Thank you to those who reviewed (all seven of you)! LOL, I think that the Twilight fandom has spoiled me – there are tons of people there who review. (BTW, if you read Twilight fanfiction as well, please check out my other stories!)
Anyway, on with the chapter. Pages 41-43 of Ironside: The Declaration. Enjoy!
Rath Roiben Rye sat on the grand birch throne, drumming his fingers in meaningless rhythms to keep himself occupied as he surveyed the Host of the Unseelie Court that were before him. He was officially their King now, like it or not. He suppressed a shudder at the thought.
His eyes wandered, looking for the one person he most wanted to see. He didn't see her, but he recognized Lutie-loo's small form as she darted up to him. He laughed and cupped his hands so she could land.
Lutie sounded like a petulant child telling on another who had done something wrong. "She drank all the mushroom wine," she told him, pointing an accusing finger at Kaye.
"Indeed?" He raised an eyebrow. "Will she come and sit beside me?"
"Sure," Kaye replied, sounding shy. He tried to figure out why, but could think of nothing to explain the action. "How has it been?" she asked.
"Endless." He allowed himself to thread his fingers in her hair, as he had once wished he could do, at the time of the Tithe.
He wondered idly what it would be like to braid that hair as he had once braided his sister's.
He was still playing with her hair when she did something he could never have expected. Suddenly and without warning, Kaye swayed forward and fell to her knees before him.
His eyes widened in fear and panic. What was she doing? Whatever it was, he had a feeling it wasn't going to be good. He opened his mouth to speak, to stop her, but he was too late. She had already started to talk.
"I, Kaye Fierch, do declare myself to you. I…I love you. I want you to give me a quest. I want to prove that I love you."
His fingers tightened on the arms of the throne, causing the age wood to groan in protest.
He wanted to say so many things to her. He wanted to tell her he loved her too. That she didn't have to prove anything to him. That he desperately wanted to grant her a quest, to be able to have an official claim on her so no one other than himself could ever lay a finger on her.
What had she done? He wanted, more than anything, to give her a simple quest, to allow her to be his consort.
His voice sank to a whisper. He was oblivious to the others in the room, speaking only to Kaye. "To allow this I would have to have a heart of stone."
She shook her head stubbornly. "I want to make a declaration. I don't know the formal words, but that's what I want."
Why was she tempting him further? In his mind, he implored her to please drop the subject. The words that would make her his forever were on the tip of his tongue.
Kaye Fierch, this is the quest that I grant. Bring me an apple from the banquet table and you shall sit beside me as my consort.
Kaye Fierch, this is the quest that I grant. Bring –
No. He stopped the thought in its tracks. He would not bind her to the Unseelie Court as he had been bound. He would not subject her to that.
"No. I will not allow it."
There was a hush, and he felt hopeful for a moment. She had not spoken the formal phrases. There was a chance that –
His hope was dashed as Ruddles spoke. "I have recorded it. It has been spoken. You must not dishonor her quest."
He nodded morosely, knowing that arguing would do more harm than good, and stared into the distance for a long moment.
This was it. He knew what he must do. His limbs felt as heavy as lead as he walked to the edge of the platform, looking down at the girl he loved.
"Kaye Fierch, this is the quest that I grant. Bring me faery that can tell an untruth and you shall sit beside me as my consort."
The silence lasted only for a split second before shrieking laughter rose from the crowd. He knew why they were laughing, what they thought: they knew he had been involved with her unofficially. So when he gave her an impossible quest and denied her the chance to be his consort, they came to the conclusion the he didn't really care for her – that he was merely using her.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. His heart was a stone in his chest as he desperately scanned her face, trying to commit her visage to memory. This was it. The final time he would see her.
Her expression suddenly grew alarming, and he jumped from the platform to catch her before she fell. She seemed especially frail and delicate in his arms, like a porcelain doll.
Looking down at her, he was suddenly seized with anger. Who had told her about declarations? He would slaughter them for taking her away from him. He knew he only had precious seconds left with her. Those few treasured moments would be his last to see her. And he would use them to make her a promise. His final promise.
He leaned close to her, whispering in her ear. "I promise that if I find who put this idea in your head, they will pay for it with their own."
As she blinked heavily and slipped into unconsciousness, he vowed that he would do whatever it took to keep that promise. And as Ruddles had a bogan and a puck carry her away, he prayed that she would not hate him for what he had done.
Done! Please review (flames welcome).
The next chapter is super long, but I already have it all typed up and ready to go. The more you review, the faster I update!
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