"I say again, puh-lease!"
The faery court was getting a good evening soap opera out of all of this. I couldn't believe I was thinking this, but I actually did feel the tiniest bit sorry for Piers. I had no doubt he was a lousy fiancé for her, but I also could tell he had no sense of how to be suave and romantic, and even if his intentions were okay, anyone with Daisy's personality would have crushed him. She needed someone who could handle her.
“Piers,” Queen Morgana said. “I have heard of your various deeds from Lady Daisy. This is the realm of the fae, where both chaos and order have their place, and fighting for your territory is not a crime, but cruelty…well, you will be judged if you are to stay here, in a way that will give you a fate you deserve, be it kind or cruel.”
“I understand,” Piers said. I don’t think he expected anything good to come of it.
I appealed directly to Queen Morgana. "Look, I won't stand in the way of the laws of your realm. But I came here to get help for Jenny. I would feel better if I personally repaid the favor, because I am the one who loves Jenny and her health is my personal responsibility, not Piers. I have a number of skills which I would gladly place in Your Majesty's hands until the debt is repaid."
"Didn't you say you were already bound to a high demon?"
"Yes...but he isn't a very powerful demon. He's stuck in Etherium. I think he'll have a hard time forcing me back to his side if I'm sworn to repay a debt to you."
In the back of the room, by the main doors of the hall, the herald blew his horn. Queen Morgana looked up, startled.
Lord Variel was being led into the hall, with his legs in shackles made of thick vines so his steps hobbled, and his arms bound behind his back. His bonds were being held by four faery guards, but he led the way down the aisle to the queen.
"Queen of the Fae," he announced. "I am Lord Variel the Devourer, son of Lord Vorsiel, and I have come to offer my repentance in exchange for knowledge of the origins of the familiar race, so that they may--" He suddenly noticed me and Piers where we had moved off to the side. "What are you doing here?"
Chapter Two
Lord Variel
"I'm wondering the same thing," Bevan replied. "Are you really here to find out about familiars?"
It was almost impossible to admit that I actually wanted to help Jenny in front of Bevan. High demons were not supposed to help lesser beings.
"I sense that this demon could not have breached the gates of our realm this day unless he had a true intention to pay for his crimes and act to benefit someone else," some old hag in the crowd said.
It was always a hag to cause trouble with her truth-telling. "I'm not sure I'm as benevolent as all of that," I said. “It's just that I wish to marry the toad maid. The fates have chosen her for my bride. And so, to her and her alone, I must prove myself. Where is Jenny?" I asked Bevan.
"Jenny contracted swamp sickness in your fen," Piers said, and I could tell he was actually pissed off at me. "I tried to heal her with the Blood’s Salvation mushroom but she had an especially bad case."
"Jenny is never going to leave me for you," Bevan said. "You know this is pointless. We’re already taking care of her."
"Hmmm," Queen Morgana said. "So all three of you are here simply to aid and protect this girl? It's clear to me that she must be a very special girl if she could unite such a group in wanting to help someone else. I will provide her with the best of care and I will have her judge your crimes. Then, I will speak to the familiars about what knowledge I can provide."
“What’s that? Jenny will judge my crimes?" I repeated. I knew Jenny, with her gentle heart, would never wish for my maiming or execution, or even any torture. The queen might as well say I would not be punished at all.
"Yes. Jenny alone will decided your fates." She smiled and waved a hand at a female attendant. "Please see to it that she has the best care and use these three men as aides. They all seem to want to help her, so make use of them at her sickbed. Daisy, my flower, please make plans for a gathering to welcome her to the court when she gets better. I would like to invite all the mages, our best military leaders and captains of the royal fleet. Perhaps a little theatrical to lighten our spirits, and then we will decide what to do with these men.”
"Wha? If...that's what you want." Daisy wrinkled her nose at Piers. One of the three fae men at her side patted her shoulder and said,
"I'm sure the queen knows exactly what she's doing."
Bevan didn't look happy either, but he composed himself. By now I knew that Bevan could not be easily provoked, and he must guess Queen Morgana had a plan.
One could never trust the fae, but they also were incapable of lying, so she meant what she said. Maybe she intended to persuade Jenny to punish me more harshly, but there was no universe in which I could imagine Jenny choosing of her own free will to hurt me.
For now, I would have to accept this as a good result. The fae guard released me from my bonds at Morgana's order, and I was able to return to my servants, who were waiting outside the palace.
"Master!?" Gillian said nervously. "They set you free?"
"Indeed... Bevan, Piers and Jenny beat me here. Jenny is sick and I will be allowed to tend to her. When she is well, she'll decide my punishment."
"That girl couldn't punish a flea," Uram said. I had finally allowed him to talk again.
"My guard is certainly not lowered," I said. "Something is afoot. Still, we're out of that accursed realm, and my magic is flowing better here." When we landed in the fae realm, we found ourselves in the middle of a wetland, still far too sunny for my taste, but it was a vast improvement from Etherium. I was even able to hunt and eat fish and game again. After days of travel, we stumbled upon the faery palace. Bevan, I supposed, had traveled straight to the heart of the realm without any troubles. The landscape would not have resisted him as it did me.
A young woman in a starched white apron came up to us outside. "There you are. Shall I show you to your quarters? The queen welcomes you to the palace. Once Jenny is in stable condition, you will be able to take a shift tending to her, so we request you wait in your chambers for a summons. Your rooms are well appointed with books, instruments and games so you will not just be left to pace with worry!" She smiled.
What the hell is going on, exactly? I wondered. The last thing I expected was a warm reception.
The girl led the way to rooms that were just as nice as described. Uram immediately picked up a lute and started picking out a love song.
"Well, this is what I'm talking about,” Jameson said, looking out the window at a view of a small garden, one of many on the grounds, and each with different types of flowers. A few attractive fae maidens were walking by the window and looked up at him, giggling. When I came up behind him they hurried off.
"There are so many beds!" Gillian exclaimed from the next room. "There's a big bed for the master, and a bed for each of us, and even a whole extra bed just in case one bed gets spoiled!"
"I can think of no reason you should expect a bed to be 'spoiled', whatever that means," I muttered. "But...the quarters are very generous. Please do thank Queen Morgana for me,” I told the maid. Of course, I was still very suspicious, but I could at least be polite, as a Lord to a Queen.