The Queen was appalled.

Satisfied that his business with Galeia was concluded, Ajo released the monarch from her confinement and informed her of the vow.

"It's repulsive," the Queen said. "It's atrocious and vile—"

"Careful with your tone," Ajo said, "or you will find yourself locked away once more."

"How could you make this vow?"

"Ask the same of Galeia."

"I mean to. And we will find a way to stop this."

"It was made in blood, and only Galeia and I can sever it. I have no intention of doing that, and Galeia will keep her promise or lose her family."

"This is wrong, Ajo. So very, very wrong."

"Where was your indignation when I was betrayed?"

"Let me help break you from this darkness—"

"Darkness has served me better than anything else."

The Queen struck him. Ajo was stunned momentarily but quickly righted himself.

"If you ever touch me again—"

"You'll what? Harm your own mother?" She scoffed in disgust. "You disgrace me."

"You should be proud of how diplomatic I am."

"You've taken the life of an innocent child."

"And Galeia gave it away."

"You cannot promise love."

"What a different tune you sing now. My entire childhood was built around the opposite philosophy."

"Those were different circumstances."

"You made a child believe he was destined for one love. This is no different."

"Then you are doomed to have your heart broken once more."

"My heart has nothing to do with it," Ajo snarled. "Galeia's daughter is mine."

"You don't intend to love your queen? Only to use her as revenge on Galeia?"

"Revenge and love," Ajo mused, "as I see it, they are one and the same."

***

It pleased Ajo to witness the delicious misery the vow had sown between the soon-to-be-parents.

An invisible line had been drawn between Galeia and her husband, and they argued endlessly about the choice she made in the throne room.

"You gave our daughter away like she was nothing," the human accused in an anguished tone. "You made her a gift for that—that creature!"

"He would have killed us all. You, me, and our child. I had no choice."

"You could have fought him—you could have denied him—"

"And let him choke the life from you? Our souls are connected, Oliver. I would have died with you, and our daughter would never have taken her first breath."

"She's my child, too. I should have had a say in it."

"It would have changed nothing."

The human shook his head and left the house, seeking distance from his wife.

***

It was night when Ajo stepped into the yard.

The prick of Galeia's shield was a minor nuisance to the King of the Wood, though it would persist while he remained within its boundary.

But Ajo's visit would not be long.

The full moon cast a glow over the house and barn, and Galeia's husband was pacing before the front door while nervously chewing on a pipe between his lips.

The human stiffened when he saw Ajo. There was nothing he could do to stop the king, they both knew, so when Ajo approached he stepped away from the door, and the king didn't spare a glance at the scowling man as he entered the house.

The Queen was with the new mother, and both women were smiling at the infant in Galeia's arms. There was tension in the air, however, and beneath the joy in the room was a note of disappointment.

Ajo cast a disapproving eye at the simplicity of Galeia's home. She had left the luxury of royal living for a patch of dirt. She should have been in the castle, surrounded by attendants and adoring courtiers for her delivery. As it was, she was alone save for his mother, and had given birth in little more than squalor.

At his appearance, Galeia's embrace tightened into a protective hold on her newborn.

"Friendly chat with your favorite?" Ajo bitterly greeted his mother.

"No," the Queen replied. "This is a diplomatic visit."

Ajo turned to Galeia. "I've come to look at my intended."

"She's not your intended yet," Galeia snapped.

"There is something else in your possession that belongs to me. The Soul Bind spell—where is it?"

Galeia's mouth turned into a snarl. "You wouldn't dare—"

"I will take every precaution to ensure my bride keeps her promise."

"It will not work," the Queen interjected. "Love is needed for the spell."

"It's an easy thing to create such a feeling."

"No, Ajo," the Queen said with pity. "It must be honest."

"I destroyed the scroll," Galeia said.

Ajo and the Queen turned to look at her.

"You—destroyed it?" the Queen asked.

Galeia shot Ajo a menacing look. "So it couldn't be used against my child."

Ajo remained unconcerned by Galeia's scorn.

"It will be many years before she is ready to marry," he said to his mother. "You will produce a new spell in the meantime, and I will oversee its effects." When the Queen did not agree he added, "As a wedding gift."

"You must realize she doesn't deserve this," Galeia said. "My daughter is innocent."

"As we all were, once," Ajo answered. "But her soul is promised. I hear its voice even now. One day she will call to me, and with mother's new spell she will be bound to me for eternity. She will never have the chance to betray me, but will remain faithful, as she should."

Galeia turned to the Queen, horror written across her face.

"Why do you allow him to talk like that?"

"He is the king," the Queen said flatly. "And you made a vow."

"But you will not help him in this—"

"I warned you not to do anything rash," the Queen seethed. "This is the result of your reckless actions. You are a mortal, and no longer a child of the woods." She turned to Ajo. "And you are the king, but not the son I raised. This foul affair is out of my hands. I've come only to see that the child is healthy, and I will not help either of you in anything."

"Then you will stay out of it," Ajo snapped.

"I will," came the stoic reply.

"Mother—" Galeia said with a gasp.

"I am not your mother!"

The Queen's harsh reply shocked the room into stillness.

A tear fell onto Galeia's cheek.

Ajo was not moved by her sadness, and went to take the child from her arms. With great difficulty, Galeia released her to him, and Ajo held the bundle and stared at his future queen. There was a cold possessiveness in his gaze, as if he were admiring a treasure. The infant ceased her gurgling and looked back at him without fear or judgment.

"You've seen her," Galeia said, "and now you will leave her alone."

"Until it's time for her to become my wife."

When Ajo handed the child back to her, Galeia could not help but impart a bitter threat.

"I will teach her to despise you. She will grow up knowing you are a monster, and you will find a bride who shows you nothing but contempt. I swear, Ajo, she will never love you."

Sorrow flashed across his countenance. At this, Galeia's anger melted to shame and she lowered her gaze.

"Please, if you really mean to see this vow through," she said, "all I ask is that you show her kindness. That you will love her without any designs on vengeance."

Ajo's eyes narrowed. "I showed kindness once, and it was returned with treachery. She will accept whatever I am, for that is her destiny. Not love, but me."

"You must love her," the Queen urged.

"I owe her nothing," Ajo said. "She owes me her heart." His mouth twisted into a cruel smile. "Perhaps, mother, if she showers me with poetry and patience, I'll grow to love her back. But if you try to interfere, I'll see the kingdom you built reduced to ash." He turned to Galeia. "The vow stands, and if you try to stop it, I'll take everything from you. Your life, the life of that human outside, and any child you bear hereafter." He shook his head. "You agreed to this price, Galeia, and you will see it through without any objection. You tore my heart from me, and with it, my last drop of pity. You will learn how it feels to have your future taken away, and above all, you will be obedient to your king, and grateful for the mercy I have shown."

***

Ajo visited the child often.

He had agreed to stay away until she grew up, but had no intention of honoring that promise. He was well within his right, he felt, to keep an eye on his intended, but he kept to the shadows during their meetings, lest someone discover his presence.

Her name, he learned, was Credence.

Their first interaction happened on a mild summer day, when Credence was playing in the yard while her parents tended chores nearby. Her steps were stilted and stumbling as she was still learning the mechanics of walking, and she babbled as she gathered handfuls of dirt in her tiny fists. Her eyes caught something moving in the trees ahead, a figure that appeared to be made of smoke. She cooed at it, but neither her mother nor father were distracted from their work.

They didn't see their baby toddle towards the trees.

Ajo remained a flickering vision among the green and brown of the forest. Credence smiled and he returned it with a display of magic, presenting a purple lily just out of her reach. The child's face lit up and she followed him deeper into the woods. Ajo had no intention beyond an innocent curiosity to see what the child would do, and was amused when Credence boldly ventured forward, her mind set on the task of touching the flower.

Hands slipped under her arms and hoisted the child into the air.

"Where are you off to?" her father asked.

"Bah!" Credence babbled and pointed ahead, but when the man followed her finger he saw nothing.

Ajo hated that the human had forgiven Galeia, and their fighting had ceased after the birth of their daughter.

Still, the father sometimes looked at his child with great mourning.

Ajo continued to visit, always with a bit of magic to amuse her. Sometimes he changed the colors of leaves or made feathers flutter like butterflies around her face. He never appeared fully before her, but kept his presence limited to a shadow.

He even saved the child's life on a few occasions. Sometimes her parents weren't as mindful as they should have been and Credence wandered from their protection—

And Ajo was there to turn her towards home, using the wind to push her back to safety. He chased away animals and blew dirt to cover holes that would have otherwise tripped her.

He cared for her.

When Credence began to form broken sentences, she sometimes spoke of a shadow, but her parents mistook it as the fantasies of a growing mind.

All the same, they began to warn her against the woods, until Credence became cautious and skeptical about venturing from home. When she talked to Ajo he never answered, but communicated through actions, by presenting trinkets of nature or performing cantrips to charm her.

Galeia's stomach grew once more. Another would join the family soon, and Ajo felt a stab of jealousy as her belly became round.

Under another full moon, Galeia took to bed in labor for the second time. Credence had passed a toddler's age and could walk and speak with clarity and purpose. Her father tried to keep an eye on both women, setting Credence in the front room of the house with a scattering of objects to occupy her while he tended to his wife. There was no queen to help this time, so the human was expected to aid in the delivery. It was a task that weighed heavy on his mind, and his attention became completely tied to the well-being of his wife.

A tapping on the lone window of the house caught Credence's notice, and she smiled when she saw the shadow that had long been known as a friend. She waved at it, somehow understanding the necessity of keeping quiet so she wouldn't disturb her parents. In answer, the shadow pushed against the door, opening it slightly to expose the yard outside. Recognizing an invitation to play, Credence slipped past the door to meet her friend.

"Hullo."

As usual, the shadow said nothing, but extended a smoke-like tendril towards her, presenting a treasure for her taking: A snail shell, cracked but beautifully pale under the light of the moon. Credence took the shell and examined its sides and angles.

"Pretty."

The tendril stretched towards the sky and Credence looked up at the blanket of cloudless, starry black.

Something touched her cheek, a cold nip that did not hurt but made her giggle.

Another hit her nose.

A shower of white trickled from the sky, landing upon Credence like kisses. She opened her mouth and caught one of the flakes on her tongue. It began to fall more quickly and Credence grew cold, but the shadow created a fire on one of its tendrils to warm her.

The child twirled under the falling white, racing back and forth to the flame to warm herself before returning to play. A gentle acceptance passed between the girl and the shadow, a bond of friendship that would be broken by nothing in the world—

Until a voice cut through their tranquil interlude.

"Credence!"

Her father was standing in the doorway, staring with wide, fearful eyes. His clothes were splattered with blood but he was not hurt, and he ran to gather his daughter into his arms.

The shadow was gone in a blink, but it was too late.

The man had seen the black, cloud-like figure holding fire towards his naïve, innocent daughter. And she was dancing in the snow beside it, without a hint of care for her own safety.

"You know better than to be out at night," he said as he kissed her head.

He took her back into the house and closed the door before moving a chair in front of it. Ajo pressed against an outer wall and conjured a window to watch the family.

Credence was led into her parent's bedroom, where Galeia sat in bed, cradling a bundle in her arms.

"Credence," she said warmly, "come meet your brother, Josiah."

On cue, Josiah gurgled. Credence leaned in to look at him.

"He's too little."

"He'll get bigger," Galeia promised with a chuckle.

"I can't play with him."

"You will soon enough."

Engrossed in the baby, Credence did not notice the look exchanged between her parents.

"He was here," the human said, "with Credence."

Galeia's radiant aura dimmed. "He promised to stay away."

"He broke that promise."

Credence laid the snail shell atop the bundled infant.

"For you," she said to her brother. "Don't eat it."

Galeia's frown tightened when she saw the Frog King's treasure.

She looked back to her husband and without a word spoken a message was sent between them:

Something had to be done about the King of the Wood.