The green crystal flashes in my mind. I gathered the shards of it and kept it in a box to take back to Castletree… for research purposes only, of course. Could I have used a similar magic to save my mother from death?
I turn my attention back to the table. Ezryn sits with his usual poise, but I can tell he’s looking around. After the battle, we sent word to all the realms about my mother’s funeral. No reply came from Spring, neither from his father, the current steward, or his younger brother. Though his father’s health has been in decline for decades, it’s unlike him not to respond to a royal summons. The absence of Ezryn’s brother, however, is not unexpected.
I’m sure both Ez and Kel will have to return to their realms soon. A small part of me wonders if Kel might be inspired by what happened here, by seeing the Riders rally with him. Maybe he’ll finally want to break his curse.
Maybe he’ll finally accept Rosalina as his mate.
I shake my head, still unable to comprehend that I share a mate with the High Prince of Winter. And that he won’t accept her.
I turn to look at Rosalina, and a soft smile crosses my face. She’s completely engaged with my little sister, listening with enthusiastic nods as Nori explains the delicate art of taxidermy. I thought she was beautiful the first time I saw her all those months ago in my prison cell. Now, she is radiant. The points of her ears and new glimmer in her brown eyes seem like they’ve always belonged to her.
My mate has been half-fae all along. A part of me itches to run to the library to research such power lying dormant. Could our mate bond have awoken it? A mate bond has been known to increase a fae’s magic, but not create new magic. Yet the fire she’d used to crack the ice seemed so similar to my own. And what of those golden roses…
Mysteries upon mysteries… with one in particular that her father is determined to solve. I smile as I look at George, who’s brought his maps even to the dinner table. Billy and Dom hover on either side of him, arguing over the best route to take.
George has decided not to return to Castletree with us; he’s setting off in search of his wife. The realization that Anya was fae has only fortified his determination to locate her. And Dom and Billy couldn’t pass up the chance of being his guides through the wilds.
I take a deep breath and stare down at the table. So many questions lay before us, and I know there won’t be any rest for the Princes and Lady of Castletree.
But we’ll find the answers together.
89
Rosalina
Carefully, I place a folded blouse into the bag on my bed. After months in Coppershire, we are finally returning to Castletree. It feels bittersweet, but I know the Autumn Realm will always be home to me.
Strolling through the room, I stop, noticing my reflection in the gold-plated mirror. The pointed ears are still a shock, and I delicately reach up and touch the tips. Physically, that’s the biggest change. But inside…
Inside, everything is different. Parts of me have opened up, vast wells of… I’m not sure. Magic? Power? The princes have promised to help me explore this transformation, and I trust them.
The world has changed. Colors are more luminous, and I can perceive the glint of enchantment in the air. My bond with Farron burns so brightly sometimes I think it’ll ignite my whole self in flames. And my bond with Kel… Well, that’s stronger, too. An insistent tug, an itch that can’t be scratched.
“Hey-o!”
“Hello! Rosalina!”
“Rose, dear!”
Three voices call from outside, and I rush to my balcony. Down below—atop horses laden with full saddlebags—are Billigan, Dominic, and my father.
The trees around the burnt library are still unfurled from the battle, but my view is no longer of the ruins. The broken wood is covered in lush moss, the ground now grassy, and there’s even a small pond with crystal-clear water. A combined gift from the High Princes. One day, I know Farron and I will rebuild the library.
Currently, my horse, Amalthea, and Farron’s elk, Thrand, graze in the clearing. Thankfully, Thrand’s no worse for wear after being frozen in the battle. Farron found him amid many of the other frozen soldiers and steeds and was able to melt the cursed ice. I’ll miss them. Perhaps one day Castletree and the lands beyond will be safe enough for them, too.
I turn my attention back to the trio. “Shouldn’t you be on your way already?” I yell.
They’re about to set off on their own adventure. For the first time, seeing Papa leave doesn’t fill me with loneliness. Instead, I’m filled with hope. Perhaps my fae mother truly is out there.
“One more thing!” Papa calls up. “What would you like me to bring you?”
“Just a rose!”
He laughs. “That got me in a bit of trouble last time.”
“Trouble of the best kind,” Dominic chuckles.
“True enough if it brought you here,” Billy adds.
“You two better keep him safe,” I say, waving. “Now go before I start crying again!”
“Goodbye, Rosalina!” Papa calls. “I love you!”
“I love you too.” I wipe a tear from my face and step inside.
A part of me understands his love and devotion in a way I hadn’t before. I would never stop trying to get back to my princes, and he’ll never stop searching for my mother.
I return to my packing, placing another sweater in my bag. The corner of a book peeks out. My heart shudders, as it always does, when I see it. Carefully, I pull away the clothes hiding it and run my fingers over the cover.
It’s the grimoire Caspian stole from the alder tree. It hadn’t been hard at all to control the thorns he gave me, to reach into his armor and switch my book with this. He’d been so focused on completing our bargain… On kissing me.
The material is weathered and rough. Intricate symbols etched across the cover writhe before my eyes. Each time I look, they’re in a different place, like the book is alive.
The thorns encircling my wrist, shrunken down to only delicate bracelets, weigh heavily as I look upon the book. The pages are yellowed and brittle, their edges frayed with age. They feel fragile, as if they might crumble at any moment.
I’ve only had a chance to briefly flip through it. The words are written in a flowing script that twists across the page, defying the rigid lines. It’s a book about humans. This passage speaks of the Queen’s fondness for people, of their curiosity and ingenuity.
It’s strange. I’d been in the alder tree with Farron, and there had been many books that seemed more dangerous. No world-ending spells or dastardly secrets here. In fact, the whole thing seems purely scientific and observational.
But he went to so much trouble for this one book. Why? I have no doubt he’ll return for it. I’ll have to hide it well and be ready with my own bargain if he wants it back.
A light tap sounds at my door, and I quickly tuck the book deep within my bag. “Come in!”
Keldarion steps into my room, raising a dark brow, the look he always gives me when he thinks I’m up to something. “Rosalina.”
I haven’t told any of them yet about seeing Caspian on the battlefield or the bargain I made. They haven’t questioned the thin thorns around my wrists. Perhaps they think I summoned them myself.
“Almost ready to go?” The Winter Prince strides before me. He’s dressed in that simple elegance he excels at, a laced black shirt with tight pants and boots.
“Almost.”
He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear, fingers delicately stroking the point.
“If I’ve always been half-fae, why did I look human?” I ask softly.
“I’m uncertain.” He shakes his head. “There are illusion spells, but to physically change your appearance for so long requires a magic beyond what I understand. But we’ll find the answer, I promise.”
I place my hand over his.
“Oh! Ah!” An awkward sound comes from my doorway: Farron, eyes wide and hands jittery. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“Come here, Farron,” Keldarion says.