For just a moment, her heart melted against his perfidy. But then she remembered his endless machinations and it hardened again. She bit into the confection and relished the intense sweetness. How many bees had toiled for this much honey?
She turned to her captor and Consort. “Tell me, Bodach, why did you wish me to be in this throne? For you have arranged everything that came to this point.”
He blinked with feigned innocence. “I have? That’s curious. I didn’t realize I could be so crafty.”
She narrowed her eyes. The court grew quiet as her hissed response cut across the entire hall. “As your Queen, I forbid you to lie to me.”
Still with a cheerful grin on his face, Bodach blinked. “As my Queen, I have no ability to lie to you anyhow. Please, enjoy your coronation feast. Soon, there will be dancing!”
He caught the eyes of a courtier hovering on the sidelines, and that Fae ran out of the hall. Clíodhna gritted her teeth. She would confront him afterward, not before the entire court. She may not be familiar with being a Queen, but some court etiquette might be supposed.
The courtier returned with a group of Fae, each carrying an odd object. They stood to one side of the hall, lifted the objects, and played.
Clíodhna had attended the Queen’s court a hundred times already, and seldom had she heard instrumental music within these walls. They’d held balls and dances, but usually with a Fae singer or a group of singers. Perhaps the old Queen hadn’t cared for such tools. But how could anyone not be delighted with such exquisite melody? The sounds made by the instruments soared up and down in graceful descants, at once describing the flight of a butterfly and a powerful rainstorm.
She closed her eyes and lost herself in the music’s magic, quite forgetting where she sat and who sat next to her.
When the music ceased, she gasped, as if someone punched her in the stomach. The removal of such a glorious sound came as a horrible loss and left her head reeling. The room spun with the effects of the music and the mead, and perhaps with the sweet palace confection.
Her stomach roiled and informed her it was unpleased.
She breathed in shallow gasps, hoping to get control over her body. She clutched at the edge of the table, unable to stand or leave without danger of stumbling. A Queen didn’t stumble. Nor must she appear ill before her people, especially not during coronation.
In and out. One breath. Two breaths. In and out. Her nausea subsided and she merely felt uncomfortable. She took in one deep breath, and her head cleared somewhat, allowing her to once again pay attention to her surroundings.
The court finished their meal during the first song, and the servants cleared tables and dishes from the center of the hall. Fae formed several clumps for a formal dance. Bodach stood and offered his hand, but she glared at it with repugnance. “I prefer to watch.”
He looked both rebellious and disappointed, but he sat back down on his lesser throne. The musicians began their tune and the courtiers danced.
She’d never watched the balls from this vantage point before. Up on the dais, she commanded full view of the formations of the dance, a measured orchestration of perfect movement, both elegant and ordered. Not one Fae stepped out of place, nor hesitated on the beat. Swirling clothing and glittering hair accompanied the dancers, as did the occasional wing or feathers. Clíodhna became entranced with the artistry of both the dance and the dancers.
Swirls and twirls of delicate tracery across the glittering dance floor. The sky above, with the artificial sun still shining high, now dimmed with colorful clouds dancing in a similar rhythm. Clíodhna watched the mirrored dance above her and smiled at the loveliness until her neck hurt.
Cerul outshone herself with the sky today. She must remember to thank Cerul personally. That chance remark when she first arrived must have been the impetus to create this illusion, and she appreciated that personal touch.
She glanced at the remaining palace confection and the other tidbits on her table. They hadn’t been removed with the rest of the tables, as she still ate and drank, so she grabbed another morsel. This seemed a mushroom of some sort, marinated in a garlic sauce. She popped it in her mouth and nearly gagged at the strong taste flooding her mouth. She took a long swig of mead to clear her throat, and once again, her head spun from the alcohol.
As the dance ended, she stood and clapped her hand once in approval of the entertainment, as she’d seen Queen Áine do so many times in the past. The courtiers, out of breath from their exertions, fell apart from their rigid lines into small knots of friendship and gossip. This freed her from her role as rigid hostess, and allowed her to dismount the dais. She joined her new people.
Bodach placed a hand on her arm, halting her step down from the throne. “My lady, you have a duty yet.”
Clíodhna forced a smile on her face. “Oh? Do remind me, Bodach.”
“You must punish those who rebelled against Queen Áine, of course. You cannot let them go free for their insolence.”
She furrowed her brow. “But the marsh and wild Fae rebelled. Many of them died already.”
His lip curled up in a nasty smile. “Nevertheless, you must discipline the rest. Or else others will believe they can try to throw over the Queen with impunity.”
The marsh and wild Fae loved her best, the ones who came to her in their time of need. The ones who kept her company on
