Lina: Twisted Fairy Tales Book Two

3: Savior Of The Fae Realm

The Fae King hissed.

“My Lady, that word is disrespectful!” gasped my Maid and Jailer, ‘Spice’, while holding a hand to her mouth. I filed it away as something to use to annoy the Fae around me later. The King threw up a hand to silence her.

“Never use that term here.” He snarled, his face a mask of anger that quite honestly terrified me. I would take a step back, if I weren’t already propping myself up on a bed.. So maybe not use that word to irritate those around me after all. He takes a deep breath and runs a hand through his hair. “You will be Queen of the Faery Realm. My partner, my other half. What did you think that I meant when I kept speaking of this all this time?” His voice has gentled, and I can tell he’s making an effort to be calm and collected, an almost pleading tone to his voice.

“That you were insane.” I muttered under my breath. It was nearly an unconscious answer, and elicited another harsh gasp from my spicy jailer. But the Fae King confused me by tossing his head back and laughing. I jerked slightly and looked up at him from under my brows.

“There is truth enough in that statement. Now,” He clapped, “get dressed. I wish to show off the future Queen to her people!” With a jaunty grin, he tossed the door open and swept out. I stared open-mouthed after him for a few minutes.

“What the Hells..” Slipped out of me

“Madness runs in this Kingdom.” My Spicy jailer murmured quietly. There was a note of sadness and longing in her voice as she pricked the cloth in her hands with the needle uselessly. “The magic of the King’s line is dying. There have been no children in his line in Centuries. No heirs to continue on bearing the magic. Their blood is considered..tainted.” She finally looked up at me after spending the time speaking to her lap. “And then he saw the visions of you, and how.. If you came to be here, adding your blood, your magic, to the line, the Realm would recover. Would be restored. And we had hope again. But all things come with a cost, do they not? And the price has been steep.” She stood, placed her sewing on the chair behind her and then approached the wardrobe while smoothing her gown. “Now, let’s get you dressed.” She chirped happily as if none of what she’d said had come before.

Was everybody here insane?

Red. Why did it have to be flaming red? I fidgeted uncomfortably as the Fae King paraded me through the fancy gardens in a gown that was much too elaborate for a simple stroll. It kept catching on things. The light breeze blew the frilly layers around until they caught on thorns and sticks and pointed leaves. And the color! My mother may be okay with a red cloak, but this color against my skin.. I shuddered. Why had they chosen it? Everything about me was brown.

Dark brown hair, wavy to curly depending on the day. Sadly, I inherited my father’s unruly tendencies. It just didn’t want to stay in any particular style. Skin almost perpetually brown.. I called it chestnut brown, but my mother had a kinder way, telling me I had skin the color of rich maple sweets and she wanted to eat me all up. It was cute when I was a kid. I snorted to myself, causing the Fae King to eye me curiously. Even my eye color was brown. The green splash around my outer iris was invisible unless you got close enough.

Even my father’s pallor hadn’t affected me much. I seemed to take after my mother almost exclusively. Unlike my siblings, all of whom were definitely affected by his coloring. I snorted again, this time earning myself a stern look from the Fae King. But I ignored him, thinking of my sister, who had been born so ivory colored she’d looked yellow. The midwife who’d delivered her had even said she had the liver disease that killed infants and declared there was no saving her, that she would die. My father, being a Shifter, insisted to my mother that there was nothing wrong with the baby and called in the Centaur Healers. They too could smell no illness, and after that, Papa refused to allow anyone but the Healers or someone trained by them to touch any of us.

Another unladylike snort escaped me, and this time, the Fae King turned aside, pulling me away from everyone else strolling the gardens into a private area created by a divide in the shrubs and an arching trellis with flowering vines hiding a small bench.

“If you cannot comport yourself in a manner befitting your station, there will be no more of these outings to be had.” He hissed, backing me into the hedge wall behind the bench. It stuck me with trimmed limbs and sharp leaf edges, snagging my gown and making me grimace.

“In a manner more befitting my station? You mean prisoner? Or did you mean slave? Because I think I’ve been pretty damn well behaved for either, honestly.” I crossed my arms, glaring back at him as he took up my space, then examined my nails as if it didn’t bother me. Damn, why did he have to smell so good?

His eyes bugged out, I could see it from the corner of my eye. I wondered briefly if I’d pushed him too far, then realized I didn’t care. I tugged on the threads that held my form together to see how much control I had over the Shift. Then he startled me with a laugh, loud and hard. It was enough to make me look at him again. When he finished, he gripped my face between his palms and kissed me soundly on the lips. A sweet scent and flavor overwhelmed me, and for a moment, I felt dazed, chasing the flavor, chasing the scent. I was completely lost, like my mind had gone blank. I couldn’t even remember what we were arguing about anymore. It was like I’d lost control of myself. As though I had been drugged by the smell and taste alone.

“Like the Queen of this Realm and all its people you belligerent little Vixen. A woman and Lady of the Court. A person of the highest regard. The wife of the very Lord of the Folk, the Lord of Faery!” He held my face until the end of his statement when he threw his arms wide as he crowed, turning it into a grand gesture that ended in a bow. Then he turned, offering me an arm as if to escort me. Still somewhat dazed, and most definitely confused, I took his offered arm. What was I supposed to be mad at him for again? What was he even talking about? Was he answering my thoughts? No, that didn’t quite make sense. I struggled to remember our conversation before the kiss as I let him lead me through the gardens once more.

By the time we sat for the evening meal at a long table under the stars, the effects of whatever spell or charm I had been under had faded. I pulled on the hand clasped tightly on the tabletop by the Fae King, but his strength was unbelievable. I took a look around me at all the talking and laughing Fae faces. None of them were paying me any mind.

“Let me go.” I growled under my breath at the Fae King while putting as much of my Shifter abilities to work as I could. He was smiling benevolently at his people, leaned back in an ornate high-backed chair as he watched them, with me seated immediately to his right. His attention turned to me, and he blinked, the smile falling from his face.

“I have asked you to behave, my dear.” He cautioned softly. A small shock ran up my arm from the hand he was holding. I gasped, feeling the Shifter power I had been using fade. Then the roiling anger began to churn in my belly. How dare he!

“I demand you take me home at once!” I challenged loudly, making sure I could be heard over all the other chatter. The table went silent and the Fae King squeezed my hand so tightly I thought he might break bone.

“We have had this conversation Laoina. You are mine. There is nothing in the Realm, nor any of the others, that can change that fact. The Bargain has been struck.” His voice was thunderous, but it wasn’t the only thing thundering.

“Then strike a new Bargain.” I snapped. “With me.” The Fae King’s eyes temporarily widened. Behind him, I saw the sky darkening. The stars disappeared swiftly behind a bank of fast moving clouds.

“No.” His voice rolled over us like the storm clouds. A flash of lightning lit the sky. This could get dangerous.

“Why not? I want to Bargain for my freedom.” I shot back.

“I said NO!” He bellowed. Thunder boomed, and lightning struck a tree nearby. The Fae King and I were the only ones who didn't flinch. I was so used to the storms acting up when I lost my temper it didn’t phase me much, but it bothered me that it didn’t seem to get to him either.

“Now you’re just being unreasonable.” I sneered and rain started falling all around us. It pelted down on us, pinging and tinging off the dishes on the table. To be quite honest, it stung, but I refused to react as I stared down the King. The Fae Lords and Ladies at the table cried out and wings fluttered as they scattered for cover.

“Laoina, cease your storm.” The Fae King murmured softly as thunder rolled out around us again. I blinked the brief break in my emotions led to the rain gentling ever so slightly. So he knew. I tried to keep my face neutral.

“Bargain with me for it.” I countered.

“Laoina..” He looked up at me from under his brows. In that moment, as rain dripped down his face, and his tired eyes met mine, he was the most tragically beautiful creature I had ever seen. I barely stifled a gasp, hoping the sound of the rain splattering in dishes and cups covered it. We were the only ones left at the table now, so at least he was the only one there to view my weakness. But still, he was the enemy. “I cannot.” He whispered. I shook my head, trying to pull myself back out of the daze he somehow always trapped me in. What was that even supposed to mean? The next thing I knew, the world was tilting on me, and I fell onto my bed with a wet squish. Alone.

“Looks like I’m a prisoner again.” I huffed, and somewhere outside lightning struck again. It lit up the night and cracked so loudly it hurt my ears. I felt a certain smug satisfaction that it had destroyed something. Maybe even the party table.