Hackii's Arc

Chapter 5 of 7

Frostwhisper carried the lavender in its teeth and slipped past the border stones. The dark moon hung above the trees. Beyond the last trunks rose the court's castle, its spires black against the sky, its windows lit green and orange. Hackii clutched the pink fruit and ran to keep up. He had his gift. He had no name. Tonight he would finally stand before the queen he loved. The great doors opened for the summons. Inside, fae lined the hall in silence. They watched Hackii the way children watch a beetle. He was the fool, brought in to be examined. At the far end sat Titania Amberwilde. Silver hair fell past her shoulders. Blossoms crowned her head. Her amber eyes found him and did not blink. Hackii walked the long floor. His boots echoed. He knelt before the throne and lifted the fruit in both hands. The pink skin glowed. The purple center caught the light. A murmur ran through the court. This was the hollowfruit she prized, the fruit of youth from the hidden tree. "For you, my queen," Hackii said. "I crossed your wood to bring it." Titania leaned forward. Her gaze softened, just for a breath. She reached down and took the fruit from his hands. It fit in her palm like it had always belonged there. "Few reach the tree," she said. "Fewer still leave with the prize. You have done well, courier." Hope surged in Hackii's chest. She was looking at him. Truly looking. "Tell me your name," Titania said, "so I may know who has pleased me." Hackii opened his mouth. Nothing came. His name was gone, traded away in the wood. He reached for it and found only silence where it should have been. His face burned. The court began to laugh, low and cold, a sound like wind through dead leaves. At the edge of the throne, Frostwhisper stepped from the shadows. The lavender was gone from its teeth. Its blue eyes shone. "He has no name to give, my queen," the wolf said. "He gave it to me. I hold it now." Titania's smile changed. Her amber eyes turned sharp. She weighed the fruit in her hand and studied the nameless man at her feet. "A gift without a name is a riddle," she said. "How can I love what I cannot call?" Hackii's heart dropped. She kept the fruit. She set it beside her throne, admiring it, the way one keeps a pretty stone. But her interest in him cooled. She turned to Frostwhisper. "You hold his name," the queen said. "Then his name is a thing I want. Bring it to me, wolf, and name your price." Hackii stared. His gift had won the queen's eye. But the wolf held the one thing she now desired, and it was his own stolen name. To reach her heart, he had to win it back from Frostwhisper.