Iron Crowned Chapter 1

Dont confuse fairy sissys with fairy princesses.Where I come from, girls who motive to be fairy princesses usually dream ab break through gossamer wings and frilly dresses. Pink dresses, at that. Im pretty confident(predicate) rhinestones are part of cosmos a fairy princess too, as are cute wands with stars on top that grant wishes. Fairy princesses expect lovely lives of luxury and lounging, ones that involve small woods creatures waiting on their every need.As a fairy queen, I can admit that there is a bit more involvement with timbre creatures than one might expect. only when the rest? A total joke. Fairies the kind I deal with, at least rarely have wings. My wand is do of rough gemstones bound to put downher, and I use it to b give bulge Otherworldly creatures out of existence. Ive also whacked a few people in the head with it. My support is dirty, harsh, and deadly, the kind of life no frilly dress could withstand. I wear jeans. Most important, I get a line horribl e in pink.Im also pretty sure that fairy princesses dont have to deal with this kind of shit first thing in the morning.I have killed Eugenie accentuateham.The words rang out loud and clear by a dine room filled with about thirty people eating at round wooden tables. The ceilings were vaulted, and the rough stone walls made it look uniform part of a medieval rook because well, it kind of was. Most of the morning diners were soldiers and guards, only a few were wrap upicials and high-ranking servants who lived and worked within the castle.Dorian, King of the oak Land and my bondage-loving Otherworldly boyfriend, sat at the head table and looked up from his breakfast to weigh who had made such a bold statement. Im sorry, did you say something?The speaker, stand up on the other side of the table, off-key as red as the uniform he wore. He looked about twenty-something in human years, meaning he was probably a hundred or so in fairy or gentry, the name I preferred years. Th e guy bit his lip and straightened his posture, do another attempt at dignity as he glared at Dorian.I said I killed Eugenie Markham. The man a soldier, it appeared looked around at the faces, no doubt hoping his message would inspire horrified reactions. Mostly his words brought about good-natured confusion, largely because half of the people gathered in the room could see me standing in the hall outside. I have killed your queen, and now your armies will crumble. Surrender immediately, and Her Royal Majesty, Queen Katrice of the Rowan Land, will be merciful.Dorian didnt react right away and didnt look very concerned. He delicately patted his mouth with a brocade napkin and indeed re turned it to his lap. Dead? Are you sure? He glanced over at a dark-haired woman impersonateting beside him. Shaya, didnt we just see her yesterday?Yes, sire, replied Shaya, pouring cream into her tea.Dorian brushed autumn-red hair out of his face and returned to cutting up the sugary, almond-co ated pastry that was serving as his most important meal of the day. Well, there you have it. She cant be dead.The Rowan soldier stared in disbelief, growing more and more incredulous as people continued to either regard him curiously or simply ignore him altogether. The hardly soulfulness who seemed mildly concerned was an elderly gentry woman sitting on the other side of Dorian. Her name was Ranelle, and she was an ambassador from the Linden Land. Shed only arrived yesterday and clear wasnt used to the wacky mishaps around here.The soldier turned his attention back to Dorian. Are you as insane as they say you are? I killed the stumper Queen Look. He threw down a silver and moonstone necklace. It clattered against the hard, tiled floor, and the pale, iridescent stones just barely picked up some of the morning light. I cut this off of her corpse. Now do you believe me?That brought some silence to the room, and even Dorian paused. It was indeed my necklace, and seeing it made me absentmindedly touch the bare spot on my throat. Dorian wore his perpetually bored expression, but I knew him well enough to guess at the maelstrom of thoughts swirling behind his green eyes.If thats true, Dorian replied at last, accordingly why didnt you actually bring us her corpse?Its with my queen, said the soldier smugly, thinking hed finally gained ground. She kept it as a trophy. If you cooperate, she might release it to you.I dont believe it. Dorian peered down the table. Rurik, will you pass the salt? Ah, thank you.King Dorian, said Ranelle uneasily, perhaps you should pay more attention to what this man has to say. If the queen is dead Shes not, said Dorian bluntly. And this sauce is delicious.Why dont you believe me? exclaimed the soldier, sounding oddly childlike. Did you think she was invincible? Did you think no one could kill her?No, admitted Dorian. I just dont think you could kill her.Ranelle tried again. My lord, how do you know that the queen isnt Because shes standing right there. Will you all shut up now so I can eat in peace? The interruption and end to this farce came from Jasmine, my teenage sister. Like me, she was half human. Unlike me, she was totally unstable and was consequently eating her breakfast while wearing loose but magic-stunting handcuffs. She also had headphones on, and the breakfast debate must have been overpowering her current playlist.Thirty faces turned toward where I stood near the doorway, and there was a mad scramble as almost everyone shoved back their chairs and tried to rise for a hasty bow. I sighed. Id been palmy leaning against the wall, resting from a hard nights journey as I watched this absurdity unfolding in my Otherworldly home. The gig was up now. I threw back my shoulders and strode into the dining room, putting on all the queenly airs I could.The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated, I announced. I had a emotion Id messed up the Mark Twain quote, but in this crowd, nobody knew th e reference anyway. Most thought I was simply stating the facts. Which, real, I was.The Rowan soldiers flushed face suddenly turned white, his eyes bugging out. He took a few steps backward and glanced uneasily around. There was really nowhere else he could go.I gestured for those who were standing and bowing to sit down as I walked up to my necklace. Picking it up from the floor, I eyed it critically. You broke the clasp. I studied it for a few more moments and then turned my glare on him. You broke it when you ripped it off my neck while we were fighting not when you killed me. Obviously. I just barely recalled grappling with this guy last night. Hed been one among many. Id lost him in the midst of the chaos, but apparently, Katrice had decided to send him here with a story after hed captured this evidence.You look amazing for being dead, my dear, called Dorian. You should really come join us and try this sauce that Ranelle brought.I ignored Dorian, both because he expected me t o and because I knew I didnt look so amazing. My tog were ripped and dirty, and Id accrued a few cuts in last nights battle. Judging from the haze of red I kept seeing out of the corners of my eyes, I had a feeling my hair was frizzy and sticking up in about a hundred different directions. It was already turning into a hot day, and my stuffy castle was making me sweat profusely.No, gasped the Rowan soldier. You cant be alive. Balor swore he saw you fall he told the queen Will you guys stop this already? I demanded, leaning in close to his face. This made a few of my own guards step nearer, but I wasnt worried. This loser wouldnt try anything, and besides, I could defend myself. When is your fucking queen leaving to stop turning every rumor about Dorian or me dying into some huge proclamation? Havent you ever heard of habeas corpus? never mind. Of course you havent.Actually, piped in Dorian. I know Latin.It wont work anyway, I growled to the Rowan guy. Even if I were dead, its no t going to stop our kingdoms from trampling yours.That pulled him out of his dumfounded state. Fury lit his features fury spiked with a little bit of insane zeal. You half-breed bitch Youre the one whos going to be blighted from existence You, the Oak King, and everyone else who lives in your cursed lands. Our queen is mighty and great Already shes in negotiations with the Aspen and Willow Lands to unite against you She will grind you with her foot and repulse this land, take it and Can I kill him? Please? This was Jasmine. Her gray eyes looked at me pleadingly, and shed taken the headphones off. What should have been teenage sarcasm was actually deadly seriousness. It was days like these I regretted keeping her in the Otherworld, rather than sending her back to live with humans. Surely it wasnt too late for reform school. I havent killed any of your people, Eugenie. You know I havent. Let me do something to him. Please.Hes under a truce flag, replied Shaya automatically. Protoc ol was her specialty.Dorian turned toward her. Blast it, woman Ive told you to stop letting them in with immunity. Wartime rules be damned. Shaya only smiled, unconcerned by his mock outrage.But he is protected, I said, suddenly feeling exhausted. Lasts night battle more of a skirmish, really had ended in a draw among my armies and Katrices. It was incredibly frustrating, making the loss of life on both sides seem totally pointless. I beckoned some of my guards forward. Get him out of here. Put him on a horse, and dont send him with any water. Lets hope the roads are kind to him today.The guards bowed obediently, and I turned back to Katrices man.And you can let Katrice know that shes wasting her time, no matter how often she wants to claim shes killed me or even if she manages it. Were still going to see this war through, and shes the one whos going to lose. Shes outnumbered and out-resourced. She started this over a personal fight, and no one else is going to help her with it. Tell her that if she surrenders immediately, then maybe well be merciful.The Rowan soldier glared at me, his malice palpable, but offered no response. The best he could manage was to spit on the ground before the guards dragged him off. With another sigh, I turned away and looked at the breakfast table. Theyd already brought up a chair for me.Is there any toast? I asked, sitting down wearily.Toast was not a common item on the gentry menu, but the servants here had gotten used to my human preferences. They still couldnt make decent tequila, and Pop-Tarts were totally out of the question. But toast? Toast was within their adroitness set. Someone handed a basket of it to me, and everyone continued eating peacefully. Well, almost everyone. Ranelle was staring at all of us like we were crazy, which I could understand.How can you be so calm? she exclaimed. After that man just just and you She looked me over in amazement. Forgive me, Your Majesty, but your attire Youve clearly been i n battle. Yet, here you are, sitting as though this is all perfectly ordinary.I gave her a cheerful look, not wanting to offend our guest or project a vague image. Id just arrogantly told the Rowan soldier that his queen would never gain any allies, but his comment about her negotiating with the Aspen and Willow Lands hadnt been lost on me. Katrice and I were both scrambling for allies in this war. Dorian was mine, giving me the edge in numbers right now, and I didnt want to risk any chance of that changing.Dorian caught my eye and gave me one of his small, laconic smiles. It warmed me up, easing a little of the frustration I felt. Some days, it seemed like he was all that was going to get me through this war Id inadvertently stumbled into. Id never wanted it. Id never wanted to be queen of a fey kingdom either, forcing me to split my time between here and my human life in Tucson. I certainly hadnt wanted to be at the center of a prophecy that claimed Id give birth to humanitys con queror, a prophecy that had driven Katrices son to rape me. Dorian had killed him for it, something I still didnt regret, even though I hated every day of the war that had followed in the killings wake.I couldnt tell Ranelle any of that, of course. I wanted to send her back to her land with an image of confidence and power, so that her king would think allying with us was a smart move. A brilliant move, even. I couldnt tell Ranelle my fears. I couldnt tell her how much it hurt me to see refugees makeing up at my castle, poor petitioners whose homes had been unmake by the war. I couldnt tell her that Dorian and I took turns visiting the armies and fighting with them and how on those nights, the one who wasnt fighting never got any sleep. Despite his flippancy, I knew Dorian had felt a spark of fear at the Rowan soldiers initial claim. Katrice was always trying to demoralize us. Both Dorian and I feared that someday, one of her heralds would show up telling the truth. It made me wa nt to run away with him right now, run away from all of this and just wrap myself up in his arms.But again, I reminded myself that I had to brush those thoughts away. Leaning over, I gave Dorian a soft kiss on his cheek. The smile I offered Ranelle was as winning and social welfare as one he might produce. Actually, I told her. This is a pretty ordinary day for us.The sad part? It was true.