Dominic's horsey laughter dissolved my anger, and I addressed Erick's refusal with a grin. "You don't get a choice in that. I don't want to be with you."

"Unfortunately, you must keep him at your side even after the trials." Luke took a sip of water after he gave that unhappy announcement.

"Why?" I demanded, fury making me stand up and slap the table. Luke regarded me calmly as I seethed. We'll see about that. I shot a fiery glance toward Beth. Was she okay with her fiancé disagreeing about the carte blanche I had given them to run off and be together? From her stormy expression, I doubted it. 

"As part of the role of queen, each consort must have equal time with you each year," Luke said, looking apologetic.

"I'm afraid that's true, Niece." While my aunt said this, she took a roll and sliced it in half. I sympathized with the bread.

I gaped at them as I plopped back down into my seat. "Equal time. With Erick??" 

Equal time with a man who traded my love and family to please his own?

"No, nuh-uh, nyet!" I shook my head in case they didn't understand what I said.

Erick's fists clenched around the silverware he held. "I wouldn't make you see me, Hum--My Lady. But since I've been chosen, I mean to take my role seriously." He raised his sleeve and showed me a cat-shaped mark that slowly faded in front of my eyes. "This was the mark of the geas. After what happened in the dungeon, I felt it weaken. I am no longer bound to Beth." 

Beth made a choking noise and twisted in her chair to face away from him.  I glanced at her with a twinge of empathy. Betrayal sucked, didn't it Beth? Despite the geas disappearing, I still didn't want Erick. He could have told me that he was spoken for all those years ago. I wanted an explanation as to why he thought he could have me when he'd been tied to Beth.

Regina cleared her throat, seeming uncomfortable from the soap opera happening at the table right now. "It's never ideal when your court is made. Even I don't care for all of my chosen, Elect Madeline. But, it's part of being an Elect and taking the crown. When The Brigid sinned by not taking her place, we were left with a never-ending winter." Her mouth tightened in disgust.

"The never-ending winter wasn't her fault." I rose again and waved my butter knife at her threateningly. "You take that back."

"I agree with you, Lady Madeline," Luke said as he placed a palm up to calm me down. "The never-ending winter happened when they tried to murder My Lady," he said this to Regina with a cold look.

"If the Brigid had not had Elect Madeline, that never would have happened. You must agree with that." Regina sneered. 

 "Why do you people keep calling Mother The Brigid? Brigid was her name." Dominic was holding my shoulders to prevent me front cutting the smile off of Regina's face.

"No, Brigid is the name taken by the Principi. When the triumphant Elect becomes the avatar of our Lady Duir, the Oak mother of the Summer court and all green things, she forgets her true name. The Brigid broke the link with Duir somehow, then sinned when she conceived you out of wedlock." Athalia gave me a disapproving look as though I'd masterminded my own birth.

Luke's fury was colder than the snow outside. "Elect Regina, I believe you and your mother should leave. Now."

A servant whispered to my aunt and Regina, and they left with him. But before they did, my aunt said, "Despite the prophecies, I am certain Regina will win." She patted her daughter's arm as they exited the dining room.

"We'll remember your name for you," Dominic whispered into my ear. I appreciated the sentiment, but I intended to remember my name, regardless.

I stared after them for a moment, then shrugged. I didn't care if Regina won, but if she did, would it still fix Aleria? Since I didn't want to win, it would be good if that was the case. I wanted to go back to Earth and get on with my life. 

I faced Luke. "What else should I know before I go to this ceremony this evening?"

"Many things." Luke's eyes closed as he shook his head. "So many things, and we have no time to train you in them all. You must stick close to me so that I can help you."

I wouldn't say I liked that idea, especially after that intense moment in the study with him. Avoiding him as much as I could,  seemed to be a better plan than staying by his side.

"How about you at least give me a shortlist of the most important things?"

"Very well. Rule one, remember, this is the land of the Fae. Next, do not make any deals or take any gifts. Finally, If someone gifts you something, you must either pay for it or owe them a favor. Remember not to thank anyone either."

"Uh oh." 

"Uh oh?" Luke's mouth tightened at the corners. "What do you mean, 'uh oh'?"

"Well... first... I can't remember if I had thanked anyone here. But, second, I uh... already took a gift, I think... and last... well... I made a deal..." I cringed.

"You did all of this... in this house, and within less than a day?" He rubbed his face and ran his fingers through his cropped hair. "Explain."

"Welllll.... when I woke up, my aunt gave me my mother's jewelry. Then, that guy named Ciaran appeared and offered to help me if I let him be part of my court - which, I remind you, I had no idea what that meant. So I said yes, and he left." I left out the part about the key once more, which I now realized was another gift. Even if I hadn't explicitly agreed for him to be in my court, I still took the key. Dang it.

"Mother Duir, help us..." Luke swore in a whisper. "Your cousin is your rival, and your aunt may use her leverage over you to gain the upper hand. And that... Ciaran, did you say? I questioned everyone in the house about him.  Can you describe him again?"

"Pink hair, Asian,  loud dresser, flashy attitude." He was also pretty attractive, but I kept that to myself. Now that I thought about him, I had a strange longing to see him again.

Luke rubbed his face again. "I do not know him, but your agreement that he is part of your court will stand. Your agreement may likely have made him bound to you in the same way the rest of us were. I believe some element of the bonding is an agreement between the parties. The part where you received something from your aunt? This may hurt our chances of winning."

"How did her aunt gain access to her room?" Luis asked as he rose to stand next to me and put his hands on my shoulders. The roots were definitely doing something weird to us. Luis had never wanted to touch me this much.

Beth paled and took a sudden interest in the silverware pattern. Of course. Her again. The blonde thorn in my side.

Elsie addressed Luke. "May I suggest something, My Lord?"

"Speak, banmuinen," Luke said.

"Emerlee," Elsie suggested, and that made me more suspicious. Maybe Beth had something to do with this whole assassination attempt? Did she plan it with Emerlee? I glanced at her, but her face was blank, revealing nothing.

"It must have been Emerlee," Elsie continued and I resumed my attention on her, but not without a growing annoyance. Beth was going to spill all her tea, or I would shove the teacup down her throat. "She was the original owner of that room, after all. No one gave us our task to wait on The Elect Madeline until the morning, My Lord."

"Very true." Luke exhaled wearily. "What did Duchess Athalia give you? Perhaps we can return it."

"My mother's jewelry box." I wouldn't be returning it. That would indeed be what she'd want. I'm sure there was some condition my mother had given her to keep the box, and I would break it by giving it back.

"How clever," he said grudgingly. 

"So we're done then? Regina wins, and I take my boxes of Hamburger Helper and leave the game show?"

"No. I'll speak to her before the party. We'll fix this."

I shrugged. It sounded like I was screwed, but maybe she'd done me a favor? Well, I didn't have time at that moment. "Okay, we'll table this new fresh hell for now. What else do I need to know?"

"You will first meet the nobles of the land, and there will be those that wish to curry favor with you. There might be a last-minute bid to be part of your court. Never be rude to anyone there. Keep in mind that as an Elect, you have a station slightly above the Nobles, so no need to kneel to them. However, in the Goddess's presence, you must kneel. Keep veiled at all times as it is a gift to look upon a woman's eyes, and none of them are worthy, My Lady."

I made a rude noise at that. Sounded like the bag of hoo-ha that people told women on Earth for why they had to follow a bunch of rules that men didn't have to follow. At Luke's weary expression, I huffed out a "Fine."

 He stared at me for a minute or two, and doubt like the thrumming of a headache made me wince. I glared at him for doubting me and the pain stopped. Then he continued with his lesson. "The first act that you do once Duir asks you to approach her is to receive the slice of the blade of glory. If you are impure, the blade will cut you. If you succeed, Duir will assign you your three trials. One is physical, one is mental, and one is spiritual. We won't learn what they are until after the Becoming ceremony. The first trial will be announced at the Temple the next day."

"What are you talking about with this blade thing?" Adrian sounded affronted on my behalf, and I smiled at him.

"All the participants have to submit to a purity test. I will try to prevent it, but it is part of the ceremony." Luke pinched his nose as he waited for the ensuing outrage.

"Oh, Hell No, Matt. They can all freeze their asses off if they want to. You ain't doin' that," Adrian said as he shot from his seat.

"Believe me; I want to..." I grumbled. "And I'll refuse that test. "

Adrian addressed Luke. "Dude, what do you think you're doing? First, you kidnap my Ace, then you try to make her into something's she not? Why does she have to do this shit for you?"

I was touched that Adrian was standing up for me and that he'd called me his Ace, "The only reason I'm doing this is for you guys. I'm mad too, but if any of you three got hurt because of me, I'd die."

Adrian's shoulders slumped. "I don't care about me, Ace. This ain't right."

I could tell from the feeling of hopelessness twining between us like a rough rope that he knew we were stuck for now. I walked around the table and hugged him. "Thank you. With you helping me out, I know we'll figure it out."

"With all of us together, Matty," Dom said as he raised a roll at me in salute. I nodded at him in agreement.

As he rose from the table, Luke bowed. "I will do what I can to help you avoid being given the blade. For now, spend the rest of the afternoon with your banmuinen preparing for the party. They will help teach you dance steps and basic table manners and make sure you are presentable."

When he left, I released Adrian from my hug and looked around with false cheer. "What are you guys doing? We're stuck here, so we better at least eat something. If we escape, we'll need our strength."

Beth scraped her chair back and turned to leave.

"Where do you think you're going?" I said as I plopped back down onto my chair.

She turned and gave me an icy glare. "Back to the dungeons?"

"You heard Luke. You're staying and making me look nice. I have to get hitched to your fiancé, and I don't want to get my wedding ring with dirty fingernails. And I think you meant to say, 'Back to the dungeons, My Lady,' right?"

Was I petty? Yes, I was. Since I was stuck with this situation, for now, I could be petty, right?

Right??