Elowen helped Fletcher and two guards move Avangelique to a bedroom. The prince made sure the comatose girl had the finest doctors monitoring her, and they would be altered if her condition changed. She'd wanted to stay at Avangelique's side, but the doctors insisted that the princess have no visitors, so she left them tending to her unconscious body.

Fletcher was slumped against the wall in the hallway outside Avangelique's room. He'd waved off a doctor earlier, but his skin was waxen, and his breaths were unsteady. He wouldn't meet her eyes as she approached, and she wondered if he still wanted her around.

"Elowen," his voice was hollow. "You came back."

"I'm not going to stand by and watch as my stepmother destroys Cyra or Sahar," she said. "I might prefer my kitchen, but when I have the power to help, I will do anything, Fletcher."

It was true. Elowen liked shadows, but she was selfless. She'd never expected anything in her life to be handed to her. She'd taken over the kitchens at her house because of her mother's absence, but she'd fallen in love with the role and disappeared.

Now that she was out in the open, she was finding that attention wasn't so bad. Fletcher only wanted her safety, but he wouldn't hold her back from the fire if she charged headfirst. He never judged her or undervalued her opinion.

"Don't suppose you know how to kill that fairy?" He gave out a ragged laugh and shook his head. "I can't believe she was in Nene all this time under our noses. I've been to your family's manor for parties dozens of times."

"I've lived with her since I was thirteen," Elowen said. "How do you think I feel? She imprisoned Wryn, and she had the fairy prince comatose in a basement I didn't know existed until this morning."

Fletcher sighed. "So we both have rotten luck. It's a shame I didn't meet you earlier, Elowen. You are something remarkable."

"Are you really going to marry Estefania when this is all over?" She asked.

He winced. "The doctors don't think I'm going to live three more years. I don't want to subject anyone to this kind of life expectancy."

There was a simple solution to his problem. They both knew it, but Fletcher was too noble to entertain the idea. He'd rather let himself expire than let anyone else experience pain.

She stared at the defeated prince. "What about Lorenzo and Nathaniel? Do your brothers agree with you?"

"We're so used to pain," he said. "Eventually, we all just want it to end."

"So your plan is to give up?" She reached for his hand. "I don't accept that, Fletcher. There has to be hope somewhere. Wishes can be undone."

"Elowen," her name sounded like music on his tongue, but he pulled his hand out of her reach. "I've accepted my fate. I'll get out of my marriage if I'm able, but I can't save myself."

"No," her defiance made him jump. "We're going to see Trix. Together, we will defeat Mona and find a way to reverse all of her magic."

She practically dragged him down the hallway and back to the main ballroom. It was almost empty except for servants cleaning up and Trix standing in a corner. The fairy was staring out the window, gazing into the beyond.

Elowen cleared her throat, and the fairy looked back at them. Unlike Rillian or Mona, she didn't have wings, Elowen realized. Trix's eyes were glassy, and she seemed even sadder now that Rillian was gone.

"Is there any way to break the king's wish?" Elowen asked. "We cannot let the princes and the marquis suffer any longer."

"Mona granted the king's wish," Trix said. "Only she or the empress herself could undo the wish. Since Mona's wish had such specific consequences, it cannot even be transferred to another. Besides, what Avangelique did was very dangerous. She had no certainty that would end in death sleep."

Elowen sighed. "How would the empress undo spells?"

"The empress was more powerful than her chosen daughters," Trix said. "I was never entirely sure how it happened, but we swore ourselves to her for our powers. I'd made oaths to Rillian over his mother, which is why I think I survived. The empress herself was an embodiment of magic. You could just feel it wherever she went. She could manipulate the world around her, unlike any other fairy."

"Then how do we kill Mona?" Fletcher asked. "Since that seems to be the only way to undo all of her carnage."

"We're mortals," Trix said. "Only the empress herself didn't age. You could kill her in any traditional way, prince. The only issue is getting close enough, and Mona doesn't take kindly to threats."

Fletcher shuttered. She knew he was reliving his brother attacking the fairy and getting thrown back by her magic. Nathaniel had almost died, and in the end, he hadn't been able to protect Estefania.

"We cannot let her hurt my family anymore," Fletcher said. "Or anyone else. There must be some way to stop her, or some ancient fairy law Elowen can exploit to gain an edge."

"You're quite noble, Fletcher," Trix said. "But unless Mona makes a mistake, there isn't much we can do."

"We will win," Elowen said. "I promise I will get that book from the countess. We'll release Wryn and Bastien, and our kingdoms will earn peace."

Footsteps at the door caused Elowen to pivot slightly. Her cheeks burned as she saw Brennon and her father walking into the room. The earl, carrying a box and a large garment bag, bowed as he approached the prince.

"Father," Elowen fell into a curtsy.

"Oh, my daughter," her father sounded weary. "Brennon explained what happened today. You must think me mighty foolish."

She knew her father had an affinity for fairies. She had wondered if he'd known that the countess was a fairy, but she hadn't had time to dwell on the idea. After all, the past couldn't help her beat her stepmother now.

"He didn't know that Monique was the one who cursed everything," Brennon said. "Father simply thought she was a former fairy distancing herself from the fallen order."

"Your mother was the same," her father said. "And I deeply loved her, Elowen. She wanted you to have something which might aid you in your battle. I never entirely understood what the slippers did, but Lyressa claimed they made her magic stronger. A parting gift from the fairy empress when your mother left the order."

He offered her the box. She took it without opening the gift. It was strange to see more of her mother's magic beyond the dresses. She'd never known her mother as magic, and imagining her as a fairy only made it more tragic she wasn't by Elowen's side now.

"We should get some rest," Brennon said. "We've acquired new lodgings in the city to avoid the countess."

Fletcher frowned. "Elowen's not leaving my side tonight. She's safer here."

"You are going to protect my sister then?" Brennon scoffed. "The countess has gotten into your castle twice, prince."

"Brennon," her father said. "Enough, son. If the prince desires your sister to stay, she has the choice. Elowen, this is your decision."

She took a deep breath. "It'll be easier to remain, Brennon. If you're so worried for my safety, I'm sure Fletcher can find the pair of you additional rooms."

The prince nodded. "Done."

Brennon and the earl begrudgingly accepted Fletcher's invitation. Fletcher gave the staff directions, and they herded the guests to the doors. Her brother threw one more look over his shoulder at Elowen as a servant escorted him to his new room. She knew he was just worried about her safety, so she gave him a confident smile.

When they were gone, Fletcher turned back to her. His cane shifted in his hand, and Elowen could see a little fear in his blue eyes. She didn't know if it was for his kingdom or something else.

He didn't speak. Instead, he gestured for him to follow her. They wound through corridors and up a flight of stairs. Then he opened a door and led her into what looked like his private rooms.

"The bed is yours," he said. "Get some rest, Elowen."

"I can't take your bed," she clutched her father's box. "And aren't there like a hundred beds in this castle?"

"I told you, Elowen, I'm not letting you leave again," he said. "If I do, you'll probably charge the countess head-on."

"At least I found Rillian," she said. "And I learned who cursed you."

"I don't want to see you in danger, Elowen," his body shook as he leaned on his cane. "I just want to see the people I care about safe and happy."

She helped him over to a chair. He looked like he wanted to protest, but his body sagged, and he accepted the seat. She set his cane against the wall and leaned in to brush a strand of his long hair behind his ear.

"You don't have to stay," he said. "But please don't take on your stepmother alone."

She knelt beside him. "I want to be here, Fletcher."

He looked at the box in her hands. "What did your father give you?"

She opened up the box and her breath caught. A pair of slippers sat in velvet made of silver and sapphire. They shone in the light and she could feel the power within them.

"Magic," the word she spoke was like honey between them.

"You know I've spent my whole life hating magic," he said. "Wishing that it wasn't real because it only ever caused me pain, but with you, it's beautiful."

"Thank you," she said, "for trying to keep me safe. I'll carry that with me when I face the countess tomorrow."

"Take this too," he reached for his cane and twisted the gem from the top. "It was fairy blessed and its got a history of bringing luck."

She slipped the opal in her pocket. It felt warm against her skin as he leaned forward and brushed up her bangs to kiss her brow right on top of her birthmark. His lips sent a cool shiver through her body, and her lips curved up.

"What about Estefania?" She asked.

He laughed softly. "Nothing matters except you, Elowen, sweetheart."

For the first time she allowed herself to hope. Her intuition was more than just a sense that Fletcher was with the wrong woman. It was magic guiding her here to this moment. To this man right here.

Even if this was the only chance she got this was worth it. She held him close and in the morning when she woke in his arms, Elowen knew that she would do whatever it took to save Fletcher for another moment like this.