“Your secret is safe with me as long as you share.” Brea sipped from her cup, convinced her mother’s fae coffee was better than the real thing.
“I owe you an apology.” Faolan buttered her toast. “I owe you a good many apologies. But this morning, I’m here to say I am so sorry I’ve been … such a mess since your return.”
“I understand.” Brea took a slice of toast for herself. “You raised Alona as your own. I can’t imagine how you must feel since she was taken.”
“I miss her.” Faolan’s eyes misted with unshed tears. “But that is no reason for me to neglect you when you probably feel like a stranger in our home.”
Brea didn’t know what to say to that, so she shoved toast into her mouth to keep from saying something she might regret.
“It never occurred to me that you might be bored. But why wouldn’t you be? We’ve given you nothing to do. No wonder you prefer exploring the city to sitting here in your rooms.”
“It is kind of like watching paint dry.” Brea focused on the selection of jams rather than meet her mother’s eyes. She didn’t bother to ask how Faolan knew how she spent her days in the city.
“Alona had tutors up until last year. Perhaps you would like a tutor to teach you all about Eldur and the fae world? We can arrange that for the coming months. Though you will soon need to focus all your energies on your magic when you come of age.”
Brea nodded, her mouth full of toast she didn’t taste. Clearly the Eldur queen intended Brea to make the palace her permanent home. She wasn’t so sure she agreed with that.
“Lochlan once told me you grew up on a farm in a small village. He said you seemed to like the horses the most.”
“We had horses when I was younger, but my father had to sell them after a few bad years and failed crops. My friend Myles lived on the farm next to ours. They always had horses.”
“Did you know we have stables here at the palace? And not just for transportation purposes. We raise draft horses and ponies. Landowners from all over Eldur come to our stables for the best horses in all of the fae realm.”
That piqued Brea’s interest. “Where are the stables? I’ve explored all over the city and the palace grounds, but I haven’t stumbled onto it.”
“Behind the palace gardens at the top of the canyon. You may visit the stables whenever you like, but I thought you might like a job there as well.”
“A job?” Brea’s mouth hung open.
“Not that you need a job. You’re not obligated by any means,” Faolan rushed to add.
“When can I start? What will I be doing?”
“You can start today.” Faolan smiled. “One of the guards will escort you there and back. You’ll meet with Master Arturo, and if you’d like, you may apprentice with him.”
“Apprentice? With the stable master? I just figured I’d be mucking out stalls.”
“Master Arturo wouldn’t dare ask you to do that.” Faolan smiled. “He won’t treat you any different than the other hands, but he will teach you horse breeding. He’s a busy man, so he won’t always have much time for you. While you’re there, you’ll exercise horses, watch over the pregnant mares, groom and feed the ponies. They always need extra attention.”
“Sounds perfect.” Brea couldn’t wait to get started.
“I apprenticed under Master Arturo when I was your age. The stables are still my favorite place in the whole city. You get your love of horses and Eldur Brew from me.” Faolan took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “And your fair share of my awkwardness too.”
“Awkward?” The queen didn’t have an awkward bone in her body.
“Oh, I’ve learned to hide it behind cool smiles and a queenly facade I’ve perfected over the years, but inside, I’m still the girl who spills her tea and forgets how to articulate a sentence when I’m nervous. But I don’t want to hide from my daughter.”
“Thank you so much for the apprenticeship. I won’t let you down.”
“You couldn’t if you tried, darling. Wherever your future leads, learning under Master Arturo will be good experience. As your mother, I want you to be happy and make your own decisions about how you fit into our family and our kingdom. I know I am not an easy woman to know, but I hope you’ll give me … us time to work our way into a real mother-daughter relationship. And when Alona returns, I do hope you can be friends.”
“I like the sound of that.” Brea squeezed her hand back. It was the most unawkward moment they’d shared since Brea arrived in Eldur.
“I leave you to your morning.” Faolan cleared their breakfast dishes herself and retreated to the hall. “Oh.” She turned just as Brea stepped behind her, and they collided, sending the breakfast tray sailing across the room.
“Oh, darn it.” Faolan stooped to pick up the broken dishes.
“Like mother, like daughter.” Brea laughed and went to retrieve the silver tray. They scrambled across the floor to clean up the mess. “I’m pretty sure Rowena would yell at us for daring to clean this up.”
Faolan rocked back on her heels, laughter dancing in her eyes. “I’m pretty sure we did it wrong anyway.” She stood brushing crumbs from her gown. “I was just going to tell you that you can find me in the throne room most days. You are welcome to visit us there anytime, Brea dear.”
“I’ll do that.”
Faolan paused at the door for a second time. “Not a day went by during your whole life that I didn’t think about you and wish good things for you.” She didn’t wait for a reply before she left Brea standing there with tears in her eyes.
3
Brea
“Finish grooming Raven, and you can call it a day, Lady Brea.” Master Arturo slapped the fat pony on her ample rump. “Good work with the ponies this week. They’re madly in love with you already.”
“I think fae ponies are extra sweet.” Brea brushed Raven’s long fluffy mane until it sparkled in the sunlight.
“You spoil this one.” Arturo chuckled.
“She’s close to foaling. She deserves some extra attention.” Brea smoothed her brush over Raven’s back. “You think it’ll be any day now?”
“Three or four more days yet.”
“She looks ready to burst.”
“I’m guessing this one is twins.”
“Twins! Oh please send word as soon as she goes into labor. I want to be here with her.”
“I’ll send one of the boys to get you when the time comes, but I’m under strict orders to get you home before dark, so off you go, Lady Brea.”
“Thank you, Master Arturo.” Brea took her grooming tools back into the massive stables and went to wake her babysitter.
“Emmet.” Brea shook the boy who was supposed to be her chaperone while she was working at the stables. He couldn’t be more than fifteen, and she was pretty sure she could take him.
“Yes ma’am, Lady Brea.” He scrambled to his feet. “You ready to leave, my Lady?”