Once Upon A Kiss: Seventeen Romantic Faerie Tales

by Alethea Kontis

  Chapter 1

  Star

  “There, Paul Hillman! Where you been now? I hear the gadgets market is up-and-coming and no less phenomenal!”

  The governor turned toward the voice of Vince Rickton, my father, whom I was having the worst time keeping up with. My mother was much more adept, sashaying behind him, letting him slice through the mass of bodies as easily as a knife through butter. He was a large man, and people tended to part when they saw him coming. I, on the other hand, got swallowed in the wake of the closing gap behind my mother, and was set to get trampled.

  “Mother!” I gasped as my line of vision was cut off. There were people everywhere, and no one bothered to acknowledge me, even though I was one of the guests of honor.

  “Mingle, darling. We’ll find you,” I heard her call out before her voice faded.

  I halted, giving up the chase. It was no use; they had their agenda, and it wasn’t to babysit me. No matter. I had better things to do than sit under their wings. As one of Petra’s finest young ladies of marriageable age, I was basically there to be courted to death until I chose a suitor.

  I was going to do anything but that. In fact, if I could sneak off to some desolate corner or balcony and snap a vapor cig off someone on the way there, I’d be more than happy. Nothing bothered me more than being paraded in front of all the eligible bachelors of Petra, no matter their age. The ones who were suitable in age for me were not my type, and all the others were far too old.

  No, thank you.

  I lost my footing, swaying on my feet, before regaining my balance and turning to curse the person who’d just slammed into my side without looking where they were going. They held me up with an arm outstretched to cup my back.

  “Watch it, crazy, you almost….” My words faltered as I found myself staring into a pair of the clearest blue eyes, framed by lashes as dark as a moonless night. Matching hair draped over his shoulders while wisps hung messily in his face. His pale, creamy skin ended at a full dark beard that covered his cheeks and came to a severe point beneath his chin. He was a whole head taller than me, and my gaze continued down his arm, which was covered in the sleeve of a trench coat. He’d kept me from falling on my backside, but that did little to snuff out my fury at being shoved. “What’s your problem? I almost fell.”

  “But you didn’t. I caught you.”

  I pressed my lips into a tight line and eyed his fingers on my arm. “You can let go now.”

  He hesitated, letting his hand linger a moment longer.

  “Is this doofus bothering you, Star?” Trevis, one of Petra’s finest young eligible bachelors and a bane to my existence, popped between us and puffed his chest toward the stranger. “Get lost, freak,” he snapped at the guy, stepping forward so that the stranger had to let me go to step back.

  “I’m fine, Trevis. I tripped.”

  “You don’t look fine.” He eyed the stranger. “Who are you?”

  “I was just aiding the miss after she fell. I apologize for any impropriety.” He turned, his sharp eyes drilling into me, and I felt foolish for yelling at him. His gaze was not as frosty as his voice, but it wasn’t welcoming either.

  “Yeah, he saw me falling so he helped me,” I responded.

  Trevis eyed him up and down, a snarl lining his thin mouth. “I don’t know who you are, but you stay away from Miss Star. Her father will crush you if I don’t do it first.”

  The guy kept his eyes trained on me. I was about to ask him his name before he shifted his eyes toward Trevis. The darkness emanating from them chilled my bones.

  “I know who she is, and I know who you are, too. I’ll keep that in mind.” He sidestepped Trevis and disappeared into the ever-thickening crowd.

  “You didn’t have to do that, Trevis. I was fine.”

  He turned to me and smiled, always so sure of himself. “I saved you from the beast! Did you see that beard? Like a thrush died and stuck itself to his face. What a freak! I hope he didn’t come here looking for a wife. No woman would want steel wool on the face of her husband.”

  I don’t know why, but what he said about the stranger rubbed me raw, but before I could insult Trevis about his own shortfalls, my parents showed up.

  “Star, there you are. I see you’ve been chatting with Trevis. He’s a fine young man,” my mother gushed, reaching out to place her hand on his as he bowed before my parents. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.

  He may have looked good in person and on paper, but Trevis was far from a true gentleman. The guy managed to smuggle all kinds of illegal stuff into school, including hallucinogenic powders, which were strictly prohibited for those underage. If it was illegal, he could get his hands on it. He had a revolving door for the girls, too.

  I scoffed as they complimented him. He was as mature as a two-year-old, and I was probably the only one who didn’t want to be another notch on his belt. It only spurred him to pursue me more, and getting rid of him was like removing a fly from tar.

  “I’m going to get a drink. Adios, Trevis.”

  I scampered off into the crowd before they could protest, making my way toward the refreshments. This ball was a superficial nightmare. No one here was ever who they said they were. Everyone had their fake personas plastered on. I was so over it before it even began.

  “Star!” My mother, Sara Rickton, managed to snatch me by the elbow, digging her fingers in. Luckily, I was wearing long gloves or it probably would’ve left a mark.

  “Mom!” I squeaked, “that hurts.”

  “You’re going to pick a husband tonight or we’re cutting you off.”

  My eyes widened. “What? Why would you do that?”

  “You’ve shunned every man we’ve paraded in front of you. You will pick one. Now, I want you to meet someone. He is Lord VanWright, and you will be polite and gracious when you meet him. Got it? No insults. You always find something wrong with everyone.”

  “I do not! I just don’t want to get married. Why is that so hard to accept? It’s not for every girl, getting married and having kids. It’s just not me.”

  “You will choose someone or we’ll pick one for you.”

  My mouth fell open, shocked by her words as she tugged me across the ballroom. There was nothing I wanted less than to meet another guy. Especially since, as we approached the stranger, he turned out to be my rescuer from moments before.

  Great. Lord Thrushbeard was a suitor.

  Chapter 2

  Star

  “Lord VanWright, I’d love for you to meet my daughter, Star Rickton.”

  The dark stranger peered at me as I automatically held my hand out and forced my gaping mouth into a closed-lipped smile. The stranger was a Lord. That made him high on the social hierarchy. Why hadn’t I heard of or met him before? My senses were tingling as he took my hand into his and leaned forward to brush his soft lips against it.

  “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my lady.” He straightened and met my gaze eye to eye.

  I sucked in a quiet breath. His eyes were mesmerizing—bright crystal blue but warm and kind. He smiled, but with his beard, it was hard to make out his features. Along with his long black coat and tall rugged boots, the dark clothes hid his true form from sight. Regardless, I could feel a zing of sparks shoot up my arm and straight into my heart, making it flip.

  Stop, I told to myself. You’re not here to like any of these guys, remember? You do not want to marry anyone. Period.

  “I—I, um… Lord VanWright, um… your beard… it’s quite pecky. I mean pointy. Hah! Like a thrush’s beak.” I frowned at the long, curved goatee right in front of my face. “And my, you’re so tall. I can’t even see you eye to eye. No. This won’t do.” With that, I lifted my chin and spun, walking away as I lifted my skirts so I could rush off despite the calls of my angered mother.

  But she wasn’t having it, and in no time at all, I yelped as she grabbed hold of my bodice and dragged me to a balcony where a couple was standing. With one glare from my mothe
r, they rushed back to the party.

  “Mother!”

  “How dare you, Star? You are no daughter of mine, calling that young man such vile things. You go back there and apologize now.”

  “I will not!” The irony that I felt like a two-year-old throwing a tantrum was not lost on me, yet I crossed my arms and held my ground. “I will not marry any of those baboons you call suitors. I can make my own decision, and no one is going to make me join in holy matrimony if I don’t want to.”

  Fire burned in her eyes as my father joined in and noticed her apparent displeasure.

  Oh no, I thought. Father won’t back away as easily as mother. I was done for.

  “Young lady, have you rejected yet another suitor?”

  “She insulted young VanWright.”

  Red was far too mild a word to describe the shade of maroon my father turned. “Star, you’ve just ruined an important possible partnership with the VanWrights. They traveled a good distance to meet you, and you’ve tossed them aside like garbage. You dare treat my associates in such a manner, I’ll marry you to the next scoundrel who walks by.”

  “Then marry me to Lord Thrushbeard—err, VanWright—or even that hideous old man Farlan Glass you introduced me to when we arrived, if you must. I won’t choose anyone. I just want to create gadgets and sell them, to work alongside you, inventing. Why is that so hard to believe? I can do so much if you let me.”

  “Star….”

  Before he could go on, I rushed back into the ballroom, making it across the dance floor and into the main atrium of the house, searching for a place to hide.

  Nearby, a door stood wide open, revealing a library stuffed so full of books, it was bursting. On the plus side, it was the last place anyone else wanted to be, so I would have it to myself. I reached behind me and grabbed the door, slamming it shut before bursting into tears. Life was so unfair. If I’d been a son, I wouldn’t be pressed to marry at all. I made my way to the window and peered out just in time to watch Lord VanWright leaving.

  I sighed, sitting on the window seat and grabbing the nearest book off a pile perched precariously on the edge of the cushions. Reading for a good half hour about Machines and Humans: A History, I couldn’t feel sorry for myself for long. The floor began to rumble, and books slipped from the shelves. Edging toward the desk in the center of the room to avoid being hit, I heard a plane approaching and jumped under the heavy wood table just before the walls exploded and the deafening sound of screams, concrete smashing, and books pummeling the floor filled the room.

  Billows of dust and debris thickened the air as I held on to one of the desk’s legs, but the wood cracked above me and the ground gave way. I screamed, but the commotion all around me swallowed the sound as I was sent sliding down into the basement, buried under the contents of the library. Something smacked my head, making the light disappear and the sounds of chaos fade into oblivion.

  Chapter 3

  Star

  “Star? Star? Where are you?”

  I groaned, feeling warm and comfy in my cocoon. I didn’t want to open my eyes. It was too early, and I felt so incredibly tired. My shoulder ached, so I shifted my position to make it feel better.

  Unfortunately, moving made my entire body hurt like my shoulder, filling me with a pain too intense to describe. I froze, overcome by the agony of what felt like either a fractured arm or a bruised shoulder. Blinking, I found nothing but slivers of light struggling to shine through the piles of debris.

  Luckily, the hardwood desk had kept the bulk of the mess from smashing me to smithereens. Only now, I was stuck beneath the rubble and unable to move the heavy stone no matter how hard I pushed and shoved at it.

  “Help!” my voice squeaked out, hoarse from the dust filling the air. I coughed and hacked until I felt my lungs burn. I hoped this building held until I got out. “Help me, please!”

  Silence followed, and I wondered if anyone was still up there. I coughed out another plea, praying so. Moments later, I felt the floor shift again, and another puff of concrete dust billow across my face. I closed my eyes, covering my mouth with the hem of my dress. I couldn’t see and was about to get buried alive. Great. Best day ever.

  “Star?”

  I gasped at the sound of my name so close, sounding like it was just above the desk.

  “Here! I’m here!”

  “Okay, I’ve got you. Just hold on. Stay under the desk and cover your face. There’s going to be a lot of dust flying around, so just stay put.”

  “Please don’t leave me!”

  “Star, I won’t leave you. I swear it.”

  The voice was soothing, and I knew immediately the man saying those words would keep his promise. I did as he instructed, squeezing my eyes shut and covering my face. Tears slipped out from the corner of my eyes as I listened to the ruckus above me, hoping a slab of concrete didn’t slip and crush me. The feel of the stones shifting around horrified me down to my atoms.

  As I waited, my thoughts drifted to my parents. Had they survived the attack? That’s what had happened, right? The governor’s mansion had collapsed under a heavy artillery attack, probably killing everyone inside. My heart skipped a beat at the very thought, my stomach twisting. My parents could be dead, their bodies lying cold in the mass of rubble, or worse, hurt without any hope for rescue.

  I swallowed down the fear, feeling the despair rise. Right as the hopelessness of the situation overwhelmed me, I felt a tug on my injured shoulder and screamed.

  “So sorry, love, just hold on.” The man with the soothing voice shifted and moved his hand under my arm to grip my torso and uninjured arm instead. Moving my legs, which felt heavy as lead, I pushed out of the small hole he was reaching into to get me. I managed to squeeze through, squinting my eyes at the blinding daylight.

  “My parents… they’re in there. I have to get them….”

  “Hold on there, miss.” He wrapped his hands around my waist and pulled me the last couple of feet. I lay there atop the stranger whose dark hair was now dusted in white, along with his dark shirt and pants. “Rescue crews are sifting through the debris, but they’ve found few survivors so far.”

  My eyes widened as I shook my head, refusing to believe his words. “No, they’re in there. They need help.”

  “Whoa, hold on.”

  I heaved myself off him and almost tripped over a pile of debris. Tears streamed down my face, and I was sure I was a mess, but I didn’t give a hoot. “No!” I dropped to my hands and knees, not caring about the pain now going numb in my shoulder. “I have to find them.”

  “I already looked, Star. They aren’t here. They must’ve left before the bomb hit.”

  I turned to the man now standing above me, holding out his hand. His sleeves were rolled back, his arms scratched up from dragging me from the rubble. I peered up at a pair of familiar, brilliant blue eyes. He looked like Lord Thrushbeard… whatever his name was… but his face was clean-shaven, and he couldn’t have been much older than me. With his worn clothes and hair pulled taut into a ponytail, he didn’t look like the man I’d met before.

  “Who are you, and what do you mean?”

  “Some guy asked me to find you. He unfortunately has died from his injuries. Trevis, I believe was his name. I pulled him out of rubble in the ballroom, but it was too late to save him.”

  “Oh, my God.”

  His concerned eyes and tight frown told me all I needed to know. “I need to take you to the medics.”

  I shook my head. “I’m fine. I need to find them.” I took his hand, and he easily lifted me to my feet. I felt like a feather in his grasp, which would’ve been impressive if not for the situation. My heart breaking for my parents, I studied the ruins surrounding me. “How would I even start?”

  “I’ll take you. Please be careful. The rubble is unstable.”

  I nodded and began to move, but my legs gave way after being pinned under me for so long, and I felt myself falling until Mr. Handsome took hold of me and swung
me up into his arms.

  “Geez, you weren’t kidding. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, Star. We should let the rescuers work. I’ll take you down.”

  He stepped forward as I clung to his frame with my good arm. My other one was thankfully numb. It rubbed against his chest, but I felt no more pain. Once the adrenaline stopped, I was sure it would be agonizing.

  Above, where the medics had set up tents, nurses and doctors worked on the line of patients stacking up, while the stranger with the blue eyes led me through the crowd. Many called out for loved ones, and my heart seized. He took me past the hospital tents, toward the rear where the tents for the deceased were lined up. There were more bodies than I could count, making the knot in my throat grow as I choked down sobs, but I told him to stop and let me look.

  He carried me from body to body, but luckily, my parents weren’t there. Even so, I was all alone in the world.

  Chapter 4

  Star

  “We have to go.”

  I barely heard the stranger whose name I’d yet to learn.

  “What? Why?” I sat on a cot, my cuts and bruises bandaged and my arm in a sling. No broken bones, just a cracked clavicle. I’d wait there for my parents forever. My heart felt as though it was struggling to keep beating, though the tears had long dried on my face, cementing with the concrete dust streaked across it. I wasn’t going to move even if he begged me to.

  “Insurgents are coming. We should leave. They bombed the mansion to kill the ruling party and now they’re coming for the survivors. If they see you, they’ll capture you, or worse.”

  I waved my good arm at his comment. “Let them.”

  “Star.”

  “My parents are probably dead. I’ll scratch the insurgents’ eyes out if they dare touch me.”

  His eyes twinkled, and I scoffed at his amusement.