“And why would we do that?” he asked as he wrapped his free hand around mine reassuringly. He hadn’t stopped touching me since I’d knelt as his feet and surrendered.
“Because we need the royal Caste members of the Fae at the Tree, so I can draw from them. They need to see her mortal body, and know that she died and has been reborn. The people will love her; she will become a beacon of hope. They will fight for her, Ryder, and your children will thrive if the world accepts them as her people will. While we have them in your hall, we will ask them to help us bless your children, and those who come with us to the Tree will share their powers with me and this world and help us to welcome your children. Synthia, Ryder was correct in his assumption that to get to him, those who wished to ascend to power would reach for you. You must show them that you’re stronger than they assumed. You’ll show them a united front, and unite them in the process. You’ve both underestimated the Mages; they have more bodies to throw at us than any of us even thought of.”
“Us?” I asked as I reached over the crib’s rail to touch my son’s cheek. He blinked sleepy blue eyes at me.
“I’m in this fight with you; this is my world, and I created it,” Danu said with fire in her eyes. “I may have made you the Goddess of Faery, but I am still bound to it, and if they want a fight, we will give them one.”
“So we show them Synthia’s corpse?” Ryder asked skeptically.
“Yes, you open the gates and call for sanctuary. You allow the other Castes to see and grieve for Synthia and the Blood King will call for blood, be assured of it. You’ll call for the final rites, and in doing so, you’ll have the Elite Guard come in to carry her away, but as they do, Synthia will follow them in to show her new status. Also, your people need to know she stands beside you, and that together you are united. They will also know that she will no longer feed from you, but you’ll feed from a Goddess, one who stands beside you and is yours alone. Your handmaidens and I will watch over the children while the preparations are made. Synthia will be prepared, and then we will proceed. You two need to ‘talk’ first, as I can see the beast pacing inside of you, Ryder. He’s anxious to get to his mate,” she said with a wicked gleam in her eyes.
“No,” I said as I turned to face Danu. “We won’t win them over that way. We let the babies win them over, and we don’t have to tell everyone exactly what happened. We can show them a united front and I can speak to my father so that he can see for himself what’s going on. I’m here, and very much alive. The rest of the Fae probably felt a shift in power, but they don’t know why. If we tell them what I am, we lose the advantage we have against the Mages. You’ve made it clear that I’m to be a secret weapon that the Mages won’t see coming, so we follow through with that. Lasair is a different matter though, and Madisyn as well. We need these people on our side to fight the Mages and I just don’t think a complicated ceremony will send the message we want. Danu, burn the body. We don’t need it and it’s probably better to get rid of it rather than having someone discovers it and starts some sort of stupid conspiracy theory that will tear these people apart with speculation. The Fae are already on edge, let’s not give them fuel to light a fire.”
“Synthia,” she said softly.
“These are going to be our people, and they don’t need a big elaborate show to get the point across. I’ve been studying my Fae history and politics with Dristan pretty well and I know that the presentation of newly born children for monarchs can be a call for sanctuary as well. I say we show them our little miracles, and then we ask them for their help. We win them over by being honest and being fair. I’ve seen how the Fae behave, and from what you have told me, I don’t think my role will be like any of the other Fae Heir, Queen or whatever you want to call it has experienced before, I want to be someone they love and trust. I want them to love my beast for the same reasons I do, because he’s brutally honest and he does the tough stuff, and not because he’s the strongest, but because it’s what’s right for his people. How long do you think it will take for those who are coming to help us raise enough support so we can bring them to the Tree and give you the power needed for the blessing?” I gave Danu and Ryder a worried look and sighed. “I just need my children blessed and accepted by this world, and then hopefully everything else will fall into place.”