...Reghan’s lips twitched. “Didn’t we just have this discussion? I know you’re a little…apprehensive.”

Frightened, Castan thought bitterly. He was going to say frightened. Castan couldn’t remember the last time he’d been afraid of anything, and nobody in Somerset would call their prince a coward. He led his men into every battle, and he had slain a goddess of war, the queen of the fairies. If he never fought in another battle, his legacy would still be secure, and the bards would tell the story of his legend well after his death. Maybe even for hundreds of years after his death. When they marched back to Somerset, they would be honored as heroes, and all the people would demand retelling after retelling of his most triumphant moment. And Reghan had almost accused him of being scared.

The worst thing was that Reghan was right. Castan was scared, of a power he didn’t understand and certainly couldn’t control. He had believed he could. When he took Reghan’s oath, he was confident that the power the fey harbored would fall easily under Castan’s domain. Even when he had been given his first practical demonstration, he had believed himself to still have the upper-hand on the situation. But Reghan could control the very darkness that surrounded them.

“You don’t trust me,” Reghan finally said softly, unhappily.

“I don’t know what to make of you.”

“Ask me anything, sire.”

“Why did you swear your oath to me?”

Reghan took a deep breath. “Because I had no wish to die in a war that was not mine. Because I don’t make war against mortals. Because I loved a mortal once. Because Banbha kidnapped my son and held him where I couldn’t reach him, forcing me to fight at her side. Because you’re a good man and one day you may be a great king. I know you are frightened of what I can do, but you have my word that I would never act against you. Think about what we could accomplish together.”

“What are you suggesting?” Castan asked with an edge of suspicion.

“Nothing, my lord. Nothing beyond the obvious, at any rate. My power is yours to command. I could do nothing with it. Or I could make the winters mild, the summer heat bearable. I can make sure nobody in your kingdom ever goes hungry. I can make your kingdom prosperous beyond your hopes. And if you have no desire for any of that, I can tend to your horses and keep to myself with Aldred.”

There was a calmness in Reghan’s voice. A certain authority. His earlier certainty that Reghan was no servant came rushing back to him. He spoke as though he were a king. Castan hadn’t considered the true ramifications of his decision until that moment, and the force of it drove him to his knees. He put a hand down to the dirt to steady himself and he realized he was kneeling, actually kneeling, at Reghan’s feet. Castan had bowed to no man, save his father, in his entire life, but there he was like a common peasant.

Reghan immediately dropped to one knee, ducking until they were eye-level again. “Sire?”

“Tell me the truth.”

“Anything.”

“You are not a servant.”

“No, I was once a prince. But now I’m your servant, as I said. And I will remain your servant until you cease to take breath. You have offered me the choice, and I took this one.”

“But you could…” Castan let his voice fall away, allowing everything they both knew Reghan could do to hang between them.

“You could have killed my son,” Reghan said softly.

Castan jerked back, his face twisting in disgust. “I would never kill an innocent child. Never.”

“I believe you to be as innocent as Aldred. You didn’t seek a war with the fey. That was all Banbha’s doing. You were like ants are to her. She crushed you for the pleasure of it, and you fought back. You, Castan, had the strength and the courage to stop the bloodshed. And now you’ll have the opportunity to put your kingdom back together again.”

“With you by my side.”

“Yes.”