Mahogany and Teakwood

Chapter 41: Oleander

i've drawn regret

from the truth of a thousand lies

Stunned silence fell over the crowd of Smile.

Deceit smirked, sniggered, and twirled his staff, utterly confident in his control of the situation. Virgil wanted to punch him. This was almost worse than using Rapunzel to manipulate Logan. A revelation like this would throw everything Roman thought he knew about himself into question; and as a fear feeder, Deceit would grow more powerful off the blowback.

"And you...you knew?" Roman took a step towards Kate.

"Not right away!" She raised a hand and dropped it again. "After Johnny abandoned Smile and fucked off to gods know where; after I took over, we kept tabs on Vanessa for her own safety. We knew she had a son, but nobody knew he'd been—that you'd been—taken."

Her face contorted. "And then there you were, in that Grimm safehouse all those years later, and you looked just like Johnny did at that age. And we'd always gotten reports of Vanessa's son getting into weird, violent trouble, which never sat right with me..."

Roman stared like she'd slapped him; Kate, on the other hand, looked utterly heartbroken.

"That's why you singled me out for Smile." Roman rubbed his face. "That's how you knew exactly how to find my mother. And that...thing, that replaced me."

Someone in the hall made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a giggle.

Kate stared around the room. Her hunters watched with wide eyes now, gazes flickering between her and Roman. Virgil exhaled, slowly.

Roman is Johnny Prince's son.

Holy Arcadian gods, Kate...that is one hell of a secret to sit on. You should have told him, at the very least to prevent it being used against him like this!

"I wasn't completely sure until you came back and told me about the fetch," Kate admitted. "If I hadn't happened across you, we would have never known. You'd have been just another changeling. I always thought it had to be fate, or pure dumb—"

"Luck," Roman finished in a hushed voice.

Virgil felt a chill run down his spine. Had Roman's own magic brought him and Kate together? Just how far-reaching was Roman's power?

"Yes, thank you, Johnny Prince's son, everyone." Deceit gave Roman a mocking round of applause. "Can everyone focus back on me, please? Thank you. Now."

The faery thumped his snake staff on the floor again. Two fetches rushed out of the room and reappeared carrying a podium, of all things, which they placed in front of Deceit. The faery leaned onto it, looking for all the world like a prosecutor in a courtroom, supremely confident in his case.

Virgil noticed some of the other fetches touching and shaking their heads as this happened, and he exchanged a significant look with Kate. The more Deceit pushed individuals to carry out specific orders, the less control he kept over the group.

They had to use that.

They needed to wake Rapunzel.

"Now that we have our three key persons, as Logan put it, perhaps he and Roman would like to approach the podium." The faery snapped open his copy of the Accords and laid it in front of him.

If he makes them sign it, fetch-making will be 'legal' again. Faeries like Deceit will have free reign. Virgil's heart raced. Smile might even have to let him go. I'll never be free of him!