"Morrigan!" Jack cawed.
"Oh, the same Morrigan who picked the Winter freaks over us?" one of the girls sneered. "I mean, Aspen's a bastard princess at best!"
"I'm not a princess!" Aspen roared as she shoved to her feet. "Have any of you heard me use that title? Have I claimed it? No! That's because it's not mine."
"Bastard love child," someone else said tauntingly.
I turned, ready to throw down, but Aspen just lifted her chin. "A bastard love childQueen," she said, and the air began to chill slightly. "I am no princess! I amthe Winter Queen,and I didn't ask for any of your permission. Myyoungerbrother has never had a claim tomythrone!Iwas picked to rule my season, and your opinion doesn't change that!"
"Queen!" Jack cawed into the stunned silence that followed. "Morrigan! Court! Knight!" Then he took off, flying around the room. "Court! Court, court, court, court, court, court!"
But when he came back our way, Aspen lifted her hand, and Jack accepted. Landing lightly, my crow looked right into her face and dipped his head. "Queen," he said softly.
"And that is all the proof any of you need," I told the class just as the teacher finally walked in. "Jack, like all true fae, cannot lie. If he respects her crown, then you should as well."
"What - " our teacher tried.
But I lifted a hand, proving I wasn't done. "Just be glad Aspen is a kind queen. She hasn't had a tantrum to kill dozens of faelings because of the taunting. She wouldn't destroy an entire season because she's had a bad day." And I reached out, offering my hand to Jack, who gently hopped from Aspen's wrist to mine. "None of that means she can't. The Winter Queen is just as strong as the Summer Queen. That is why we have a balance of seasons, so therecan'tbe a tyrant without opposition!"
And from behind the large desk at the front of the room, our teacher began clapping slowly. "Well said, Rain le Fae. The fae courts were designed to be equal, but not identical. When one is strong, the other can rest. This is why it's common for Winter users to have summer hobbies. But if you could all take your seats, we do have a quiz coming up."
The entire class did, but while they were getting settled, I leaned over toward Aspen. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah," she said, sounding like she really meant it. "Wait for me after class so I can - "
"Majesty?" the teacher asked, making both of us flinch.
"Just Aspen," she replied.
"Aspen, I would appreciate you not interrupting my class."
She ducked her head. I had to smother a giggle, but even better was the way the entire class reacted. People looked over with awe as if it was all finally sinking in. Maybe having me stand up for her didn't count because I was human? I could lie, after all. But our teacher couldn't, and would know if it was some strange fae ruse - never mind that I couldn't figure out how that would even be possible.
Surprisingly, Aspen somehow kept her attention on the notes she was taking. Equations were written. Shapes were drawn. I should've been doing the same, and yet I kept looking around subtly, checking how everyone else in the class was taking her little announcement.
Over in the far back corner, a pair of girls were smiling. Their ties had diagonal stripes like mine, which meant they were basically powerless. A guy in the front row kept ducking his head to look back with an almost wistful smile. I couldn't see his tie, but he was one of the smart ones in here.
Sadly, there were also the jesters. In truth, I wasn't sure if they'd been accepted by that group, but they sure acted like they belonged with those arrogant assholes. The two guys who'd called Aspen a half-breed were keeping their heads down. If they looked over at all, I couldn't tell from here.
But a girl behind Aspen kept making faces at the back of her head. Her friend, sitting on the far side, was struggling not to giggle. By the wall, a girl was drawing on her tablet and trying to hide it from the teacher. I couldn't be sure if that was a good thing or no big deal, but I made a mental note of it.
When the class was finally released, most of the students hurried out. One, a girl, paused like she wanted to say something to Aspen, but then chickened out and scurried through the door. I packed up my things slowly, not wanting to push my way out with Jack on my shoulder.
"Hey?" Aspen said. "Is it ok if I walk with you?"
"Won't you be late?" I asked.
She shrugged. "Not worried about that." And then she smiled.
That made me relax a bit, so when we reached the end of the row, I offered her my arm. She looped hers through it, turning to smile up at Jack on my shoulder.
"You make good backup, Jack."
"Morrigan," he grumbled.
"And you too Rain," she said next. "I didn't..." She paused as another smile broke through. "I didn't think I was going to do that."
"Are you happy because you did?" I asked, wondering if that was why she kept smiling. Well, hoping it was.
