If you have read the Ever Seas series, but not the Broken Kingdoms, you can read the second scene. It is a glimpse at the earth fae royals before the events of the Ever King, and will hint to a few events in the sea fae battles, but is relatively spoiler free for Book 9 in TBK.

The Raven Queen

One side of the bed had gone cold. My palm smoothed over the furs and quilts still pulled down on Ari’s side. From the window, the moon was still high. The dawn was still sleeping, but my pulse thudded in my head with an unwanted panic.

Since Davorin faded into the sea, there was a fear embedded in every knoll of our kingdom. A sense of eyes always watching, but never revealing where they hid.

With a wince from the ache still aggravating me low in my belly, I slid from the bed.

Unease came too swiftly. Frantic thoughts battled logic in my mind. Ari slept fitfully since the battle on the shore; it wasn’t so unusual to find him pacing in the study, researching mimicker fae or the legends of Riot and Davorin’s feud.

Lately, sleep waned even more.

I faced the arched doorway leading to the small private study. I would give him a moment longer before I interrupted and soothed his fears.

The smile crept over my lips before I pulled back the silken shade keeping her cradle shaded. Mere weeks old, and already our daughter brought a needed light to the palace that was lost after Davorin slipped away.

But the panic at waking without my husband tightened when Mira’s small bed was empty.

Heart racing, I opened the study door.

Nothing.

I didn’t bother with a robe and rushed into the corridor leading to our chamber.

“Gorm.” My voice was breathless when I stumbled upon the Blood Lord.

“My Queen. It is night, My Lady. A time of sleep.”

“Yet you are awake.”

The Blood Lord cast a furrowed look over his chest, then lifted his sharp eyes back to me. “Yes, My Lady. I am clearly standing before you. Quite lucid.”

“Have you seen the king?”

“I have not.” Gorm tipped his head. “I’ve only just arrived, and you are the first soul I have seen, a curiosity I certainly did not expect. For as I said, it is quite late in the night.”

I swallowed, fingers tangling. “Yes. Well, your chambers are empty for your use.”

“I would imagine so, My Lady. For I am not in them yet.”

If I did not need to place eyes on my husband and child, I would laugh. Instead, I pressed a palm to Gorm’s sturdy arm, and excused myself to find the king.

Naturally, the man desired to stand at my side in the hunt, and I was forced to descend into a lie regarding post-birth troubles.

In truth, it nearly wasn’t enough to deter him and the Blood Lord quite plainly told me he was not squeamish in the slightest.

Not until I insisted the king would likely not relish another man seeing me naked. Only then, did he agree that if I was not in mortal danger, such a thing would likely be distasteful to my husband.

Gorm had arrived for the presentation of the new princess.

By the morrow’s afternoon every kingdom would be here to meet the babe. Our palace would be filled littles—Aleksi had reached a sturdy age of three and kept Sol and Tor racing to keep up with the boy. As a glamour fae, the boy would be prone to the wilds on instinct. Princess Livia was not far behind her cousin, and since the girl learned to walk, she had not ceased.

In truth, it was the tiny princes from the East who were busiest. Barely learning to walk, last I saw Malin she was preparing to keep little Jonas and Sander tethered to her wrists lest they toddle off.

Now, the fae isles had their own royal little.

And I could not find her or her father. With threats still potent, every moment I did not see my family, was a moment laden in frenzy.

Until I rounded the corner to the balcony and his deep, gentle voice rose over the gentle breeze fluttering through open windows.

Ari was perched on a wooden bench overlooking the Court of Hearts. A glisten of the sea sparkled in the distance, but the trees and knolls and glamour of the soil glittering in the night made the Borough look as though it were dusted in starlight.

I leaned against the doorframe, merely watching.

Bundled over the tops of his knees, the sleeping babe slept soundly. Mira’s hair, for now, favored my dark shade. Her little points to her fae ears curled slightly, and her eyes were shifting to a gentle amber almost like her father’s.

Ari was shirtless, feet bare, and his legs gently swayed as he kept her soothed with motion and his voice.

“You’ll hear me call him, King, my love, but don’t let it confuse you, for you are impeccably royal. Still, my first folk were the Night Folk, and I can’t seem to quit calling the damn—I mean—your Uncle Valen my king.” Ari chuckled when Mira’s little face puckered in her sleep. “I know, what an odious habit. I am a king, yet I call another, My King. Perhaps we shall learn how to turn up our noses at him together.”

He gently traced the curve of her small nose, words quiet for a few breaths. “You will love everyone who comes to see you. They will love you.” Ari hesitated. “That is all I want for you, to know how well you are loved by so many already.” My husband cleared his throat and settled back on the bench, his hand still rested against her tiny form. “Should anything ever happen to me, it soothes me to know you will always have them.”

My heart cracked.

Ari knew Davorin would want his head should the bastard ever rise again. He knew my former consort would come for me.

In truth, it was a harrowing reality he did not want to face when we learned a little was on the way. To Ari, it was another soul for Davorin to harm.

“What dreary talk. Rather unbecoming of me.” He tufted Mira’s dark, wispy curls. “You will have a wondrous kingdom, my girl. I will see to it, I swear to you. You’ll dance nights away with the Court of Serpents. They’re tiresome, but better now that Magus is the lord. Then the seers will likely read your fate and get it wrong time and time again, but the Court of Stars is where Gunnar now lives. He will teach you to be sly. Gorm will teach you to see the world exactly as it is. Whenever you need the absolute truth, that unwavering sod will tell it to you.”

Ari leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her brow, holding his face close as he studied her.

“But what you must learn in haste is a lesson you must never forget.” The slightest smile quirked in the corner of his mouth. “You are the daughter of the strongest, most beautiful woman I have ever met.”

I hugged my middle, emotion thick in my throat.

“She is so powerful the gods saw fit to give her two forms, can you believe it, my love?” He stroked the side of her cheek. “She has endured more than any woman should and still her heart loves so fiercely when . . . when I am certain mine would only hate. Gods, I hope you take after her.”

I flicked a tear away, forced a smile, and stepped onto the balcony. “Not entirely, I hope.”

Ari looked over his shoulder. His grin was wide and white. “Sweet Menace, you have failed to do as I hoped. Sleep. You need more of it.”

I sat beside him, resting my head onto his shoulder, and covered his hand on Mira’s slowly rising belly. “I hope that is not a hint that I look disheveled, Husband.”

He chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Disheveled or not, I can hardly keep my mouth closed at the very sight of you. I’m beginning to look rather foolish, but alas, I am at a loss at what to do. You only grow more stunning every day.”

This man. I traced over his knuckles. “I hope she takes a great deal after you, Ari.”

“The only reason I would want such a thing is because I am certain she will be fast friends with the twins, and Kase will have no choice but to love her since she is a child. If she is like me, she will follow him about, never allowing him a chance to brood. It has become my life’s pursuit to see such a thing.”

I kissed the top of his shoulder. “If she takes after you, she will be brave.” I kissed the hinge of his jaw. “Clever.” The corner of his mouth. “She will be strong and kind.” Ari faced me, allowing me to kiss his lips, slowly, tenderly.

When I pulled back, I stroked the stubble of his cheek. “If she is like you, then she will be a very lucky girl.”

Ari let his forehead drop to mine, jaw flexed.

“He won’t find her, Ari.” I held the back of his head, closing my eyes. “You cannot go on at this pace. Barely sleeping, never letting her out of your sight, building walls around the shore. You will exhaust yourself.”

His breath trembled when he released it. “I cannot . . . I cannot stop blaming myself for hesitating so long and letting him get away. I’ve made her world more dangerous.”

“No.” I urged him to look at me. “No, Davorin is the one who added danger to our world. You . . . you have made my world—our world—free and warm and home.” I smiled, hovering my lips close. “If he returns, nothing has changed. We face it together. Until then, we raise her to believe in the good things, like love, and too much chatter, and laughter. We teach her of the dark, teach her to stand for her life and her people. We do that, and he is hardly of consequence.”

Ari scoffed. “Ah, Sweet Menace, I think you are coddling my tender, little feelings. Though I wholly appreciate the effort, I fear I know too well just how of consequence that bastard truly is.”

“He is.” I returned my head to his shoulder. “But so are we. He has fought for centuries to defeat us both, and failed time and again. When we face him, he will lose his head, and you will see to it he is piked for all of us to see.”

A sort of growl rolled from Ari’s throat. “Gods, woman. The way you speak of blood and gore has reminded me how neglectful my mouth has been toward your body as of late.”

He stood, gently cradling our daughter in his arm.

I snickered. “Ari, we’re not yet supposed to—”

“I said mouth, Sweet Menace. My mouth.” Heat lived in his eyes when he held out his hand.

Good hells, to deny the man was damn near impossible. I curled my fingers into his and followed him back into the Borough.

There was a threat still there, fierce and wretched, but here, in moments as this, when my husband was near, when my daughter was safe, I could breathe.

I could dream of every beautiful future day.

No mistake, I would kill to see them into reality.

Should Davorin return again—I intended to.

***

With the Ever Seas under way, I couldn’t help but add a scene with our “little royals”. They all will be getting their own stories, so I thought it would be fun to have a little glimpse of them growing up.

***

The Illusionist

Livia’s breaths were heavy when she crouched at my side. “See them?”

I peered through the hedges around the Crimson Fort. There was no one but guards near the gates. “No. They’re not winning this turn, Liv.”

“Agreed.” She nodded, but promptly swiped a lock of her dark hair out of her eyes. Like always, Livia rubbed the strange scar in the crook of her elbow. She said she stumbled during the sea fae war, but she was bleeding skittish about it.

I stopped asking two turns ago.

“Think we’re clear?”

I blew out my breath and shook my palms, seeking the icy cool of glamour in my veins. “Clear. Go. Go!”

We sprinted out into the front courtyard. Livia was sensible and opted for hosen and anklt boots. Gods, I wished I didn’t get caught in the glitter of new gowns. The skirt of the lavender dress had snagged under my feet more than once, and already had a layer of mud on the hem.

I fell behind. Forget propriety, I gathered my skirt in a bunch in my arms, flashing my upper legs, and sprinted next to Livia.

My heart leapt. We were going to bleeding win this turn.

Twenty paces ahead, the gates to the fort were open, only a few Rave guards, stepping aside at the sight of the two princesses racing forward.

Then my body slowed.

“No!” I let out a cry of frustration. Arms, legs, my middle, all seemed to grow sluggish, as though a force pulled me back.

Livia screamed, clutching her head, thin black veins crinkled from the corners of her eyes.

From the far slope, a trio of imbeciles burst from the hedgerow, shouting their battle cries. If they could be called cries. True, Aleksi’s voice finally found it’s deeper timbre, but Jonas and Sander were still shifting between deep and squeaks.

Jonas bleeding Eriksson had his palms out, eyes black as the night.

Aleksi did the same.

Bleeding sods. It wasn’t fair the stupid boys always took on the race, three against two. Jonas would attack with nightmares, Aleksi with his horrid blood glamour, and Sander would be free to cross the ending point.

Not. This. Turn.

“It’s not real, Livie,” I cried. “It’s just Jo’s nightmares. They’re not even good. What’s he doing this turn? Another haunt in the closet.”

She trembled, but blinked, some of the black lines fading near her eyes.

Slow as my limbs moved, Aleksi wasn’t terribly skilled at summoning blood for long. Not yet.

I opened my palms, embracing the cold of my magic.

Jonas skidded to a stop, glaring at me. “Don’t even think about it, Mir.”

“Oh, I thought about it, you sod.”

With a dramatic sigh, Jonas clutched his chest. “You wound me. However will I survive.” The prince’s sneer returned. “Oh, because we’re about to win. Again.”

Sander was nearing the gates. I blew out a breath and faced my annoying friend. Illusions were sometimes fiercer than Jonas’s nightmares. The mind was tricky, powerful, and easy to believe.

Livia let out a gasp when Jonas lost his hold. She barked a laugh when Sander kept running, but seemed to do so in place.

An illusion that made the fort seem to always be at a distance, never getting closer no matter how fast he ran.

“Go, Livie!”

She didn’t hesitate and rushed toward the gates.

“Sander!” Jonas raked his fingers through his hair, aghast. He tried to quicken his pace an sped for his twin. “It’s Mira, you idiot.”

Livia raced past Sander. With her as his guide, he managed to see the glimmer of untruth in my magic and broke the charade with a curse.

Livia let out a shriek when she leapt for the front doors, Sander on her heels. They nearly collided, but in the end, Livia made it.

“No.” Jonas’s palms scrubbed down his face.

I pointed a finger in his face and laughed. “Your sweets for the entire festival, and stable duty when we go home. It’s about damn time, you sods.”

Jonas frowned. “Fine, Mir. Fine. Enjoy your win. Next turn, will be different.”

Defeated as he was, Jonas remained a brotherly prince and saw to it I had someone to brace against from the fatigue of using my glamour and racing from the shore to the fort in so short a time.

Each turn the race was had on the day of the masque. A way to see who had to tend to the charges since our parents seemed to believe it was important for spoiled little royals to know how to dirty their hands.

Every turn the boys were victorious.

Halfway into the great hall, Jonas cleared his throat. “You were a worthy foe, Mir.” He looked to Livia, dipping his chin. “I suppose you were too, Livie.”

She folded her arms over her chest, shoulders still rising from exertion. “I guess the same can be said of you, Jo. Those nightmares were a little frightening.”

His green eyes brightened. “Yeah? What’d you think of the teeth on the nyk?”

“Gruesome.”

Jonas’s sour defeat was a thing of the past. His grin widened. “I’ve been practicing it for weeks. Weeks.”

We laughed and made our way to through the great hall for our favorite part before our parents convened to council.

This turn was even better. Calista and Silas came to the fort. Most turns, they remained at Kunglig, but some turns they ventured to see the place where they won their crown. Difficult for them, no mistake, especially Uncle Silas.

The way he was trapped in darkness within these walls—I wasn’t so certain I would return either.

I saw Calista and Silas most often, since she was my blood cousin, but she loved every heir as fiercely.

“Cal!” Livia’s voice was laden in excitement when she caught sight Calista’s golden braids.

The queen of fate had her hand tangled with Silas’s. Poor man, kept looking about like he was walking toward his death.

On cue, Jonas went to him, chattering with intention about a few new wooden figures he’d whittled with a new knife Silas had sent.

It worked.

Jonas could be a pest, but his heart was the best of us all. Close to Silas since sea fae wars, the eastern prince and his brother knew how to distract the king from his disquiet.

Silas faced the twin princes, even releasing Calista’s hand, and listened to their tales of the east.

Aleksi cleared his throat. “So, any, well, any thoughts this turn, Cal?”

Calista’s pale eyes brightened. “Wanting a missive of fate, Briar Prince?”

I chuckled. Cal gave most everyone a different name. Aleksi didn’t care for his, but it wasn’t so far off—he had been found in a briar shrub as an infant.

It took a few more moments, but we all settled around Calista and Silas. The fate king gave her a small smile as he handed her a goose quill. Together, their voices could sing intricate twists of fate, but since the war ended, both Silas and Calista avoiding altering any plans of the Norns.

Instead, she settled for simple missives, the sort that were more fun and a glimpse at a potential future of which to be wary or delighted. Most turns she would send the missives back from council with our parents.

This turn we got to see her write.

Aleksi was the oldest at fifteen, already two turns into training with the Rave, yet he sat with his legs outstretched like the rest of us, with a touch of hidden excitement we’d kept since we were small.

Perhaps we’d be crowding around Calista until we had littles of our own.

Calista unfurled a strip of parchment, paused, and hummed (I thought it was more for show than anything).

After a moment she handed Alek his tale. Sander peered over his shoulder. “What’s it say?”

Aleksi’s mouth twitched. “When you earn the warrior’s blade, a treasure will be yours to save. Guard it well, love it true, and what a gift it will be to you.”

Jonas clapped Aleksi on the shoulder, giving him a shake. “It likely means you guard my princely face. It would be an honor.”

“You do remember I am a prince too, right?” Aleksi shoved Jonas’s arm.

“Hmm.” Calista looked around at the rest of us, tapping her chin with her finger. “My little scholar.” She winked at Sander and wrote a quick tale of fate.

“What you know in your mind, is not the same as the heart. When the time is nigh, trust the latter, and you will learn what truly matters.” Sander tilted his head. Doubtless my friend would spend the evening trying to analyze and deduce what his tale could mean.

Livia accepted hers with a touch of hesitation. In truth, I thought Calista paused a little longer on her, a knowing sort of look in her eyes.

Livia swallowed and read in a trembling voice. “Behind a mask, the past you’ll find. Fear not, a good heart lives beneath the lies.”

“Eerie.” I nudged her ribs.

Livia chuckled, but there was a bit of trepidation in her eyes when she rubbed a hand the scar.

Jonas read his slowly. “An empty heart, a battle cost, a land we all thought lost. Trust your heart, a vow to take will be the right choice to make.”

The prince arched a brow. “What’s that mean?”

Calista chuckled and brushed the feather of her quill over his nose. “That is the game of the Norns, Thieving Prince. You don’t know until you know. Now, my Tricky One.”

The fate queen eyed me, then winked, beginning my tale.

I shifted on my knees in anticipation.

With a flourish, Calista handed me a rolled strip. My fingers quivered as I unrolled the parchment.

“Read out loud, Mir,” Jonas protested. “We all did.”

I cleared my throat. “A heart so broken and sad only heals when the fiercest love is had. When all seems lost, let go of pride, and this love you’ll see is at your side.”

Jonas and Aleksi made a few retching noises.

“Mir got the lovey one this turn.” Jonas chuckled like it was a bad thing.

Under her breath, I caught Livia whisper, “Lucky.”

I clutched the parchment to my chest. It wasn’t uncommon for one of us to get one that spoke of love and future hjärtas. I never got it, but I beamed at Calista. “Thank you.”

She rose, stretching. “Don’t thank me. It’s the Norns.” Calista wrinkled her nose. “No. Don’t thank those bleeding sods either. They’re not to be trusted.”

We chuckled and followed after the fate king and queen for the feast that would precede the masquerade none of us were old enough to attend just yet.

I sat between my mother and father, still clinging to my tale of fate. A sigh slid from my chest. In truth, this turn all our fates were quite intriguing.

I cast a quick look about to my friends, my fellow young royals. A bit of a thrill burned in my chest.

I didn’t know what fate had in store for any of us, but . . . I couldn’t wait to find out.