A Queen of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 4)

“Will word of your return get back to the royal family?” Nyfain asked, and I crinkled my nose because I wasn’t sure why it mattered if Weston had left both the pack and the kingdom.

“It will, yes.”

Nyfain released a breath, ruffling my hair. Weston looked at him steadily, placidly, and I sensed a decision being made. I also sensed the issue had to be more complicated than it seemed, because if Weston was looking for a new job and a place to stay, the obvious answer was fuck yes, when can you start?

“Hang on a minute,” I said, holding up my hand. “What am I missing?”

Nyfain’s hand came to rest on my upper arm. “I apologize, princess. I didn’t think to explain.”

“A talent like me has a very hard time walking away from a court,” Weston told me. “At least in my kingdom.”

“Usually no one wants to walk away from a court,” Nyfain said. “As you heard from my mother, my—the mad king used to shower his court in luxury and hold them on a pedestal. It wasn’t just so they would defend him. It was so they wouldn’t be able to find a better life elsewhere. It was so they didn’t want to leave.”

“And when they tried, like your mother, he got violent?” I asked.

“Not quite the same as that, but close,” he replied. “He made it very difficult for people to walk away. Many courts do, I believe.”

I bristled. “We won’t. Because that’s bullshit.”

A smile played on Weston’s lips. “I believe, if you were in that position, you would’ve made it a point to walk away, yelling curse words all the while, and taking half the court with you.”

“Very likely,” Nyfain said. “There are advantages to approaching a situation with a fresh pair of eyes.”

I didn’t miss the implication. There were disadvantages too, and I was very glad that Arleth was in the picture to help me through them.

“So the random attacks were the old court trying to haul you back in, obviously,” I said.

“Yes,” Weston replied. “Sometimes they came in force, and sometimes they tried to sneak in. But there was a reason they gave me so much power—I excel at my position. I can take mediocrity and make it shine. A strong army requires unity. It is the result of standing and fighting together, of learning to work together for the common good. It’s about instilling trust and pride.”

“You clearly know this is a kingdom of mediocrity, then.” I lifted my eyebrows at him.

He huffed and bent forward, shaking his head. “This is unlike any professional meeting I’ve ever had in my entire life, even between my brother and I.”

“We’ll get to why in a moment,” Nyfain said. “Finley, to spell out the problem, the queen and king from the Red Lupine Kingdom will not take kindly to his being in our court. If we were equal in power, they wouldn’t have much sway. But they’re prestigious and powerful, and we’re…us. They might accuse us of stealing him from them. They could lobby to the council to demand his return, and if we don’t oblige, we’ll have to pay a fee. A very large fee, I imagine, given his magical talents and power level.”

“What?” I sat forward. “His whole job was to steal people from other kingdoms!”

“Because those courts couldn’t lobby against someone mightier than they,” Weston said. “We can certainly explain the history of the situation, but that would take arbitration. They could drag it out for long enough to bleed you dry. In the eyes of many, a kingdom is only as good as its gold coffers.”

“Moreover,” Nyfain said, “they would feel inclined to set their allies against us, weakening our overall voice on the council. Given Dolion will be out to destroy me, the Red Lupine monarchs’ accusations might cripple us. We might never recover.”

“Do they have to know he’s here?” I asked. “We can just say he left.”

“No.” Nyfain’s power surged. “I will not hide anything. If I choose to take him on, I will do so openly.”

“If…who decides to take him on?” I scooted away a little and turned, hitting Nyfain with a scowl. My dragon blasted a wave of power up through me, right near the surface. “I must be silly. I thought you implied this was solely your decision, as if I’m to be nothing more than a pretty queen to bounce on your knee. I must’ve misheard.”

His dragon is ashamed of the man, my dragon growled, and I very nearly spat out laughter.

Rage boiled through the bond.

“I misspoke, princess,” Nyfain said. “Let me explain. If I decide against it, we will pass the decision along to our advisory circle and ask for their feedback. This is possibly the most crucial decision for the kingdom thus far. We can’t make a hasty call.”