Iron Queen - Clan of the Rim Chronicles #3

3

"YOU...YOU'RE ONE OF the fey..."

The woman scoffed in disgust. "You mean one of the fey that your family banished to this place? One of the fey that was cast out simply for falling in love with a human? Yeah, I'm one of them, no thanks to the wonderful king your father. I lost my child because of your family, you know that?"

I backed up a step from her, holding my palms up in defense. "I know you're hurt by my grandfather and my father's doing. I'm sorry for that. If I had been alive at this age during that time, if I had been queen at that time I wouldn't have let any of that happen."

The woman chuckled dryly, shaking her head. "Sure, let's just say I'd believe that for a second. But you weren't alive, were you? No, you weren't even a fetus in your mother's womb yet, but my child was taken from me. I lost her in my womb. I only got to hold her for a moment to say my goodbyes before she was ripped from my arms and I was dragged out to the square with all the other fey who had beared ephemeral fey children. The clan killed some of them right there on the spot, but I was one of the ones banished to this place. They killed the man I loved and I lost my baby, I was completely alone. That is what your family did to me."

"I'm truly sorry you lost your child and the love of your life. I am. If I could change that and give you all of it back, I would, believe me."

"Yeah, sure. As if I'd ever believe an Arnesen's words. What are you even doing here now in the human world? Glamouring yourself and running from the police? What kind of trouble has the golden prophecy child gotten herself into? Did you fall in love with an ephemeral too? Oh, wouldn't that just be rich."

"No, something else entirely, something you wouldn't understand. I don't have the time to explain, I just need you to let me go, please."

"Why should I? After everything your family has done, I should let you suffer as much as I have. I should just arrest you and take you to the station right now and let you get your punishment for killing Blane Malcaroy. I would love to watch you live out your eternal life inside of a cage," she sneered.

I shook my head profusely, my heart dropping into the pit of my stomach. "No, please. You can't. L-Listen to me, I have my own reasons for being here in this world. There's an evil ephemeral faery woman who is threatening Vinter.

She's been a danger to the realm for decades, killing everyone in her path and threatening the existence of Vinter itself. She has iron powers, and those powers are causing mass casualties to every faery, every creature, and poisoning everything beautiful in the West kingdom.

She slaughtered my entire family the day I was born, and she has been after me too ever since. She wants to kill me so she can be queen over the entire realm."

"Yeah, I know the whole story about Sylvi. Just because there's fey banished here forever that doesn't mean we don't hear from sources about what's going on in the realm. You could say we have gossipers who come to the human world from time to time to keep us updated."

"Then you know what it means for me to plead you to let me go. Sylvi is on a rampage right now, she's taken over the entire kingdom and she's killing my people one by one.

She broke into the castle in disguise and began raiding it, there was a fire, and I was put through a portal back to Phoenix. There's someone here, somewhere in the human world who I have to find. She's the only person who might be the key to stopping Sylvi for good. Please, you have to help me."

The woman surveyed me from head to toe with hesitant suspicion, and I began to feel that my pleading would go nowhere. I slowly took a step closer to her, trying my words as queen one last time, hoping I wouldn't have to use my powers in the end of it.