All That Falls

23 A Court of Conflict

The Lord of the Court of Friends was visiting.

Ursa had stormed into my room the next morning and roused me from where I had fallen into a fitful sleep on the couch, a book of astronomy laid open across my lap. She had informed me of the noble visitor and demanded that I rise and dress for the occasion.

I questioned her thoroughly the whole time. Why was I expected? I wasn't even of this court. She explained that word had spread far and wide of my stay here since her father had sent notice of it to the Court of Peace and Pride. I had become a bit of a wonder to the Lords of the minor courts, a marvel to stare at and whisper about the implications of my being here.

"Why is he visiting?" I asked as a servant worked on my hair and another powdered my face with that shimmering substance Cass had used on me before, the one that left my natural skin tone but gave me a bit of a glow.

"The Court of Friends is always the one that reaches out first when it looks like there might be a conflict between courts," Ursa explained in a tone of irritation without even looking up from her nails which she examined while leaning against the doorframe of my bathing chamber. "They always think they can help both sides make amends, mediate the conflict before it turns into something bigger."

"Something like a hostage situation?" I asked, turning back to her with a raised brow.

She frowned, slipping off of the wall to stand at her full height as if expecting me to lunge at her. I rolled my eyes and turned forward again for the servant working on my face. The royal family didn't care for it when I mentioned the truth of my situation here, that I could not leave even if I wanted to. And her shields were up. They always were around me now. I wondered if it was mentally exhausting, locking your emotions away from someone who lived with you. But they still had that chink in them, the one I had carved away with a simple expression of love.

"I will not go begging for asylum," I muttered and watched through the mirror as her shoulders visibly relaxed. "Why trade one prison for another? Particularly one I know nothing about. My only interest in leaving is if you agree to take me back to the mortal plane, back to my uncle."

"We've been over why that's impossible now, Seren," Ursa reminded me with a sigh. "Now that the Court of Peace and Pride knows that you're here, that you're... alive, they would find you. Anyone could find you."

I frowned. Every bit of information I learned about my kidnapping from infancy made bile rise in my gut. They had believed he had killed me, killed a baby, rather than taking me to live with my uncle. Lark had been so wicked that it was easy for the entire realm to believe he would commit infanticide. That explained the looks of fear and disgust he had received everywhere we went, the warnings of behavior Sophierial had issued to our group at the Court of Light and Life, and Cass' declaration that the world thought the people of this court to be evil. I could see why. I wasn't so certain myself that they weren't.

"My uncle?" I asked.

"Protected," she assured me. "By the wards that Lark placed over the university after he delivered you there. Alban and Ariadne, they could tear them down with their magic, easily. But that would be too much work just to get at your uncle. You, however..."

"I understand."

"Princess Ursa," a servant spoke then and Ursa whirled around with a growl, conjuring a dagger from thin air. The maid went wide eyed, backing away from her in terror. I didn't recognize her, which meant that she was new, that she wasn't aware of how greatly Ursa hated her title. "I-the King requests your presence, both of you."

Ursa snapped and the dagger disappeared.

"Do not," she said, her voice a low warning, "call me princess."