betrothed. I have no doubt that you shall lead We of the Light to victory and to peace.”
I didn’t know why she was so confident in my abilities when I’d done nothing other than sit there but I appreciated the vote of confidence.
Alex reached for my hand. I ignored the spark that came from his skin touching mine and smiled, nodding my head. Pop looked at me and nodded, encouraging me to speak just as he’d done when I was a child and one of the tellers at the bank told me I was pretty or gave me a lollipop.
I cleared my throat. “Thank you.”
Pop was just about to clap his hands again, signaling the end of the audience, when Estella spoke. “Do you know much about We of the Light, Princess Aurora?”
“Please call me Tab,” I said. Aurora was part of my official title, but it wasn’t my name.
Estella looked confused by the offer. “It is generous of you to invite me to address you as your friends do, but it would be inappropriate for me to call you by that name. We are not friends.”
I was learning that the Elvish are circumspect people. They prefer to dance around the truth, to hide it, when they can. That Estella could be so blunt made me like her. “I hope I’ll have the chance to change that in the future.”
“It would be a great honor to once again call the Queen my friend,” Estella said, giving a shallow bow.
“To answer your question, I don’t know much about We of the Light, but I want to learn. I only recently found out that I am going to be Queen of the Inbetween, but I want you all to know that I am determined to live up to my mother’s hopes for me – to exceed them if I can.”
Pop, who’d clearly been concerned about what I would say, relaxed a little.
“Sometimes I wonder what your mother would say if she could see you now,” Estella mused, looking at me with curious green eyes.
“Honestly, I’ve been wondering the same thing. I don’t know very much about her. Since you were her friend, maybe you could tell me about her – if you wouldn’t mind.”
“I hope to have the opportunity to tell you more about your mother sometime soon.” Estella smile but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes too, a hint of loss. “It has been a pleasure to meet you, your Lightness.”
“For me too,” I said, resisting the urge to shake her hand.
She bowed and left, taking her guard with her. The rest of us waited in silence until the door closed behind her. Then Francis slapped me on the back. “She’s a natural. Did you see her, Bennett? A natural.”
“You really did a wonderful job, Tabitha,” Pop agreed. “I’m proud of you.”
“The Five Hundred is a big deal. The others will follow. They just need to see her. I knew calling Estella here was the right thing to do,” Francis crowed, a triumphant smile on his face.
“You’re a master strategist, Frannie.” George yawned. “I’m going to bed.”
Matt left with him. Pop and Francis followed them out, heads together, probably already planning what to do with me next. That left Robbin, Alex, and me – just us points on the love triangle – alone together.
Alex sat beside me with his long legs stretched out in front of him and his body angled toward me. Robbin stood on the other side with his arms folded across his chest. I was in the middle looking straight ahead as if my life depended on it. The tension heaped up around us and the silence got louder and louder and louder still until finally I couldn’t take it anymore. Robbin had to go.
“What are you waiting for? A tip?” I snapped at him.
He couldn’t hide the look of hurt and surprise that flashed across his face but he recovered quickly. “I told George I’d cover his watch today because…of …you know…last night.” His mouth curled up into a seductive smile.
Alex looked from me to Robbin’s cat that ate the canary grin—all suspicious. “What
I didn’t know why she was so confident in my abilities when I’d done nothing other than sit there but I appreciated the vote of confidence.
Alex reached for my hand. I ignored the spark that came from his skin touching mine and smiled, nodding my head. Pop looked at me and nodded, encouraging me to speak just as he’d done when I was a child and one of the tellers at the bank told me I was pretty or gave me a lollipop.
I cleared my throat. “Thank you.”
Pop was just about to clap his hands again, signaling the end of the audience, when Estella spoke. “Do you know much about We of the Light, Princess Aurora?”
“Please call me Tab,” I said. Aurora was part of my official title, but it wasn’t my name.
Estella looked confused by the offer. “It is generous of you to invite me to address you as your friends do, but it would be inappropriate for me to call you by that name. We are not friends.”
I was learning that the Elvish are circumspect people. They prefer to dance around the truth, to hide it, when they can. That Estella could be so blunt made me like her. “I hope I’ll have the chance to change that in the future.”
“It would be a great honor to once again call the Queen my friend,” Estella said, giving a shallow bow.
“To answer your question, I don’t know much about We of the Light, but I want to learn. I only recently found out that I am going to be Queen of the Inbetween, but I want you all to know that I am determined to live up to my mother’s hopes for me – to exceed them if I can.”
Pop, who’d clearly been concerned about what I would say, relaxed a little.
“Sometimes I wonder what your mother would say if she could see you now,” Estella mused, looking at me with curious green eyes.
“Honestly, I’ve been wondering the same thing. I don’t know very much about her. Since you were her friend, maybe you could tell me about her – if you wouldn’t mind.”
“I hope to have the opportunity to tell you more about your mother sometime soon.” Estella smile but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes too, a hint of loss. “It has been a pleasure to meet you, your Lightness.”
“For me too,” I said, resisting the urge to shake her hand.
She bowed and left, taking her guard with her. The rest of us waited in silence until the door closed behind her. Then Francis slapped me on the back. “She’s a natural. Did you see her, Bennett? A natural.”
“You really did a wonderful job, Tabitha,” Pop agreed. “I’m proud of you.”
“The Five Hundred is a big deal. The others will follow. They just need to see her. I knew calling Estella here was the right thing to do,” Francis crowed, a triumphant smile on his face.
“You’re a master strategist, Frannie.” George yawned. “I’m going to bed.”
Matt left with him. Pop and Francis followed them out, heads together, probably already planning what to do with me next. That left Robbin, Alex, and me – just us points on the love triangle – alone together.
Alex sat beside me with his long legs stretched out in front of him and his body angled toward me. Robbin stood on the other side with his arms folded across his chest. I was in the middle looking straight ahead as if my life depended on it. The tension heaped up around us and the silence got louder and louder and louder still until finally I couldn’t take it anymore. Robbin had to go.
“What are you waiting for? A tip?” I snapped at him.
He couldn’t hide the look of hurt and surprise that flashed across his face but he recovered quickly. “I told George I’d cover his watch today because…of …you know…last night.” His mouth curled up into a seductive smile.
Alex looked from me to Robbin’s cat that ate the canary grin—all suspicious. “What
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