Chapter Text
Leila stepped from the car and swiped at her cranberry colored skirt to straighten it before turning toward the large, ornate staircase leading to the palace of the Spring Court. Queen Verdant's people had caught the human-holiday bug and had decided to throw a Valentine's Soiree. When she had learned that Leila's husband would be out of town, Queen Verdant had insisted Leila attend.
The footmen bowed to the queen of the Night Court and opened the large double doors. “Queen Leila, welcome.”
Leila nodded her thanks and followed the crowd into the ballroom and stopped, barely keeping her jaw from dropping. The entire room was decorated in gaudy pink crepe paper, fuschia heart-shaped mylar balloons, and large pastel cardboard hearts with sayings like “Be Mine” and “Call Me.”
The four-piece string quartet in the corner—also arrayed in pink—played strains of “That’s Amore.” Leila laughed quietly to herself.
Just then, Queen Verdant floated across the ballroom floor in a dress that would have been gorgeous if it had not been yet more pink. “Queen Leila! Welcome! I’m so glad you could come. You must be missing King Rigel on this love holiday.”
“Hello, Verdant. Thank you for inviting me. I am missing Rigel, but he’ll be back this weekend.”
“Don’t you adore the decorations? We were careful to use all human-made Valentine’s Day decor,” Verdant said, beaming.
“Your decorations make it very clear what holiday you’re celebrating. I am wondering, though, about the mistletoe hanging in the doorways,” Leila said, nodding toward the doorway leading to the balcony.
“Mistletoe is made for giving opportunities to kiss. Since this is the holiday of love, it seemed the perfect fit.”
“Oh, well, that’s … logical, I suppose.”
“I was surprised how very difficult it was to find, however. We had to order it fresh from Ireland . ”
Why? Mistletoe grows everywhere. I probably have some on my property right now! “You really went out of your way to make sure you got all the decorations you wanted, I see.”
“Of course! We wanted tonight to be special.”
Leila bit back her grimace. “It’s special, all right. I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”
“Oh, thank you. Now, come. You’re only the second monarch to arrive, but the Paragon is here. And I have to say, Aphrodite has never fit in quite so perfectly.”
Leila followed her hostess across the ballroom glancing at the buffet tables laden with heart-shaped cookies, pink-frosted cupcakes, plates of oversized conversation hearts, champagne flutes of some bubbly pink beverage, and whole bouquets of heart-shaped lollipops.
“Queen Leila, what a fascinating holiday this is! I have never seen Aphrodite quite so engaged,” the Paragon said, ambling up to her in his pastel pink robes, apparently ordered specially for the occasion, and a matching baby sling filled with a pink hairless cat.
The sphynx cat was dressed up in some kind of white toga with a tiny felt quiver filled with a tiny bow and heart-tipped arrows strapped to her back. That aside, the cat did not appear especially changed by the holiday.
As she watched the antics, Leila noticed the other monarch who had apparently arrived before she had. King Fell of the Autumn Court came sauntering up, oddly dressed very similarly to the cat in a white toga, bow, and arrows. “This is an absolutely ridiculous human holiday,” he sneered at her. “I have no idea how humans tolerate it.”
“And yet you were the first to arrive, and you’ve even dressed for the occasion. I think you might be a secret softie!” Leila laughed.
Suddenly from behind her, Leila heard Lord Linus’ voice. “King Fell! What a cute couples costume you and Aphrodite have pulled together.”
The Autumn Court monarch glanced at the costumed cat with a look of such disgust you’d have thought that he was looking at a trash griffin’s mess instead of the Paragon’s beloved pet.
“What a delightful coincidence!” The Paragon chirped. “We really must get some pictures for the occasion. I’d love to show my bestie.”
If possible, Fell’s face twisted into an even deeper expression of disdain as the Paragon pulled out a cell phone and posed himself and Aphrodite next to Fell and snapped a selfie.
“Oh, Verdant, the game tables are so diverting,” the Paragon said, “although I had hoped you would include this game of spin the bottle I have read about. It seems like good fun.”
Inwardly Leila shuddered at the thought of this group playing the hormone-fueled adolescent game.
“What game is this?” Fell asked, sounding half curious and half suspicious.
“Alas,” Linus responded dramatically. “That game is one best left to the young. And to the unmarried, one of which my darling daughter is not.” Leila couldn’t quite put a finger on how, but it seemed like there was an edge of warning somewhere in his voice. “Perhaps we ought to play a game of dice instead?” the fae lord suggested. “Something with stakes?”
“Stakes could make something here interesting. What did you have in mind?” Fell asked, his own face taking on that weasley aspect that it seemed to when he scented a possibility to put himself on top or push someone else down.
“Loser stands under the mistletoe until kissed or the end of the night?” The older fae suggested.
Fell seemed reluctant, but Linus was nothing if not charming. Thus, it was very nearly no time before the Autumn Court monarch was trapped underneath the designated plant, and Leila was not taking bets on how long he would be stuck there.
When Verdant wandered off to greet more of her guests, Leila caught sight of the Day King crossing the room. “Solis!” Leila said, genuinely happy to see her friend. “I’m glad you came.”
“Hello, Leila. It is a pleasure to see you,” the older monarch said with a smile. “I know you generally avoid the refreshments, but have you perused the games on offer? I think you might enjoy the archery range out back. They’re using all heart-tipped arrows. They’ve had an enchantment placed on them to counteract the extra weight at the tip.”
“Are they pink, by any chance?” Leila asked dryly.
Solis laughed. “As a matter of fact, they are.”
“Maybe I’ll try it anyway.”
Solis smiled indulgently. “Where is King Rigel this evening?”
“He and Chase went out of town for a security conference.” She shrugged. “February 14 is just a holiday the card companies made up to make money. My faebae loves me every day. I don’t need a special calendar date to prove it.”
Leila’s attention was drawn back to Fell as Linus offered to consider a kiss to Aphrodite enough to release the monarch from the results of his loss. She swept her eyes over the room and enjoyed the sight of Birch and Flora lost in each other’s gazes as they danced to a rather cheesy rendition of “Only You.” Even if this night was… well, very nearly a disaster, it had its entertainments.