"Do you remember when Oberon had that affair with a human? Wasn't there a child from that union?"
"That makes me half Fae."
The words circle around my brain repeatedly, consistently nagging at my thoughts. I hadn't paid much attention to the gossip of the Courts, ever, and I naturally shrugged off Breena's comment. Why should I care about the prospect of Oberon's bastard? Queen Titania definitely would've had it killed by now if it were true.
Except...
I glance sideways at Cara, at her plain human features. To look at her, to study her, no one would suspect she is Fae. There's nothing. Dull eyes, rounded ears, limp hair. Obviously, she doesn't have wings. Her figure is very much that of a mortal woman, not ethereally aestethic in the slightest. She's much fuller, with curves and a bossom to match. A strange feeling stirs my gut and I turn away.
Enough studying the girl, I tell myself. I wonder if I should bother taking her to the Seelie Court. It would be the equivalent of dropping her off in a wolve's den. Titania will certainly gouge her eyes out. To start. Who knows what she'll do to rid herself of her husband's bastard. Although Fae rarely are sworn to one, it's an even slimmer chance we procreate when participating in our acts of sexuality. But for the King to have proof of his infidelity...
Cara's hand is feather light as she touches my arm. "Kailan...? Is everything all right?" I hadn't realized I had stopped.
I can't lie but I don't want to seem like I care for the girl either. Steeling my expression, I frown and clip, "Let's keep going." Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I continue down the road from town.
Cara, I can tell, has never been beyond her little village. She gawks at everything as if maple trees differ from inside the village versus in the world. She inhales deeply. Does the air smell different too? It's the same air, I know, but I still breathe a little deeper myself, smelling the dew on the grass that accompanies the dawn.
It's been a while, I realize, since I've taken in the small delights of the world. I no longer care to watch the sun rise or fall, about the first snowfall that leaves frost over everything and turns the earth crystalline. In the autumn solstice, when the leaves change and fall, I used to love that the most. The smell of the dirt as it prepared for the frost, absorbing the fallen remnants of the trees to insulate itself. The blistering wind that would whip through the forest, almost like a young sprite glad to be free.
What had happened to my sense of wonder?
I watch Cara, and I smile. My first real smile in decades. The innocence on her face is so refreshing after spending so much time with snarling, conniving Fae.
She turns to me as the forest thickens, the most radiant grin on her cherubic face. I adopt a scowl before she can witness my peace. A sharp pain stabs my chest, like a knife piercing my heart, when her face falls.
"You must think me childish," she murmurs. "But the truth is I'm enraptured because all I've ever seen is my village before I met you."
An iron knife, burning my entire chest cavity as it sinks deeper. How boring her life must be if she's enthralled by forests. Pity fills me for her and I remind myself the girl owes me a favor. I may have a soft spot for humans but I've never felt any real feelings for them. Even half-Fae humans.
So what is it about this girl that evokes feelings out of me? Half Fae. And not just any Fae. A spawn of King Oberon himself. A bastard in the eyes of royalty but powerful nonetheless--if she possesses magic. Half Fae. I knew I wasn't going soft. What are the odds the human I strike a bargain with is King Oberon's daughter?
Does Queen Tatiana know? Is that why she's so interested? A bargain for one of Oberon's kin, from an unsuspecting Fae who rarely makes deals as it is. It would make a fantastic story among the courtiers, and Unseelie love gossip.
Soft, joyful music plays on the wind. Cara notices it and stops, clutching my arm. "What is that?"
"That would be a portal to the Seelie Court. Welcome home, Your Majesty. It sounds like we're just in time for the party."