Chapter 19

Asriel stood in his office, a well appointed room that spoke of power as much as opulence, hands carefully cradling a cloth bag. Muffett reached out, gently rubbing his arm with two of her three left hands. He gave her a wan smile before leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

"Thank you for returning her."

"It is an honor, Your Highness."

Asriel stepped in front of Aramita. "Please kneel, Lady Aramita."

Aramita lifted her skirt a little and knelt in front of Asriel. He opened the bag and, taking a pinch of the dust, sprinkled it over Aramita's bowed head. He closed the bag and passed it to Gabriel before offering Aramita a hand up.

"I'm sorry to have plucked you from your home and that the journey was so fraught with peril."

"I was in hiding, Your Highness. And that's no way to live. Thank you for sending help. I'm so sorry that doing so has ended in sadness."

Asriel gave her a small smile.

But Muffet answered the apology. "We know what we are signed on for, Aramita. You need not apologize for the lives we give in service, but we are honored that you share our sorrow."

"Well said." Asriel gestured to a chair. "Please sit. I apologize for the delay in this meeting. I hope your suite is to your liking."

Aramita sat down in a chair opposite the desk. "It is. Thank you. Is Frisk here?"

"She's in Nightrest," Gabriel answered as he sat in the chair next to her.

She leaned forward. "With Isilvarne?"

"Yes. But we call him Chara."

"How is she doing?"

"She was grounded for starting a fight, set off a large fireball in a quarry for science, and turned fully fae to protect her friends." Asriel shrugged. "I'd say she's adjusting well."

Aramita's jaw fell open. "I don't know whether to be mad that she started a fight, dismayed that she's setting off explosives, or worried that her fae nature took over."

"Who is her father? We know it is a fae named Silro, but not much else." Asriel asked.

"Prince Silro, the youngest son of High Queen Asterenath, Lord of Coroleon." She smiled at the looks of confusion she received. "Coroleon is a fae territory made up of part of Kaparia and Andorini. Male fae nobles are bound to a particular area. Only the High King can move unbound between territories."

"Muffet informed me that she found you in the inner city of Andorini's capital. How did you get there from your cottage in the country?" Gabriel asked.

"When the unrest was coming to a head, I sent Claire, my maid, away from the house and walked into the adjacent woods. There's an old squatter's shack a few miles away from the house and in a part of the woods the night loving fae call home. I had previously stored what I needed there in case I needed to bug out. There was enough food and other supplies to keep me for a few days. I used the time to change my appearance and plan relocation into the inner city. No one was going to look for a Pierce there. I already had documentation with a different name and getting a room in a boarding house as a displaced person wasn't difficult."

"My parents have been less than forthcoming about the deal that safeguards Frisk in Our borders. I'm hoping that you can shed some light on the situation," Asriel said.

Aramita nodded. "The deal is... complicated. Five hundred years ago, the great seer Lyrei foresaw a half fae grandchild for Asterenath, a daughter from her unborn son, Silro. A child who was fated to fall into the hands of the Farrath, which, for them, is worse than death. More significantly, a half fae of noble blood taken by the Farrath would mean something incredibly disastrous. But Lyrei also foresaw that her future children would have a chance to save the child and prevent calamity."

"My siblings," Asriel hummed.

"Yes. This is where the complications arise. Lyrei could not make a promise in the name of children who wouldn't be born for hundreds of years. And she knew that, at the time those children would need to agree to help, the Farrath would kill their father and take her. On hope alone that the twins would agree to leave the search for their mother behind, Asterenath struck a deal with your great great grandfather, King Gornam: a lasting peace in exchange for the future protection of three half fae children."

Asriel and Gabe looked at each other, a little wide eyed, before both turning to Aramita. "Who convinced Chara to do it?"

Aramita winced before relaxing again. "The Queen told me that Isilthest is a match for her mother's visionary powers. After talking it over privately, the twins agreed with a stipulation. Isilvarne would take Silro's child for his own."

Gabriel leaned back in his seat, arms crossing over his chest. "Sounds like Chara when he's angry."

"He's not one for halves," Asriel commented. "But it may also have been that Chrissy foresaw the adoption and its importance. When did you learn this information?"

"When things between Silro and I became serious. Queen Asterenath sat with me and explained my fate. She even offered me a chance to leave Coroleon for another territory. But I was young, in love, and headstrong. Even now, though, I'd do it all again. Though I would have sent her to Isilvarne sooner."

Aramita sighed and bent forward, using her forearms to prop herself up. "Frisk has spent her whole life jerked around like a toy on the end of a string. Pulled this way and that on the demands of adults unwilling to let her go. It's no way for a child to grow up."

She sat up straight. "Does Isilvarne love her? Is he caring for her well?"

"He does and they are doing a rather good job of getting along, all things considered," Asriel answered.

"What can you tell us about the Farrath?" Gabriel asked. "We've been trying to get information on it and have very little to go on."

There was a knock at the office door and it opened before Asriel responded. Chrissy came in, kicking the door shut behind her, and stood in front of the desk, arms crossed over her chest.

"I'd apologize for being late, but you didn't invite me and I won't even get into how Astelle is going to feel about the situation."

Asriel lifted both hands in apology. "Forgive me, C. You'd stayed back to help Chara and Frisk clean. I didn't want to interrupt."

Aramita blinked up at Christina. "Isilthest?"

Chrissy swayed and quickly put her hands on the desk to keep from falling, her eyes turning red. Gabriel was out of his seat in a flash, helping to steady her.

"Chrissy. Please." She stood back up, shaking her head. "Using my fae name isn't a good idea and it allows the Farrath to see me. While it can't get to me, it might see my husband and children. I don't need them to be used against me."

"Do you need to be filled in on the conversation?" Gabriel asked.

"No." Christina turned to Aramita. "Why aren't you asking to see Frisk?"

"I do want to see her." Aramita shook her head. "But I… I don't want to complicate things. I knew long before Frisk was conceived that I could never have her. That she isn't mine and my attempts to even have a little of her to myself haven't been in her best interest. For the first time in a very long time, she has a real family. A real home. I won't step into that until she's firmly bonded with Isilvarne. I want to be a blessing, not a curse."

Chrissy sighed and rubbed the woman's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to be so terse."

"You've no need to apologize. It is suspicious."

"What is the Farrath?" Asriel asked.

Aramita frowned. "I don't know what it is exactly. What I do know is that it hunts down and steals half fae children. There's something about the strength of a human soul combined with the magic of the fae that is irresistible to it. While I'm not sure anyone knows what it truly looks like, it often appears as something harmless. Stories the fae tell depict it as a rabbit or a puppy, sometimes even a small child. But no matter how it appears, it is always with mismatched eyes."

"And sending her to Kaparia will keep her safe from the Farrath?" Gabriel asked.

"It's not about being in Kaparia as much as being with Isilvarne."

"If sending her to Chara was part of keeping her safe from the Farrath, why wait so long to do so and keep her in Andorini?" Gabriel asked.

Aramita sighed. "Again, it was a sad attempt to keep as much of her as I could to myself. And even that was a poor choice politically."

"What do you mean?" Asriel asked.

"The unrest in Andorini was not unpredictable. Acernath has been building influence, co-conspirators, and a coalition of lesser nobles for a long time. It's why I was kept so far from the rest of the royal family. I produced a fae blooded heir to the throne and my father, King Richard, wanted Frisk and I as far from Acernath's web as possible. The choice of Marble Hills was about keeping Frisk in the midst of the co-conspirators' children. The bet was that since so many of Acernath's supporters sent their children to Marble Hills, she would be safe among them."

"The co-conspirators aren't around anymore, are they?" Asriel mused.

"Not if the news reports are true."

"How did your brother Philip feel about this? He was next in line for the throne."

Aramita breathed in sharply and let it out slowly, tears threatening. Chrissy grabbed the near box of tissues and held them out.

"Thank you." She snatched a tissue and wiped her eyes. "I apologize. Phil was my brother, and he was my best friend. I don't like thinking about him being gone." She blew her nose. "Phil is… was…" she sighed, "was unable to have children. Frisk is his official heir."

"Frisk mentioned that someone of royal blood has to sit on the throne in order to hold Andorini. But we've had no reports of Acernath fronting for someone else. Should we be preparing for a fae war in Andorini?" Gabriel asked.

Aramita shook her head. "No. At least, not yet. From what I understand, he has a few family members of weak fae blood held hostage and one of them officially wears the crown. If that person steps out of line, they die, and the next one is shoved into place. He runs the show while satisfying the letter of the agreement."

"You said not yet. What would spark war?" Asriel asked.

Aramita closed her eyes for a moment, only to open them and smile sadly at the Prince. "You saved me from an early grave. But monster kind spiriting me away to Kaparia will confirm that Frisk is alive and living here. The hunting down of royal family members in the streets? That was all to find and eliminate Frisk. Acernath will send someone to kill her. And if Frisk dies by an assassin's hand, no one in Andorini will survive the coming slaughter."