agreed.

The three of them quickly established which sections they'd take and that they'd meet back at Elanors desk in two hours.

***

Over an hour of searching turned up nothing. So far, Haven had searched and re-searched five rows deep in the shadows of the right wing on the second floor.

"Don't let me startle you" A voice called out from the entrance to the section she was currently looking through. Turning, Haven spotted Rea headed down the row towards her.

"Anything?" Astrea asked

"Not a thing." Haven answered. Astrea frowned and shook her head.

"This sucks" Haven sighed, taking a few steps to toss herself down in a cushioned armchair she'd walked past when entering the row.

"Yeah it does," Rea agreed, "Why couldn't Binah have left some specific detail or something. Why be so cryptic?"

"I don't know. Maybe she was worried someone else would find the letter and get to the diary before I could."

"I guess that could be possible," Rea nodded. Motioning for Haven to slide over, Rea sat down in the chair with her friend.

"Do you think we'll ever find it?" Haven asked, sadness ringing through her voice.

"I certainly hope so. You can't ever give up hope Haven." Rea slung her arm over Havens shoulders, comforting her and offering support.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Rea broke it,

"How are you feeling about tonight?"

"You mean the wedding?"

Rea nodded, "Yes. I know you were forced into it but you seemed excited when we spoke about it before."

"I am" Haven told her. A thought fluttered through her mind, one she'd been trying desperately to keep out. Obviously the sadness showed on her face because Rea pulled her closer and asked,

"What's that face for?"

Haven took a moment before responding,

"My father"

Realization dawned on Astreas face. Haven had been doing all she could since she'd agreed to marry Nik not to think about the fact that her father would not be here to walk her down the aisle. If there even would be an aisle, the whole thing was prepared in such little time and was being kept secret by the crown regent.

"I'm sorry. I know it'll be hard for you, especially considering the way your dad was murdered and all. I'm sure you could ask Roman to walk with you, you're his friend and I know he'd love that you asked him."

Haven barely heard the last of Reas words, she was hung on the fact that Rea specifically said the word, " murdered" . Haven hadn't told anyone but Nik how her father had been killed. As far as anyone else knew, he died in an accidental car crash years ago.

"What did you say?" Haven asked her friend, pulling herself from underneath Reas arm and turning to face her in the oversized chair.

"I said that Roman would surely accompany you down the aisle if you wanted. I think he'd be honored, he-"

Haven cut her off,

"I mean about my dad being murdered. I didn't tell you that." Reas reassuring smile immediately fell, replaced by a panicked look of guilt.

"I-" She started

"I want the truth!" Haven snapped, her temper shorter than normal. Luckily no one else was in the library besides Roman who was somewhere on the other side of the vast space, ensuring this conversation would remain private.

Little things started to add up in Havens mind, comments Astrea had made, how she didn't seem surprised in the slightest after Havens parentage was revealed.

Standing quickly, Haven started to pace. "Have you been lying to me?" She asked, unable to keep the bite out of her tone.

Astrea followed her out of the chair. Haven noticed a slight tremor in her hands. It was obvious her friend was hiding something. Haven had a feeling she would not like whatever Astrea was about to tell her.

She could feel her powers rising to the surface, a shadow knocked a book off the shelf five feet from where she was pacing, the ground beneath her feet began to warm. Thankfully the library had anti fire wards or else her first act as queen would be to announce that the royal library had accidentally burned down.

Roman appeared down the row, most likely drawn by the sounds of shouting and books tumbling. His face pinched when he surveyed the scene before him. His presence seemed to fortify Astreas nerves, allowing her to begin speaking,

"It all started five or so years ago. Me, along with a group of fae dedicated to finding the last of the royal bloodlines and forcing Niks father off the throne, found some incredibly important information. We had finally found exactly what we'd been looking for. It was you Haven, we were looking for you. Unfortunately, we weren't the only ones." Astrea paused, looking to Roman for guidance. He nodded, encouraging her to continue,

"The crown regent found you about a week before we did. At first, nobody knew what to do, should we force you into the fae realm? Should we make contact with your parents? At the time, you were still so young. Because of that, no one would support your immediate claim to the throne and if we brought you here then you'd be in more danger than you already were. In the end, we decided to simply keep an eye on you, keeping you safe, helping you along your way and eventually, when the time came, into the fae realm."

Haven didn't know what to think. Her friend had known who she was the moment they met. Havens mind spun, was that the only reason they had become friends, because Rea knew she would end up queen? If there were fae watching her, then why did her dad have to die? Couldn't they have protected him like they supposedly did her?

Rea exhaled a breath, sitting back down before continuing her story,

"That was the point we officially brought Nik into our ranks, for a while he had been helping us quietly when he could but he was young and untested. He'd made it very obvious by then that he supported our cause and hated his father so we decided the risk was worth it. He began spying on the crown regent, tipping us off whenever he sent minions into the human world to spy on your family. Everything was fairly stagnant for some time. We knew he was planning something, we just didn't know what. Eventually, around the time of your seventeenth birthday, Nik came to us with proof of his fathers plans."

Astrea hesitated before stating the next part,

"He was going to kill you Haven."

Slight shock overtook Haven, she couldn't picture how she'd survived. Niks father didn't seem like the type to let things go when they didn't work out and obviously, seeing as she was not currently dead, his plans had not succeeded.

"We had to stop him from reaching his goal," Rea continued, "Just like we were, the crown regent had been having someone watch you, follow you and learn your routines. He knew that once a month you and your father went and picked out something for your mothers garden. Even in the dead of winter, the two of you found something that would survive in her greenhouse. It was steady and predictable, also the perfect time to attack. We couldn't stop him from going after you but we could stop you from being present when he struck."

Haven let Astreas words sink in, tears gathering at the edge of her eyes.

"I didn't get sick by accident did I?" Haven asked. She could see the truth written in her friends eyes, along with the guilt.

Astrea glanced back at Roman before speaking again. Haven had almost forgotten he was there, witnessing these secrets being spilled.

"We sent someone into the human world, it was actually easier than we thought it'd be. A simple fae herb concoction slipped into the food at your school ensured you'd be sick enough to miss the trip with your father but not sick enough to cause you permanent harm. The poison we used made certain that no humans would fall ill because of our actions."

"What about my father?" Haven demanded, the sadness she felt earlier giving way to anger. She felt her power growing even more around her. She knew why Astrea and her little band of rebels spared her, they needed her, but Haven couldn't fathom why they didn't do the same for her father, especially since he wasn't the initial target.

Astrea at least had the decency to look ashamed as she spoke,

"We knew Niks father wouldn't stop until he had what he wanted and if he found out what we were trying to do, he'd find out who was involved and kill them. You catching a bug and missing one trip could be written off as coincidence but both of you? We knew he'd never believe that since fae rarely get sick, even ones magicless and living in the human realm like your father. We took a gamble that if his plans worked somewhat, he'd be satisfied. In addition, the death of your father drew some awareness to what the crown regent was doing, fae from other kingdoms began paying closer attention which helped to delay some of his other, more nefarious plans."

Haven could barely believe what she was hearing, they just let her father die. Her so-called friend had known exactly what would happen and did nothing. In addition, it seemed as though almost everyone had been lying to her this entire time, having known exactly who she was the minute she stepped into this realm. Rea, Nik, possibly even Tasha and Elanor had all lied.

"What about you?" Haven called to Roman who was standing stock still a few feet away.

He stepped forward, standing directly next to the armchair where Astrea sat. Roman couldn't even meet her eyes as he said,

"Yes Haven, I knew all of it. I'm the one who poisoned you."