Tilting my neck, I ran a finger against my skin.
Cailis frowned. “Does your throat still hurt?”
“It’s tender, which I suppose shouldn’t be surprising considering Vorl nearly crushed my windpipe.”
“Bastard.” She seethed. “At least he’s been arrested. That’s the only good thing that’s come out of this.”
“Agreed.”
“Now, we just need to get you out of that Trial.”
Another knock came on the door, and then Sandus, the prince’s personal guard who he’d assigned to me, peeked in.
He wore traditional colored clothing—blue, black, and silver. As always, two swords peeked out from beneath his wings, one on either side of him in a crisscross pattern, and his beard looked freshly trimmed.
“There’s someone here to see you, love.”
My spine stiffened. I could only imagine it would be Prince Norivun striding into the room.
Sandus opened the door wider, and my heart thumped painfully, but it was Sir Featherton, the Rising Queen Trial archon, who sauntered into my chambers.
Sir Featherton had introduced the other three females in the Trial just last night—Lady Meegana Ockson, Lady Georgyanna Endalaver, and Lady Beatrice Leafton.
He hadn’t introduced me yet, though. My admittance was still too new.
Bringing a fist to his chest in traditional Solis greeting, he bowed. “Lady Ilara Seary, daughter of Mervalee Territory, it is a pleasure to officially meet you. I’m the Rising Queen Trial archon, Sir Edmund Featherton.”
Sir Featherton was tall, thin, and he held his chin high when he straightened. Navy slacks covered his legs. A crisp white top covered his upper half, and wings of a soft black draped down his back.
I gave a tight smile and wished I was properly dressed and not still in my nightclothes. I figured either my sister or Daiseeum had changed me into them when I’d been unconscious. At least they were modest, a full top and pants.
Regardless, I mimicked his movements, bringing a fist to my chest. “It’s nice to meet you, Sir Featherton.”
I pulled the covers higher, but Sir Featherton was either oblivious to my embarrassment, or he didn’t care, because he clasped his hands behind his back beneath his wings and faced me squarely.
His gaze flickered briefly to my black hair. The crown prince’s illusion spell, which had concealed its true color, had shattered last night after my affinities had manifested. But I wasn’t the only Solis fairy with black hair. Queen Lissandra also bore that feature. Only, most Solis fae didn’t know that since the queen’s illusion affinity kept it hidden.
“What can we do for you, Sir Featherton?” Cailis asked briskly.
He gave her a cursory glance. “The king has sent me to explain the rules of the Trial to Lady Seary. Normally, the Trial’s tests would have taken place next month, but since Lady Seary’s affinities have only just manifested, the king has prolonged the Trial. You’ve been granted three months to train before the first test. During that time, you shall also be placed in the Trial’s courtship, which has also been extended to three months.”
Cailis scowled as blood pounded through my ears.
“Tests?” I murmured. “Courtship?”
“Indeed.” Sir Featherton gave a slight bow. “There shall be three tests at the end of your three months of training. You will be required to compete with the other females in the tests. During the three-month Trial period, you will also date Prince Norivun. This is so you may become better acquainted with him should you end up his wife. However, despite any affections you may develop, at the end of the Trial, the winner will ultimately be chosen as his bride.”
My gut churned, and not from my magic.
Cailis’s scowl grew, but then the last bit of Sir Featherton’s explanation seeped into my brain.
I sat up straighter. “So if I lose the Trial, I won’t marry Prince Norivun, and I’ll be free of any obligations to him?” A huge rush of relief swept through me. That seemed easy enough. I would simply make sure I lost the Trial.
Cailis exhaled, and we both shared a side-eye.
Sir Featherton’s lips thinned. “No, my lady. If you lose, you shall marry another of the king’s choosing. Throughout the Trial, other naturally blessed nobles will also be courting you.”
My jaw felt as though it dropped to the floor.
Cailis’s eyebrows rose as her wings flexed. “So you’re saying that Ilara will be forced into an arranged marriage no matter what?”
Sir Featherton gave a curt nod. “Correct. It’s the king’s orders.”
“But why?” I asked, trying to keep the panic from my voice. “Why must I marry someone the king chooses?”
Sir Featherton arched an eyebrow. “The king has resurrected an ancient tradition among the Solis in order to further advance our race. He’s decided it’s in the best interest of our continent to enact the Olirum Accords.”
“Olirum Accords?” The only Olirum reference I knew of was a celestial event. “Is it related to the Eve of Olirum, the annual celestial event when the northernmost star shines its brightest?”
Sir Featherton canted his head. “Indeed, but if you paid attention during your history studies in secondary school, that eve also used to be a time when the territories’ elite were engaged. It was a time of great celebration. The most powerful children of each territory were married to fae of a neighboring territory to spread the Solis magic and further advance our race’s power. It was a time of very strategic matchmaking and led to the great Solis nation we are today.”
I shook my head, racking my brain for what I could remember of our history. “But that tradition ended over a thousand winters ago when it was deemed archaic and barbaric, right?”
The Trial archon’s nostrils flared. “Only some viewed it that way. Others saw it as weakness on Lord Nifilim’s part—Prince Norivun’s grandfather, who ruled Prinavee Territory nearly twelve hundred winters ago. He only banished the tradition since he was trying to appease the masses who were rebelling against such control.”
My heart pounded as I tried to recall more of our continent’s history. I knew some of it from primary school, but my education had been stunted as a field laborer, and I’d never taken an interest in the court.
Until coming to Solisarium over a month ago, I hadn’t really cared about royal politics or history. It’d been so far removed from my life in Mervalee Territory that it hadn’t affected me.
But now those courtly politics were dictating my life.
Trying to calm my breathing, I said, “But what purpose could the Olirum Accords possibly serve now? That tradition was practiced during a time when the territories weren’t united. Now they are. We have one king and one rule. What advantage could they possibly have?”
“True, King Novakin united us all, but that doesn’t mean our race still can’t advance.” Sir Featherton inclined his head toward the courtyard—the courtyard that I had restored to life. “The king wants to ensure the Solis are the superior fae race in our realm. Breeding powerful fae will help grant that.”
I scowled, but I didn’t know why I was so shocked. None of this should have been surprising, given what I’d learned of the king. He’d forced Queen Lissandra to marry him because she held five affinities—something I’d never heard of any female possessing. And the son they’d birthed together, the crown prince, held six affinities. Prince Norivun was the most powerful fairy on the continent.