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His sentence had never been five years at all, but five fairy years: five hundred years in the land of shadow and ice
On that day when his heart turned to ice within his breast, on that day when a single tear froze upon his cheek, on that day when he was denied even the si, he came to find his prison a place of beauty
"My queen, the Unseelie king holds a mortal captive"
The Seelie queen's face re she found the ht and the Unseelie Court of Dark battled Long had the Unseelie king provoked her "Who is this mortal?" she asked coolly
"Aedan MacKinnon, son and heir of the Norse princess Saucy Mary and Findanus MacKinnon, from Dun Haakon on the Isle of Skye"
"Descendent of the Scottish king, Kenneth McAlpin," the queen reedy, his aim lofty, if he seeks to turn the seed of the McAlpin to his dark ways What bargain did he strike with this mortal?"
"He sent his current Hand of Vengeance into the world to bring death to the ly consented to spend five years in his kingdom, he would spare his kin"
"And the MacKinnon agreed?"
"The king concealed frorandseed of the McAlpin, I suspect the MacKinnon would have accepted the full term to protect his clan"
"What concession does the king ain between fairy and ain his freedoain
"At the end of his sentence, he will be granted one full cycle of the moon in the mortal world, at his home at Dun Haakon If, by the end of that time, he is loved and loves in return, he will be free If not, he serves as the king's new Hand of Vengeance until the king chooses to replace him, at which time he dies"
The queen h By such cruelfashioned his deadly, prized assassin—his beloved Vengeance—by capturing ahi him with special powers and arts
Since the Unseelie king was barred entrance to the hueance to carry out his orders, to hold no act too heinous Mortals dared not even whisper the icy assassin's name, lest they inadvertently draw his eance punished the s about the fairy were heard, Vengeance silenced theinative ways If the royal house was not as as carelessly as one ht sweep a chessboard