by K.N. Lee
The Guardians? I had no memory of their part in all of this.
All I remembered was the scene of my parent’s death and the dangerous man who taunted me.
“Where is he?” I asked, shooting up and clutching my throat. My eyes darted from side to side as I searched for him.
Tall. Handsome. Devilish.
To my relief, we were alone, in the middle of a meadow. The sun shone down on the honey wheat and warmed my face.
I touched my cheek. It had been ages since I’d felt its warm embrace.
“Who is he, dear? The Guardians have saved you and brought you back to me,” Kala said, placing her hand on mine.
I covered her hand with my other, and held tight. I didn’t want to ever let go again. I continued surveying this bright new world and wet my lips.
“Where are we?”
“Allandria, dear,” she said, and my brows lifted. “You’ve made it. The Guardians have brought you back to me. I prayed, and prayed, and begged for them to intervene. None of us could go into The Veil to retrieve you, but they could. And, they did. Blessed be.”
Tears burned my eyes, and though I wanted to forget their deaths with all of my heart, I also wanted to cling to the memory of their faces. I gasped and wept. I had forgotten what they looked like.
How could I?
My heart broke for the second time in my life.
“Oh, Kala. It was awful.”
“What did you see?”
“I saw mother and father. Their deaths. Their suffering,” I said, covering my face as I sobbed.
“You’re here now. You have been saved and we have all been blessed. Now, let’s hurry to the palace before they think to cancel the entire coronation.”
It was all so vivid, and intense. Had the Guardians truly brought me back? Kala seemed to think so, and there I was in the blink of an eye.
Still, I could still smell him, feel him pressed against me. But, I didn’t want to alarm her. I shrugged off the memory. I was safe now, and Jasper couldn’t get his hands on me now that I was safe in the human realm.
Kala shifted into her wolf form, and motioned for me to get on her back.
Hesitant, I walked over to her. She was a great wolf, tall and regal. But, I never imagined riding on her back.
“Hurry, girl. We don’t have much time to waste.”
Those words sprung me into action, and I pulled myself onto her soft white fur, and held tight.
She took off, racing across the meadow, and I leaned forward, closing my eyes.
I drew in a long, slow breath of cleansing air and readied myself.
Here we go.
Chapter 23
As Kala and I entered the white gates of the city, my distracted thoughts melted into the back of my mind. A litter awaited us after Kala flew up to the palace and alerted Queen Sorcha of our arrival.
I sat inside the litter, nearly leaning over the side as I marveled at the sights. I’d been deprived of such beauty for far too long.
Opulent didn’t begin to describe what Allandria truly was. The trees outstretched high into the heavens, and from their branches were hundreds of houses. Glass and gold combined with the wood of the trees and glittered as traces of sunlight peeked through the forest canopy.
The roads were paved in cream stone, and the river flowed around the city, like a moat, but full of life and beauty.
“Good gracious,” I said, as iridescent fish jumped and played in the river, their scales shimmering in the light.
Set in the center of the bustling city, the Allandrian Palace stood at the center of the empire. The cream and gold of the palace’s siding shone beneath the bright, blue sky.
It was the most delightful thing I’d seen in ages. Memories of Mordigan returned to me as I recalled swimming in the koi pond and splashing my mother as she sat on the edge, reading. Always reading. My smile faded. I’d seen her perish, and it had not been merciful.
Once we reached the palace, Prince Ewan and Queen Sorcha were there with two other young men, eagerly awaiting our arrival.
By the look on his face, I could see relief in Prince Ewan’s eyes and a visible release of tension in his face as he approached. He took my gloved hand and helped me to the stone walkway.
“My dear,” he said. “I have been sick with worry. If I could have jumped over the side of the ship and gone after you, I would have.”
I nodded, forcing a smile. “I know. There was nothing you could have done against him,” I said, and he tensed.
“Against who?”
I pursed my lips, my eyes locking with those of who I knew to be Stellan’s.
“Nothing,” I said, and left him to approach the boy from my dream, my childhood friend.
He was a remarkable specimen. Dark red hair and blue eyes, but there was a thick red beard that hadn’t been there before. I smiled as I approached him and gave it a tug.
He lifted his brows, gazing down at me with a surprised look on his face.
“Hello, fathead,” I said, searching his eyes.
The smile that greeted me warmed my heart. It was all worth it.
“And, hello to you stinky-face,” he said, and we chuckled together, embracing tightly. He spun me around and I held on as if I held on for life, joy filling my entire body.
It was just as we’d left it as children.
I was home.
My eyes left his to meet those of the young man beside him.
“And, who are you?” I asked, reaching my hand out to him.
He took my hand and kissed the knuckles. “I am Prince Maxim of Kyushu. Pleased to meet you.”
“The Earth Prince,” I said. I’d felt his energy, perhaps stronger than the others. I just didn’t know why. “Pleased to meet you as well.”
“This way, princess. We need to prepare you for the coronation,” Queen Sorcha said, and ushered us into the palace. “Come, meet your ladies-in-waiting and get acquainted with the traditions of the coronation.”
“See you at dinner, my queen,” Maxim said, leaving a lingering kiss on my knuckles once more.
Something stirred within me, and I was locked in his gaze. “I’ll look forward to it,” I said in a soft voice as I was led away by Queen Sorcha.
Two guards waited outside, with their swords sheathed and their armor polished. As I stared at them, they barely blinked or moved an inch.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Prince Ewan asked, approaching from behind.
“Yes,” I said. “Quite.”
He looked down at me, a twinkle in his eyes.
I nodded, though its beauty only brought back painful memories of a life I had been stolen from.
“Ostrum Palace isn’t nearly as grand as this,” he added. “Drab and older than dirt.”
“Will I see it someday?”
He lifted a brow. “If you’d like. I must apologize for my brothers and their manners in advance.”
Nodding, together we walked up the gray, stone staircase to the open archway that led inside the palace.
“Welcome to your new home,” Queen Sorcha said. She smiled at me and smoothed my hair. “Until your coronation, you’ll be guarded at all times and will remain in the palace. Its for your protection. We can’t have anyone ruining our plans. Not after everything we’ve done to get you two here.”
“When will my coronation be exactly?” I asked.
For a moment, I didn’t think I sounded like myself. Jasper had done what he’d threatened; he’d awakened something within me. A fire and a forwardness I didn’t know existed. I would survive, and as queen, I would have the power to destroy him.
She glanced over her shoulder, just at the base of the stairs, her eyes narrowing. “Eager, aren’t we?”
I looked at her, unblinking.
“Tomorrow,” she said, leading the way up the winding staircase, and my face flushed.
“So soon?” I asked and Prince Ewan gave my hand a squeeze.
“Yes,” she said. “Once the sun sets on the end
of the Solstice, our chance to bind you won’t come again for another ten years.”
“My goodness,” I said, releasing a heavy sigh. “I had no idea.”
“Well,” she said. “You’ve been gone for weeks. We are short on time.”
I clasped my hand over my mouth. “Weeks?”
She looked to me, brows furrowed. “A journey through The Veil does not happen at the same pace as our time, my dear. We have all been worried sick. And yes, for weeks.”
My stomach sank. Why didn’t Kala tell me? She’d been waiting there, praying, pleading with the Guardians to save me.
I realized what a task it had been, and as I glanced back down at her as she waited outside, I couldn’t help but love her even more.
My legs burned from hiking up nine flights of stairs, but I was surprised that I wasn’t more afraid. One day I would be an empress, and all of my years of sorrow and suffering would be behind me.
Allandria was mine, and I wanted to know her and study every part of her. So, I observed every floor as we went steadily upward.
I was surrounded by dimly lit corridors with ceilings that reached to the sky. Statues seemed to watch me, as did paintings of people with the same grim look on their face.
My heart raced a bit, thumping in my chest like a drum. I hadn’t had so much free space to wander since childhood.
Once we reached my private apartment, Queen Sorcha opened the double doors and we walked into a room full of light.
“Princess, please meet Morgan, Talia, Simi, and Lena,” she said, and four beautiful faeries all curtsied before me.
“Hello,” I said, and the queen and Ewan turned to leave the room.
Ewan stopped to kiss my cheek, and stroked the back of my hand. “See you at dinner.”
I nodded, forcing a smile despite the heavy worry that weighed me down. “See you then, my prince.”
“Take good care of her,”Queen Sorcha said to my ladies-in-waiting.
“We will,” they said in unison, and once the doors closed.
“I’m Morgan,” said the faerie with the black hair and purple skin.
Her eyes were a bit too big for her face, but the most beautiful shade of gray I had ever seen. She lifted my shirt over my head while another unbuckled my belt.
“Pleasure to finally meet you, your royal highness,” she said.
“Likewise,” I said as someone began tugging at my hair. “Ouch!”
“Oops,” said the one with the pink hair and dark, brown skin. She smiled at me, pink eyes cast down in apology. “My apologies, your royal highness. I am Talia.”
I learned that the two brunettes were identical twin sisters, Simi and Lena, as they took began tugging my clothes and shoes off until I was naked and covering my private areas in the middle of the room.
“Oh, don’t be shy, your royal highness,” Morgan said, her eyes meeting mine. “We’ll make you shine for your handsome princes. Just leave it to us.”
Chapter 24
The day had raced by in a whirlwind. As night fell, I couldn’t help but worry if I was ready to truly lead an empire.
Stellan sat with me under the stars in the garden. We watched the statue in the fountain pour crystalline water into the pool.
“Tell me,” he said. “What do you think of all this?”
I sighed, and looked down at my hands. “Well,” I began. “Just look at me. My hair is styled in a fashion I’ve never seen, and I’m wearing the most expensive gown I could have dreamed of. But, under it all, I feel like a fraud.”
He narrowed his eyes and took my hands into his.
“No, don’t say such things. I can feel that this is right,” he said, tracing the lines of my palms with his fingertips. “Can’t you?”
My lips parted as I focused. I did feel it, something ancient and feral.
Magic.
He lifted his hand, and with it came a wave of water that took the shape of a mermaid. I gasped, then smiled with joy.
The mermaid looked at me with glossy eyes, and smiled, then waved at me before submerging into the water.
Stunned, I looked from the water, to Stellan. “How did you do that?”
He grinned with a shrug. “Water is my element, my love. But, with you here, holding my hand, just being in my presence, I can feel my power is getting stronger.”
My shoulders slumped. “You do, but where is my power? I don’t feel anything yet.”
He took my face in his hands and kissed my forehead. “Give it time. You are the Aether. Maybe it isn’t as simple as you think. Maybe it comes after you wear the crown.”
My brows lifted. I never thought of it that way.
“You really think so?”
“I do. Just think of it this way. The Aether is said to hold so much power that it could reshape the world or even create new ones. It would make sense to ration it to you or wait until you were truly ready to wield it.”
“Remarkable,” I said. “You may be on target, fathead.”
I couldn’t help myself. It was a joy to be playful again. I’d missed out on so much of my childhood, that Stellan was the physical embodiment of the essence of that era.
He chuckled. “You’re the only one I’ve ever let call me names like that.”
“Good,” I said, lowering my voice as he held my hand.
We both turned when out of the side doors of the palace walked Maxim. He waited in the shadows, as if waiting his turn to have time alone with me.
I had to admit, I was intrigued by him. During dinner, he’d been quite, almost pensive, and watched me with such curiosity that at times my cheeks burned with nervousness.
It was time to learn more about the shy prince.
“Until tomorrow,” Stellan said, and we stood.
He lead me to Maxim, and bowed to us both.
“Night,” he said.
Maxim raked a hand through his long hair. “Night, Stellan.”
Then, he turned to me. For a moment, there was an awkward silence, and I forced a smile.
“Come, fair prince,” I said, taking the lead and hooking my arm around his. Two shy people would get nowhere. “Let’s take a stroll around the gardens.”
Chapter 25
The Earth Prince
It was unreal. After all of those years waiting to meet her, we were in the same place together.
“Tell me about yourself,” Celeste said as we walked side by side through the garden courtyard.
A week had passed since the corsus attack, and Makya had assured me that Star no longer infected my body, but, it didn’t ease my worries.
Celeste was everything to me, and I could not risk her life.
The nightmares of Star and what it would do to Celeste haunted me. For a moment, I contemplated telling her all that happened, but fear of somehow alerting Star of my whereabouts just by speaking its name kept me silent.
I shifted my thoughts to the beautiful young woman beside me. In a red gown, she was a vision, one I never wanted to forget, so I studied her—the curves of her hips, the mounds of her full bosom, the perfection of her face.
“I was born in Kyushu,” I said, rubbing my jaw. “Its a small kingdom, but beautiful. It’s mostly mountains, with some active volcanoes, but none close to the villages. There are these cherry blossoms that bloom every spring and the people would celebrate with grand balls and festivals.
Ancient temples of worship stood amongst the forests in all corners of the kingdom. White rushing rivers my father and I would raft through whenever we pleased. And, rice fields that stretched for miles. You’ve never seen anything like it, my dear Celeste.”
She smiled at me, and my heart melted. How could one fall for someone so hard that they’d just met hours ago? I did not have an answer, but I deducted that it was fate—a theory that had no proof or an quantifiable evidence.
“Sounds lovely,” she said.
I returned the smile. “It was.” Then, my smile faded. “Until it was discovered that my mother was a faerie,
and I was born of human and magic-born blood. The people revolted. After centuries upon centuries of kindness and peace, that simple detail made them turn against the royal family.”
She took my hand into hers, but kept silent. Such grace and manners. I gave her hand a squeeze and went on.
“My parents were killed, and I only escaped because a palace servant took pity upon me and smuggled me out of the kingdom in a crate marked to have rice.”
Celeste stopped, and turned to me.
My breaths came out ragged as she wiped tears from my cheeks. I didn’t even know I had began to cry, and roughly ran my sleeve across my face, embarrassed.
She took my face between her hands and gazed into my eyes.
“Its all right, Maxim,” she said. “My parents were killed right in front of me as well. I know the pain you feel. If you think about it, we are more alike than any of the other Elementals. We are bound by our suffering and those awful memories.”
I couldn’t help myself. I kissed her then, so passionately and forcefully that I barely recognized myself or my actions. Her lips were soft as rose petals, and mine burned against hers until I wasn’t sure if I was breathing my air or hers.
Was it the power that connected us, or something else?
I didn’t care. I grabbed her by the hips and carried her to the stone wall that reached high into the clouds. We were alone, and the sweet sounds of night filled the warm air as I devoured her mouth.
She didn’t resist. Her hands laced into my hair, tugging in a delicious mixture of need and excitement as I took her bottom lip between my teeth and traced it with my tongue.
There was no resisting the yearning that burned in my heart for her, or the filling of blood in my manhood. She’d awakened a side of me I never knew existed.
Like an animal, I licked at her white throat and slid my hands up her skirts. Her soft flesh was warm beneath my palms, her bottom round, yet firm.
When she wrapped her legs around my waist, I tore her from the wall and guided her to the soft grass.
“The guards,” she breathed into my ear. “They’ll see us.”