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After the mess of a wedding weekend in Astrazalian, I was finally back in Cornucoochia, sitting on my bed, and thinking about what huge mess we were in.
Our queen was dead, and she had been dead for six months. I should’ve known something was up, but it didn’t sink in until Oberon made some things clear to me.
I slumped down on my bed. I didn’t want to get up and deal with the shit that had to be done with sorting out the fallout of the weekend.
All I wanted was to be with June. I had just told her I loved her, in front of a bunch of fae royalty. Somehow, it didn’t blow up in my face, and I’m set to be engaged to her after Autumn’s issues are sorted out.
After some grumbling I got out of bed, got dressed, and strapped on my empty scabbard. Even though I didn’t carry a sword on my person anymore, I still kept the scabbard on. There wasn’t any real reason, I just like the air of mystery it presented.
On my bedside table, I noticed the odd key I had gotten in the dungeon the night the imposter queen was killed. I hadn’t paid much mind to it, but today was different.
I grabbed the key off of my bedside table, and I felt a curious magical thrum from within it. I couldn’t really explain it, but it seemed to resonate with the eldritch power I sometimes called upon.
On a whim, I turned the key in the air, and to my amazement, over the next minute, an ancient looking mossy, wooden, vine covered door appeared in front of me.
Going against what my mind told me, the door gave off a strangely welcoming aura. Apprehensively, I pushed open the door. I wasn’t sure what to expect beyond the threshold, but seeing Oberon, wearing an apron, grilling a very large piece of meat wasn’t it.
I saw Oberon smile as I walked in the room. I was more confused than anything, but Oberon spoke to me, “Ah, Roven! I’m glad you used the key. The key was designed to take the user to a hidden library, but I pulled some strings, and now it’ll take you here!”
I must’ve still looked confused, because Oberon elaborated, “You see sport, these are some my private quarters, but you might call them a ‘man cave’”
I took a few seconds to look around the room. It was a small space, but it didn’t feel cramped. There were plenty of shelves filled with ancient tomes and scrolls, as well as quite a few trinkets and things the Unseelie king must’ve acquired throughout his travels. Things like a dragon skull, and a shelf of swirling crystal balls caught my eye.
At the back of the room, Oberon was tending to a huge steak of some meat I couldn’t recognize over a fireplace carved into the wall. The king offered me a mug of cold ale, which I took eagerly.
He waited for me to finish my drink while he tended the steak. When the meat was finished cooking, Oberon offered me a plate.
He told me it was mammoth steak, and it was one of the tastiest cuts of meat I’d ever had.
When I had finished my meal and my drink, Oberon explained some things about the room to me, “See, Roven, this place is where I keep a large stash of a bunch of things” I could tell he was excited about this place, so I waited for him to continue.
“So, anytime you need to try and see if you can find any information, you can come here and research here! There’ll always be good food to eat, and cold drinks to enjoy.”
I couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm, and I thanked him, “Thank you, Lord Oberon, I’ll do my best to make good use of this place.”
Oberon seemed very happy to be able to share this place with somebody, and that made me smile.
I was caught up looking around again, when another question jolted me back, “So, uh, Roven, I hear that you have a girlfriend now,” The king was almost stumbling through his words, but he persisted, “Why don’t you tell me about her.”
I was taken aback by the request, but I never got to gush about June to anybody, so I had to take my chances where I could.
I tried to not make a big fool of myself, but I couldn’t help it. Through stammered, rambling praise, I told Oberon about June, “Well, she’s the princess of the Summer Court, and she’s next in line to be their queen, which would make me king, but I haven’t really thought about that,” I took a breath before continuing, “and she’s beautiful, and can beat me up in a fight, and had to see each other in secret because she was engaged to the prince of the Court I serve”
I didn’t mean for that last bit to come out, but Oberon didn’t seem upset with it. Instead, he urged me to continue.
Shaking my head to clear my mind, I kept talking, “I never expected what we had to ever get past a secret romance, and the fact that I get to be with her makes me the luckiest eladrin in the world.”
It felt good to get all of that out there, and when Oberon patted me on the back, I knew everything with him was going to be alright.
I bid my goodbye to my liege after getting his congratulations on my relationship. My morning with Oberon gave me a pep to my step I hadn’t felt in days, and knowing the life that was waiting for me on the other side of the Autumn Court’s issues made the mess worth cleaning up.