Ina nods, “Why Hedde?”
I smirk, “As if I trust any of the others to keep their word on anything. I trust them as far as I can fling this palace.”
Duke Jellema snorts, “While I appreciate your confidence, I do have my own motivations and agendas.”
I nod, “You’d turn me down, though, not lie and lead me on.”
“Hmm,” he nods, “You do have a point. With you, I would. That seems to work for us.”
It also helps that I can smell your lies and deception. I might not know precisely what you’re not being truthful about, but I know when it happens. Most of it seems to be things that don’t pertain to me that you don’t want to talk about. I’ve been at court long enough to know that your business is your own and to leave you to it. He mostly seems content to either work with me or tell me to leave off, as he has with this.
He says something that surprises me, “I’m surprised that Ellisar hasn’t sent more representatives. I’ve been expecting an influx of Fey.”
“I’ve written for more of them to join me, once the tides and weather allow for it,” I reply with a shrug.
What I don’t say is that most of those coming are from my former war band. I’ll need a new honor guard and new duennas who can help with the diplomatic mission here. I can’t think of a group that I’d trust more than them. Ellisar is going to hate it since most of them are male. These human males won’t respect the females that I served with as my honor guard. Instead, they’ll be my duennas and diplomatic assistants.
Between Ruvaen, Nieven, Revalor, Keryth, and a few others, there are likely to be dozens of half-Fey showing up to Imelenora in a decade or two looking for their fathers. None of these males is married, and some of them have some surprisingly low standards for their companions for an evening or two. Revalor, in particular, is terrible. His only criterion is willing, even when that applies to other Fey creatures like Sylphs, Fauns, or even Centaurs. Even Amer considers Revalor a bit of a libertine.
I wonder if Revalor can seduce Oskar. The thought amuses me and Duke Jellema looks at me, “What in all of this amuses you?”
“One of the Fey who’s coming here will likely want to bed Oskar. I don’t know how Oskar will feel about him pursuing Oskar as relentlessly as Oskar pursues others,” I reply with a shrug.
Ina stifles a snort and Duke Jellema shakes his head, “Part of your plan to get him to release you?”
I nod, “If I leave Dobile, most of my retinue will leave with me.”
Duke Jellema stares at me for a long moment before he bursts out laughing.
“I’d heard rumors that Fey were permissive about such things,” Duke Jellema says, “I’m not sure how well that will work for you here.”
I think that giving Oskar a taste of his own medicine by having Revalor and Keryth pursue him for a change is a delicious irony.
While we’re talking, I see a man approaching, “Darling Ina, what has you up at this unholy hour of the morning?”
Ina turns and smiles, “Iwan, come here. There is someone that you simply must meet.”
Ina turns back to me, “Princess Víl? of the Fey, allow me to introduce you to my cousin, Lord Iwan Nalis. Iwan, this is Princess Víl? who is lovely, charming and occasionally quite wicked.”
Iwan looks at me, evaluating, “Wicked in what way? You’re more than wicked enough, cousin.”
“When Oskar had to send her shopping, she went shopping for the orphanages,” Ina says with a smirk.
Iwan grins at me, “Oh, my. That’s bound to have tied Oskar’s knickers in a knot.”
“She’s made him renovate the part of the palace she’s in, too,” Ina grins.
“The ladies are much happier now that it’s no longer a filthy, toe-stubbing, ice cave,” I reply, “Had it been like this when we arrived, my duennas might still be here.”
“What’s your opinion of Centis?” Iwan asks.
Damnation! I can’t lie, so I think furiously for a word that won’t give too much offense. “It’s… quaint or maybe picturesque is a better word,” I reply.
Iwan snorts, “It’s bloody backwards. We like to pretend that we’re big fish, but the truth is that we’re fairly large fish in an oversized puddle.”
“You really must meet my husband, Kenric,” I reply with a big smile, “I suspect that the two of you will get on famously.”
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“She is still learning the language,” Ina adds helpfully.
Iwan arches a brow at me, “They sent you here on a diplomatic posting, and you didn’t know it already?”
“My king has a great deal of faith in me to navigate difficult situations,” I say with a shrug.
“What has all three of you out here so early?” Iwan asks.
“We’re planning Marcel’s surprise party. Princess Víl? has graciously agreed to help me with it,” Ina says.
“Gracious indeed to be out here at this hour,” Iwan says.
“And what brings you out here at this hour?” I ask sweetly.
“I’m supposed to meet someone,” Iwan says noncommittally.
“Who is she? Anyone we know? Shall I tell you if I think she’s interested in you or just your title?” I ask.
“Nosy little thing, aren’t you? Iwan says.
“I’ve been the center of so much gossip that I’m ready for someone else to be the scandal here. Surely, as a gentleman, you’d be willing to do your part,” I reply.
Iwan looks at me and chuckles.
“Don’t let her fool you,” Duke Jellema says, with a smirk, “She’s not nearly as sweet and innocent as she looks.”
“I have heard the most fantastic rumors about you,” Iwan says, “Most beggar belief, but I’ve been wanting to meet you to see if any of them are true or not.”
“Tell me what you’ve heard and I’ll tell you if they’re true or not,” I say.
“Hmm… I’ve heard your king banished you,” Iwan says, “Something about killing one of the nobles.”
I wave a dismissive hand, “Definitely not true.” I smirk, “Ellisar would never banish me, and certainly not to Centis.”
The ninth circle of hell, possibly. Centis, no. Even Ellisar is not so cruel as to banish me to this place. As for killing those Lawless Fey cretins, oh absolutely. That is something I did. Hmm… I wonder if one of them was a noble. That might explain some of the ties back to Ellisar’s court. That will bear looking into.
“Rumor has it that you were banished for dueling,” Iwan says.
“Banished, no. Chastised for dueling, yes,” I explain, “But that’s not what brought me to Centis.”
Iwan walks around me, studying me.
“And how does a tiny thing like you duel someone?” Iwan asks.
I smirk and shrug, “The usual way. With swords.”
Iwan stares at me for a long moment and then laughs, “Oh, Ina. She’s delightful. I almost believed her.”
He should believe me, but I’m not one to fight against their skepticism. It’s better if they don’t. Then, when I must pull out Lantecari, they won’t expect me to know what to do with it. It’s much easier to win a sword fight when you’ve been grossly underestimated. Duke Jellema knows better, since he knows I’m Lawful Fey and seems to understand what that means. He knows I can’t lie, even in a jest. He stares at me, appalled for a moment, before he replaces his expression with a neutral one. Not all the wild stories that followed me here, thanks to the rest of the trade delegation, are complete fabrications. Well, wild for this place where women are little more than ornaments. Perfectly acceptable, even understandable, to most of the Fey court.
Now he’ll wonder if any of the others are also true. Some of them are, like fighting in the border wars. That’s another one with more than a grain of truth to it. Some of them aren’t, like dancing naked in the moonlight to get magic.
“I’ve heard that all Fey can turn into a monster that will devour you in bite or two,” Iwan says.
I shake my head, “They’re confusing real Fey with some of the predators of my homeland. We call them Echoes, Mimics, or Mirrors. They’ll devour you, that part is true, but they’re not Fey, but because they can look or sound like a Fey, others often think they are.”
We can hunt a human and devour one, but it takes more than a bite or two. I’m reasonably certain that the reason their demons and boogeymen look like Fey in hunter mode is that we hunted them. They know it, in their bones, even if they can’t explain why they fear us when we’re shifted.
Iwan considers my answer and nods, “I knew there was some reasonable explanation.”
“There usually is,” I say with a shrug.
“Some of the rumors are a bit hard to believe. There’s one going around where you turned an entire banquet into wolves,” Iwan smirks.
I laugh, “Definitely not true. I tamed a pack of wolves once, but I’ve never turned anyone into a wolf. Oh, do regale me of my supposed exploits.”
I’m immensely enjoying this. It’s so absurd.
“I’ve also heard that you don’t eat food. It’s said that you live on moonlight and the sighs of poets. If you’re at a feast, you’re only pretending to eat to avoid suspicion.”
I look at Ina, and we both burst out laughing.
“She eats more than most women. If I ate half of what she does, I’d be the size of a house,” Ina says, nearly snorting.
I shrug, “It’s Fey metabolism. We do tend to enjoy our food."
“And never gain an ounce,” Ina grumbles.
If I thought Ina would come, I’d invite her to weapons practice. That’s part of how I stay so thin. I can’t train much here, but Inaba helps me keep my skills at least moderately sharp by training with me while my ladies hide in my room. If embroidery and flower arranging were my most strenuous activities, I’d probably gain weight from eating as much as I do now. I wonder if Duchess Ina would be open to learning to use a dagger.
Genuinely amused, I smile widely at Iwan. “This just keeps getting better. What else have you heard?”
“Some say that you were born from a falling star. That’s why your hair changes colors with the seasons and your eyes glow,” Iwan says.
Hmm… I don’t think my eyes glow when I’m shifted, but I’ve never looked in a mirror to see. That one might be possible.
“Some of that is almost right. If you’re ever in Imelenora, I’ll give you a letter of introduction to my parents. My mother’s name is Elenya, which means ‘pertaining to stars’ in our language.”
There have been times I wish I had hatched from an egg, mostly when I have to deal with Joryth, my cousin. He’s an ass, and if you look up 'prima donna' in the encyclopedia, I’m pretty sure the entry would say “See Joryth.” He’d also be equally likely to be listed under the entries for gobshite, whiner, wanker, and dickwit.
“Hmm… So there is a shred of truth to that one, then.” Now Iwan looks intrigued, “And your hair? What about your hair? Is it really tied to the seasons? It’s certainly in fall colors now.”
I nod, “My hair doesn’t change colors. It’s always been like this. Most Fey have two shades, but I have three. In that sense, it’s a bit unusual but not unheard of among my people. It will still look like this come summer. You don’t have to take my word, though. You can ask Kenric. We met in the summer. ”
“Come and find us at breakfast. Kenric will be there, and the two of you can talk,” I say.
Iwan nods and starts gossiping with Duke Jellema. I go to take my leave, and Ina falls in beside me.
“That explains why you’re not afraid of Oskar,” Ina says thoughtfully.
“I’m not afraid of Oskar because I have so much experience in dealing with my own king, Ellisar. In many ways, Ellisar is more of a despot than Oskar,” I explain.
- What do you think she'll do to Oskar?
- If you could give her some advice what would it be?