I was beginning to hate mornings.

Waking up, I heard the sound of a cup and saucer and sighed in annoyance. Why did everyone want to spend their mornings in my room? "Have you ever heard of knocking Kalen? Surely your mother taught you better than to barge into a young woman's rooms so early in the morning."

My arm was draped over my eyes and I felt my insides turn cold when a very feminine voice replied. "I am sure I have taught my son better. I will make sure next time I enter your rooms to knock."

Sitting up slowly, I found the Queen sitting calmly at my little table, cup to her lips as her eyes twinkled in amusement. Today the blood red dress was replaced with a pretty deep blue, her hair piled on top her head, the crown nestled amongst the curls. It seemed the nice Queen was still in effect from yesterday although I couldn't be too sure.

I watched her warily waiting for the change from Dr. Jekkyl to Mr. Hyde. I swear the woman was bipolar. One moment she was smiling and nice to me and the next she was putting her voodoo on me.

Either way both sides of her scared the hell out of me.

"Sorry Your Majesty," I rushed as I scrambled from my bed. "I assumed it was Prince Kalen because he said he would be collecting me this morning."

The Queen nodded as she sipped her tea and I stood next to my bed awkwardly, wondering how crazy my hair looked. "I told my son I would deal with you personally today. Another chance for you and I to get better acquainted."

"Wonderful," I said weakly, my flight or fight response telling me to head for the hills.

"Also," she went on as if I hadn't said anything. "For today I would ask that you call me Mara as you said you would at our first dinner. We shall be spending quite a bit of time together today, I imagine and since it will just be the two of us I don't see the need for such formalities. Are we agreed, Laila?"

Her eyes were on her tea as I quickly answered, "Of course, Mara I'm happy to do that."

"Right then,' she continued calmly. "Why don't you get dressed and break your fast. I'll take a look at this book you've been reading while I wait, then we'll get down to the business part of this day."

I nodded, rushing to my little wash area to get dressed. Luckily the book I had at the moment was about the old Seelie Court and not about the dark forest. If she'd seen me reading about that forest I had a bad feeling this day may have gone another way.

As I washed, I reminded myself to keep at least an arm's length between us. No more truth hangovers for me. I slipped on my favourite green gown and wrapped a brown sash around my waist. Grabbing my hair I pulled it into a bun and hoping I looked at least presentable. Steeling my nerves, I went back out to try and stomach some breakfast.

The Queen remained in the same position, eyes moving over the lines of my book. I put a piece of apple in my mouth and after several attempts to swallow it, I managed to push it past the lump of fear in my throat and keep it down.

"I do miss the old Court."

The Queen spoke suddenly and I jumped. "I'm sorry?"

"We used to have such wonderful balls there. Of course it was more a castle than a Court, with three levels and over fifty bedrooms. I much prefer being closer to the earth, don't you?"

"It is nice," I said awkwardly. How the hell was I meant to talk normally with this woman? I guess if she was attempting to be kind I should try to return the favour. "Were you Queen in the old Court?"

"Oh no, that was Elden's father who ruled that Court. After the Great War, the Seelie Court was moved across the Field of Lost Souls so we were away from the Unseelie Court."

The Field of Lost Souls didn't sound like a pleasant place to visit. I tucked it's name aside to research later. I wanted to learn as much as I could about the Fae while I was here. If there was a field out there with crazy lost souls then I wanted to know if I had to avoid it or not.

I decided to ask about the other topic she mentioned. "The Great War?"

She nodded. "I would tell you my dear but I fear it is a long story, one I do not wish to speak of today. I believe it is mentioned in this book though. Once you have read it, feel free to find me and I will answer any questions you have."

"Thank you Mara." I said quietly.

She closed the book, placing it back on the table and seeing I wasn't eating she got down to business. "Alright, first point of order is your two boons. I must admit I would have liked to have given you the three but it would not be looked kindly upon even though Mr. Woodburn was a cowardly man who deserved more than a punch to the face."

I noted she didn't say his rank anymore and the venom in her voice spoke of her hatred of him. "I agree but the Captain pulled me away before I could do any more damage."

Mara smiled. "A noble man our Captain. I am sure had he known of Woodburn's crimes at the time he would have killed him on the spot. You would have had the time to tell him in the yard and yet you didn't. I'm sure you must have known what would happen should the Captain have extracted his revenge. Very clever of you Laila. I believe the Captain owes you his life as well as his sister's."

"They don't owe me anything,' I said truthfully. "They have shown me nothing but kindness since I arrived. I have come to call them my friends and I don't let anyone hurt my friends."

The Queen stared at me something akin to respect passing through her eyes. "A noble gesture, my dear. It would seem you have made some lifelong friends. Well enough on that." She placed her empty tea cup back on its saucer. "I trust you have decided what your two boons are to be?"

I bowed my head. "Yes, Your Majesty. For my first one, I would like to learn how to fight please."

A single eyebrow raised in my direction. "Oh? What an interesting request. Though you need not have asked me, you are more than welcome to learn without my permission."

"Yes but Captain Drake refuses to let me train with his men, he says I will be a distraction. Therefore I figure if you tell him to let me train then he won't have a choice."

"I see. Does Drake know this is what you ask?"

"Yes. He said that if I asked then he would be forced to train me but would do so in private so his men would remain focused."

Mara grinned, making her look beautiful and dangerous at the same time. "Poor Captain Drake, it would seem he has met his match. I don't believe a woman has trained with the guard since myself some years ago. I shall grant you this boon. I believe it will be quite useful for you to learn to defend yourself. It will also make you useful in some way to my son after you wed."

Fully aware she'd just called me useless I brushed it aside though my nails dug into my palms. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Standing up, she held out her arm. "Join me in a walk around the garden's Laila. Exercise in the morning is always quite invigorating. You can tell me your second boon after our walk."

"Yes, Your - ah Mara."

My body screamed not to touch her but if I didn't she'd be insulted. Lightly, I placed my hand around her upper arm and closed my eyes waiting for the magic to begin. When nothing happened after a few moments I opened my eyes to see Mara looking at me strangely. "Are you quite alright, Laila?"

Cheeks heated, I muttered. "Yes, just a little dizzy. The fresh air will do me good."

"Indeed so." The knowing look in her eyes said she knew exactly why I had freaked out but thankfully she didn't call me on it.

Exiting my room, we walked slowly to the garden, taking a different path than one I originally took. The roses along this path were an interesting shade of pinks and yellows and the smell of the jasmine bushes lining the path were so sweet. The path looked as though it was walked regularly and yet I saw no one else on the path or in any small alcoves we passed. I guessed that maybe it was the Queen's private path. It was one of the most beautiful I'd walked on.

We walked in silence, the Queen happy to look at her surroundings and myself happy not to talk to her. My body was so tightly strung one small shock and I was sure I would snap. This being nice ploy she was playing scared the crap out of me. I kept expecting her to go all Mr. Hyde on me. My mind flitted through ideas as to why she was being nice and it began to venture down some dark paths.

What if she was taking me into some undiscovered part of the garden to kill me? My body would be buried in the garden to help fertilize the roots and she would just use her almighty Seelie powers to make everyone believe I didn't exist.

As I started to prepare an escape plan, we entered the King's grove, the large Oak tree over shadowing the earth below. Acorns, scattered across the ground and I stared at the tree in wonder, feeling its power. It was as if the King was still here.

We sat on a large wooden bench, untouched by the nature surrounding us before the Queen spoke.

"Now that we are resting, you can ask your second boon."

I nodded, worried she would say no to this one but I had to ask. "I was hoping the Cu Sith I befriended could be allowed into the court? He's only young and I wish to care for him. He seems to have formed an attachment to me and I find I'm quite attached to him as well."

The Queen was silent a moment before she spoke. "Before I agree to this, I would like to meet your Cu Sith. Call him forth. I believe he's hovering nearby in the gardens."

My body jumped and I stared at her in shock. "You knew he was already here?"

The Queen smiled that evil smile. "I am the Seelie Queen, Laila. There is little that gets by me in my Court."

Feeling like a complete idiot, I stood up and whistled, calling Alpin's name. It wasn't long before the shrubbery behind us rustled and Alpin stepped out cautiously, his eyes on the Queen.

"Come here boy,' I said softly. "Introduce yourself to the Queen."

Alpin came and stood by my side, looking at the Queen with wary eyes. The Queen held out her hand and he stepped forward slowly, letting the Queen touch his head gently. She gave his ear a little rub and his tail wagged.

"I don't sense any evil in him.' She declared. "He seems to be a soft natured creature, surprising for his kind. I will allow him to stay with you but be warned; should he hurt any of my people I will be forced to take action."

"Yes Your Majesty. Thank you so much."

I sat back down and Alpin curled up at my feet, sensing my happiness. Two boons and I got what I wanted. I couldn't wait to see the look on Drake's face when he learned that he had to teach me how to fight. I was thrilled at the thought of learning something new. I knew some basic manoeuvres to protect myself in the mortal world but I didn't think kicking some faery in the balls was going to be enough to save me if they decided to attack me.

In a way, I felt it brought me a little closer to my dad. I would be learning what he had learnt years ago, going through the same moves and practicing with the same weapons. I wish we'd had more time together. Maybe if he was still around it would be him teaching me how to defend myself.

"What troubles you, Laila?"

"Hmm?"

I turned to the Queen, still lost in thoughts of my dad. "You suddenly seem sad. Are you not happy with your choices?"

"No I am happy, I'm just reminiscing about my past."

Mara smiled and looked at the large Oak with fondness. "I do that often, Laila. Especially in this grove where I am reminded constantly of my late husband. I love to come here because everything reminds me of him and yet I always leave filled with feelings of melancholy.

"You know,' she spoke softly. "When we first met, it was an arranged marriage? I was the daughter of a Lord in the wild forests of the north. We had been destined to marry since infancy and yet, we hated each other with a fiery passion."

I wasn't sure where she was going with this but my curiosity for the past and stories got the better of me. "Why did you hate him?"

"It was silly child reasons. We would see each other every summer, my father spending those months at Court to attend to the King and so I could get better acquainted with Elden. Oh the pranks we used to play on each other.

One year, I slipped a potion into his drink which made his hair turn to grass. My maid had made the draught but I took the blame as it was my desire to pull such a prank. In retaliation, he tricked me into walking beneath a Willow tree which immediately wrapped me in its branches and hung me upside down. Elden left me there for a whole afternoon before making the tree let me down."

I snorted at their antics, trying to imagine a child Queen hanging from a tree. I wasn't sure how it had happened but I seemed to be having a nice conversation with the Queen of the Seelie Court.

"You two must have given your parents such grief."

The Queen laughed lightly, it was a beautiful tinkling sound. "Indeed, my father was always so excited to arrive at Court and then by the end of our stay he was more excited to return home and stop my mischief. Even though we openly fought against one another, our father's still insisted upon the marriage."

"What happened to change your minds?"

Mara smiled and she seemed to become younger. "We did not come to the court for two years when I was still maturing, my father was having trouble with neighbouring Fae from the Unseelie Court and needed to stay at home. When we finally returned to Court, Elden had changed. Gone was the scrawny young boy who pressed my nerves and in his place was a young man, broad shouldered and handsome.

I must admit, that first moment I saw him, I thought my heart had stopped beating. I didn't know it at the time but Elden felt the same way when he saw me. We both refused to give into our growing attraction to one another though, still pulling pranks and annoying each other senseless. Only I think we were doing it so we could spend time in each other's company."

The Queen gazed at the tree with a growing longing. "One day we were out in the forest, our father's had made Elden accompany me when I said I wished to pick some herbs. Elden lagged behind with his friend Matthew, purposefully annoying me with their slow pace. Growing tired of waiting, I surged ahead, finding my herbs and picking them.

I didn't realise it but they had lost me in the undergrowth and a bear had found me instead. Now I will say, I knew how to defend myself. Unfortunately I had no weapon on me save the small knife I was using the pick the herbs. I also possessed powers but they were minor at the time, mainly used for healing rather than inflicting damage.

I did my best against the large creature, though one back swipe of his paw had me flying through the air, a cry escaping my lips. It was that cry which saved my life. By this time Elden and Matthew were panicking at my disappearance, worried I had gotten lost in the forest. Hearing my cry, Elden had raced forth, sword drawn. Just as the bear was about to finish me, Elden jumped through the trees and stabbed the creature in the heart.

Once he was sure it was dead, he scooped me up in his arms and gave me my first kiss, declaring that our life long feud was over. No more would we parted, the fear of losing me had been enough for him to declare his love. It was not long after that we were wed though it was many years before we took the throne."

Mara fell into silence and I felt so many emotions. Wonder and longing at the romantic side of her relationship with Elden, their feuding which led to love and the rescue which started their love.

I looked at her, trying not to stare as I felt pain. To know that she had loved him so dearly and that he was now gone from her life, I could not begin to imagine what she must be feeling. Then to be ruling an entire Court with no one at your side, no one to give you council, I found myself pitying the Seelie Queen rather than fearing her.

"You must miss him." I said quietly.

She simply nodded. "Every day."

The wind blew loudly through the grove and I imagined it was Elden, letting Mara know she wasn't alone. "Thank you for sharing that story with me. I would have loved to see some of the pranks you played on the King."

The Queen's wicked smile returned and she stood up, brushing imaginary dirt from her dress. "Perhaps if you anger me enough one day Lady, you will get to experience them."

It would seem our nice conversation had come to an end. I was still happy though. It had been nice getting to hear about the Queen in her younger years, before she turned into Dr. Jekyll.

A guard suddenly appeared at the entrance we had arrived from. He barely looked twenty years old but he was probably still older than me. I didn't recognise him from the training yard but he seemed to recognise me.

He bowed efficiently to his Queen who nodded her head in return. "I am afraid Lady Laila, your week of confinement now begins. Your Cu Sith is of course now allowed to accompany you inside should he wish but if you want to take him outside, someone else will have to do so."

"Of course. Thank you, Your Majesty." I curtsied.

"I shall see you at our next dinner. Due to your confinement I shall arrange to have it in your rooms. For now Sir Zain shall return you to your rooms."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Walking past the Queen, I nodded to Sir Zain who fell into step beside me.

Glancing back as we left the grove, I saw the Queen walk up to the tree, placing her palm on its trunk as her eyes closed sadly.

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