Strangers in Court is a novella written by Seanan McGuire. It is published in the tenth anniversary edition of Rosemary and Rue. It takes place September 1, 1992.
"Strangers in court do take her for the queen." —William Shakespeare, Henry IV part II
Author's Summary[]
Toby knew what she was doing when she threw her lot in with Devin, but when the time comes to get out, she has a little less of a clue. In order to win her freedom, she must do something to impress the local nobility - and the collapse of the Queen's knowe would seem to be exactly the opportunity she's been waiting for to prove herself! Set well before the events of Rosemary and Rue, this is a rare look at Toby's past as a changeling street rat, before she discovered her destiny as a Hero of the Realm.
Plot []
Toby contemplates a positive pregnancy test and what it means for both her relationship with Cliff and her future at Home. Julie urges her to hurry since Devin is expecting them, and encourages her to go through with her plan to break ties with Devin tonight and join Sylvester's household.
Toby recalls growing up in Amandine's shadow, feeling like a failure for being so weak-blooded. She recalls being sought out by Devin at a noble's ball and becoming one of his changeling kids. When Toby and Julie reach their subway stop, they find flocks of fae fleeing the street in terror. Julie goes to contact her uncle about the disturbance, and Toby finds a crater that used to be the Queen's knowe. She argues with Tybalt before jumping in.
She finds Evening Winterrose trapped in the rubble, having stayed behind to rescue her sister Dawn's memorial globe. Evening acknowledges the debt incurred by saving her life. Toby leads Evening out as the knowe completely caves in on itself. Evening wonders what happened to the Queen and why the knowe wasn't more firmly tied to her.
At Home, Devin tells Toby off for being reckless. She requests to break ties with Home and he makes her a deal: to leave, she must be publicly acknowledged by the pureblood fae.
Toby asks Sylvester for a Shadowed Hills token to gain her access to fae nobles. Next, she visits Goldengreen and asks to borrow Dawn's memorial globe, knowing it is in tune with the magic of the Queen's former knowe. Toby asks the globe to find a new knowe and follows it to a beach warded by a stretch of Coblynau-enchanted sidewalk. Toby is only able to see it because the crafter didn't think to ward it against changeling eyes. Stacy and Mitch help her break the wards and they discover an abandoned knowe.
The next day when the Queen puts out a call to find her a new home, Toby shares her discovery along with Evening's support. In exchange, the Queen grants her permission to train as a knight in Sylvester's household and be respected as such among the fae.
Characters[]
- October Daye
- Julie
- Devin
- Tybalt
- Evening Winterrose
- Sylvester Torquill
- Luna Torquill
- Rayseline Torquill
- Etienne
- Mitch Brown
- Stacy Brown
- Queen of the Mists
Mentioned only []
Locations[]
- Home
- Goldengreen
- Shadowed Hills
- Court of the Mists