“Facts,” I said aloud and let out a long, shaky breath. “Think about the facts.” I bit the inside of my cheek. My eyelids were still heavy. “I am in Berovia,” I whispered to myself. “I’m not dead...”
Yet, the voice inside my head replied.
I breathed deeply and clenched my trembling hands into fists. “A light fae is helping you. A pixie lives here,” I whispered, trying to say anything to distract myself from my building stomachache. “You are still a princess.” I walked slowly, each step feeling lighter than the last. “Everything is going to be okay. They didn’t die for nothing. You’ve been here for four days, and you’re not dead.”
My teeth chattered. I pressed against the sides of my head with my palms.
“Stop.” I swallowed repeatedly, unable to dislodge the mucus at the back of my throat.
I imagined taking one of Morgana’s pills. I recalled the rush of serenity they offered, the floating sensation that dulled over time.
I focused on the blackness behind closed eyes. I let nothingness fill my head, pulling away from flitting fears in my mind. It took several minutes, but my anxiety faded. I sat on the sofa cushions. They hugged my aching body with their fur. I shook my foot, tapping it against the rug splayed out on the wood floor.
I breathed slowly, picturing the mountains, then snowflakes drifting down onto the trees at their base. Beyond them was Niferum, a kingdom filled with glamour, enchantments, crystal lakes, and terrifying villages inhabited by feral fae.
Then there was the pointed black castle. Inside it lived Blaise, my future. Despite my personal feelings about him, he was the key. Together we could unite our two kingdoms. I had to make it home.
I exhaled a long, shaky breath and opened my eyes. My stare shifted up to the shelves. On the top shelf, next to the bay window, a photograph reflected yellow light. A woman with long golden hair and bright eyes smiled. Cedric’s arm was draped around her. The frame looked expensive; silver and purple swirls entwined around each other, forming the body of it. Based on its allure and prime location, I deduced it had to be someone important to him. Regardless, they were both gorgeous. The beauty of fae was astonishing. I wasn’t surprised that, apart from the odd exception, fae didn’t mate outside of their own. I hadn’t spent much time looking around Cedric’s house. The previous days had been filled with rest. Exhaustion had kept me down, but I was rested now.
I did wonder why I didn’t see more fae walking the streets. I had only seen solises, aside from Cedric. I was sure there were others around, but they were a minority. The looks Cedric got were disapproving at best when we had walked together. They were fast flashes of annoyance but transparent to anyone truly paying attention.
Maybe their kingdom wasn’t so different than Magaelor, contrary to what I had thought. Except, lunas were much more honest than anyone here. At least, in Magaelor we didn’t feign being nice, like that girl at the beach had been for no reason.
I missed home. It seemed people hid behind disguises here, and I didn’t know how to act if I couldn’t see people’s true feelings. How could I manipulate wooden puppets with no personality? Well, I guessed Cedric was an exception. I could see right through him; he was excitable, clearly reckless, and liked having a good time. That much was apparent.
The pixie, whom Cedric had named Buttercup, stretched out her little arms and yawned. She had fallen asleep on a rug in front of the fireplace.
The fire crackled and hissed as it withered to embers between charcoaled logs. Sun rays peeked through the net curtains on the windows, paling the shadows on the walls into morning.
I stood, then walked to the largest glass pane. Wool from the rug warmed my bare feet. The sun’s rays felt good on my skin. I cracked my neck and rolled my head around to alleviate the pain in my shoulders. My stomach grumbled loudly, pulling my attention to the emptiness in the pit of my belly. I dragged myself away from the heat and over to the table. I grabbed an apple, and my mouth salivated, begging for something to sedate the gnawing pain.
“I can make you something if you want.”
I jumped back a whole foot, then placed my hand against my chest when I saw Cedric’s smirk. He raised his light eyebrows.
I flashed him a hard look. “You scared me.”
He grinned. His eyes flicked up to Buttercup. “Did you sleep well, little one?”
She squeaked and flew toward him. He rubbed her head, which was covered with sprouts of white hair. I rolled my eyes and took a seat at the table. I ran my fingers along the grooves in the wood. All the furniture looked like it was shaped straight from large tree trunks. I could see the age lines and knots imprinted deep into the table, from where the branches had met the trunks.
“Berries and toast?”
“Again?”
He chuckled. “Okay, something else.”
“Hmm.” I looked up and blinked twice. I was slow this morning. “Thank you.”
He beamed a soft-dimpled smile. His thin wings were hidden away. They could fold them against their backs, although most fae enjoyed showing them off as much as possible. Jasper had. He was like a peacock, always in competition with the other fae, on the rare occasion that more than two came to court.
“You look better rested.”
“Thank you for being patient while I slept so much, only coming out for food.”
He chuckled. “Yes, well, you were exhausted. Although, I wonder why you haven’t tried to go home yet. I figured it best not to ask.”
“Yet you did,” I stated.
He rolled his eyes. “Forget I said anything. It’s nice to have the company, even if it is a mystery girl with a snarky attitude.”
I rubbed the side of my neck. “Sorry if I’ve been grumpy.”
“I’m joking. Like I said, I like the company and I said I’d take care of you.”
“You never did tell me who you promised that you’d take care of me. The people who saved me.”
“Saved you from what?”
I gulped. “I fell in the sea,” I said earnestly, without detailing the where.
“Ah.” He tugged at his collar. He was dressed head to toe in typical light fae fashion; I’d seen enough in the papers Morgana would obtain. I never had put much thought to where she got most of her items. They weren’t from the local market, that was for sure. They wore clothes inspired by nature, instead of the gothic attire of the dark fae, but all fae shared the same eccentric tastes to go overboard with their clothing choices. His shirt was made from leaves that had been dipped in a substance to stop them from decaying. Twigs weaved in and out of the net beneath the leaves. They shimmered from fairy dust, traces of magic left behind when the fae used a spell. His hair, unkempt and short, hung around his pointed ears. A metal crown of golden leaves was nestled in it. Everything about him shined like the sun, tempting me to touch, but I didn’t want to get burned. Not like the last time.
His smile was contagious, and when he flashed those pearly whites, I couldn’t help but smile back.
“I’ll make some breakfast then. Do you want cream?”
“Um....” I hesitated. “I guess.”
He looked at me incredulously. “You guess? It’s the best thing in the world!”
I’m sure he was exaggerating, but nevertheless, I encouraged him. “I have no choice but to have it then.”