by Anna Santos
I frowned. “Warn me about what?”
“Something strange happened a few hours ago, just before dawn.”
“Were our borders attacked?” I asked. “Do you need me in our kingdom?”
“This is your kingdom now. I heard that the king isn’t feeling well. I suppose the queen has been vanquished, and Snow will be taking her rightful place as queen.”
“My father will recover and resume his duties as king,” Snow said. “I have no wish to rule at such a young age. I’m eager to meet my new family.”
“Snow and I were thinking about spending time with you at the White Cloud Kingdom,” I added, holding Snow’s hand.
“That’s not a wise decision with the weird lights in the sky, and rumors of a new kingdom appearing out of nowhere in the Black Forest.”
“What? What are you talking about?” I asked.
Heavy footsteps in the corridor alerted us to someone’s hurried approach.
“Alpha, is something wrong?” I wondered, noticing Drake’s clenched jaw and red eyes.
My father turned to look at Drake. “Do you know him?”
“Prince Dorian, Princess Snow.” Drake stopped a few feet from us. He bowed to the King of Vampires but didn’t waste time with introductions. “Something happened, and I need to leave right away.”
“Is something wrong with Belle?” Snow asked, clutching my arm harder.
“No. Belle is fine. She’ll be staying behind.”
“Then, what’s the problem?” I asked.
“The protecting veil around my village has disappeared. My men told me that the portals to the Fairy Island are gone, too.”
“What does that mean?” Snow asked.
“The protecting veil? Are you the leader of the kingdom that appeared out of nowhere?” My father asked Drake. “What’s the meaning of it? Have you always been there? What sort of magic is this?”
“Drake and his men are guardians of the fairies,” Snow explained before I could. “They wish us no harm. As the Princess of the Meadows, I have no problem with their existence, and I’m hoping to have friendly relations with them in the future.”
“Our presence shouldn’t be known,” Drake proceeded. “If the veil is gone, and the portals no longer exist, something happened to the Fairy Queen. I need to get back right away and make sure that nothing else is missing.”
“Like the mirror,” a voice said from behind.
I didn’t hear her arrival, but Belle was entering the Throne Room, her hands resting on her huge belly as she strode to our side.
“Do you think that the Fairy Queen decided to close the portals now that her king is back?” Snow asked.
“Without talking to me?” Drake asked. “That’s unlikely.”
“The Oracle believes that the signs in the skies are bad omens,” the Vampire King said. “If this new kingdom poses no threat, I’m less concerned. However, you’ve talked about a king and a fairy queen. What did you mean by that?”
“There are many fae people that live in our world,” Drake said to the king. “The fairies live on a sacred island, protecting our ecosystem. A few decades ago, witches entrapped the Fairy King and the princess. The Fairy Queen managed to protect her daughter and made us her guardians, but the king was taken prisoner and used by the witches for personal gain. Queen Marlena has been using his powers to secure alliances between the human kingdoms. Yesterday, we freed the king and imprisoned the evil witch. The king left, but I never thought that his departure meant that the Fairy Queen would cut ties with my people.”
“It’s rather sudden, and I have a bad feeling about it,” Belle added. “We need to get back and check if the Fate Mirror is still there.”
“Didn’t your men notice if the king entered your village?” Snow asked.
“I doubt it,” Drake replied. “He’s too strong. You saw how he disappeared before our eyes. If he entered my home to free his daughter, my men wouldn’t find out. I need to get back and see it with my own eyes. Belle and I are the only ones with a key.”
“We’ll leave Celia to take care of your father,” Belle said to Snow.
“You’re staying here. The trip is tiring, and you arrived last night,” Drake said.
Belle walked to him. “I’m perfectly fine to travel…”
“I’m sorry for interrupting,” Snow said, letting go of my arm and putting herself between them. Drake and Belle looked at her, and she smiled at them. “Belle is going to protest, and Drake is going to come up with a valid reason for her to stay. I know that going back to the village is important. Drake could arrive there faster if he goes alone. However, you’re all forgetting something.”
“What?” Belle asked.
“Marlena might know what’s going on. She said wild things yesterday. We thought she was out of her mind, but with these events, there might be some truth to her words.”
“My wife is right. She’s a selfish and arrogant woman, but she might explain why this is happening.”
“Or she might lie to us, so she can get free,” Drake retorted.
I walked to my friends. “The Fairy Queen should have come to help us deal with the Evil Queen. She said she’d help. Yet, your village is now exposed, and the portals are closed. Does that also mean that the Fairy Queen isn’t coming here?”
“If the portals and the veil are the product of the Fairy Queen’s magic, then something might have happened to her,” my father said, joining the discussion. “The Fairy King, did he have any reason to hurt his wife?”
I frowned at my father. “Do you think he hurt the queen?”
“Is there any other explanation for why things suddenly changed once the king was released?” my father questioned.
“The only one who could do anything is imprisoned. Isn’t she?” Snow asked me.
“Where’s Luke?” I turned to Drake.
The Alpha shrugged. “Resting?”
“The queen is trapped. I checked,” Belle said.
“We should go talk to her,” Snow suggested.
“Dorian should go talk to her,” Drake said. “She likes him and might want to talk if she’s unaware of what’s going on.”
“You want me to talk to her without revealing what’s happening?” I mumbled as I thought about it myself. “I have no wish to see the queen again. I want to kill her for what she did to Snow. How can I feign interest in her while feeling disdain?”
“You need to pretend. In the meantime, I’m taking a horse to see if the mirror is missing from my home.” Drake directed his next words at his wife. “That’s not open for discussion. I’ll be back before nightfall. You need to rest and stay safe for our baby.”
Belle nodded and rubbed her stomach.
Drake put his hand on her belly and smiled. “Daddy will be back soon to take care of you and Mommy.”
His smile made me look at my wife and wonder how it would feel if we were to become parents soon. She was still young, and I wanted to spend my time making her happy but having a baby with Snow would be fulfilling. Human companions are fertile and can give birth to several children in a short period. Vampire females, because of their immortality, don’t give birth often and in such a short period. There are a lot of tests that can be done to know when a vampire female is ready to conceive. Babies are precious.
“Dorian.” My father’s hand on my shoulder woke me up from my thoughts. “I’m glad you’re safe. I’m pleased to have met your wife and hope that we can spend more time together. However, since there’s no reason to be alarmed, I need to resume my trip and send word to my court about the recent events.”
“I understand, Father.”
“Come visit me once the king is better,” he requested.
“I will.”
“Write me with news about this matter. I won’t be calm until I know what’s happening with the Fairy Queen and what the consequences of releasing the king are.”
“If something happened to the queen…” Drake said with a worried expression. �
�I failed my job of protecting her.”
“We need to find a way to go to the island,” Belle said.
“Dorian needs to talk with Marlena. If he doesn’t find any useful information, we have a huge library with all sorts of maps. Maybe we can find where this island you’re talking about is located,” Snow suggested. “I could try talking to my stepmother to secure useful information about the Fairy King.”
“I need to leave now,” Drake said, kissing his wife’s forehead. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” With that said, he disappeared down the corridor.
“I need to get going, too,” my father said.
“You should rest and share a meal with us,” Snow proposed, walking to him. “It’s the first time that we’ve met each other, father-in-law. I’d like to get to know you.”
Father smiled and put his hand on her shoulder. “Child, that would be lovely, but I was on my way to the Luna Garden Kingdom. I have an important matter to resolve there. I hope you’ll have time soon to get together and celebrate your marriage. I’m sad that I wasn’t able to be present, but I understand the circumstances. Dorian has made the right decision to protect the one he loves. I wouldn’t expect any less from him.” He moved forward and hugged her. “Welcome to the family.”
Chapter TWENTY-NINE
Dorian’s POV
Once Father was gone, we needed to decide on what to do. Drake left for his village, and Belle returned to her quarters to rest.
Meanwhile, I went searching for Luke and found him in his room. After debriefing him, we decided that it was best for all of us to talk to the fallen queen. Deception wasn’t the best course of action. Marlena wasn’t going to fall for it a second time. She probably hated my guts. We had to follow a direct approach.
Snow and I went to the dungeons. Luke followed behind us. To our surprise, we found an old-looking woman wearing the queen’s clothes. Her hair was long and gray, her face was pale.
“Who are you?” Snow asked, peeking into the cell.
The woman moved and peered back. “Snow?”
“Where’s Marlena? Why are you in her cell?” I asked.
“Don’t you recognize me?” she asked with a hint of mockery in her voice. “I guess I’m not as ravishing as before.”
“Are you saying you’re Marlena?” I questioned her.
“Who else would I be?”
“But you look so old,” Snow said.
“You’ve used magical cuffs to neutralize my powers. This is my real self.”
Snow and I shared a look.
“What do I owe the pleasure of your visit? Did you come here to gloat, or has something happened, and you need my help?” She smirked as if she knew what was going on.
“Last night…” Snow stopped and peeked at me again. “Maybe we should wait for Drake’s return.”
“My sweet child, just tell your mother what you need.”
Snow clenched her jaw. “You’re not my mother, and you never acted like one.”
“If I didn’t like you, I would’ve gotten rid of you sooner,” Marlena retorted.
“You tried to kill me several times. Your pathetic attempt to spark pity in me won’t work. We came here to talk to you, not to reminisce about the past.”
“What do you need to talk to me about?”
“We are willing to make a deal with you if you help us understand what’s going on,” I explained to her.
Marlena eyed me. “Always the pragmatic. I like that about you.” She closed her eyes and rested her head against the wall. “I don’t think you have anything that I need.”
“You might be surprised,” Snow said. “It all depends on how useful your information is.”
She opened her eyes. “I’d warned you last night. You coming down here means that the elf you freed has done something. Hasn’t he?”
“We aren’t sure,” I replied.
“Tell me what happened, and I might consider helping you,” she bargained.
Snow grabbed my arm. “We can’t trust her.”
Marlena’s laughter echoed inside the dungeon. “You can’t trust me? You’re the one who needs my help. Why should I trust you?”
“We’re honorable and not deceiving like you,” Snow grumbled.
Marlena ignored Snow’s outburst and gazed at me. “Tell me what’s going on.”
I didn’t have anything to lose by sharing the information. If anything, the queen could share something useful without even realizing it. Therefore, I told her the truth.
Marlena listened to everything without interrupting. She didn’t seem surprised, though.
“If the veil has disappeared, and the portals are gone, that means that the Dark King killed his wife,” Marlena said. A creepy chuckle ensued, and my skin crawled. “Fools, I told you that you were making a mistake. That stupid queen. She should have known better. I guess love is blind. Did she really think she could control him? He put their own daughter in a forced sleep. Why wouldn’t he kill the queen if that was the only thing preventing him from conquering our world?”
“What are you talking about?”
Marlena looked me in the eye. “Princess Medina. She’s one of the most powerful fae born in the last thousand years. She’s a clairvoyant and can control the five elements. The king wanted to control her, but when he realized he couldn’t, he forced us to create a magical dagger to enchant her. Medina is the only one strong enough to stop the Dark King.”
“Where is Princess Medina?” Snow asked.
Marlena raised her chin. “What do I get in return for helping you?”
“Better accommodations,” Snow replied. “I’m sure you don’t like staying in the dungeons.”
“Remove these magical cuffs. I’m getting old and weak. I’ll soon be dead if they aren’t removed. With me gone, who else is going to help you vanquish the Dark King?”
“Dark King?” I asked. The name sounded familiar.
“Your father must remember him from your grandfather’s stories about the Great War,” Marlena said to me. “I’m sure your vast history library also has retellings about his evil deeds and the number of people he killed.”
“Is the Fairy Queen’s husband the Dark King?”
“A long time ago, the fae armies joined the humans, vampires, and werewolves to destroy the Dark King. Many died to prevent his armies from conquering everything.”
“As I recall, we won, and the Dark King was killed,” I told her.
Marlena nodded. “That’s what everybody was led to believe.”
“Then, how can the Fairy Queen’s husband be the Dark King? Why would she marry such an evil being and ask us to release him?” I asked her.
“I don’t think she knew that he had restored his memories. Fae reincarnate. The Dark King returned to life in another body. The secret organization with his disciples found his reincarnation and returned his memories to him. It didn’t matter if he was different in this life. Once he had his memories back, all the vicious desires of power and destruction returned to him.”
“You’re tricking us, aren’t you?” Snow asked her.
“Why would I do that?” Marlena countered.
“You don’t want to die. With your magic neutralized, you’re dying and want us to remove the cuffs.”
“My sisters and I saved the world from destruction once again when we trapped the king in the mirror. You were the ones who released him and created this mess.”
“You should have killed him if he was that dangerous, not use his powers for your own benefit,” I accused her.
Marlena glared at me. “Do you have any idea of the amount of magical power one must have to destroy him?”
I shook my head.
“Then, don’t judge.”
“Sisters…” Snow narrowed her eyes. “There must be others like her. Witches. If we find them, they can help us. We don’t need her.”
“You need me. I’m the most powerful of them all,” she claimed.
Snow arched an eyebrow. “Power
ful? You’ve been in my kingdom, pretending to be someone else while trying to kill innocent girls and steal their fiancés.”
Marlena sneered. “I was doing what I needed to do to secure myself a kingdom to rule and an army to lead. Going after your prince was a tactical decision. Becoming a vampire would be beneficial for my future plans.”
“How so?” Snow questioned.
“It takes time to build an army and secure alliances between the kingdoms that have the most to lose if the fae return to finish what they have started,” Marlena claimed. “Being a vampire would give me more time. I wouldn’t have to spend so much energy on keeping my youth and appearance.”
“The fae have been gone for centuries. The ones left behind live in peace with us and help us defend the weak spots between worlds,” I reminded her. “Without their help, we’d be all dead.”
“Even if you believe they are here to help, the majority of them just think about conquering and enslaving. The Dark King is proof of that. Once he had his memories back, he used my sisters and me to do his bidding and build his army once again. He taught us magic and how to seduce our prey.”
“And you revolted against your master?” I asked her.
“Yes. We were tired of seeing our sisters being killed. We were tired of being beaten and used as slaves for whatever he and his kind wanted. We joined forces and managed to entrap him. How do you think we did that?”
“I have no idea. We didn’t even know the world was in danger once again,” I told her.
“It’s true. You trapped him. Then, you can do it again, can’t you?” Snow enquired.
“He’s prepared now. No one can get close enough to trap him in an iron mirror again. We did that when he trusted my sisters and me. Now, the only one strong enough to vanquish him is his own daughter.”
“Where can we find her?” I questioned, hoping that she had useful information and less rambling tales of her past.
“Remove the cuffs, and I’ll talk,” Marlena bargained.
I shook my head. “You only want to escape.”
“We are on the same side. If the king has killed the queen, that means that he’s coming for all of us next. Despite what happened, I don’t want to die old and alone in this dungeon.”