Rory POV

Alone with the queen…

Twilight shined out over the river beneath the balcony. Queen Amory walked next to me until we reached the railing out of earshot of her guards. “You are such a gift to my people, Rosewyn Sillber.”

“Huh?” I was so confused. Wasn’t I a problem for her? The unwanted hybrid was hunted by the Gleaca Council and the Kingdom of Solis. “Okay, you’ve lost me, Queen Amory.”

“I see. You are a hero to my people, Rosewyn. You helped my brother save the citizens of N’ila. You helped arrest the horrid Captain Boom. You escorted my dear brother home after I sent him away. Lastly, you have just given hope to a defeated court over my little brother.” She seemed to admire me, but I was still lost.

Turning away from the scenic view, I leaned against the railing. “Sure, I played some of those things, Your Highness, but I don’t understand that last one.”

“Silas called you his companion, Rosewyn. Surely, you know the implications of him calling such an endearing term.” Queen Amory asked, but I just shook my head. “He implied you were more than a friend, Rosewyn.”

A burning sensation filled me. I was partly astonished and enraged at Silas, and partly flattered and embarrassed. “More than a friend? I mean, we kissed once, but it’s not-”

Queen Amory smiled brightly as she hugged me. “I feared Silas would be forced into a loveless union by my court, but here you are rescuing him from such a fate.”

“Union? Like marriage? You think we are going to get married?” My whole being went into a panic. I felt my claws and fangs emerge as my emotions ran wild.

“Woah! Rosewyn, relax. I am sorry I upset you. I am just excited for the possibility.” Queen Amory tried to calm me, silently signaling her guards not to approach us in the middle of my magic episode. “Come,” she gestured to a bench near us. “Let me tell you a story, and maybe it will clear up your confusion.”

“I doubt it,” I growled as I started my focused breaths. Following her toward the bench, I willed my claws and fangs away. We sat looking out over the calm river once more.

“Elves can live for generations, you know?” Queen Amory chuckled darkly. “One lifetime can be eight to nine hundred years for us. At one time, we thought this made us better than the other races. Desfyra was born out of the arrogance of self-righteous elves and the blood of their slaves. From war to war, they dominated the land, claiming it in glory. The more slaves and land you have, the better your station in society.” She crossed her arms gracefully. “King Fyra Hale was the most arrogant of all the elves, and possibly, the most ruthless. That was until the king fell in love with his slave. She was a fairy of the forest before war turned her into the king’s slave by his overwhelming victory on the battlefield. He became enamored with her from the moment she entered his castle, and she hated him. King Fyra Hale believed he needed to have the strongest heir possible to continue his growing empire, so he found the strongest magical person in the land, which happened to be the fairy he fell in love with.”

This was the origin of her kingdom and her family. The history books didn’t sound as dark as her retelling of the founding of her kingdom. Why was she telling me all of this?

“When the king forced himself on her to bear him a child, she fell victim to his desires. In revenge, she cursed all of the Elves of Desfyra with fertility issues because of his crimes against her. It became nearly impossible for any couple to conceive after that. The king had his heir at the cost of the future of his people.” She shed a tear. “I am barren, myself, so I understand the struggle of my people. It took years for someone to develop a compatibility spell to help with fertility issues, which foretold the possibility of a couple siring offspring. We soon discovered that mating with other races gave us more options to procreate.”

So, that’s why every elven city has been so diverse. The elves would have died out if they weren’t able to have kids. Other races must block the curse the fairy inflicted on them. Their kingdom seems to have flourished in spite of the fairy’s hope for revenge. Queen Amory says she’s unable to have any kids, which means the job of providing an heir would fall to Silas…

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“Wait, a damn minute!” I growled, no longer confused. “Are you telling me that stone just said Silas and I had a strong chance of having a child?”

Queen Amory had the most confusing expression. She was somewhere between happy and guilty. “That is exactly what the stone meant.” She took my hand and sent small ripples of warm magic into me. “Silas has been the target of the court. For twenty years, they have tried over and over to force a union on him. Every score was so low or nothing at all. It was eating at him, so he threw himself into his studies as an escape. When Braxton came to court to seek asylum for his warriors, I saw an opportunity. I sent Silas and Braxton to the Wizard’s Guild as a temporary escape from the eyes of the court.”

“Silas mentioned he was exiled from Desfyra for a while.” It was the only response I could give her. My thoughts were all over the place about what she had told me. One thing was clear. The court and Queen Amory believed me to be a solution to Silas’ problem. “Look, I don’t think-”

She put her hand up to stop me. “I know it isn’t fair to ask you to marry my brother and have a child like this.” She sighed looking at me. My expression must have been serious. “I only ask that you consider it. Consider what it could do for you, Rosewyn. A royal status could shield from the Gleaca Council’s hybrid hunt. It would give Silas time to develop his research, which could change how Gleaca views hybrids, Rosewyn. Besides, it would force the Kingdom of Solis to give up their warrant on you. Many things could be possible, Rosewyn.” She gave me an encouraging smile. “The cherry on top is that I can see you care for my brother. I couldn’t ask for more than that for him.”

“It sounds like you are offering me the world,” I started sobbing. None of this makes sense. A future like this shouldn’t exist for me. I accepted this already. Love wasn’t for me.

“In a sense, I am. We would be solving each other’s biggest problems. All I ask is that you and Silas think about it. Also, it would be best if Mylor believes it is happening.” She explained how Mylor was part of the Gleaca Council, and he had already been suspicious of me since Athyra’s trial.

“Well, life was boring without the extra danger lurking around the corner.” I joked.

“I wonder if the fairy knew the impact her curse would have on the continent of Gleaca.” Queen Amory pondered. “The fairy’s true intention was to tame the arrogance and self-righteous ways of my people. We couldn't survive without other races, so we could no longer subjugate them as slaves. At least, not as prolifically. Debtors still become slaves, but there are heavy protection laws in Desfyra to keep them from being mistreated.”

One wrong fairy led this kingdom to become the most welcoming and diverse place in Gleaca. I don’t think she could plan for such a future when she was wronged by an arrogant elf. Desfyra will be the birthplace of change because of her curse of revenge. I might be in the right place to build a future for myself the way my parents hoped I could. The way Myrra, Elias, Aunt Leah, and Uncle Axel dreamed I might. It was a lot to process, and the choice wasn’t mine alone to make. “Revolutionaries never know when they will cause a cascading change. They just do what they believe is best.”

“Then, do what you believe is best, Rosewyn.” Queen Amory had hope in her eyes as she watched the stars appear in the purple sky.