What Have You Done?

Queen Victoria barely managed to set down her third—or was it her fifth?—cup of water on the table when the door to her chamber swung open. She didn't have to look up to know who it was. Queen Nirvana strolled in with her typical air of haughty indifference.

"Oh God, no," Victoria muttered under her breath, rubbing her temples in a futile attempt to ward off the headache that had been building for the past hour. 

The day had been relentless, with one visit after another from courtiers, advisers, and worried nobility, all seeking confirmation about the disturbing rumors swirling through the palace. Rumors that her would-have-been daughter-in-law, Islinda, was a Dark Fae. Now, her irritable co-wife was here to add fuel to the fire. She could barely stand it.

Nirvana took one look at Victoria's sour expression and raised an eyebrow. "You certainly look like shit," she commented without emotion. "You've aged ten years in just one."