The Battle of the Trees - Sword, Ring, and Crown Book Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

When he released me, I stumbled back and touched my mouth.

"Why?" My voice was a squeak toy.

He looked down at me, the inverted stars of his eyes receding from the expansion of his pupils until hardly a sliver of the darkest shade remained. His brow furrowed as he gazed at me. "Why?"

"Why'd you change your mind?"

"Thou hath a rabble of fools for a court. Thou hath a sycophant and a sycophant's sycophant." He pointed at Luke and Erick, who bristled at his words and stood up. I put my hand up, wanting Venetto to finish. They sat back down, but Erick kept his hand on his sword.

"Thou hath two puny humans."

"Hey!" Dom glared at him, and I knew he was still thinking of how he'd saved us from the blast that Venetto himself might have singed us all with. I agreed, but I made a lowering motion with my palm to tell him to chill. Adrian just shrugged at Venetto as if he agreed.

"And thou hath a cooing pink viper and a warmonger. That thou won any trial is surely the work of the Creator above."

Ciaran laughed aloud and crossed his arms, waiting for Venetto to go on.

"And Thee, thou hath given all your court their own mind and being. Thou hath not used your power to subject any, and thou couldst do this. Thou couldst demand thy way, and not one would resist."

Demand my way? I could force someone to obey me? "Yeah, I think I'll pass on the demanding and forcing thing. That would make me no better than Duir."

"Thou hath no idea of the true power of thy Becoming." He seemed amazed that I didn't know. "All the Faerie Queenes from the centuries knew this, but nary a soul hast told thee."

"Even if I did know, I wouldn't use that against anyone. That's not me." I swept my hand across the room at all of my court, including my five concubines and my banmuinen, whom he hadn't even given a thought to, it seemed. "These people are my friends, and I can't believe Luis really killed anyone; I can't. There has to be something else going on, and I'll find it. I won't believe it unless Luis tells me to my face that he's trying to wreck Aleria. But never mind that. These are the people I chose, maybe subconsciously, but they've been loyal if a little nuts sometimes."

I looked at Ciaran, and he blew me a kiss. Then I turned my focus on each person, they all were smiling at me, and I knew that we were coming together somehow. Then I turned back to Venetto. "So, don't diss my fam."

Venetto stared at me then rumbled with laughter. The sound unloosened something tightly wound within me, and I found myself laughing along. It dawned on me that this man got me to admit that everyone there was my family now, and everyone belonged to each other. Perhaps I didn't have to choose one person to give the sword to and make them the royal consort.

"Thou hath spoken true. Thou art a fierce protector of thy 'fam'. Thus, it would behoove me to be at the side of such a fierce warrior. Thou wilt bring the peace to these lands along with your rabble." His strange eyes glittered with suppressed humor.

"So that you know, you become rabble if you marry me."

"Aye, and gladly."

It finally occurred to me that we kissed. "Wait. You kissed me but didn't produce a stone?"

"Nay, I shan't until we wed."

"But... I produced a stone with Dominic before we were wed."

"Thou loveth that man. Thou hast loved him before the bond existed."

Had I? I glanced at Dom who was holding his hands over his chest as though his heart might burst through, then he looked at me with tears in his eyes. I took a step towards him, but Venetto spoke and caused me to pause.