She pointed, and my lip curled. I lowered my chin, glared and stepped in her direction. I didn’t have to kill her, I supposed, but I could absolutely throat punch her. As her smile vanished and she realized I was about to attack, she stepped back, and I caught something out of the corner of my eye that distracted me. Rather than hitting her, I stormed past her and kept walking until I was away from the crowd. I followed the trimmed lawn around the castle turret. Just as I thought I’d lost him, the human stepped out from a shadow along the castle wall.
“Here,” he said, handing me a cloth. “For your dress, my lady.”
I opened my mouth, but struggled to find the right words, so shut it. I accepted the cloth and began to pat my stained gown. “Why would you help me?”
He simply stared at me and didn’t answer.
“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, I guess.” I shrugged and handed the cloth back to him. “Thank you.”
He continued to stare, and his eyes shifted back and forth between me and the area behind me. He was so paranoid it began to make me feel like I was being watched. I could understand why he hesitated. Why should he trust me? I turned to go but he stopped me.
“I-I’ve been stuck in this place for a long time now.” He backed up against the wall and looked to the ground. “So long, I’ve lost track of the days. I’ve seen terrible, terrible things. But you are the first person to even acknowledge my existence.” He looked up to my face again. “No one even looks at me. I’m told where to go and what to do, and occasionally allowed to rest at night or eat, but that’s it. Why do you look at me when no one else will? Do you know what it feels like to be surrounded by thousands of you . . . people and begin to think you’re invisible because they want you to think you are so far below them you don’t even really exist anymore?”
I shook my head. “I don’t, but I’m so sorry. There is nothing I can do to help you.”
“I have a family, you know. Back home. I went out one night and woke here the next morning. I’m not even sure how it happened, or why.” He looked at me, begging for an answer.
“I can’t answer that, either, I’m afraid. Humans are so rare in Alewyn. Who brought you here?”
“I don’t know.” His voice was barely above a whisper. He looked behind me and I turned, seeing nothing in the open grass aside from the battlements in the distance. “There are days when I wake up and I can’t remember anything from the day before. They take my memories.”
“Listen, there are a few things you should know about the fae. It’s not the same here as it is in your world. You must never, ever make a bargain with anyone. No matter what the prize, the price is never worth it. Don’t drink the wine, and never wander off alone.”
He looked in every direction but my own. I could tell he still wasn’t sure if he should trust me. Hell, I wasn’t sure if he should trust me.
“The thing about the iron that we tell humans, it’s not true. We can touch iron all day long, so don’t get any bright ideas and risk your life for it. It won’t help you. Oh, and we absolutely can lie to you. In fact, lying is a sport around here. The royals can and will continue to change your memories, so never trust what you think you remember.”
He scoffed. “This is the first conversation I’ve had in over three years, probably longer. I’m never given the chance.” He looked behind me again. Then he stepped closer and whispered, “You need to be careful. I think someone is watching you.” Then he turned and jogged back into the castle. Leaving me there, jaw to the ground, wondering where to even start breaking down that threat.
Humans are odd. And slightly creepy.
Reluctantly, I returned to the banquet. I was on edge as I pulled out the last open seat at the very end of the table and slid into it. My eyes darted side to side and I bounced my knee as I fidgeted with the deer-horned silverware. Pretty sure the human had shared his paranoia with me. Great. It was expected to hear prophecies of doom and death from seers of fae, probably not so much from a human male.
I could feel my mind racing, so I did the only thing I could think of to calm myself. I took in slow, deep breaths of air and willed my body to relax. I shut out the crowd and imagined I was the only one there. The tension slipped out of my shoulders and slowly down my back until I fully released it. I slid my fingertips to the knife at my thigh and remembered that I was anything but weak and helpless. I opened my eyes, renewed.
The air was filled with the tinkling of glasses and soft murmuring of the faerie crowd. At least we were outside, where the voices drifted away in the breeze and no one was shouting over the echoes in the great hall. The castle gardens surrounded us. A thousand different types of flowers swayed in the soft breeze, and even during the gathering, the gnomes still worked the grounds. The intoxicating aroma of all the different blossoms was so perfectly blended into the warm air, if I were alone, I would have laid in the balmy sun and taken a nap. Closing my eyes again, I took one more deep breath and savored the fantasy.
Beyond the gardens, the castle was encompassed in marsh. They were the reason it was named the Marsh Court. The marshes of faerie could swallow you whole before you could scream for help. A tactical advantage, my father said.
Way at the other end of the table, I could see the guards that lined the perimeter. That’s where the royalty was seated. I couldn’t tell you which royals, though. Prince Fancy Pants, for sure, and likely King Coro. That left Autus and Morwena in limbo. I hadn’t noticed any sea fae, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t lurking about.
A hush rolled down the table and made its way to me before the fanfare began. A simple trumpet played from the closest turret by a lesser fae so small, I couldn’t even see him behind the instrument. When the song reached its end, my king’s voice filled my ears. A charm had amplified his words, because, although he spoke in a calm and quiet tone, I could hear him all the way back in the nosebleed section. “From the merfolk of the sea to the fauns of the northern wind, welcome to the seat of the Marsh Court. Enjoy the revelry and merriment. Come, let us toast to a day so beautiful as this.”
Everyone, including myself, lifted their glasses into the air and drank. After a small sip, I placed my glass back down on the table. Lines of lesser fae poured out of the castle carrying our meal. Some winged, some on foot, but I noticed they all kept their heads tilted down as they split into two and surrounded the enormous table. As one, they lifted the domed lids and placed the silver trays onto the table. They spun and skipped away before most of the guests probably even realized they were there. It was a beautifully executed dance that few took the time to enjoy.
Before me lay a banquet of frivolity and happiness. There was nothing in the world like faerie food. As I plucked a juicy red berry from a lengthy vine and popped it into my mouth, I closed my eyes and thanked the Gods of Alewyn for getting at least one thing right in this broken world. I had filled my plate with meats of the wild stag and pieces of bread smothered in honeysuckle jam before I even finished swallowing my delicious berry. Audience be damned, I had come here to eat, and I was eating. I took a bite of the roasted boar and reached again to put more fruit onto my plate. The fatty juice from the salted meat slipped down my chin, so I wiped it away with the back of my hand. I finally paused and considered how ridiculous I must have looked, but no one seemed to notice. In fact, most of the fae beside me were just as lost in their dishes as I was.