A small, rounded male appeared outside of my bars. I fix him with my most, I hope, intimidating look and raise a hand in an incantation pose. He jumps back behind a fae mirror he was wielding behind his back and snarls “None of that pixie nonsense – we are protected from you and your nefarious ways” I scoff and just as I am forming the word ‘we’ in question on my lips. The man-mountain slash King from the forest appears, he is still utterly beautiful, even in this foul location. I hold onto the fact that he has put me down here which helps ice my blood (that had just quietly begun heating in his presence).

  His eyes. Oh, his eyes! The fae goggles had not given me a good look at his eyes which revealed themselves to be a golden hazel. I realize I am gawking and inhale sharply to snap to attention. The look of intensity he gives me is one that gobbles me up and spits me out for fodder. Any hope of witty commentary or macho defensiveness is dissolved in his presence. On closer inspection his intensity looks like seething anger.

  “Boris. Why have you caged a person from another realm in the dungeon.” There was a stillness to the anger emanating off him, which felt far more dangerous than shouting.

  “I had it on the best advice” spluttered the small man. “This pixie was found spying on our entourage! Most likely with the intention to do grievous harm to your majesty and the peasants you had decided to ferry about in the royal carriage.”

  I rolled my eyes, which cost me as my headache hasn't endorsed such wild motions.

  The awful man continued. “Regardless, everyone knows magical folk are dangerous and shouldn’t be allowed to get up to nefarious activities in our kingdom.”

  The King and I were locked in a stare. I could barely hear the whining sounds from the other man. I was not lost in his eyes, I felt found.

  He bent to one knee before me. He is still wearing very plain clothes which somehow pleases me.

  I recover first from our mutual stare-a-thon, “Glorious accommodations you have made for me, I must say I feel quite at home amongst these remnants of prior life” His face which had been deadly serious in its observation of me changes noticeably as amusement reaches his eyes and his lips half kick up on one side. The shorter companion began another splutter.

  “You’re lucky we didn’t just let the giants use you as a decoration for their Hogmanay tree! They had lots of great ideas for spinning your ridiculously long hair into a nice tea cozy for their teapot.” He spoke fast and as if he needed a quiet holiday by the seaside because he was running on far too much adrenaline. I looked him over and sighed.

  “I am sorry, were you talking to me?” I said, “I thought you were a pet”.

  The King, who had been standing up from his kneel, bent at the waist and laughed a deep booming sound that had me quirking a brow at him. His minion, as I thought of him unkindly, seemed most unhappy with this outburst and was now scowling up at me. He opened his mouth on a sneer which was no doubt going to release more of his vileness when the king raised a hand to halt his words, he smiled at the little man in what I could only interpret as some sort of parental type placation and to me he said:

  Please forgive me for where you find yourself. Whether you had ill intention or not does not matter to me. We can discuss how you came to find yourself in our realm and what you are wanting but first we must get you out of this place,” his anger was quelled, and the calm was so vastly different. It soothed me like a forest blanket. I shook it off trying to gain perspective.

  I managed to swing my legs over the side of the slab I was on and face the two men, (I generously include the smaller of the two in this category). My eyes slid up and up and up the man mountain. Yep, he was the king. Not only was he tall and honed like some kind of gladiator, but he radiated an energy that made my body want to comply. As if he was a lion and I was a small marsupial looking for berries. Sadly for him, my mouth and brain do not follow the cues provided to my body by nature, I wasn't going to bow and scrape just because my survival mechanism was screaming for me to acquiesce and grovel at his feet, I do not appreciate being put into a dungeon by a potential enemy of my realm.

  “Whether I want to discuss anything with you is unlikely, given I have been in this rat pit and bone quarry for long enough to smell like my surroundings. And for the record,” and to this I fixed my best glare to the other man, “I am not a pixie. I’m a completely different thing. Perhaps instead of parading around your realm in ostentatious coaches you should spend some time learning more about the magical people you are butchering and exterminating at your borders.”

  The King unscrewed a flask and handed it through the bars to me. His expression was such that I blindly obeyed and took the flask. A cursory sniff said it was water, stream, captured today by the smell of it. If I was concentrating, I could smell the lineage of a good mead. A handy fae trait, you must adjust your focus and pay attention when drinking something and the answer comes to you.

  I drank greedily forgetting I was being watched, when I had my fill, I stopped and backhanded my mouth in an unladylike wipe of any stray drops. “Whew, I needed that '' I said, some levity back in my body now that I was no longer a dried-out husk. I looked up to see the king watching me with some masked emotion, was he thirsty too? He looked like he could devour something…

  “Perhaps I was there to assassinate you my king, as a way to stop the killing of fae people at your borders”.

  The King lifted a brow at me with a cool assessing look. “I’m thinking not.” He said on a smile, he looked totally calm about the whole matter of me potentially trying to assassinate him which fired up my anger tank, I could be someone's adversary. Given the right training and enough preparation time, I could be a force to reckon with. It wasn't my fault I was far too busy reading to mobilize and become political – I glared openly at his clear amusement at my declaration. Our eyes were locked in some unspoken battle as the smaller man began to splutter again.

  “Let’s just dispose of this pixie my liege, we don't want her kind in the castle. She could turn you into a toad or worse a butterfly. Honestly, I can't think of a good reason to keep her alive.” I picked up some dead creatures’ bone from near my feet and hurled it at the small man.

  “I won’t be kept anything!” I exploded, releasing the valve on the anger tank I had started filling for Boris. “And I’m not a witch, height challenged human, I’m a faerie. We aren’t known for turning anyone into toads.” I ground out at the petulant man. His face was turning red, and he looked like he might explode.

  “Where’s your wings if you’re a faerie?” he blustered.

  The king lifted an eyebrow at me again. It was a highly active eyebrow I decided. And clearly, he was wondering the same thing.

  “Not all fairies have wings” I said through my teeth. I wasn't going there; these faerie killers didn't deserve to know more about my people.

  Attempting to stand, I swayed on my feet and slumped over. The concussion must have been worse than I thought. That blasted giant and his oversized mit had clearly dented my noggin.

  The king made as if to move toward me to help me up, like his natural fallback position was a kind one not a genocide initiating faerie-hater. I looked up at him puzzled. He stilled and stepped back.

  “We’re not going to keep her alive, we’re going to set her free.”

  “But sire, she could have killed you and the royal family. Those children were in her sights” beseeched my new favorite enemy. I folded my arms.

  “What’s the catch?” The king was reaching for the set of keys on a nearby hook, they were overly large and heavy looking, chiseled out of individual rocks I’d wager.

  “Well, we do need to ensure you aren’t going to leave to incite some kind of human-hunting riot. And we need some time to talk through these accusations of yours.” He moved to the keyhole and began unlocking the door.

  “Sire! She’s a tricky, plotting, pixie, I mean gnome, they can't be trusted!” He threw himself before the king blocking my imminent freedom.

  Before I could muster up some corrections and take due offense to the gnome slander, the king said, while placing his hand on the other man's shoulder, “Boris, you are the best worrier in the kingdom.” Boris’ eyes lit up at his obvious misunderstanding of the word I at once knew was not ‘warrior’. “But” continued the king gently. “I’ve got this.” He gave a reassuring, kindly look at his minion while patting his shoulder. Boris sighed and heaved out of the way.

  I stood up, and went to the door, I wasn't going to risk a change of mind leaving me in this dank hole.

  I swayed on my feet.

  The king opened the door and took one step in, scooping me up like a bag of potatoes.

  As his hand touched mine in the lift, a jolt of electricity went through me. It was like a static shock but went all over my body. Shocked at not only being lifted by the human king but this electric zap I just had I gasped and looked at him.

  “Do you have an electric protection forcefield?”.

  He’d felt it too.

  “Maybe” I whispered, a slight smile tugging at my lips.

  We stared at each other with inches between our faces, his intensely kind and intelligent green eyes met mine in a soul deep searching look. I could feel currents of energy bolting around my body and my heart, my stupid heart was trying to tell me something very persistently what with the way it was ricocheting around my chest cavity. I ignored it, it hadn't shown me much useful assistance so far this lifetime.

  We must have lost time in our stare off because the world had fallen away and before I knew it there was an almighty break in the trance. In the form of Boris, yelling from somewhere by the king's knees. I still couldn’t track his words as I opened my mouth, which was dry, I slid my tongue over my bottom lip to enable speech. The king's eyes shot to my lick, and something changed in his eyes, something hungry emerged. I felt stirring at his look, feelings deep in my abdomen, long vacant for a knight of the fae realm order.

  “What is your name?” His voice sounded bewildered.

  I never got to answer as Boris had lost all measure of sanity and had begun climbing the king's leg.

  “Sire!! She’s got you entranced, throw her back in her cell – I beseech you!” He gave me an apologetic look and said “Forgive Boris, he means well. My name is Cillian Stormbringer” he then turned his attention to the man scaling his leg.

  Cillian laughed a hearty laugh and helped his minion down. “Boris, I beseech you to trust your king and take a deep breath.” With that, the stare broken, he strode out of the dungeon carrying me while Boris ran to keep up, fretting all the way out into the light. Me devouring and savoring the sound of his name. Cillian Stormbringer.

  Chapter Four

  The king, Cillian, had gently deposited me at a grand door which as it turned out led to some kind of visitor's suite. Not quite within the main palace but within the walls of the grounds. There were guards sprinkled around all the entry points to the suite, so I wasn't entirely sure if I was a guest or a prisoner.

  “This is our visiting dignitary’s suite, it is where you should have been staying, as a visitor from another realm,” he took my hands in his, they were warm, and I realized I was cold and very tired. Being passed out on a rock won't recuperate you like a nice downy mattress. “Rest. I will be back at sundown to escort you to dinner where we can talk.” He gave a light squeeze to my hands, imbuing me in some of his warmth. “May I know before I go” he said, staring into my eyes. I had to mentally wrestle the butterflies doing a river dance in my stomach before I could answer.

  “My name is Aisling Liora”. He stilled, “Liora, as in the Royal court Liora, of fae Queen Vespera Liora?” I smiled somewhat defensively. “The very same.” He took a step back and look at me a new still holding my hands. “It is my utter pleasure to meet you princess Aisling, and even more important now that I know who you are, that we have this opportunity to clear the air between our realms.” He stepped in a little closer, still holding my hands. I found myself fully aware of how strong and warm his hands were encircling my own. He gently squeezed my hands while his eyes locked onto my own.

  I felt something pass between us from his hands to mine.

  Like a current of energy.

  Fuck!

  Just my luck to be having all the feels for a one hundred percent forbidden person.

  He left all too quickly leaving me wanting to keep him somehow which was completely illogical and all together unsettling.

  I turned to find the door open and two no-nonsense rather staunch looking chamber maids were eyeing me up. It was unlikely they had seen a fae person before, we didn't frequent the human realm anymore and with the rumors of fae people going missing around the border we certainly were not popping over for minibreaks. I tried to see my otherness through their eyes. Apart from being rather slight, and a bit shorter than them, my hair was silver which was different from their more earthy browns and my skin had the faintest glow while they were ruddier and stronger looking. I decided they could beat me in an arm wrestle, but I might climb a tree better than them.

  The two chamber maids hoisted off the ottomans they had been waiting on and each carefully taking an arm frog marched me into the suite. They wore matching smocks and white aprons with their hair tied tight into buns. The rounder of the two had sand hued eyes and only one eyebrow which went the distance across both eyes, she had strong arms, I learned, as she brought me to the bathroom chamber within the suite.

  The other lady had beautiful, complicated braids which ran into her hair bun, keeping it out of her face in a practical yet pretty way, she didn't say a word but gave me hard looks which chivvied me along, rubbernecking at the grand high ceilings, sweeping Grecian lines of the stone that formed the ceilings and pillars. It was not what I had expected from the human world. I had imagined more crude formations with less appreciation for the aesthetic. I decided to check my assumptions at this suite door and be slightly less condemning.

  Not entirely without judgment but I’ll refrain from hating everyone at the get go...This softening of position had nothing to do with the king who I was already looking forward to seeing again.

  “You vill get in zee bath” My strong-armed assistant indicated a pool in the center of the room which was steaming. My innate defiance had me about to argue but the smell, the beautiful spicy aroma of the bath had me wavering.

  “Zere is nuzink to think about” She went on while her partner in hygiene promotion entered with two enormous fluffy looking sheets. “You vill clean, or you vill not sleep in zee bed I af made.”

  She made a hard bargain, but I really wanted to sleep in the giant four poster bed I had spied in the main chamber adorned in the softest looking silks and bedding I had ever seen. Sleep sounded super nice. But so did getting rid of the dungeon odor. From the way the women were pinching their noses and throwing side eye my way I was confident I smelled rank. The king had not seemed to mind though, he hadn't even blinked the whole time he had held me. I waved the ladies off and turned my back on them to strip my clothes off, they scuttled around a crescent wall which provided privacy for the bather but no sooner had my clothes hit the bathroom floor tiles than a hand shot in and swiped the clothes out.

  “I’m going to need those” I called with not much conviction as I had begun descending into the hot, soothing bath. The smell was clean and fragrant and a little sharp like peppermint. Oh, and the way it made my aching limbs feel was so superb. The door opened and a tunic was hung over a chair, along with some very practical looking white cotton underwear and some sort of leggings. Great, I could abide by their requests if I was clean and rested. That seemed reasonable.

  I’d plot my escape after my nap.

  Or maybe after dinner. Definitely after breakfast.

  Chapter Five

  “Aisling! Get rid of this vile ginger explosion! It’s making me feel nauseous with its hue alone.” A loud bang and an expensive sounding crash came soon after these warm and soothing words.

  “Shoo foul kitty, shoo!” Gobnat again. At least she was back I thought comforted and not willing to give up the last vestiges of sleep.

  “She's asleep and can’t help you, birdy. Observe the fluid seeping out of the corner of her face hole.”

  “That’s a mouth - vulgar feline.”

  “And I will have you know; I don't take direction from enchanted pigeons.” A miaow followed and another scuffle.

  “That’s raven to you, although I suspect you’re not terribly knowledgeable being a human cat and all?”

  “Simple math birdy. I eat a lot of birds; they don't usually talk back.”

  “I’ve met a lot of cats, and they aren’t usually quite so fat.”

  “Now you are size shaming me. I will have you know that in human realm we’re not bothered by fat or size anymore, specifically being large, it’s a sign of fertility and wealth.”

  “You are a male cat if I am not mistaken? What fertility does a fat stomach give you? Do you hope to trap your unwitting partner with your lardy form?”

  A bird shriek and a hiss came before the sniping continued.

  “We accept everyone for their inner worth, not their outer shell, we are beyond such backward ways as to judge people on their exteriors.”

  Gobnat’s answering voice came from near my head.

  “Then it shouldn't bother you at all to be called fat.”

  “I’m going to leave that there, I’m a royal feline, THE royal cat, if you will, and I won't be lured into your ignorant quagmire of shaming.”

  “Wake up Aisling! For Gaia’s sake we need to get out of this annoying realm and away from its sanctimonious house pets.”

  “Shoo birdy – or I’ll swap my palace meats for your feathery fleshes.”

  To which a cacophony of cawing and miaowing occurred as what sounded like small ornaments were tossed around the room. I groaned and sat up from my silken embrace, my gods this bed was so good, somehow, I was taking it back with me.

 

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