Awaken (Slumber Duology #2)

by Christy Sloat

  Awaken

  The Slumber Duology book 2

  Christy Sloat

  Published by

  Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly, LLC.

  Novi, Michigan 48374

  This Book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, duplicated, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  Awaken

  Copyright © 2017 by Christy Sloat

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Published by

  Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly, LLC.

  Cover Photography: Georgia Skies Photography

  Cover Model: Kirsten Ledford

  Cover Artist: Aurelia Fray of Pretty AF Designs

  Edited by Melanie Williams.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the author.

  Dedication

  This one is for my mom, for allowing me to dream up fairy tales as a child and for not judging me while I continue to do so as an adult.

  “The princess shall indeed grow in grace and beauty, beloved by all who know her.”

  -Sleeping Beauty

  Chapter One

  Rory

  I sat by the bed on a cold night as winter drew nearer to the kingdom. Ancora wasn’t always this cold in the late autumn season, but it seemed like with the loss of my father, King Stephen, and the constant threat of Raven at our door, the wind blew fiercer and the cold moved faster up the mountain. I pulled the blanket up over Sawyer’s body and laid it under his neck. He lay still, in a deep sleep, as he had for weeks. I stared down at him and wondered what it would be like to see him wake before my eyes. Would he be happy to see me? I would be ecstatic to see him if the situation was reversed. I needed him so much, and it was nights like these when the cold seeped into my bones that I missed the warmth of him the most.

  Raven, a shape-shifting Fae, slit his throat on the day I killed Maleficent, the same day my father died by Maleficent’s hand. My only option was to let Merryweather give Sawyer a gift, and in doing so she allowed Fauna, who was a Healer, to place Sawyer into a sleeplike state so he wouldn’t die. I wasn’t certain how it would work, but I stayed to watch as Merryweather bestowed a gift to Sawyer that night. She whispered it so softly. Her gift came out of her as if it were a light that traveled to Fauna, who took it and placed it into Sawyer. I watched as his eyes slid closed, and he fell right to sleep.

  If I didn’t allow it, he would have bled out right in my arms, and I would have lost him forever. A future without him just wasn’t possible. How could I go on without Sawyer?

  He wasn’t exactly here with me now, but at least I knew he would be all right. He wouldn’t die by Raven’s hand. While he slept, Merryweather and Flora searched the land for a cure and for any sign of Raven’s return. Fauna came daily to heal Sawyer’s neck using her Fae powers. We didn’t want him to get an infection and have it cause more damage to his body. She told me once that she learned to be a Healer from her own mother many years ago which I am thankful for.

  Sawyer’s wound looked better as each day passed; a thick angry scar replaced the open slash that was there before. I would never be able to see anything else but the gash Raven cut into him with her knife. It haunted my dreams and came into my thoughts on lonely days. The feeling of sorrow never went away when I visited Sawyer. He was asleep, and I was awake. We were not able to be together—not really. Life seemed unfair to us both. The year before I had been taken from Sawyer and was trapped here with no memory of him. Now, he sleeps away his days here in the guest room while I try to go about my own life. But my love won’t forget him no matter how hard I try to focus on my duties.

  Whether he dreamed of me or not, I wasn’t sure. Nor was I certain Merryweather and Flora would find a way to wake him. But giving up was not an option. I loved him, and when you love someone, you never give up on them. So instead of being fitted for my coronation gown, I sat with him in silence.

  “Your Majesty?” Mona said surprising me.

  “Oh, Mona, you almost gave me a heart attack.” Mona was one of my new ladies- in-waiting, and she was notorious for sneaking up on me.

  “My apologies, but I’m to check on you to make sure you’re on time for your fitting—”

  “Which I’m late for, I know,” I resigned, cutting her off. “I’ll be leaving in a moment.”

  She stared at me impatiently.

  “Mona, you may be excused.”

  She ushered off and left me alone once more. I wasn’t used to maids and servants just yet. I had spent the last year of my life locked up in my own castle as Maleficent had it disguised as an asylum. My memories were taken by Merryweather, who I knew as Nurse Mary in the asylum, to protect me. Believing I was a patient, I thought I was a murderer just like they all told me. Maleficent had grown very powerful with darkness and took over the kingdom my parents ruled. She commanded everyone to follow her as queen or they would be sent to death. My parents were put under the same sleeping spell Sawyer is now under, and I was all alone in here—or so I thought.

  With the help of Sawyer and Graylor, a Warrior Fairy, I was able to remember who I truly was and get my kingdom back. But that came with a loss of great proportions—my father was killed by Maleficent.

  When I took her life, I angered her precious Raven which in turn received Maleficent’s powers. She was just as deadly, if not worse, than Maleficent now. I don’t think Raven had ever been good in her whole existence. Maleficent, or Millie as she had once been called, had been truly good and in love with my father. He would have married her if he didn’t meet and marry my mother. Duties and sacrifice separating them, Millie allowed her anger take over her life. She was filled with dark powers and became Maleficent. Upon her death I thought I could see the regret she held inside her. But that didn’t matter now because Raven was out there somewhere waiting to attack us, and we weren’t prepared. My army wasn’t ready, and I wasn’t queen yet.

  I knew she’d be coming back to attack me and my kingdom as her revenge, so I worked day and night to prepare myself to lead an army and a kingdom as queen. A title I never asked for, but was given to me by my father.

  My mother would be passing me her crown as I would be taking the helm. For now I had to leave Sawyer and pray he would awaken and be by my side once more. When he woke, he would rule with me as King of Ancora. First, I had to have my coronation.

  “Dresses,” I murmured to Sawyer as I kissed his scruffy cheek, “are not for warriors. But I’ll go get fitted into mine and pretend you are by my side when they make me queen. I’m gaining weight; you’d be proud. I have hips again.”

  I laughed as I ran my fingers down his chest.

  I had gotten so thin when I was captured. With my mother stuffing food down my throat constantly, I was starting to look normal again.

  “I’ll come back tonight and read to you, my love,” I bid to him as I left the room. Closing my eyes, I imagined him saying, “Don’t be too long, beautiful Rory.”

  He wouldn’t say anything like that to me anytime so
on, so I had to imagine his deep voice and ever changing eyes turning brown with pleasure.

  I closed the door behind me and took a steadying breath. I had to keep it together—no breakdowns today. I walked down the hallway to my quarters—the only part of the palace that Maleficent hadn’t used—and found the seamstress and my mother pacing the floor waiting for me.

  “Mother, if you keep that up, you’ll wear a hole in my rug,” I pointed out. My room had just been remodeled, and moreover I replaced the harsh flooring for a beautiful red rug. I couldn’t stand sleeping in the same place I had once thought of as my prison, without redoing it. Builders had torn down walls and built a different wing that would soon serve as the new part of the castle. The other wing, where we all were kept locked away, would be gone forever. I never wanted to see the harsh wallpaper again, even though much of it was Maleficent’s glamour. I wanted nothing more than to rebuild and move on.

  “I’m sorry, Aurora. I’m a nervous wreck,” she confessed as she pulled me close to her. My mother had never been very touchy feely, but since the loss of my father she clung to me as if the wind would take me away any minute. I couldn’t imagine that being queen was easy for her. So I did not blame my mother for never cuddling me as a child, but she was sure making up for it now.

  “Don’t be nervous, Mother. The dress will fit fine.”

  I stepped forward and my mother let me go.

  “I’m not worried about the dress, Aurora, I’m worried about you.”

  “Me? Why are you worried about me?”

  She bit her lip and hesitated, and then said, “I was just informed of something in the law books that will affect you in a way I’m not sure you’re ready for.”

  I stopped and turned to face her. “Oh, what is it?”

  I wasn’t worried about some stupid law that someone had written hundreds of years ago. Laws changed all the time.

  “You’re not going to like it, Aurora. Not one bit,” she said.

  “Mother, I’m dying in anticipation. Tell me.”

  She grasped my shoulders and said, “In order for you to reign as Queen of Ancora, it is written that you will have to take a husband within six months of being crowned.”

  I gasped. Would that be enough time to find a way to wake Sawyer?

  “And if I do not?” I asked nervously. She was right; I didn’t like it.

  “Then the title will go to the neighboring village of Bordell to the east. And I’m not entirely sure they’d do well by Ancora. Not like your father did and not like I know you will.”

  I sat down on my chaise lounge and placed my head in my hands.

  Why were Sawyer and I being constantly tested? Why was I constantly attacked?

  “What am I going to do?” I mumbled.

  My mother placed her hand gently on my hair and spoke softly. “You’ll endure, dear, just like your father did when he was told the same thing.”

  I looked up at my mother and said, “So father was told the same, and that’s why he married you.”

  It all made sense now. He was in love with Maleficent, but was told that if he didn’t marry my mother at that time, he’d lose the crown. He was forced to marry when he wasn’t ready. Granted, my parents seemed happy. They were always swooning over one another, and she always had his back. She served him as queen the best she could.

  I didn’t want to have to settle for someone I wasn’t in love with. I refused to marry anyone but Sawyer. The truth was I was going to be queen in only a few short days, and I had to appease the council of Ancora.

  The people would be fearful of losing our kingdom to Bordell’s king and queen. They didn’t want that, neither did I.

  I had to think of something, and it had to be one of two things: wake Sawyer immediately or court someone I didn’t like to ease their fears.

  “What do I do?” I said.

  “You’ll meet their princes and tell them anything that they want to hear. You pacify the council and you find the cure to wake Sawyer. Because I know you, Aurora, and I know you will not be able to marry someone you’re not in love with. You’re much stronger than your father was.” Her eyes filled with tears. “You also must change the laws of marriage. You must make it allowable for a queen to marry a Fae.”

  That was one tiny detail that I hadn’t forgotten, but chose to ignore. We were not equals, Sawyer and me. Not in the eyes of the law.

  “I think father was very courageous, and I am as well. He didn’t agree to an arranged marriage because he was weak, but because he was a king. And a king does what’s best for his people,” I sighed. “And if I am to be queen, then I’ll have to meet the princes until we can wke Sawyer. I have a lot of work to do.”

  Chapter Two

  Rory

  My dress was in my bedroom hanging on a headless mannequin when I woke up. I jumped up and pulled a sword from my bedside, ready to attack. When I realized what it was, I felt instantly foolish—I almost killed a mannequin.

  Placing my sword onto the bed, I rubbed my tired eyes. I was constantly awaking and thinking that Raven would be staring over my sleeping body ready to kill me. The threat of her was not lost on me as I planned my coronation. It was very much the opposite. I was always looking over my shoulder or wondering if I could trust the newcomers to the castle. We opened our doors to tailors, cooks, and other new staff as we planned the celebration and that meant new faces that I didn’t know. Gray told me to not worry. She said she knew them well, and if she trusted them, then I had to trust her.

  I stretched and yawned and put on my robe. Reading to Sawyer last night had kept me up late into the night, and my body yearned for more sleep, yet my heart yearned for more Sawyer.

  I must have looked awful because I felt it. I wasn’t sleeping well and beginning to become even more stressed than I already was. I kept telling myself that if I could live in an asylum for a year, I could handle anything, including stress and sleeplessness.

  Having lived in horrible conditions for that time in my life, I still wasn’t quite ready to accept that things were going to be normal now. I used to bathe with minimal water that was used by other “patients.” Amenities like soap or a hairbrush never existed to me.

  I wore the same nightgown every single day in the asylum, so if I saw a fancy dress sitting on a mannequin, it startled me. I didn’t feel like this was really my life yet.

  I knew now that I always was and will be royalty; it was only a year of my life that was put on hold. But it wouldn’t be easy jumping back into royal life.

  Mother told me that I’d need to adjust and it may take a while. But I wondered everyday how much time that would take.

  “Your Majesty, are you awake?” Mona asked as she came into my room holding a tea service.

  “Good morning, Mona.”

  She smiled at me and set the tea service down on my bedside table.

  “Would you like a bath before tea or would you like to take it into the tub with you?”

  There was something so wonderful about the thought of tea with my morning bath, so I said, “Definitely option number two.”

  “Very well, I’ll run your bath for you at once.”

  She walked into my adjoining bathroom and started the tub. I could smell the lavender and vanilla scent all the way from my bed.

  I undressed down to my underclothes and found Mona in the bathroom pouring a wonderful lavender tea for me.

  She was a nice girl and I was happy to have her, but bathing while she watched over me made me feel awkward. I understood that this was a maid’s duty, but I wanted a friend not a servant. She never spoke to me unless she was asking for instruction or permission. I had hoped that she and Clara were to be my friends, but that didn’t seem possible. They looked intimidated by me. Clara ended up leaving my service and working in the kitchen with her mo
ther. So that left a position open for a new lady-in-waiting.

  My mother put word out at once, but I was nervous to meet a new lady. What if she left me to work in the kitchens? Was I that awful that Clara felt she’d rather prepare my food than serve me?

  I undressed all the way and stepped into the tub as Mona handed me my tea cup.

  “Thank you, Mona,” I said, sinking down into the warm water. I wondered if she’d tell me what happened with Clara.

  “Mona, may I ask you a question?”

  “Of course, My Lady. You may always ask questions of me.”

  She smiled.

  “Why did Clara leave my service? Did I offend her in some way?”

  Mona’s eyes darted away from mine and she bit her lip. She was nervous to tell me the truth.

  “Mona, I won’t be offended. I just need to know. If I did anything to hurt her feelings, I’d feel terrible,” I explained.

  “Madam, I promised to keep it a secret. I assure you it wasn’t anything you did,” she said still not looking at me.

  “Is she in danger?”

  Now I was worried for her. Clara was a quiet girl, much like Mona, but she only seemed quiet in my presence. Many times I saw her talking with other girls and laughing. It made me feel sad that she couldn’t laugh with me, too. But then again, what kind of friend was I really? My boyfriend was in a sleeping spell and I was stressed out all the time. What did I have to offer?

  “She’s pregnant, Your Majesty. But you mustn’t tell anyone.”

  I was not expecting that at all!

  “My lips are sealed. Is she going to marry the boy? Is she all right?” I felt an overwhelming sense of concern for her now.