center of the garden. There was an impressive stone fountain carved with intricate details and beautiful red and purple flowers hugging it. A petite woman chiseled from granite poured water into the base. Small creatures I’d never seen before were gathered in stone at her feet. There was a large bench carved from rock, and we sat down on it, me nervously wringing my hands and watching as the water tumbled from the fountain into its base.
“It’s not so bad, you know,” Soran broke the silence.
“Yeah, right,” I scoffed, glancing at him.
“It’s not, Analia. I know this is a lot to take in, and I’m very sorry for that. Father, well, he’s an exuberant man. And while he seems insensitive, he does love you and cares a great deal about your happiness.”
“Then why force me to marry someone I don’t even know? Or love? How could that ever make me happy? I-I can’t do it, Soran. Not now. Not when I love someone else.” All those feelings I was trying to escape decided to funnel from my mouth.
“Mother and Father were betrothed and didn’t love each other. They married despite that. Mother loved another, even. However, they made it work and are so in love with each other now that none of it mattered. If you open your heart up to the possibilities, you’ll see they aren’t all bad.”
“And what about you? Why are you not being forced into some horrendous marriage?”
“Trust me, sister, it’s not from the lack of trying. Father has been trying to marry me off for the better half of the century. None have really offered much.”
“What do you mean?” I narrowed my eyes, studying him.
He licked his lips. “Well, royalty tends to marry other royalty or members of the court. We don’t do it for love, as you can see. Although it has happened if the timing was right. We marry for gain.”
“You mean greed,” I corrected him, my temper flaring.
“Call it what you will.” He shrugged.
“I won’t be forced to marry someone I don’t love just so we can have a little bit more.”
“Analia,” Soran sighed and turned to me. “You will, and you know why you will? Because seeing our people happy and with hope is more important than your heart. We’re in trying times, and you are our beacon. We need you. The people need you. You’ll make us or break us, sister. People have died in your name. We’ve been fighting a war for years in your name. Our princess. Our Analia. Our hope. You’ll do what needs to be done because you don’t want to watch our people, or the people of Winterset, suffer as they have been. They don’t want to see their sacrifices be in vain.” He gave me a pleading look before continuing, “You’re Seelie, sister. You belong to the summer court. We’re one of the biggest courts this side of the light. We need to combine that power with the spring court. Father wished for a utopia by bringing the summer court and shadow court together, but it failed miserably. We need you to do this, Analia. Our world depends on it.”
“Courts? Seelie?” I let out an exasperated sigh and threw my hands up. “What does any of this even mean, Soran?”
“Seelie Fae are more love and light than the Unseelie. The Unseelie are the autumn, winter, and shadow courts. They’re darker, more sinister, and don’t mind a little war every now and then. Seelie are summer, spring, and the sun courts. We want happiness and calm. The Unseelie are chaos, but most of that chaos comes from the shadow court, from Calixto Shadowmoore and his father, Zaros. Even the autumn and winter courts are fleeing from him. That’s why you being safe and bringing our people together is so important. You don’t understand how much we need you.”
I climbed to my feet and let out a guttural, frustrated scream, my hands erupting into flames. I was angry, frustrated, stuck, heartbroken, betrayed ... alone. Where did anyone get the idea that I wanted or could do this?
Chapter 5
Soran remained silent, standing back and watching as I cried. I missed the comfort of home, of normalcy, of my best friend, Mel, my family, and Calix. My Calix. The pain was overpowering, and I fell to my knees, my flame going out as I cried buckets of tears.
Soran came up behind me and squeezed my shoulder gently after many minutes of silence.
“Father isn’t as tactful or as delicate