How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories (The Folk of the Air, #3.5)

by Holly Black

ily jude duarte

Jude, Cardan thought, hating even the shape of her name. Jude.

JUUUDDDEEEEEEEEE

lmao interesting title

Come back with me to the Undersea,” Nicasia whispered against Cardan’s throat.

OHHH NAH DONT PISS ME OFF

She whispered to him about her childhood beneath the waves, about a foiled assassination that nearly ended her life,

now who fucked that up now i gotta deal w her smfh

He could not imagine being parted from her.

HAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

She laughed, delighted, and pressed her mouth to his. Cardan kissed her back,

just know that face contorted into utter disgust

Princess Nicasia would be his destiny, and her kingdom would be his.

stop making me laugh

“Now?” he asked, but she was already on her feet, wriggling out of her dress. Naked, Nicasia ran toward the waves, beckoning him.

isn’t this just skinny dipping bruh get outta my face

Nicasia pressed a finger to his lips and said a few words in the language of the Undersea, a language that sounded like whale song and the screeching of gulls.

i’m just imagining the worse ear piercing cacophony of dolphins, whales, and squawking seagulls

It felt like being trapped in a small room.

it’s a sign bro, drop her

Not even that mortal girl could leave a footprint here without it being instantly washed away.

you keep mentioning her don’t you 😏😏😏😏

Nicasia broke the surface a moment later, water flowing from the gills on the sides of her throat. “Are you all right?”

what do you think genius

And if, as he had floated in the cold darkness, his thoughts turned to the curve of an ear, the weight of a step, a blow that was checked before it could land, that didn’t matter. It meant nothing, and he should forget it.

🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨

There was absolutely no reason to think of Jude in that moment. She was utterly insignificant.

ONLY JUDE HUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

She put it in his hand.

omg wait don’t tell me it’s the alice in wonderland book

OMG

He looked down at a red book, embossed in gold. The title was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass.

interesting that vivi gave away jude and taryn’s childhood book tho

He wondered what he’d done that was worthy of being commemorated with a present.

ok i’m sad again

“Boys change,” she told him. “And so do stories.”

bars

But a moment later, another monster slunk in, this one larger and stronger than the first.

did this monster eat her

“But before he could strike, the two monsters went out the window, flying into the night.

well damn ig that’s their happily ever after

A heart of stone can still be broken.”

jude broke his stone heart 🥲

Balekin had encouraged Cardan to bring his friends to his latest revel.

genuinely i wish i could live in this world just going to revels instead of dealing w current life 🫥🫥

Much wine was poured.

of course.

There was a brief spate of declaiming erotic poetry.

yall freaked out

Powders were pressed on Cardan’s tongue, and he passed them to Nicasia with a kiss.

!?!?!

Across the room, he saw Locke sit down beside Nicasia on one of the low velvet couches, close enough that his thigh pressed against hers, and then turned to whisper in her ear.

end them cardan

A treewoman got up on a table to dance.

that’s… an image i’m imagining

“It’s too bad Balekin didn’t invite the Duarte girls,” said Valerian with a curled lip, his gaze on an ensorcelled human taking a silver platter of grapes and split-open pomegranates to the table.

why y’all so obsessed 😤😤😤

“Oh no, I rather like them,” Locke said. “Especially the one. Or is it the other?”

don’t irk me rn

He recalled the treewoman crashing through a table.

i would pay to see this

Cardan stood in the gardens, staring up at the stars.

i love looking at the stars

There he found Locke and Nicasia curled up on the rug before the dying fire. They were wrapped in the tapestry blanket from his bed. Her black silk gown had been discarded in a shining puddle, the cage she’d worn over it now tucked half underneath the bed. Locke’s white coat was spread across the wooden planks of the floor.

in HIS room?? ooooh yall are FUCKED up

Nicasia’s head rested on Locke’s bare chest. Fox-red hair stuck to his cheek with sweat.

y’all ARE DISGUSTING

Cardan had trusted Nicasia not to hurt him, which was ridiculous, since he well knew that everyone hurts one another and that the people you loved hurt you the most grievously.

now my heart hurts

But then Nicasia opened her eyes. And at the sight of Cardan, she sucked in her breath.

bitch

Launching himself at Locke, he bore him to the floor. They collapsed in a heap. Cardan punched, hitting Locke somewhere between the eye and the cheekbone.

now this is my shit keep going

Cardan punched him. This time, Locke swung back, catching Cardan on the side of the head. They rolled around, hitting each other, until Locke scuttled back and made it to his feet. He ran for the door, Cardan right behind.

locke you fucking coward

“You are both fools,” Nicasia shouted after them.

dice la puta

“Cardan, I hope your brother won’t be angry. I’m afraid I may have set one of the guests on fire.”

lmao what??

The faun sat up at the sight of them. “Get out,” she commanded, pointing at the door. With a single look at her face, the faun left, his hooves clacking on the stone floor.

wtf bro was there first YOU leave smh

“Forgive me.” She looked up, a little smile at the corners of her mouth. “I do care for you. I always shall.”

what is this fucked up dynamic going on here

He licked golden dust from collarbones and drank strong, grass-scented liquor from the belly button of a phooka.

…i am disturbed

“My prince?” The door’s wooden face was the picture of distress. “You’re not truly going out like that, are you?” “My door,” Cardan replied. “I most certainly am.” He promptly fell down the front steps.

lmao sure you are

At the stables, he began to laugh. He had to lie down in the hay he was laughing so hard. Tears leaked out of his eyes.

oh no he lost his sanity same

He ought to tell Nicasia she was no longer welcome on the land, that he, son of the High King, was disinviting her. And he was going to exile Locke. No, he was going to find someone to put a curse on Locke so that he vomited eels every time he spoke.

yeah you OUGHT to

he careened toward where all the other children of the Gentry demurely waited to get their lessons.

so cutesy so demure

He glanced over to see the Duarte girls.

aHehehehe

He was certain she wasn’t the one who’d spoken. He turned his gaze on Jude.

def not squealing like a pig rn