Valerien raced through his mental list of indiscretions. None seemed to warrant swords before dawn.
He glanced at the broken door, the royal guards surrounding his bed, and raised an eyebrow at their commander.
"Elie, darling, you could have knocked."
Two blades were at his throat before he spoke the last syllable.
"You will address Commander Elinor with respect or not at all," a guard growled.
Elinor motioned her soldiers to stand down and said dryly, "I did knock. You need a bigger bed."
Valerien set down his goblet and turned to his terrified companions.
"Ladies and gentlemen, will you excuse us? We'll continue this another time."
They ran out, followed by the guards.
He caught a shirt Elinor threw at him just before it hit his face and cursed. Something was seriously wrong if she was that tense.
"The whole town is celebrating the end of the war, Ellie. Why are you here beating down doors?"
"They may be celebrating too early," she muttered.
He frowned. "But Princess Antha has no troops left. We beat them in the marches. Lioren is negotiating her surrender. He'll be back any moment."
Elinor's face darkened. "He won't. He is accused of escaping with her to the mortal realm."
Valerien froze in the middle of putting on his boots, then scoffed.
"What nonsense is that? My brother would rather fall on his sword than betray his precious honour and oaths."
"Well, tell that to the royal council. Half of them are demanding his execution already."
True fear rose in Valerien for the first time in a century as he shot up and ran to the stables. He already regretted all the wine. This needed a clearer head.
Arriving at the palace with a half-formed plan, he followed Elinor to the throne chamber.
The first voice he heard was that of his father.
"It was my sons who defeated Antha's army in the marshes less than a month ago! They won victory after victory for you, Your Majesty! Lioren would never wed that traitor!"
Valerien cursed. Wed her? What madness was this? His father must have lost his mind, too, if he was shouting at the queen.
She looked at him coldly and replied, "I don't dispute your sons' merits, Lord Astir, nor yours. It is not an accusation we wish to believe, but the fact remains: only a Fae of Astir bloodline can open the Veil between the worlds. There is no doubt that it has been breached."
The room erupted again.
Valerien pinched the bridge of his nose as speculation and accusations flew from all sides. He briefly considered setting the room on fire. It would get him instantly executed, but at least his head would stop throbbing from the noise.
He glanced at the stairs in front of the throne. Lioren had knelt there with such devotion when the queen had bestowed the title of Paladin on him. Damn fool.
Taking a few steps forward, he sank gracefully to one knee in an exact imitation of his brother's sincerity and called out.
"Your Majesty, allow the House of Astir to prove our loyalty!"
All eyes turned to him. The chatter quietened.
The queen's face showed no emotion as she said, "Speak, Valerien of Astir. But be warned that my patience is thin today."
"Your Majesty, if it is true that Lioren opened the Veil, there is only one conceivable reason. He wants to trap Princess Antha in the human world, so she can never return. It is a worse punishment than any fortress you could imprison her in."
"So why hasn't he returned to tell me so himself?" she asked.
"If Your Majesty allows, I will follow to the human realm and find out."
"And if you find a traitor seduced by my daughter to her cause?"
"Then it's even more imperative that I go. He could still lead the rebels back. Tomorrow, next year or in a decade. Even if you stationed a regiment there forever, the threat would still hang over our heads. I am the only one who can ensure they cannot return," Valerien said firmly.
Murmur rose among the council again, while the queen regarded him thoughtfully.
"The House of Astir is accused of treason. You cannot go alone," she finally said.
"Then send your most trusted commander with me."
She glanced at Elinor, then addressed her council. "Leave us."
Once they were alone, the queen sighed and said, "Enough theatrics, Valerien. You are truly your mother's son. Such creativity to call the human realm a punishment, when she sang about the beauty of that realm so frequently that even I dreamt of seeing it."
"Beauty can be savage and lethal, too, Your Majesty," he offered calmly.
A shadow of a smile touched her lips as her inscrutable grey eyes swept over him.
"I see."
Valerien dared to smile back.
The old king had created this Fae of unparalleled power to ensure the succession, and she had done the same. Only Antha had no patience to wait for the throne for centuries. Now, she was a flawed creation in her mother's eyes, but one that could not be undone by her own hand.
He decided to gamble.
"Your Majesty, the mortal realm is a dangerous place, even for the strongest Fae. Accidents happen. I've seen some of the best-trained scouts die of eating the wrong berry, experimenting with iron or crossing a human witch."
She regarded him thoughtfully for the longest time. Finally, she asked, "And if an accident befalls my daughter, what will happen to your brother if you can't prove his innocence?"
He lowered his eyes and said, "A life in exile is still a life."
After another long silence, she nodded.
"You will solve this by Midsummer. Your father will remain my guest until then."