“I sought them out, yes” I say slowly, “but only to gather information that might help me better ally with you. I wish for us to build a true friendship while I’m here.” I make a point not to wink or smile, trying to convey my seriousness at the situation. Something tells me flirting will not get me through this meeting, and I abandon my plan to seduce her, at least for today. She laughs, cold and unfeeling. Without warning, my lungs collapse, and I try to bring my hands to my throat, but some unseeable force pins them to my sides. The Queen’s eyes are bright with malice as I stand there suffocating.

“I don’t believe for one second that Velmara and King Mazus desire true friendship through this arrangement,” she spits out. Breath returns to my lungs, and I gasp, my body slumping. Her feline companion stalks around me again, eyes aglow in the dark and hazy room. My palms sweat, and I feel the Queen’s power pulsing in the thick mist around me. One wrong move, and she’ll unleash its fury.

Taking a deep breath, I make a rash and impulsive decision. “I didn’t say that Velmara or King Mazus desired true friendship. I said that I do.” It’s a risk to speak this plainly. Queen Laurel could easily tell my father of this conversation. The information could help her negotiate even better trade terms or could get her out of this entire arrangement. But if I’m going to get any information out of her about blood magic and what my father might be planning with the missing thayar, I need her to see me as an ally.

Her eyes widen for just a moment, but she recovers quickly. “And how would a true friendship with you benefit me, Prince? You’re the irresponsible prince of a kingdom an ocean away, the son of my greatest enemy, who could rule for another thousand years. From everything I’ve heard, your father has cast you aside with this arrangement, and you’re unfit to rule. Even when I gave you access to the inner workings of my government, you scoffed at being asked to put in real work and complained that you had not instead been lavished with attention from the Queen.”

Her words sting, too close to my own insecurities, and yet so disconnected from who I want to be. Frustration rises in response. The light in the room brightens with my magic, and I can feel every droplet of water that creates the hazy fog in the room. It’s time to show her I am not some powerless prince she can order around as she pleases. She may be more powerful than me, but only just.