I nodded, unable to speak.
I stood so she could take me to a dressing room in one of their large buildings. Low candles hung from the ceiling and food scented the whole room. My stomach ached with hunger as she dressed me in clean riding pants and a billowy long black blouse. She handed me my tawny boots, and I put them on myself.
As soon as a plate of food was placed before me, I said nothing as I scarfed it down. I’m not sure I even tasted it.
When it was gone, the fairy led me outside where riders waited and she handed me Midnight’s reins.
“Graylor’s body has been sent to your castle already, Your Majesty. We all wanted to thank you for defending the Fae Woods in your fight against, Raven. We will follow you always, Queen.” She bowed all the way to her knees and the rest who were standing followed. I smiled, faintly.
“Thank you.”
I climbed upon Midnight and rode off with the other Fae behind me. I was numb and unable to process all my thoughts. So as we rode with the wind burning my face, I let the tears fall without shame. The breeze took them away anyway.
****
I could see Ancora and my castle in the distance. It looked the same, but as the sun came up over the hills, I could see the difference. It looked as if it had been cleansed somehow. It no longer held the burden of Maleficent’s rule or fear of Raven’s return.
For once, I could see hope in the land. It literally hung from the trees and rose from the ground. I felt it in my soul as we rode through the small village.
Villagers stood outside their homes cheering and thanking me. Some threw roses and others blew kisses in the air. I waved and smiled—they didn’t need to know the pain I felt inside.
Finally, the castle was right before me, and I saw three fairies standing outside with many others. My mother waved and called out to me.
But there was something behind them that I couldn’t decipher from here. It looked like a body.
Had they laid Gray’s body in front of the castle for all to see? That couldn’t be. They would never disgrace the dead in that way, unless they planned on her burial today.
An uneasy feeling passed through me as I rode closer. Merryweather, Flora, and Fauna gave me nervous false smiles. My mother wrung her hands together and the others looked at the ground, unable to meet my eyes.
I stopped Midnight and climbed down. My knees shook and my head was light.
Don’t pass out, Rory.
I stood tall and walked toward them even though I was terrified to do it. No one ran to me and embraced me; no one could even look me in the eye. Something was wrong.
I sped up my pace until I was at a full run and met my mother who wrapped her arms around me. She whispered in my hair, telling me everything would be all right, even though we lost Gray. I cried then, like a child.
“Aurora, you did all that you could. You fought for this realm like a true queen would. And in battles you will lose people. It was her destined time to die. No matter what you wish or what you want, she was meant to leave us. But you know she wouldn’t have it any other way, honey.”
She was right.
I knew Gray and she would have rather she died than me. She was a warrior and they lived to die at the hands of a weapon. She wouldn’t have wanted to die of old age, that wasn’t how she lived.
I pulled away and looked at the others who stood there waiting and smiled at my mother.
“Why are they all standing there like that? What’s wrong?”
She half smiled. “We’ve been waiting for you. We had a battle of our own here,” she said. She went into great detail about the Duke and Hunter. Anger ran through me and I knew that Queen Hilde would have to be punished for what she did. “But there have been changes with Sawyer. I wanted to be the one to tell you.”
“What changes?”
I tried to pull away from her, but she clenched me harder around my shoulders.
“Aurora, the Healer is here. She found him and she has been doing all that she can to wake him, but it’s just not working.”
I pulled the dagger from my holster and held it up for her to see.
“I heard that a Healer was coming and I got what she wanted.”
She nodded, “Yes, yes. The Healer, she is Sawyer’s mother.”
What?
I swayed. “His mother? How is that possible?”
“She found him when she found us, Aurora. A mother’s love is one of the strongest alive, trust me. But during the battle here, we locked them away under the castle, and she thinks in doing that it weakened him.”
I broke free from her grasp and hurried over to what they were all hiding in front of. Everyone tried to stop me, but I eventually got around them all.
And that’s when I saw him. It was Sawyer. It was Sawyer’s body they had out in the sunlight on a pedestal. He was dressed in royal clothing and set upon a bed of moss. His neck was no longer wrapped, exposing the angry slash that wasn’t anywhere near being healed, but looked worse. It was purplish and angry.
His lips had no color and were almost blue. His eyelids were dark and his skin pale. He was dead.
Chapter Thirty-One
Merryweather
Rory screamed into the morning air and the birds above the castle scattered at the sound of her angry voice. Merryweather reached out for her, but didn’t touch her. What could she offer the Queen now? Certainly not comfort because she mourned the loss of Gray just as much as Rory did. It felt like she had lost her greatest friend when she saw the body of Gray being carried to the castle. She had run to meet the fairies who carried her all the way from the Fae Woods, and she cried like a helpless heap, not understanding why Gray had to die at the hands of such an evil being like Raven.
She got angry later, of course. She hoped that denial wasn’t next in line for emotions, and she would skip right to acceptance—that felt so far away right now, though.
She would never accept the death of someone so dear. The only thing that eased her mind was that the raven was dead and that Rory had been the one to destroy her. Rory was a true queen to this kingdom, having proved herself to be a fierce leader.
Looking at her now as she lay on top of Sawyer, she didn’t look fierce; she was in pieces.
“Your Majesty, if I may?” Aiofe said coming toward Rory with her hands clasped together as if in prayer for her son.
“Who are you?” Rory asked, wiping the tears free from her eyes.
“I’m Aiofe, and I’m Sawyer’s mother. I wanted to meet the girl that my son loved so much.”
Rory stood and looked at Aiofe in a daze.
“Where were you his whole life? You left him here and didn’t even try to find him.”
Oh, if Rory only knew the story of why Aiofe stayed away so long. Even if the Fae women were allowed to raise their young, Aiofe would have found Sawyer if she knew where he was. But he was stolen from her by a thief.
“There is time to discuss all of the reasons why I couldn’t find my son when he became a man or even before that. But first, I wanted to talk to you about his condition and why it worsened.”
Rory shook her head and backed away from her.
“No. I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to be alone with him.”
Merry stepped in. “Aurora, you should listen to her, please. We beg of you; it’s important.”
She continued to shake her head in protest.
“Rory, stop it!” Merry yelled and shook her out of her grief, for just a moment. “I’m sorry, but you need to know this.”
Rory stopped and looked at the two fairies and then everyone around her. “Okay.”
Finally.
Aiofe took advantage and said, “He became sicker as we stayed under the castle because there is something in the actual earth that is poison
ed. I’m not sure what it is, but it seems to have spread from the Dark Woods. And perhaps from Maleficent’s stay here, she sickened the ground in the dungeons to make those poor people die faster. I didn’t feel it right away, but as we stayed there longer, it became worse.”
Aiofe explained how the fairies had no choice but to lock them away down in the dungeon to keep Sawyer safe.
“I noticed that his wounds worsened as we stayed there, and I had no choice but to try to get us out of there. I’m but a small fairy and I could not carry him by myself. So when I finally got someone to help bring him up, he was even worse. We brought him outside into the moonlight, hoping it would heal him, but his heart just stopped beating.”
Merry felt the extreme sadness once again. She knew that Rory would be a mess, but this was worse than she pictured.
“But before long Merryweather felt a faint heartbeat. It was like a miracle had brought it back after it stopped.”
Merry said, “It was the strangest thing. He was gone to us. We all felt his life slip away. Then it was like a jolt of electricity came through the trees, from the ground, and made his heart beat again.”
Rory shook her head in confusion. “I don’t understand. He’s gone; how did he die?”
Merry shook her head. “No, Rory, he still lives. But his heartbeat is slow and we’re afraid we will lose him again if you’re not fast. You must take that dagger and kill me with it before you lose the chance again.”
Merryweather had said her goodbyes to her sisters and explained that she was the one that had to die since she gave the gift. She had watched too many die and would not let Sawyer go again. She welcomed death before she felt any more emotions about losing those she loved. She would see Gray soon.
Rory backed away and shook her head again. “No. I won’t … you can’t ask me to do that. I can’t. I won’t!”
“You must, Aurora. It is the only way to bring Sawyer back. You have the dagger from Raven. But it was me who put Sawyer in this sleep. I gave the gift to Fauna and so it has to be me.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Rory
I stared at the dagger and then at Sawyer. I placed my hand on his wrist, searching for a heartbeat, and it was there, so faint. He was still alive, but barely.
I had to kill one of the most important people in my life. I couldn’t do this. I could kill Raven, but not Merryweather. She was the one who bathed me and brushed my hair in the asylum when I thought my life was lost. She was a constant companion, and if I wanted to save the boy I loved, I had to plunge this dagger into her heart and kill her.
What the hell was wrong with everything! Why was life so morbid and awful? Would I ever be happy? Or would I continually have to keep killing and crying and fighting to survive?
There had to be something else.
“This can’t be the only way,” I said, desperately.
“There isn’t another way that I know of,” Aiofe said, looking at me with her bright eyes. “I wish there were.”
There was just something bothering me about the way that Sawyer’s heart had gave out and come back. Why would he die and then be brought back to life somehow mysteriously?
I dug into my thoughts, desperate for a way to do that same thing to Merryweather if I had to kill her. Maybe I could use it to bring her back.
“This thing that brought back Sawyer’s heartbeat, what was it?” I asked curiously.
“We’re not sure. I’ve only ever seen one person come back to life like that,” Aiofe told me. “It was with dark power.”
Power.
“It was night when this happened?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Late night.”
It was when I had told the power to enter the earth and to heal the darkness. Perhaps it traveled all the way back here to the castle and had brought Sawyer back. But if that was true, why didn’t it heal Gray?
I told Aiofe my assumption and how I had the chance to wield the darkness, but chose to put it back into the ground from where it came.
“It didn’t bring Gray back because she was gone for too long. Once the soul leaves the body there is no bringing it back. But Sawyer, he was only gone for a moment. The power could have brought him back in time. But I’m afraid of one thing,” Aiofe told me biting her lip.
“What?”
“Waking him the way we had hoped may not work now.”
“Why not?” I asked desperate.
“It’s been interrupted. His sleep could be due to something else now. He died while under the curse and that would have taken the curse off of him. He is free of the curse now, I’m sure of it. But still he sleeps.”
The curse was gone, just like with my father when Maleficent killed him. When she stabbed him, she woke him from his slumber.
“What else is stronger than a curse, Aiofe?” I asked hoping for some kind of miracle.
She paused for a moment and then said, “Love.”
I looked at him lying on the moss, and he looked as if he were truly gone from me. His skin was cold as I touched it. I walked closer to him and ran my fingers through his hair, it was longer now and just how I remembered from before Dr. M made him shave it all off. I hoped to see his beautiful eyes and how they changed colors so magically.
“I want to try something,” I said to no one in particular. Everyone stepped away giving me space. It was just me and him now.
“Sawyer,” I said whispering low. “I love you more than time itself. And if I had to wait for you to wake up on your own, I promise you I would. But I’m a selfish girl and I don’t want to wait. I want to spend my time ruling this kingdom with you at my side as King. I want to have children running around us and in this very grass.
“I want nothing more than to watch you grow old and for you to do the same with me. I want to hold hands and take our last breaths together. But I will not sit by and watch you die so young. I refuse to let you go now, Sawyer. We haven’t had any time together. Our moments were so short and were hidden away where no one could see. I refuse to hide our love anymore.”
I knelt down close to his face and I could barely feel the breath coming from him. He was growing weaker. He wasn’t under a spell anymore; he was dying for real. His heart was giving out and he was going to leave me. There was no kiss I could give him to wake him. It would take a miracle.
I whispered so quietly, “I shouldn’t have given all of the power away, Sawyer. I should have saved some of it to wake you up. But I was selfish and I wanted to make my kingdom better. And because of that, I will lose you.”
I took his face in my hands and I kissed him softly goodbye, for the last time.
I don’t know why, but I felt something rise up from the ground, where my knees rested, and run through my body filling me up all the way to my lips and into Sawyer’s body. His eyes opened and his color came back to his face. I left my lips pressed to his and didn’t let go. The color ran over his whole body and his hands rose up to meet my face as his lips moved with mine. He sat up, pulled me into his lap, and ran his fingers through my messy hair.
The power left my body completely and I pulled away, regretfully. I looked at him in awe.
He smiled at me.
“A miracle. I wished for a miracle and it happened!” I exclaimed as I watched his eyes turn from brown to blue.
A tear ran down my cheek just when I thought I had no more left to cry.
“Not a miracle, Rory. It was magic. Didn’t you feel it?” he whispered in a raspy voice. His throat must have been extremely dry.
“Someone get him something to drink. And food too.”
He raised his hand and caressed my face. “Stop for just one moment. You’ve been caring for me, let me care for you now.” He kissed me again and pulled me into his arms. “I don’t want to rest and I don’t want to eat. I want to
be with you. I need to know why I’m …,” he looked around, confused, “outside? Why am I outside? Where are we?”
“Oh Sawyer, you’ve missed so much. We have to get you inside and sit down, whether you like it or not. We have a lot to catch up on.” A chill ran through the air and he shivered.
“It’s so cold.”
“That’s because it’s winter now.”
Confusion ran across his face while his eyes changed colors. They always did that based on his emotions.
“Your Majesty, if I may, can I come with you?” Aiofe asked coming near.
“Of course, Aiofe. Sawyer, we’re going to go inside now. And there is someone I’d like you to meet.”
Sawyer turned to see Aiofe and smiled at her. He raised a hand awkwardly and waved.
“Your Majesty, huh? I guess I did miss out on some things.”
“You’re looking at the new Queen of Ancora,” I told him with a smile.
He shook his head and stood up shakily. Merryweather and Fauna rushed over to help him inside the castle. And Flora helped prepare the table and food.
“I guess things will be different now, huh?” I asked my mother as we followed inside.
“Different, yes. But for the better. Now is the time for healing and joyous celebration. But we still have work to do, Aurora.”
I didn’t want to think about all that we had to deal with. For now I just wanted to celebrate with my friends and be with Sawyer. We had time to make up for. Months had passed, and all I wanted was to spend this time with him. I would put my agenda and responsibilities aside and be just Rory—at least for tonight.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Rory
Awaken (Slumber Duology #2) Page 16