The Promise of the Trees - Sword, Ring, and Crown Book 3 (Complete - Editing)

Chapter Five - Madeline

After the somber affair of burying Regina, I wasn't really in the mood to deal with the guests staying in the palace. But when did I ever get my way? After having lunch in the small cafe that we'd visited when Tylas was injured, we eventually had to go to the palace, and there I was, listening to yet another ridiculous argument.

"Elect Madeline, that vile snake over there stole my favorite hairbrush," The Fae pointed at a sneering male Sidhe wearing the most beautiful silk saree I'd ever seen. The saree looked like it was dyed to shimmer like a hummingbird's wing and was bordered in what I assumed was real gold. The outlines of gold flowers were embroidered on the cloth. The man pointing at him was wearing a gauzy sarong in teal over slim teal pants. 

"Well, that ugly cockatrice broke my bottle of rose water, so of course I took his hairbrush as payment." He flipped his goldenrod-colored hair over his shoulder and shrugged. "It's only fair. My perfume was worth much more than his silver hairbrush." He sneered.

I wondered if they realized that a cockatrice and a snake were kind of related. The saree wearing man stomped his foot.  "For the last time, it was you that broke the bottle of perfume. You insist on bringing a fan with you everywhere and you knocked the perfume off the table. Elect, please make him give me my hairbrush back!"

The Sidhe with the goldenrod hair did have a huge, feathered fan slung on a silver chain around his waist. I had been told that I had to deal with the concubines first, because they had been waiting so long to have their concerns aired, and there had been some physical fights that had to be broken up. But this had been the seventh minor squabble I'd had to mediate, and it was getting old. Ever since I'd entered the palace, my initial impression that it was a serious and imposing place had been ruined. 

While Ciaran's castle had been fairytale charming, this palace was like a silvery queen that brooked no nonsense. Gilded patterned ceilings and aging silver tapestries lined the entrance hall. The floor had a silvery blue carpet runner that led to another set of giant, blue marble, gold, and silver doors. It took two strong men on either side of the doors to pull on the twisted, gleaming handles and open the door.  

The silvery-blue carpet led up several steps to a silver, sapphire, and diamond-encrusted throne with smaller thrones on each side and lower stools before it. More chairs were behind the throne done in a simpler style. The throne itself was shaped like a silvery tree with sapphire and diamond fruits. 

I'd been sitting on its uncomfortable hardness for two hours now, listening to nonsense. Every now and again I glared at Luke who just smiled benignly.  All the staff, concubines, guests, and suitors had been told to gather and I hadn't realized just how many people were going to be there, or how many problems I was going to have to listen to. I regretted telling Dom I would come here.

When we had arrived at the throne, Luke had surprised me by taking my shoulders and setting me down on it.

"No!" I'd whispered as I tried to remove his hand from my shoulder.

"Yes, you'll have to get used to it. May as well do it now." He sat down on my right side.

"I disagree! I haven't won the trials yet," I had told him, but Luke, being Luke, had managed to talk me into sitting there. Now I realized he didn't want to be the one who had to listen to the squabbles. Jerk.

 My lips thinned. Based on how shocked and overjoyed Tylas, Brin, and Noc, and the other erstwhile concubines were about even getting the most basic of human rights such as food and clothing, I could understand why the concubines had swarmed me to express all their frustrations. I had to be understanding. Still, I felt the need to complain, so I addressed our seating arrangment.  "And what's with the way we're seated? Why are Tylas, Noc, Xavian, Brin, Dimini, and Rielte kneeling on the ground?"