A Kind of Magic

Sixty-Nine

It only took a few days of a slightly chaotic organising before everyone who was staying settled comfortably into the routine of their new life at court. The company, upon their insistence, was given an entire floor of the magnificent white castle to themselves, their chambers encompassing Fiona and Freddie's. 

Peregrine's was the first one, at the head of the long corridor from where he could confer easily, at any time of the day or night, with the king's guards patrolling constantly the corridors and staircases of the castle. It was a large and comfortable room worthy of the princess' personal guardian, where he never really stayed-- unbeknownst to the king, the princess required his closer presence, in her chambers, at nights and he obliged happily.

The next chamber belonged to Annwyn and Leodhais, who, after a small, private wedding ceremony held on the third day after their arrival, decided to leave Lundenwick. Annwyn insisted on returning to The Gate and Leodhais, suddenly freed from Alaric's obligations and expectations, was happy to follow her. 

In his own words, addressed to the king and the princess-- a role which Fiona was forced to accept until Freddie reached the age of ascension, after winning an argument with Alaric who would have rather appointed her as a  regent-- as a plea for their understanding, he had been brought up with the notion of becoming the king's heir, a role which he had resigned upon without a hint of a regret after meeting Annwyn. The quest he had been sent upon had opened his eyes to the world beyond the castle's walls and he was elated now to follow his heart, the woman to whom it belonged, and live his life out there.

Fiona was delighted for them. She hadn't liked the blond, posh elf initially, but he was a different man now. She even cried when they left and it took Peregrine the whole night to console her, reminding her-- in hushed whispers reaching her ears every time they could focus on anything but themselves, the elation of being together, of lying in each other's arms shrouded in silvery moonlight streaming into her chamber through the tall, arched door leading to a balcony overlooking the castle's rose garden, the scent of thousands of blossoms filling the cool night air they breathed-- that Leodhais and Annwyn had promised they would visit often.

The chamber next to the elf's and the half dragon's was assigned to Gilderoy and the one after, a room adjoining with Fiona's chambers, which communicated with Freddie's, was Aryana's. 

From the moment they reached the castle, the werewolf girl insisted on filling the role of Fiona's lady-in-waiting and Freddie's nurse, a position Alaric was happy to give her out of respect for her father, and also because he assigned the post of Freddie's companion and a tutor in court manners to Gilderoy. Thus, at least, these two would remain at court, making his daughter feel less alien while surrounded by strangers.

Alexandra, on the other hand, refused the queen-worthy private chambers offered to her and settled in Emrys' quarters from the first night, which spread on the floor below that belonging to her daughter and her entourage. It became her lover's duty to discover how much and what sort of magic Fiona and Freddie possessed and teach them using their powers with skill, without causing damage to their surroundings, in those moments when they didn't train with Peregrine, or learned the court etiquette with Gilderoy, or took lessons in history and politics from a number of tutors living at the king's court. 

Freddie seemed to be getting used to and apprehending everything with astonishing ease, but it all felt overwhelming for Fiona during the first weeks. She would return exhausted into her chambers at nights, where she would, almost always, find Peregrine, supervising Aryana and a couple of maids sworn to secrecy to their princess, filling her bath with warm water scented by the roses growing under her windows, leaving the two of them alone the instant she appeared on the threshold. 

The moments when he wrapped her in his strong arms before unlacing the tight bodices of the gowns which she was obliged to wear at court, peeling their heavy layers off sometimes slowly, his fingers working with breathtaking patience, sometimes urgently, his lips sealing hers stealing her breath and making her heart pound against her ribs like a caged bird, were the best part of her days. Soon, she couldn't picture her life without him, at Alaric's court or elsewhere; she needed him like she needed the rose scented air she breathed.

Fiona hardly had the time to notice when exactly the roses stopped growing new blooms and the summer morphed into a long, sunny autumn, then, even as it started to rain, into winter, when the maids filled her chambers with dried roses they had gathered at the end of the summer.

Emrys not only taught her to use her weather magic-- warning her not to overuse her powers and thus unbalance the nature-- perfectly, he noticed that she could do a number of other spells which he explained to her. Freddie also mastered his gift of prophecy and learned to use his ring in almost the same manner Emrys used his orbuculum. 

But the boy hadn't shifted yet and so his lessons with Peregrine were composed of a secretly delivered theory about dragon shifting and Highlanders, and the practical part where he was taught to fight-- a sword being his weapon of choice just like Fiona's.

To her own surprise, Fiona was perfectly happy. Her son was more cheerful in this place that he had ever seemed to be in London, Gollum looked healthy and full of life, her mother was obviously in love and the feeling was requitted by one of Fiona's fathers, and Peregrine was always close... and he loved her just like she loved him.

Fiona was happy until the middle of the winter when Alaric, probably out of boredom caused by the rainy coldness reigning outside keeping them all shut within the castle, realised that she really was old enough to get married. From that moment on there were grand dinners and balls held at court every night, designed for Fiona to meet the single, eligible men of Silmarea and choose one of those Alaric deemed worthy of his only daughter. 

Despite Peregrine's pleas, she was resolved to finally confess about her love of the Highlander to Alaric to make him stop torturing them both, when the news of the army of dragons gathering in the Highlands finally reached the court, distracting the king from his efforts to find a suitable husband for his only daughter.

It was Emrys who shared the news with her Peregrine-- who had started to look forlorn and brooding since he noticed Alaric's attempts of matching her with a descendant of a noble family loyal to the throne. Fiona dreaded the change in him. However, no amount of persuasion from her could convince him that she would resist her father's attempts, that she would defend their love. No amount of promises could bring his untroubled smile back. It was all Alaric's fault, she mused one night, caressing his beloved face, as he told her in soft whispers that her father finally found out what they had known for months-- that Ancalagon the Black was gathering an army of Highlanders and dragon shifters far in the north.

"But... Why? What is it he really wants? Why now?" Fiona muttered on a sigh, afraid of having her own theories confirmed. 

Peregrine sighed in his turn. "We convinced Alaric to accept Freddie as his heir, and I'm afraid that's exactly what Ancalagon wanted. We both know that Alaric already loves the boy too much to change his mind once he finds out he is a Highlander. I suppose this is exactly what Ancalagon has been waiting for, and now he'll want to be recognized as Freddie's father... He might want to seize the throne..."

Fiona gasped, not as much from surprise caused by those words-- they weren't entirely unexpected-- but rather from their meaning, from what would they signify to her new world if they came to pass.

"I don't want war..." she muttered unhappily, letting Peregrine kiss those depressing words off her lips.

"No one does." He said a while later, his hands travelling around her bare body concealed from his view by layers of blankets and furs, protecting them from the winter chill filling her chambers despite the lively fire dancing on the hearth, his enticing touch scattering her thoughts. "We will find a way to solve this... without much... bloodshed..." he trailed off, bringing his lips to the column of her neck, then her collar bone, making her close her eyes in the anticipation of the pleasure he was always so ready to make her feel.

"I love you," she muttered before she banished everything except from him from her mind. 

Nothing else mattered, not really, only his whispered reply that echoed her words, "I love you, Bella."