"I agree; I can find them," said Arden, after several arduous moments of silence, with us all staring at them. "But I must be isolated in the lair in the basement, that I was promised would be mine. I must be far from distractions. These powers are unusual, and I've yet to control them."

"Majesty?" Sir Sym peered at me, solemn. "Do you allow this?"

I scrunched my eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

Lady Ossenna lowered her voice, though everyone gathered at the table could hear her. "You have to approve. This is a drastic decision, and though we're teaching Arden the ways of magic, it's up to you to allow them to dig deeper and faster than advised."

I blew out an exhausted breath as I sank into my seat. "Do you both think it's necessary?" I knew nothing about their processes, and to be frank, the less I knew, the better.

As long as they weren't betraying me like Otho and Luned had.

Lady Ossenna nodded once, though I detected hesitation in the gesture. Sir Sym was more intentional, adding, "it's necessary."

I returned their nod. "Then do it, Arden. The faster the better. Are you up for the task?"

Arden rose, their thick layers of black material billowing out like a storm cloud expanding through the sky. "I have no choice. And there's no better way to learn than to get to work, no?" They pushed their chair in and bowed. "I hope it takes no longer than a day or two."

They hurried out of the chamber to reach their underground bunker; a place no human was allowed to visit. Only authorized mages had the ability to travel through the spell-work indented in the doorway.

I'd seen the entrance once or twice, but never got close enough to view exactly what hid within. I didn't really want to know.

As yet another sensation of unease settled in my stomach, I also got up. "Well, if there's nothing else, I would like to adjourn this meeting."

Sir Sym cleared his throat. "There is something, Majesty." He peered at the table, and Lady Ossenna, across from him, did the same. Both kept their chins dipped, and I had a feeling they were about to say something they knew would upset me. "There are visitors who wish to consult with you in the throne-room."

"Visitors?" I muffled a yawn and took Ysac's arm as he offered it. Picturing my fluffy pillows and weighted blankets, I smiled. "I'm quite tired. Can they wait until later? Tomorrow, perhaps?" My riding corset itched, my boots were tight around my calves, and the pounding in my scalp grew worse the longer I kept my eyes open.

Lady Ossenna winced. "Well..."

Sir Sym coughed into his hand while continuing to avoid my gaze. "These visitors are important. They can't wait, Majesty."

He cowered as I walked behind his chair. I was more and more curious about his and Lady Ossenna's strange behavior. Hunching and avoidance; that wasn't like them at all.

"Oh no," Ysac whispered as he led me towards the door to the throne-room. "I think I know what this is."

"What?" I glared at Ysac as he paused in front of the door, grimacing, blocking my way.

Lady Ossenna and Sir Sym murmured something as they stood, but I couldn't decipher their words.

My sisters remained seated, shaking their heads. "Oh, this won't please her," said Tilda, her voice grating.

Astrida merely studied her nails, a faint smirk over her painted lips. "Not one bit.

"What will displease me?" I scowled at my siblings, both of whom continued to shake their heads, refusing to explain themselves to me.

Enraged, I yanked on Ysac's arm to move him away from the threshold. He'd opened the door while I was distracted by my sisters; I now saw out into the throne-room, which to my surprise...wasn't empty.

The dais, straight ahead, blocked my full view, but there were voices in front of it. Mostly men, from what I could tell. Not one or two in deep discussion, but several dozen, crowding the space, their presence heavy and demanding.

Who had my mages decided to submit me to? Was it some sort of punishment? I disobeyed them so they convened the peasants and patrons who wanted to petition me for money and lower taxes?

No...I wasn't ready for that.

I forced Ysac to turn and look at me. "What's going on?"

He fought a frown. "I'm not one hundred percent certain, but do you remember when Teo and I teased you about suitors?"

The memory of their implication still twisted my stomach into unbearable knots. "No...no. They...they didn't. They wouldn't." I stomped over to the rear stairs up to the dais but didn't climb. "Would they?"

Slipping up to my tiptoes, I glanced around my throne—and there they were.

The high-born boys who'd fumbled to introduce themselves to me the night before. The older, lesser aristocrats with egos bigger than the ocean surrounding the continent. Some in suits of drab browns or grays, as if about to attend a funeral; a few in vivid velvets with flashy breeches, itching for another party. A handful wore hats almost as tall as the castle's towers, and outfits more flamboyant than those at the ball.

They conversed together animatedly, unaware I was hidden, watching them, my mouth popping open.

It didn't take long for me to grasp the meaning of their attendance.

I lowered to my heels and pirouetted in time to see Sir Sym and Lady Ossenna marching up to me with their heads down, their metaphorical tails between their legs.

"Care to explain why these men are assembled?" I set my hands behind my back before I launched over to slap them until their cheeks flashed crimson. "You summoned suitors?"

Ysac sensed my tension and squeezed between the mages and me; but I wasn't sure if he was protecting me or them. "Majesty, I'm not siding with them, but you should at least meet with these gentlemen. To make a good impression?"

"Gentlemen?" I scoffed. "Gentlemen? They're not gentle, they're after a title! They want to be kings!"

"Yes, Majesty, because you need a king at your side," said Sir Sym, garnering a glare from me and a nudge from Lady Ossenna. "I don't mean that in a sexist way. The land needs to see you take your role seriously. By marrying, you show you're ready to produce an heir. To secure the bloodline. It'll stabilize the citizens."

"Ready to produce an heir?" I was about to pull my hair out, strand by strand, and whip the two advisors with them. And trip them both so they'd slam onto their knees. And strangle them—

"What Sym means, Majesty," said Lady Ossenna, sending a side-glare at her co-worker as she distanced herself from him. "Two monarchs are more powerful than one. Yes, we need an heir, but the world also needs to see you strong. Willing to compromise and stopping at nothing to protect your people. To see the royals united."

"By marrying and producing heirs?" My arms trembled from clenching my fists so tight. "I was crowned yesterday! Have you lost your minds? I don't have time to sit around and listen to these idiots try to seduce me!"

Sir Sym coughed. "They won't seduce you yet. They've only come to declare their intentions!"

"Yes, well, they did that last night, Sir Sym," said Ysac with a snort. "And though I agree she should entertain them at some point, she did tell you she was tired. A match might help her situation in the future, but must it be now?"

I blinked at him, unsure whose side he was on.

"You're her cupbearer, Ysac, not her advisor." Sir Sym's tone troubled me; it was low but turbulent, implying a particular disdain towards the jester. "A match is essential with what's going on."

"You must secure a legacy, Majesty." Lady Ossenna wrapped her hand around Sir Sym's wrist, holding him back. A storm brewed in her eyes, turning them cloudy and conflicted, but I wasn't certain who her irritation was directed towards. "No one is saying you must fall in love—"

"Well, thank goodness for that, because look what love did to Father!" I threw my arms up and leaned against the platform, my cheeks overheating, my legs in agony. I needed to lie down. "I refuse to wed anyone for the time being. I don't have to produce offspring in the first weeks of my monarchy, do I? No. There's no rule stating a queen has to throw herself into a man's arms and copulate with him to protect her people." I gagged at my own words.

"But the heirs—"

"Is that all I'm good for?" I spoke so loudly, the courtiers in the background quieted. A few footsteps echoed behind me; I imagined several of my potential suitors had discovered us. "I won't pipe down because they're watching," I said, concentrating on Sir Sym.

To my relief, Ysac shooed the suitors off to the other end of the throne room. "The queen isn't ready for you, sirs, so please keep away, thank you!"

I continued to glower at my advisors. "Is producing babies all you care about? Because fret not; Astrida will have plenty of children when she marries. And Tilda will have a few as well."

"But your legacy is what matters, Majesty," said Lady Ossenna, her perfect complexion riddled with worry.

I'd had enough of their toxicity, of their beliefs that making babies was the most important factor in my role as queen. My goal was stopping threats to the kingdom, not playing flirtation games with men I'd met the night before and wasn't impressed by.

They wouldn't force me into this. Advisors they were, but all the decisions were mine. And I didn't want children. Not for a long time.

"I'm giving my legacy to my sisters."

Ysac, who'd returned from controlling the crowd, gasped. "What?"

Lady Ossenna's eyes widened, and Sir Sym broke from her hold to squirm up to me. "Majesty? Are you sure?"

I straightened up and rolled my shoulders. "That if I die my crown goes to my sisters and their heirs? Yes, I'm sure."

"And Luned?" Sir Sym's eyebrows drew together. "She's after Astrida in the line-up. There's no official paperwork declaring her as not part of the family yet. We're still working on that, as we have no actual proof—aside from her word, yours, and Hendry's—that she was illegitimate." His lips pinched. "If news got to her that you're refusing to marry and allowing your sisters to be your heirs, she won't hesitate to murder you, then them, and become legally queen."

My limbs locked in place and my heart stopped.

I hated when they were right!

"Then we must ensure this information doesn't leave the castle." I gestured at the space beyond the dais. "I'll meet with these suitors of yours, but not today. If they want me, they'll be patient." I huffed and unfastened the elastics around my hair, which somewhat lessened my migraine. "If I marry and have children, then things will revert to normal. But in the meantime, I'd appreciate it if you didn't presume to instill such obligations on me. Your input is valuable, but this type of behavior is unacceptable. Dismiss those men, please."

Sir Sym grumbled a half-hearted apology as he sauntered off, doing everything he could to not look at me. Ysac accompanied him, leaving Lady Ossenna and I alone.

Woman to woman, at last.

"I'm sorry, Majesty." She tucked her hands in the hidden pockets of her gown. "This matter is dear to Sym."

"Dear?" I kicked at the ground, wishing I could remove my boots and slip into a tub filled to the rim with scorching water. "My sex life, and current lack thereof, is dear to him?"

"Not sex. But procreation, coupling, establishing dynasties. It's one of his areas of expertise. He and I discussed this at length, but I'll admit to you I thought it was too soon to bring it up. He can't help it. He and Otho focused on the reproductive roles of kings and queens. Not so much the real roles. Implementing laws and banishing criminals, listening to peasants and their woes."

The name of my enemy caused me to clamp up. "Otho focused on these things too?"

"Does that surprise you?" She hopped up to sit on the edge of the dais. "His powers involved love and prosperity, after all. He was the best at finding matches and ensuring bloodlines continued without interruption. He's been doing it for decades. Though with what we know about him now, that's hard to believe, isn't it?" She dangled her feet, the sparkles on her shoes captivating me.

I shook my head. "Nothing surprises me anymore. But to have the two of you undermining me, discussing such things behind my back—"

"To be fair, Majesty, we wanted to speak to you, but you disappeared." Lady Ossenna didn't lower her chin when I glowered at her; instead, she perked up, defiance in her demeanor. "We had no choice but to start the conversation while we waited for you."

I couldn't stay angry at her for long, not when I knew, deep down, she meant well. "I want to be disgusted by you, by both of you, but my rage remains directed at Luned and Otho." I grunted as I heaved myself onto the platform beside her. "How can Luned care for him? Such a treacherous, tormented devil?"

"Well," Lady Ossenna set her fists on her hips, "Luned is no better, is she? A treacherous lady, a tormented queen? I'd say they're a match made in heaven."

With a gag, I couldn't help but agree.

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