Theodan's fork clattered to his plate. Both sets of goblin eyes stared back at me, and I felt my already unsettled stomach turn as it dropped to my feet.
Ronan had stabbed Eirian and had taken me instead, and he had just admitted it to the whole room.
What exactly had stabbing the Prince of the Day courts meant in the world of Faerie? At the time I had been so wrapped up in the brutality and violence of the Hunt, it had been another dark characteristic of this world. But now, eating dinner with the royal goblins of Ashthorne in their finery, I realized maybe it had meant something more.
Eaven's mouth parted in surprise, but she quickly gathered herself.
"Prince Eirian claimed this mortal?"
"Yes," Ronan replied gleefully.
I watched Theodan, who was staring forward at nothing in particular. His elfin features flickered, something sharp and deadly lingering under the surface. His mouth twitched, and I thought I saw an emotion I knew quite well in the tightening of his eyes. It was what I had felt after my Gran had passed. I would know the look anywhere.
But then he tensed, the expression disappeared as if it had never been there, and Eaven continued on, addressing Ronan.
"And then you stab him, and take this mortal, yes?" Eaven sounded like she was having a hard time understanding. Her trademark grin turned into a frown.
"Indeed." Ronan's smile only widened. He was enjoying the chaos as it unfolded in the room from his words. Theodan gripped the side of the table so hard; I was certain he was going to create a fissure right through its icy surface.
"You," Theodan said in a low, threatening voice. His pale features were turning darker. "You stabbed the Prince of the Seelie Courts. You bloody fool! You must know that the Day King and Queen will retaliate after you attacked their son, and..." Theodan's eyes rested on me, and uncertainty crossed his features as he trailed off.
He was probably trying to figure out how I played into all of this. Something I too was trying to figure out.
Ronan, unbothered by what Theodan was saying, returned to his plate, eagerly cutting off another hunk of meat and forking it into his mouth. "It is the nature of the Hunt. There are no rules that if I like a prize, I cannot take herâbe it they belong to a princeling or not." Ronan smiled widely, exposing his pointed teeth.
"You will bring ruin to us all," Theodan said as he glared back at Ronan. "You don't even care as long as there is war and blood for you to feast on." His eyes darted back to me for a moment. "Whatever your reason for taking this mortal, it will only be to gift her with an early death if you have your way."
Ronan's grin shifted to something much more menacing, his long fangs exposed as his lips lifted off his teeth.
"Is that a threat, Goblin?"
Theodan's face morphed into something much similar to Ronan's.
"Not at all, just an observation that if you plan to drag us into war, then your bride will ultimately pay the price. Who do you think the Seelie Courts will go after first?"
Ronan didn't have to answer, the way all eyes turned to me again made my skin prickle. Ronan's snarl sharpened.
"They will have to get through me first."
Theodan gave a laugh that reverberated through the room, its tone matching the frozen walls.
"You may be the late Night King's little fire bastard, but you are still just a child compared to the Day King. Don't fool yourself. She will be their next target."
Ronan sat tense in the chair. I could practically see him rolling the idea over in his head, his eyes starting to glow. His cheekbones morphed into sharpened points and his claws dug into wooden arms of his chair. At this rate, dinner could very well end as a war zone.
Before I could think better of it, I reached out to him and placed a hand over his tensed forearm.
"Ronan," I said quietly. My hand sizzled from the heat of his arm. He was radiating so much warmth I was surprised the room hadn't melted. "Don't listen to him. I'll get better, then we'll go back to your home." I tried to smile reassuringly, but sweat beaded across my skin. "I'll be safe there, right?
I wasn't sure about anything I was saying, but it must have been the right thing to say. Under my hand, the tightness in his muscles slowly started to dissipate.
Ronan's gaze remained locked on Theodan.
"Yes," he said, eyes fierce. "You will be."
He said it like a promise.
I let out a relieved breath. I looked up to see that Eaven was regarding me, her head tilted as she looked from where my hand rested on Ronan's arm up to my face.
She wasn't smiling anymore.
Unlike Ronan, Theodan's rage remained strong. His features twisted into something harsh. I had a feeling it was taking all his restraint to not throw himself across the table and stab Ronan through the stomach himself.
"Are you truly this ignorant, Bastard? Do you think there will be no consequences if the Day Courts attack? Especially right now following King Conleth's death? We do not know when another Trial will begin, and until then we are defenseless under Queen Kiera's elongated period of mourning."
Ronan settled back into his chair, and I kept my hand on his arm. The glow in his eyes had faded, but so had his maniacal grin."There will be a new king, soon. Prince Oisin will likely do his best to avoid war, that is unless Kiera's brother has other plans. There is also always the possibility I could be King. In which caseâ" a shadow of his earlier grin passed over Ronan's face, "âI'll turn the Water Courts into steam when I burn the Day King's castle to the ground."
Despite the warmth filling me from touching Ronan, I couldn't help but shiver at his words. He'd meant every word of it. He would not shy away from war, heck, he wanted it.
But what surprised me the most was that Ronan could potentially be King.
I guess that answered where Ronan was in regards to the fae royalty.
Theodan let out a ragged exhale and leaned back from the table. "Oisin is not fit to be king, and we both know it. Not right now, with another war on the horizon. He is too soft and weak, despite having his unique skill with Craft. I am especially concerned about that Dream Fae's control over him." I noticed something dark flicker across Ronan's face before his composed expression returned. "And you, well, we are all doomed if the Trials choose you."
Ronan finished his food and then finally looked over at me. He shifted his arm, his hand brushing against mine before he clasped it with his. My eyes widened, but I didn't pull away.
"You speak of war like it is a bad thing," Ronan said.
"It is a bad thing. Not all of us crave bloodshed like you do."
Ronan's eyes blazed with another hint of his feral nature, only this time his hand tightened in mine, and it remained at bay. "You act so angry over a war that has been going on and off for ages like it is a big deal. You have lived through many wars, Theodan. One might think there is something else upsetting you."
That did it. Theodan shot up to his feet. He towered over the table, a sheen of blue light catching in his eyes, cutting an intimidating figure. The room grew dim, the lights that had been floating through the air moving away from him. Frost started to gather along the ice and over his fingers and spread across the table, reaching for Ronan.
I could feel the table vibrating, a deep shudder in the ice. But after a few moments, I saw Theodan's eyes dim, and he sneered, pulling his hands away from it.
"I will not let you bait me. You and your mortal can stay here, eat our food. But once she is feeling better, you will leave. Do not show your face to me again."
Ronan game him a sinister grin. "It's no secret that youâ"
We were all surprised when Eaven cut him off. "Your mortal is sick. Do not say more or you will be back out in snow. Might be hard for her right now." Eaven glanced back at me, but I couldn't read her expression. The coldness of the palace had taken over her features, sharpening her into something deadly.
Ronan didn't let go of my hand. He didn't reply this time, though based on the tick in his jaw he probably wanted to.
"I hope she gets better soon, " Theodan said cooly, his duty as a host overpowering his anger.
As Theodan stormed from the dining hall, he left a trail of jagged spikes of ice on the floor in his wake. Eaven tried to stop him, but he brushed her off after a low harsh word in their language.
Once he was gone, Eaven sighed deeply.
"Please. I do not hate you like brother. But you use title to stir him up. It is unwise." Eaven looked at me pointedly. "I know you come here for reason, now please do not waste it."
She stood, pausing to nod her head at me before she followed after Theodan.
"It was nice meeting Heather. Please don't die so I may meet you again."