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A Stroke Of Midnight :: Гамильтон Лорел
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“Very good,” Rhys said, “but do you know when the Unseelie became a sidhe court, separate from the sluagh?”
“When there were enough sidhe who didn’t want to be called sluagh,” I said.
“Almost,” Doyle said.
“Why almost?” I asked.
“At one time, a fey of a certain kind would simply become powerful enough, magical enough, for the very stuff of faerie to acknowledge them, and create a kingdom for them. One of the sidhe who had joined the sluagh was our first king. Faerie created a place for him to rule, and the sidhe left the sluagh’s court and made one of our own.”
“Okay,” I said.
“We’re all afraid to say it,” Rhys said, “because we’ve all managed not to say the part that is most likely to get us in trouble.”
“What part?” I asked.
“A court without a ruler begins to fade,” Nicca said.
They all looked at him as if surprised he’d had the courage to say it. It took me a moment to understand the implications.
It was Galen who had said it out loud. “Goddess save us, that’s what’s been happening to our court. We had no true ruler, so the sithen was dying. Our slice of faerie has been dying.”
“Not just ours,” Doyle said.
“Who else?” I asked.
“Our bright cousins follow a king whose sithen did not know him.”
“Their sithen didn’t know any of their nobles either?” I asked.
“Rumor has it, and it’s only rumor, that instead of welcoming sidhe who the sithen recognized, he exiled them,” Rhys said.
“It’s not rumor,” Doyle said.
We all looked at him. “Who?” I asked.
“Aisling,” he said.
Something on Frost’s face told me that he had known. The rest looked as shocked as I felt. “They had a true king and Taranis exiled him?”
Doyle and Frost nodded.
“But that is monstrous,” Nicca said. “Even Andais was willing to give up her throne if a true queen could have been found.”
“Does his court know?” I asked Doyle.
“Most, no.”
“But some?” I asked.
“Some,” he said.
“How can they support him? The Unseelie had no choice but to fade, but he had a new king to sit on the Seelie throne. They didn’t have to fade.”
“Did our sithen recognize Aisling when he came here?” Galen asked.
“No,” Doyle said.
“Why not?” he asked.
Doyle shrugged, and I guess that was answer enough, or the only answer he had.
“Very good,” Rhys said, “but do you know when the Unseelie became a sidhe court, separate from the sluagh?”
“When there were enough sidhe who didn’t want to be called sluagh,” I said.
“Almost,” Doyle said.
“Why almost?” I asked.
“At one time, a fey of a certain kind would simply become powerful enough, magical enough, for the very stuff of faerie to acknowledge them, and create a kingdom for them. One of the sidhe who had joined the sluagh was our first king. Faerie created a place for him to rule, and the sidhe left the sluagh’s court and made one of our own.”
“Okay,” I said.
“We’re all afraid to say it,” Rhys said, “because we’ve all managed not to say the part that is most likely to get us in trouble.”
“What part?” I asked.
“A court without a ruler begins to fade,” Nicca said.
They all looked at him as if surprised he’d had the courage to say it. It took me a moment to understand the implications.
It was Galen who had said it out loud. “Goddess save us, that’s what’s been happening to our court. We had no true ruler, so the sithen was dying. Our slice of faerie has been dying.”
“Not just ours,” Doyle said.
“Who else?” I asked.
“Our bright cousins follow a king whose sithen did not know him.”
“Their sithen didn’t know any of their nobles either?” I asked.
“Rumor has it, and it’s only rumor, that instead of welcoming sidhe who the sithen recognized, he exiled them,” Rhys said.
“It’s not rumor,” Doyle said.
We all looked at him. “Who?” I asked.
“Aisling,” he said.
Something on Frost’s face told me that he had known. The rest looked as shocked as I felt. “They had a true king and Taranis exiled him?”
Doyle and Frost nodded.
“But that is monstrous,” Nicca said. “Even Andais was willing to give up her throne if a true queen could have been found.”
“Does his court know?” I asked Doyle.
“Most, no.”
“But some?” I asked.
“Some,” he said.
“How can they support him? The Unseelie had no choice but to fade, but he had a new king to sit on the Seelie throne. They didn’t have to fade.”
“Did our sithen recognize Aisling when he came here?” Galen asked.
“No,” Doyle said.
“Why not?” he asked.
Doyle shrugged, and I guess that was answer enough, or the only answer he had.