Alliance

Chapter 20- Salvus

Salvus

Latin

Secure

-

slumbering are the mountains, crest and chasm,

ravine and precipice,

and every creeping thing on the earth's dark breast,

beasts in their forest lairs and the tribes of the bees,

and monsters within the depths of the purple seas:

slumbering too are the birds

their swift wings laid to rest.

-

"She won't take him away, Moonshine." Edmund whispered soothingly as an orange-skinned fae maiden led his wife and he into the Faerie Queen's throne chambers.

Sanya, quite uncharacteristically, was close to crying, and even her reminders to herself that 'Queens didn't cry' wasn't helping, "Sh- she better not."

"You love him so much, truly." He said, pausing on the way.

"He's my son." She whispered, her voice full of emotion. "He may not be my blood- I may not have carried him in my womb- but he is mine. He is ours.”
He smiled slightly at that, and took her hand into his.
“You know, I used to worry I couldn’t love anyone who I hadn’t grown up with- whom I hadn’t known for most of mine or their lives. I was wrong.”

“Is something else the matter?” Her husband asked worriedly- he may have forgotten about her existence during the beginnings of their marriage, but he knew her now.

She sighed, and wiped her eyes, "I- it's that time of the month. And- and- I don't know, perhaps being in the Faerie Really is affecting my emotions somehow. I hate it, I hate it, I wish I could go back to surly and as-emotive-as-a-brick Sanya."

"I'm sure you'll be back to normal in no time, Moonshine." He said, now amused instead of worried, and they began walking once more, arm-in-arm.

She snorted, "Bold of you to assume I was ever normal."

"I meant what is normal for you, of course, my wife."

She hadn't any time to agree nor to retort, for they were faced by the Faerie Queen right then.

"My son-"

"Is happy. Healthy. He has a good life." Sanya ended immediately, fighting the urge to turn and run. Something about this place didn't sit right to her- she could feel no essence of water, which was obvious- faeries weren't human and they didn't have humanlike needs or bodies- and it was disconcerting. "He's safe, Your Majesty."

Edmund gave a quick nod in addition, otherwise saying nothing.

"I wanted to see him." Kudos to the Fae Queen for keeping the tremor of feeling out of her voice, and hiding everything she felt. "Graeme. But it would've been unwise."

"He might have remembered this was his home once." Sanya agreed, though now she felt terrible. Here she was moaning and groaning about Jem being taken from her, while the woman in front of her had willingly given him away to protect him. "You can always- come to Cair one day to see him. If that's alright." She added hastily, looking at Edmund.