"I may be an outsider of the fey court but even I have heard nanny Mcphee's claims."
This was too much even for him to accept he sat down on his cot without another word resting in deep thought.
"Who gave you permission to rest on your cot in my presence?"
Andras ignored her, "So the person you want me to marry is Titania's child?"
"Everyone knows that Prince Elyan is the only one that made it to adulthood and is the rightful heir to the throne."
"Then you must be turning a blind eye to the rumors. It had been said that Titania's nanny before she disappeared brought it to public attention. That during her enforced seclusion Titania became intimate with her bodyguard and bore children for him."
"Nanny Mcphee suffered from dementia in her later years and it became impossible for her to separate truth from fiction. It was hard to stop her from spreading vile rumors as before the onset of the disease she was a loyal servant."
"So you conveniently banished her from the Summer Court and she was never seen again."
"Nanny Mcphee suffered from severe memory loss. She became a public nuisance when her behavior became erratic and the dementia affected her ability to perform the simplest of daily tasks. I merely provided a decent place of rest where a loyal servant likeNanny Mcphee could live out her last days in comfort. Besides, I have many wards from neighboring territories that seek an alliance with the Summer Court it is not unusual for me to plan arranged marriages."
He sat upright on the cot, "Let's suppose the poor servant wasn't delusional and Titania did have other children that managed to survive to adulthood. Then by right this illegitimate ward of yours also has a claim to theSummer throne, isn't that so?"
"Titania is no longer the reigning queen of the Summer Court and Prince Elyan is next in line to the throne. There is no need to speculate about Prince Elyan's right to rule the Summer Court."
"You can't deny that Prince Elyan is not a favourite amongst the faery folks. There are many fey nobles who would be pleased to see the Tyrant Elyan deposed and have another monarch to take his place. This would destroy your plans to continue to rule behind the scenes once you've abdicated the throne, wouldn't it?"
This damnable demon spawn, definitely had a clever mind he deduced so easily what others would never grasp in a lifetime.
Queen Tiandra had known he would eventually come to such a conclusion but she did not expect it would be so soon.
"My ward had barely turned eighteen recently and is a very sickly child. Not a good fit to rule the Summer Court."
"I understand that you were a mere sixteen years of age when you became Queen. There is not much difference between that age and yours when you seized the seat of power from your older sister."
Ambition.
Great minds think alike and her eyes glowed with pleasure at his simple words of praise. "To this day women are still being oppressed by men and I had to claw my way to the top. Unlike Titania nothing was ever handed to me easily. I had to fight for it and I made sure to make those that considered me weak and inferior learn that I was to taken seriously. No matter how hard they tried to unseat me I could not be easily dismissed. I only regret the heavy amount of blood spilled to take control of the Summer Court but if given a chance to do it all over again. I would do so in a heartbeat."
She had a conflicted expression on her face that eased after pacing the room for a few minutes.
Queen Tiandra broke the silence, "Even if this ward of mine is Titania's child which can't be proved anyways. This forgotten child has been sheltered and would be naive to the ways of the Summer Court. My ward would only be eaten alive by the rabid wolves that lurk around for any opportunity to advance themselves in the Summer Court. Which is what I want to avoid by having the both of you married post haste."
"I still feel like there is more to the story, something you're not willing to share with me or we would not be having this conversation."
"My secrets are my own," replied the Queen stubbornly.
His eyes raked over her face with a skeptical expression and brows raised.
Reluctantly Queen Tiandra finally answered, "This is no admission of guilt but if my ward is who you claim they are, then the child could be used as a pawn as hinted earlier. Therefore it is necessary for me to have my ward removed as far away from the Summer Court as possible."
"With the pretext out of sight, out of mind. My Hell's Island is a neutral territory so you want to toss your ward there."
"Precisely. Only by marrying you will those that want to use her as a pawn would think twice before stepping foot on Hell's Island. Effectively immediately you must wed the child and elope to your blasted island where I can rest knowing my ward is safe."
"I see…what gives you that idea?"
"As the time draws closer to Prince Elyan's coronation there have already been too many attempts on Robin's life. Even though I tried to keep Robin away from the machinations of the Summer Court there are those who will stop at nothing to get their hands on my ward. I'm not asking, I'm telling. You must marry Robin."
"I understand but why me?"
"Do you think I came up with this plan on a whim? I've been thinking about it for years before Robin became of legal age to wed. You are of mixed blood but you have noble fey blood. You have no allegiance to the Summer Court therefore you are not bound by our rules. Even though you are a nuisance at our borders you have no ambition to rise any higher than ruler of Hell's Island. This is what makes you the best candidate to wed Robin."
"I must humbly refuse your offer for I have no desire to wed nor do I want to marry someone who would only bring more disharmony and bloodshed to Hell's Island."