Seth refused to shrink back and let this man intimidate him. He was done being scared. He'd escaped from Belinda and Carmen, had found a sister in Anita, and a happily ever after in Bracken. No one, not even a king, could take all that away from him. So Seth pushed down his fear, straightened up, and stood tall before the king.

"I have done what was asked of me, Father," Bracken said cooly, his hand finding Seth's and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I have found someone to marry."

"You will return him at once," King Oberon looked at Seth with more exasperation than anything. Seth had thought the man angry, but in truth he seemed more annoyed. Still, Seth bristled at his command.

"I'm not livestock, your majesty," he couldn't help but say. The king didn't even acknowledge he'd spoken, though Bracken's lips twitched as though fighting a smile.

"You can't marry this boy, Bracken. Surely you realize that."

"And why not?"

"You are the first son of the crown. The only son. You know you must produce an heir."

That was the trouble. Seth had suspected as much when Bracken had promised him a wedding. It was not uncommon for men to marry men or women to marry women, but it was different with the royal family. Especially the crown prince. Seth could no more give Bracken an heir than he could conjure a sheep from midair.

"There are ways around that. And if none are satisfactory to you, then let one of my sisters take the crown. I will marry Seth and Seth only." Bracken was so sure of himself. His words made Seth shiver. Bracken would have him and no one else, he'd go so far as to abdicate the throne. He felt warmth from the clear affection Bracken held for him, but his bones chilled at the same time. He couldn't derail Bracken's life like this. On that, the king seemed to agree with him.

"How many people know of this?"

"Does it matter?"

"General Rax, the guard, and three palace hands have all seen me. Whether the news has spread from them, I do not know. I would caution a guess that most of the kingdom is aware that I've been found. Not that they know who I am, really. The Maiden in Green, I believe they call me." This time the king did deign to acknowledge Seth.

"So you snuck into the ball dressed as a young lady to seduce my son? If it is riches you want, you shall have them within the hour. Land? Power? A title? I'll give you whatever you desire. If you leave my family alone forever."

Bracken's grip tightened on Seth's hand. Whether he was worried Seth would take the offer or simply mad that his father had made it, Seth could only guess. He shook his head.

"I snuck into the ball to find my sister. I don't want riches or grandeur. I just wanted Kendra back." Seth couldn't help but tell the truth. It made his skin itch to have the king think he was no better than Carmen and half the other girls at that ball. That his motives for attending it had been nefarious or conniving. And, now, that his feelings for Bracken weren't genuine.

"Kendra?" Strangely, the name seemed to mean something to King Oberon. "Yes, I thought you looked familiar. Both at the ball and as you are now." Seth's heart leaped with hope. "I know where she is. And I can return you to her. However, if you wish such an outcome, you must leave Fae Kingdom and break off your engagement to Bracken."

~oOo~

Seth sat on the plush bed that was, at least in this instance, now his. He felt numb, overwhelmed by the whirlwind of this day. And the worst part was that Bracken had been ripped from him. King Oberon had roughly tugged him out of the shrine after delivering Seth his ultimatum, leaving Seth entirely alone in unfamiliar, and suddenly daunting, territory. He'd been scooped up by a friendly maid and deposited in his chambers. He hadn't dared leave since, unsure if he were allowed to. So he sat on his bed, staring out the huge glass doors to the lavish balcony overlooking the beauty of Fae Kingdom. He registered none of it.

Eventually, his door swung softly open. Seth turned to see Bracken slipping into the room. His stomach twisted and his heart ached. What was he supposed to do?

"I'm sorry," was all Bracken said. He looked disheveled and dejected, his hair looked as though he'd run a hand through it hundreds of times, and his eyes looked tired and weary. He sat heavily on the bed next to Seth and for a long time they both just looked out at the view, unseeing. "I did not think Father would be so hard to convince. I have tried everything to get information on your sister from him, but he is relentless."

"It's his only bargaining chip," Seth replied softly. "The only thing that could possibly keep me from marrying you." Short of killing or imprisoning him, both of which were off the table if the king wanted Bracken on his side. No, the only way to stop them would be to make Seth leave Bracken willingly. And it would hurt all the more if he did.

"I won't ask you to choose me over Kendra," Bracken told him, though he slumped as he said it. Seth tentatively reached out to place his hand over Bracken's. This seemed to encourage the prince. "If my father knows where she is, then perhaps one of my sisters does as well. And if not, we could launch a search for her. We could find her. I'm sure we could."

Seth nodded, but gave no further answer. It seemed unfair that he'd only just gotten Bracken and now he was being forced to choose between him and Kendra. Bracken was right, they could find Kendra. Eventually. Probably. But Seth worried that if he didn't take the king's offer now, Kendra would somehow disappear. Oberon was a king after all, and kings could do things other men could not. Like make a simple girl disappear so as to ensure her little brother never got to see her again. He had no proof the king would be so cruel, but it was as possible as the prospect of finding Kendra without his help was. The decision weighed heavily on his heart.

"I don't know, Bracken," he whispered finally. "I don't know what to do and I'm so scared to choose because either way I lose."

"I know." Bracken sighed heavily, hand running through his hair in frustration. "All Father wants is an heir. Such a small detail to lose you over." Bracken seemed to hold his breath, as though waiting for Seth to deny that he was, indeed, losing him. Seth stayed silent and Bracken sunk back on the bed, pulling Seth with him. "Tomorrow you will be on your way to your sister at last," he said, kicking off his boots into a heap at the foot of the bed. "But tonight, may I stay with you and pretend you could be mine still?"

Seth fought back his tears, unwilling to waste his first and last night with Bracken being comforted over a decision he was making. A decision that was hurting Bracken likely more than it was hurting him. "Yes," he said, crawling first under the covers of his would-have-been bed, and then into the arms of his would-have-been husband. "Tonight, I won't leave you."

And he didn't, even long after Bracken had fallen asleep, arms still wrapped tightly about Seth's waist. Seth couldn't sleep. Or maybe he refused to, unwilling to waste one moment of his time with Bracken. So he lay there in Bracken's embrace for many long hours until the grief inside him would not stay silent. Tears started pouring from his eyes silently, so plentiful that Seth wondered if they'd ever end. He shifted, squirming around to face Bracken, then propped himself up on an elbow, looking down at the moon lit prince with awe. He was the most beautiful person Seth had ever seen.

"I think I love you," he whispered, choking on his tears only slightly. "I really think I do." Ridiculous though it was, Seth had to admit his heart had been Bracken's since their time at the ball. Maybe even since the moment they'd met. He'd never believed in love at first sight, but with Bracken anything seemed possible…almost anything. Just not their happy ending.

Then a glow bobbing outside the balcony doors caught his eye. He watched in stunned silence as the light phased easily from one side of the doors to the other. And then, just as she had before, the firebug transformed into a beautiful women. This time, though, her eyes were a clear and lovely blue. Unmistakably the eyes of Queen Fayetta.