Page 247 of Fallen Nocturne

It takes weeks of negotiation before the council finally agrees.

I’ll retain the title of queen, but it will be largely honorary. I’ll be there for major decisions and crises, or whenever they truly need me.

But the daily governance? That’s for the council and for the people. They decide their future and choose their path without needing a queen to tell them what to do.

I look across the council chamber at the young Aldarelf they chose to lead them. He cannot be much older than I was when the crown first became mine. His ceremonial robes seem too heavy for his narrow shoulders, and nervousness shows in the way his fingers tighten around the documents before him.

He looks too young.

The thought makes me understand why so many people once looked at me and decided I could not possibly rule. They saw my age and uncertainty before they saw anything else. Perhaps they were not entirely wrong to worry, but I learned because I had no other choice.

He does have a choice.

The young leader stepped forward because he wants to serve Aelfheim, and the people chose him because they believe he can. That matters more than his age.

When our eyes meet, I give him a small nod. He straightens beneath the weight of his robes and returns it.

I believe in him.

I know it’s not perfect. But it’s better and fairer. It also means I can leave and build a life somewhere else. I can finally do what I’ve always wanted.

The cottage sits on the border of Astefar near Feywildra.

It’s small and simple. There are only two main rooms, a kitchen and a bedroom. A workspace is built onto one side, while the front of the cottage opens into the part that matters most.

A bakery.

My bakery.

I stand in the kitchen now, looking at the oven Svenn built for me. He also made shelves along every wall, sturdy enough to hold sacks of flour, jars of sugar, and all the other ingredients I insisted I would need.

My dream after everything. I’m going to make bread.

“Do you have everything you need?” Svenn asks from the doorway.

“Yes.” I begin pointing across the kitchen. “Flour, yeast, salt, honey, goat butter, dried lavender, candied ginger, crushed hazelnuts, and the jar of pickled strawberries Aelfric sent.”

Svenn’s expression changes slightly. “You intend to put all of those into one loaf?”

“Not all of them.” I pause. “I haven’t decided whether the hazelnuts belong inside the bread or on top.”

“Your recipe is indeed... unique,” he says gently.

I could have opened my bakery anywhere. In Völundr, perhaps, or in the capital where the streets are busy and customers pass every hour. I could have chosen somewhere safer. Somewhere with cobblestones, foot traffic, and customers who don’t have scales or six legs. Somewhere ordinary.

Instead, I chose Astefar.

The curse has been lifted and the seal is broken. For the first time in centuries, the forest is open. The beings imprisoned within its borders are free to leave, and the rest of the world is eager to enter.

Some come with good intentions. Scholars want to study the magic hidden beneath the trees. Healers search for plants and ingredients that grow nowhere else, while adventurers arrive hoping to test themselves against the forest.

Others come for greed. Poachers want to capture rare creatures and sell them. Nobles seek bargains, and desperate people hope Astefar will grant them power and wealth.

That is why my bakery stands near the border. Almost everyone traveling toward Astefar passes this road, and most stop here for supplies.

I warn them. I explain that bargains made in Astefar always have consequences. I advise them to turn around. If they ignore me and enter anyway, then they have made their choice. Whatever finds them first is welcome to its free meal.

Living this far from Völundr should feel lonely, but it rarely does. My friends visit often enough that Svenn said the cottage requires a guest ledger. Aelfric arrives whenever he can escape his duties, usually carrying some new ingredient. He insists I should never put the berries from Astefar into the bread. Blaire comes with gifts from the capital and stays long enough to complain about Vayne.