Chapter Text
One morning at the palace, after Grace had been married a few months, the elven tutor finished reciting the homework both cursebreakers should do before the next geometry class and dismissed his pupils.
As Quinn gathered her parchments and pen, she said, “Grace, do you have to run off right now or can you stay for lunch?”
Grace stood and stretched her back, attempting to relieve the knotted muscles that protested having stayed in the same place all morning. “I have work to do, but I’d be happy to procrastinate for a bit. Why?”
“Well, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about, but there hasn’t been a great time for it.” Quinn led the way out of the classroom toward the Queen’s apartments.
“Is something wrong?”
“No. I just wanted to warn you.”
“Warn me?!”
Quinn shook her head, chuckling. “Relax. It’s nothing bad.” Entering the Queen’s private dining room, Quinn gestured to the chairs. “Come sit down.”
“Is King Emerys coming?”
“No, he’s in the war room with his generals. They’ll be forever, I’m sure. I do have dinner with him every night. Then I go to bed, and he goes back to work. I got elf magic when we married, but somehow he still needs less sleep than I do.” She shrugged.
Grace sank into the padded white-wood chair and asked, “What do you want to warn me about?”
Before the queen could speak, an elven servant girl set plates laden with mouth-watering delicacies before each woman. Quinn smiled. “Thank you.”
After the servant had left the room, Grace stared at her friend. “Tell me before I come apart at the seams, Quinn!”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you waiting. Has Jhearithe told you about the custom of abducting the bride?”
Grace’s face must have reflected her horror because Quinn hurried on. “No, no. Not a real abduction, Grace. In fact, the boys may not do it at all because of your bad experience. But in case they do, I wanted you to be prepared. It’s all a joke that they play on the groom.”
“What boys?”
“From what I understand, the generals and Emerys have this tradition where they abduct the bride-to-be of whichever one of them is getting married. The groom then has to do something to get her back—pay a ransom of some kind.”
“Money?”
“No. Usually it’s making the groom do something to make himself ridiculous. And apparently, this is a tradition that has been going on far longer than these five have been around to do it. Ylyndar’s compatriots apparently did it to each other as well.”
Grace swallowed a bite of roasted carrots before asking, “Did they do this to you?”
“Oh, yes. But no one told me it would happen, so I was not prepared. Reidan and Tanearan came and asked me to come with them. They said they were playing a joke on Emerys, so of course, I agreed.”
“Where did you go?”
“They took me to the highest tower in the palace so that I could watch everything from there. They told me that they were going to tell Emerys that he had to find me. He could do it on his own or he could earn clues.” Quinn’s eyes danced at the memory. “I have to say it was hysterical.”
“How could he earn clues?”
“He had to shapeshift into one of the creatures he had become when we first met. For each creature he changed into, he got another clue. Yneari told me what the clues were, and they were technically true, but laughably misleading.”
“Did he turn into the different animals?”
“Every one. Of course, he tried to find me first, before he shapeshifted at all, but he was unsuccessful. Then he turned into a mouse to get his first clue. Second was a crow. Third was a wolf pup. He got all three clues and the generals had him chasing his tail all afternoon. And yes, I absolutely intended the pun.”
Grace took a bite of the roasted fowl and thought for a moment. “You think they’ll do this to me?”
“Perhaps not because of your experience with real abduction, but I can’t imagine that Tanearan and Emerys would let Yneari out of it. They'll just find a way to make a fool of Yneari without frightening you.”
“Well, Yneari and I are technically not a bride and groom. We’re just doing the celebration, so I don’t think the same rules apply.”
Quinn did not look convinced. “Perhaps not. But be prepared.”