When I woke up the next morning, I glanced out the tiny window beneath the ceiling and realized with a start what I’d failed to notice the night before: the grass was green and lush, like in summer. And beyond it, a clear, blue sky. 

There was already a small loaf of bread with a block of soft, sticky cheese on a tray. I ate in silence and washed it down with the provided milk, which tasted too sweet but was better than going thirsty. Then, I crossed my legs and sat on the floor, staring out between the bars, waiting for something to happen like that Valerien had said it would. I probably should’ve done some simple exercises to keep myself busy, but I was still exhausted.

By the time the door at the end of the hall opened, my back had started hurting. I stood up to meet whoever had come. 

A guard, his face vaguely familiar, followed by two others whom I hadn’t seen before. Judging by his uniform, which was slightly more ornate, he outranked the other two. 

“You have been summoned by Queen Adora,” he said stiffly as the other two cautiously entered my cell and clapped some manacles onto my wrists. 

“What does your queen want with me?”

He averted his gaze. “It is not in my position to ask.”

One of the guards shoved me toward the gate and I stepped out, finally getting a full look at the prison hall. It was a long, dark corridor, with at least ten cells like mine on each side to my left, and double that when I looked to the right, though it was hard to see due to the darkness swallowing the hall in that direction. 

The two guards flanked me as we followed the leader, all with hands on their swords, and I noted the other cells stood empty. I wondered why they’d put me so far away from the entrance. Maybe it was the stench. 

They led me up a flight of winding stairs, through an ornate wooden door and into a bright courtyard. We’d left a turret, part of an ancient castle wall, and headed toward the main building. Around us were half a dozen more guards, two practicing archery against writhing creatures strapped to a tall wooden board while the rest looked on. 

We passed the archery range, garnering a few curious glances, before one my wardens shoved me and said to keep my eyes forward. Shouldn’t he be shoving the ones looking at me? I bit back a retort and tried to look around without moving my head too much. 

The castle was something out of a fairy tale, overgrown with vibrant green ivy climbing into every crevice between the pale, sparkling stones, heavy flowers hanging off of them with no particular regard for species or type — roses next to daisies, lilies entwining with forget-me-nots — and instead of clay, the roof tiles glistened in the sunlight like gold. 

Except it wasn’t sunlight. The bright sky I’d seen was as blue and clear as before, but there was no sun. Instead, there was an intricate, ever shifting pattern of huge yellow lights hanging low in the sky, making everything below it appear strangely flat. 

I wanted to take a pause and try to wrap my head around what I saw, but then came another shove, and I was once again indoors. Our path was illuminated by what I could only assume were fireflies, as the tiny lights faded and then reappeared in waves. Even here, the cold stone walls that held up the arched ceilings high above were covered in greenery, with thin, twisted trees rising up from the marble floor to rain flower petals over whoever walked by. 

The throne room of the Court of Beauty might as well have been in the middle of a forest. The only thing reminding me we were in a building were the dozen intricate pillars creating a path to the throne and the occasional glimpse of the floor between vines and roots that crept across it. Above was a canopy of disparate leaves and flowers, swaying in a windless breeze, and the hall itself was endless, with trees disappearing beyond sight as if we were truly in the woods. 

The throne was flanked by two massive willows, creating a wall of leaves as if protecting it, and the wooden seat itself stood in full bloom. The pink bulbs glowed, illuminating both the golden veins in the wood and the queen’s tiny form. She didn’t look a day older than Sinéad, and though her hair was red like Sinéad’s, her heart-shaped face was pale and bore no freckles. On her right side, standing beside the throne, was the dark-haired fae woman I’d spoken to the day before. I’d probably imagined the tiny nod of acknowledgment she gave me.

One of the guards grabbed my shoulder. The other kicked me in the back of the knees and I fell to the floor with a wince.

“Your Elegance. The prisoner you requested,” said the head guard and gestured toward me as he stepped aside. They all took several steps back, in fact, but kept close. In case I tried going for Her Elegance’s throat, I supposed. 

The queen leaned forward, inspecting me with a grimace. Even from this far away, I could tell she was quite disgusted by the sight. 

“Ugly. What a shame,” she muttered to herself and squirmed back into her throne. “Tell me, why did you trespass?” 

“I didn’t know I was doing it, Your … Elegance.” I licked my lips and lowered my gaze to the floor, trying to recall those times Sinéad and I pretended to be nobility to see if I could remember any respectful forms of address. “I was in the Overgrowth in search of my kidnapped sister when I was attacked and fell unconscious. I woke up already in the prison.” 

“I see.” She clicked her nails against her armrest, shifting her weight. As she did, the skirt of her sheer dress fell away, revealing a leg as smooth and pale as ivory. “And how do you know the man who took her belongs to my court?”

I looked up at her again, “I never said that, Your Elegance.” 

The queen started like I’d slapped her and her sweet face twisted in annoyance. 

“Oh, whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “Severin.” 

Though she’d said it so quietly, something behind one of the willows shifted, and Lord Thorne stepped forward.

Or, I suppose, Severin. 

He smiled, practically gleaming in a set of exuberant white clothes, and came to stand next to me before bowing to his queen. I swallowed the boiling, toothless rage in my chest; I couldn’t do anything, not in front of the queen, not shackled. I didn’t even have my weapons. 

The queen clicked her tongue. To my relief, she glared at Thorne with equal disgust. 

“Why is it still alive?” 

The fae man next to me bowed deeply again. “I was going to dispose of her when something stirred in the Overgrowth. I thought she would be done for, finished by the wilderness itself, but it seems something rescued her, perhaps?” Severin shot me a playful smile, like he expected me to provide an explanation.

“Why didn’t you finish the job before running away like a coward?” 

His jaw flexed, but his smooth grin remained, “Can you blame me for hesitating to touch this creature? The stench was quite bad even yesterday.”

The queen waved his excuses away. 

“Spare me. You’ve done filthier things than this. Just admit that you wanted to keep it around as a plaything.” 

Severin closed his eyes and sighed. 

“I admit I was … intrigued. She resisted many spells to get this far. It is curious, don’t you agree?” 

The queen slapped her hands down onto the armrests and flew to her feet. 

“How dare you?! You ingrate, you waste of a pretty face! You have the Queen of Beauty in your bed and you choose that thing over me?” 

“Your Elegance, I would never sleep with it. I was merely intrigued by its properties, like …” 

“I don’t care why you were intrigued by it! You will be punished no matter why you chose to spare it, because your queen demanded its death!” 

“But, my queen …” The confident facade slipped half an inch, and he threw an almost perturbed glance my way. “It resisted our magic.”

“Who cares?! It is a gnat, a nothing! What can it do that you didn’t let it?!”

Severin lowered his head in submission.

Hope bloomed in my chest at her words and anger, only to be dashed when I saw the little smile on his lips. Before I could wonder what the catch of his punishment was, the queen looked to me with the very same anger.

“And you, disgusting creature! You trespassed, despite a warning from your betters. I cannot let you pollute our dungeons any longer.” 

“But—!” 

“Silence!” 

I jerked back at the unnatural loudness of her voice, sweat prickling down my back as the echo bounced throughout the hall.

“I have seen your sister,” said the queen. “She is pretty, not like you. She belongs here, in the court where all beauty belongs. It was Severin’s duty to bring her here, and it is our right to keep her.” 

It took every ounce of willpower for me not to lunge at the queen. I doubted I would’ve gotten a foot off the ground before being killed, but the temptation was there and it made my shoulders tremble. 

Who did she think she was, dictating who belonged and who didn’t? If she had the right to keep Sinéad, then I had the right to keep her head in a jar.

At least Sinéad was still alive, and in this court. If only I could get free …

I swallowed. The decorated woman standing next to the throne watched me impassively. Then she glanced down at her queen, her gaze changing from bland to cold. But she said nothing.

“However, I cannot let you get away with disrespecting me, Severin, even if you brought another pretty girl to this court. You have performed your duty, but disobeyed your queen.” 

The silence dragged and my pulse was so loud they could surely hear it. Moments passed that felt like eternities, and I shivered despite sweating. 

How would she punish Severin? How would she punish me? She didn’t want me polluting her dungeons, so would she let me go? I kept swallowing my rage and my tears and my desperate but futile need to scream. 

She'd wanted me killed. And I'd given her no reason to change her mind.

Where was that Valerien? What was he doing now, when his help was sorely needed? 

“Have you tamed the girl yet?” asked Adora. 

“Ah, no. This process takes time, Your Elegance. Assuming you want her to acclimate properly. Prettily.” 

My heart sank. The memories of Sinéad’s crying face flashed in my mind, images of her struggling against his spell. He was breaking her down slowly, but she was still fighting. 

“I will lock the girl away from you,” said the queen haughtily. “You will not touch her for three months. I will break whatever spells you have cast upon her, and when she is released, you will have to begin her grooming all over again. That is your punishment. You have robbed your entire court of new blood, and you will bear the shame heaved upon you by your fellows.”

What?! That wasn’t a fucking punishment at all! 

“Wait!” 

“SILENCE!” 

Something hard slammed against my back and I toppled forward, the air knocked out of me as the guard’s boot pressed down on my spine. 

“This isn’t fair! She was kidnapped! He took her against her will!” I screamed despite my lungs being squeezed flat. 

“At first, your only crime was being disgusting. But you keep speaking against me, forgetting your place, and I cannot let that go unpunished.” Adora jutted her chin at the guards with a self-satisfied smile. “Cut her up, turn her into mulch. Human rot makes beautiful roses.” 

The boot disappeared from my back and gloved hands yanked me kicking and screaming back toward the exit.

“Wait! Just liste—!” 

“Queen Adora.” 

I stopped myself from breathing out. 

Why was I relieved? He wasn’t any more trustworthy than the rest of these monsters. And yet, I couldn’t help the small triumph as the dark shape of the Consul of the Court of Hunger stepped out of a shadow beside the throne. Even the queen was taken aback by his sudden appearance. 

“Consul Valerien,” she said carefully. “You were listening.” 

“Everyone must, when the Queen of Beauty speaks.” Valerien put his hand on his chest and bowed, though it seemed more out of courtesy than devotion, not nearly as deep as Severin’s.

“Might I make a request, Your Elegance?”

Queen Adora looked around the throne room as if checking for escape routes.

“Of course,” she said politely, and sat upon her throne once more, hands in her lap. There was a reluctance in her reply I don’t think she intended for anyone to notice. 

“May I have the human?”