Baeleon looked crazed as he smiled from his dais at our entry to the room. Uldur joined us, and he signaled the rest of his warriors to stay at the back of the grand hall near the doors we came in. Yaz and Heeyra took our bags from us and stayed as well. So it was just the captain and us now.

My eyes roamed over the tables and creatures that filled the space with a violent energy, eating up what I once remembered to be a space for feasting and dancing. Gone was the lounging furniture, the art, the musicians. In their stead now stood tables filled with the strategy tools of war.

"King Baeleon," Schula breathed, her icy eyes reflecting concern at the scene before her. 

"He's already ready for a full campaign I see," Thain said, crossing his arms over his chest as we came to stand before the king of the Autumn court. 

Eberon stood by Thian, and Nassir by Schula's other side. Uldur stood in front of the dais and addressed Baeleon with a hand on his chest. 

"Speak," Baleon said, pleased as he looked down on Uldur.

Uldur nodded, dropping whatever symbolism the hand on his chest held and standing more at ease. "Schula of the Autumn court and the Wylde witch Wren were both located and have been brought to your care unharmed. The estate of Lady Yevaron south of the Whistwind pass sustained damage under attack of Winter court warriors, Scula and Wren both assisted in the battle."

Beleon stood there for a moment, sliding his eyes form Uldur to Schula, and then from Schula to me. He took a step backwards and sat in his throne. His eyes still settled on me. "What do you mean Wylde witch?"

My face fell, and suddenly I could feel the eyes of the room landing on me.

"My king-" Schula started, taking a bold step forward.

Baeleon held a hand up, his eyes still fixed on me. "I am asking Captain Uldur what he means by Wylde witch."

Uldur nodded. "Wren has proven herself in battle to be both a capable fighter, and... a capable witch."

Baeleon's expression didn't change while he absorbed Uldur's words, and the room collectively held it's breath.

"And the rumors of you having an elven lineage?" Baeleon asked, this time directing his question at me."

"It's true, King Baeleon," I answered. "I did not know that when-"

"I did not ask for excuses!" Baeleon hissed, visibly upsetting the fae in the room. His posture stiffened as he suddenly seemed to take up more space than he had just a moment before.

But then he composed himself, calming down and sitting back on his throne. "Wren, you are now known to hold the blood of elves in your veins. Something you were able to conceal from my court until the incident in Icehold. How?"

I squared my shoulders and addressed the Autumn king, holding my hands together behind my back, if only to not let Baeleon see that they were shaking. 

"I did not know that I was-"

"I did not ask for an excuse!" Baeleon slammed the butt of his trident on the tiled floor, a hairline crack forming where it struck. "I asked you how."

Taking a deep breath, I stared at Baeleon a little more firmly this time. He was starting to act like a petulant child, albeit a dangerous one. 

"A mark was placed on my back as a baby. It suppressed any magic within me, as well as the growth of my fae creature shape. My ears, as you also witnessed yourself when first arrived in Thanantholl, were cut."

I had been keeping my ears revealed since coming to terms with my lineage, but I still kept my thick hair in braids. Today Schula hadn't pinned them up as was part of our recent morning routine, but that was only because of our long march to Thanantholl. I reached up and pulled my braids back, winding two of them around the rest to sort of tie them away and show off my ears.

I could hear whispers while I worked, and when I was done I looked up at Baeleon with a stern expression. "They have grown back now that the seal is gone. This is how I found out what I was. In DuVarick's prison."

Baeleon watched me for a moment, his expression still hard and thoughtful. 

"She is my triquetram, Baeleon," Schula said softly.

The king's expression softened a little as he turned to look at the icy fae instead. I caught the movement of his hands, each of his thumbs twitched, their obsidian rings glossy in the lights of the throne room. 

"She wasn't raised a witch and she wasn't raised an elf," Schula went on.

Baeleon held up a hand to stop her, and Schula nodded as she stepped back into place.

Once the king's eyes turned back on me, they were a little kinder than they had been. "Wren of no court, I will let you be a part of mine if you will swear to it right now before my people."

I blinked. This is what I wanted months ago. "What about the other courts?" I asked.

"What about them?" Baeleon growled, his softness wearing off and the edge creeping into his voice again. "Let them all be damned. Schula is mine and you are hers. If they want to squabble about it they can taste my weapon through their tongues. The triquetram above etiquette."

My own tongue flicked out to lick my lips. 

"I have wanted to join the Autumn court since I first laid eyes on Thanantholl. The ones I've met..." I looked between Thain, Eberon, and then gave a smile to Schula. "This is where I belong."

"Good," Baeleon said. "Do not forget where your allegiance now stands. I do not forgive lightly."

Whatever he meant by that, I would think on later. I just nodded at his words, and he nodded back.

"Normally this would be a time of celebration and ceremony," Baeleon went on. "But there will be time for that later. You, was it Nandor?"

Nassir moved his blind eyes to look up at Baeleon, but I knew he was feeling him out with his magics instead. "Nassir, King Baeleon."

Baeleon nodded, murmuring his reply. "Your own triquetram. The rumors ring true, he has gone mad then?"

Nassir looked sad as he answered. "Yes."

"And I will punish him for every sleight he has made. You may remain in Thanantholl, Nassir, but I cannot allow you to remain in the place. Not as his own bonded."

Nassir shook his head. "I would never ask you for it, that is more than gracious enough. I follow the ones that saved me and the only friends I have left. I will stay out of the way until I am called upon."

Baeleon nodded, then turned to look at the rest of us. "Now I would have my champion approach."

For a moment I wondered who he was talking about, then Thain stepped up onto the dais and kneeled, making that hand over chest motion that Uldur had.

"I wish to speak to you, Thainalan, of what you've seen and what you've done while you've been absent from my lands."

Thain nodded to his king.

Baeleon turned to Schula. "You and Wren will be prepared for battle and will be at my side in the first conflict against the Winter court."

I blinked. Had everything up until now not been a conflict between courts?

Scula cleared her throat. "Yes, my king."

"I will need Nassir for part of this tale," Thain said. "And after I can send him to my home in the city."

"Very well," Baeleon nodded and Nassir stood on the step of the dais just below Thain's. 

"Uldur, have your people prepare them. I will see them tomorrow," Baeleon said dismissively, and I watched as a servant brought a chair to seat Thain near Baeleon's throne so they could talk. 

Thain looked at me with those bright silver eyes as Uldur lead me, Schula, and Nassir away from the dais and out of the throne room, leaving the promise of war behind. 

"Yaz, Heyra, take them both to the baths and I will find a room to assign them," Uldur ordered as the group began to stir and follow us away from the hall.

I turned to look to the way out of the palace which was the opposite direction of where we were being taken. "Will we not be able to stay in the city?"

Uldur glanced at me a moment as we continued down the corridor. "That will be for the king to decide, but for tonight you will receive rest, you will be fitted for proper attire, you will be assessed in your abilities of war, and you will be presented to Baeleon when he calls for you."

"We will send word to Spaulder," Schula told me, squeezing my hand. "We can either have him come here or we will be allowed back to Thanantholl. It will all be over soon enough."

I nodded, trying to be comfortable with that.

"This way you two," Yaz said. 

She split off from the rest of Uldur's group, standing in a hallway that branched away from where the rest of the warriors were going. Heyra followed her, and then Schula and I did too.

The hall was familiar, I had been here once a long time ago. I had met Krissiph here, too. The smells of bath oils and the gentle splashing of water grew stronger as we approached the end of the hall.

Walking in, I was surprised to find the room was well lit this time. Instead of the dim bath with the floating trays of candles, it was a bright room with lanterns on the walls and ceiling. The floating trays now held soaps, and there were two water sprites sitting at the far end with their feet in the water.

They smiled when we entered and got to their feet.

"Welcome," the taller of the two said. "Do you need assistance?"

Yaz nodded. "Just me and these two. I should have thought of this before, actually. Heyra, do you want to go get started at the armory?"

Heyra nodded, then walked gracefully away.

"Won't she want a bath?" I asked.

"Dryads are different," Yaz said. "Go on, get in."

I looked to Schula who nodded, and then we went over to the shelves where we began stripping and setting our dirty travel clothes in baskets.

Yaz whistled. "You've been through some things, haven't you?"

I looked up and saw Schula blushing and frowning at the same time, trying to press her back to the shelves. She had scars all over, though the ones on her back were the worst. "You would do best to mind your tongue about it, because I have no stories for you."

"That was heartless, Yaz," I said. 

"We're about to go into war," Yaz shrugged. "You won't be the only one there with scars. But for what it's worth I'm sorry that I speak first and think second sometimes."

Schula narrowed her eyes at the smaller female and just nodded slightly as she walked toward the inviting warm water.

"Just because our scars show, doesn't mean we want them to," I told Yaz quietly. "Not all scars have a proud story attached to them."

Yaz had the decency to blush and look away as she undid the clasp of a bracelet. I dropped my last boot on the floor next to its pair and walked over to join Schula in the baths. 

I sank into the water, laying my head back with a sigh.

"Mother, I needed this," I said.

"Mmm." Schula cozied in next to me and we both laid back. Content.

"Excuse us," the sprites came up to us with two trays of soaps and washing cloths. "Which scents would you enjoy today?"

I peeled an eye open and raised an eyebrow to Schula.

"Oh," Schula looked at me. "Oh. You've never been to the palace baths."

"No?" I said. "What does that mean?"

Schula's face twisted into that wicked grin of hers and she sat up.

"Can we get the full treatment? She likes juniper, I like rose."

"Of course!" The smaller sprite beamed, digging out the proper oils from her tray as the other one swam through the water to sit right by my side.

"Are you ticklish anywhere?" she asked.

"The back of her neck and her feet," Schula answered for me.

"Why is that information important?" I asked, growing very nervous. 

"It's just a body, nothing anyone else doesn't have," Schula said. "Isn't that what you said about it?"

"I... oh!" 

The sprite handled me in the water like a child. She turned me a bit, taking oil from the smaller sprite and rubbing it into my skin. She left no inch of me uncleaned as she rubbed her strong hands into my skin. The muscles under the surface cried out at first, but soon the combination of working my sore body and the warm water had my body sighing in relief. 

Schula teased me and giggled the whole time as she herself had oils massaged into her skin as well. 

And for the next while until Yaz made us get out as I was just starting to fall asleep, I experienced my first palace bath.

If only the next step in this journey to meet Baeleon's expectations was nearly as pleasant.