“What is this place?” Wynn asked, looking around the room.
The queen smiled, but it didn’t look like a happy sort of smile. “It is where I keep things that are special to me. That crown is the crown I made for my daughter.”
“The lost baby?” Wynn remembered the story of the baby the queen lost, but didn’t remember all the parts. There were things she didn’t understand. She only knew the baby was stolen by the Grendel.
“Yes, she never had a chance to wear it. I keep it here now, to remember her.” The queen stood and looked around. Her pure white hair floated around her head as the glittering crystals on her dress seemed to flow like drifts of snow down her body. The golden light shining into the room made the queen glimmer with magic. She gently picked up an amulet with a flower symbol on it lying next to the crown. Wynn thought she had seen one of those before, but she couldn’t remember. “Who is this for?” Wynn asked, pointing to the necklace.
“My last changeling son wore a matching one, so I could call him home when he wandered. He fancied himself a brave adventurer.” She gave Wynn a sad smile and placed it back down on the pedestal.
“What is this?” Wynn asked, stroking her hand down the striped fur. It felt coarse and dry.
The queen placed her hands behind her back. Wynn couldn’t tell if she was happy or sad anymore. She was very still. “It was a gift from someone I thought was a friend. The creature was the last of its kind, a tigereon, a dangerous darkling creature that didn’t obey fairy magic.”
“That is sad,” Wynn said, but the queen did not respond. Wynn moved over to look at the staff. “What is this?”
“That belonged to my . . .” She stopped herself and looked out the window into the dark shadows beyond the shield. “That belonged to a great prince, long, long ago. It was a gift. Elves gave it to him. It is made from the same crystal as the heart of the kingdom.” The queen didn’t say anything more about the prince, but stared at the staff for a long time before she turned to look at Wynn. “Why did you leave your room?”
“I want to go outside,” Wynn said. “Want to play in the flowers. Will you play with me?”
This time the queen smiled as she brushed her hand over Wynn’s head. “I wish I could, darling, and I will once things are secure. All the other fairies and I are working to make sure the shield is strong now that my magic is returning. I must protect everyone. When it is safe for you, I will take you outside.”
“I want to do magic,” Wynn said. “Then I will help.”
The queen folded her into a hug. “You can do magic. When you sing, it’s magic. When you dance, it’s magic. There is magic in the joy and love you share. That magic helped bring you here.” She bent down and smiled. “You are my magic. That is why it is so important to keep you safe.”
Wynn looked around the room. All of the treasures were from people that made the queen feel sad. She glanced down and kicked off her shoe, picked it up, and set it next to the crown. “There, now you have something that is happy.”
The queen laughed. “And I will treasure it always. Come, let’s go back to your room now.”
“No.” Wynn pulled her arm away. “Elric’s gone. Where is Elric?”
The queen looked troubled. She twisted her hand and a small ball of light appeared. She flicked it out the window and turned with her hands behind her back. A moment later a raven flew into the room with a loud caw.
The large bird hopped forward, and as he did, his body stretched out and in a blink he became a fairy man with long indigo robes and a cape of shining black feathers. His slick black hair lay smoothly over his head. He lowered his body in an elegant bow. “My queen, you called?”
“Where is Prince Elric?” she asked.
Wynn tucked herself back toward the door. Raven didn’t look at her. Wynn didn’t think he liked her very much. He never talked to her, but told other people to make her do things. She didn’t like it. He cleared his throat, placing one of his pale hands over the other. “Master Elk is teaching the prince fighting techniques this morning.”
Wynn held very still and didn’t say anything. When other people talked, sometimes they said lots of things that they didn’t know she could understand. She learned new things that way. Why was Elric fighting?
A stiff breeze blew around the queen as she frowned. “I thought his lessons wouldn’t begin until we found a way to make the shield completely opaque. There are still spies in the woods. The elves have those peering glasses trained on us at all times.” She waved an arm toward the windows, her sleeve billowing beside her.
“The elves won’t risk an attack now that the shield is stronger,” Raven insisted.
“Have all the cracks and fissures been found and repaired?” the queen asked.
“Of course, it’s perfectly safe.”
The queen glared at him. “A reaper has prowled along the shield for the past three nights, looking for a weakness in it. I fear the Grendel knows I have another child.” The chamber grew cold. A flurry of snow blew across the floor. She looked back at Wynn. Wynn batted at her skirts as if she weren’t paying attention.
Raven stepped closer to the queen and lowered his voice. “We both know the Grendel will use his reapers to try to take the children. However, we have one advantage.”
The queen turned to him.
Raven
