FAERIE DREAMS
book one
MIREILLE CHESTER
Copyright © 2017 by Mireille Chester
Published by Mireille Chester
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any way, shape, or form without the express written permission of the author. For more information, please visit https://mireillechester.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
For my daughter, Ashtynn, who told me a story about a girl
who falls asleep and wakes up with faeries. She was four at the time.
Prologue
“Of course it had to be a dragon,” grumbled Quallen as he took to the air, his clear wings shimmering with green as the sunlight shone through them. He blew his black bangs out of his deep violet eyes and looked below him to the elves who were waving goodbye.
“Good luck, Prince!” Lenola smiled up at him.
He nodded to her. “Princess.” He turned toward the Mountains of Old and let the breeze push him higher into the sky. Her words echoed in his head. His mother had given Delana’s Ring to the elves for safe keeping when his father had died. She’d been scared the powerful ring would fall into the wrong hands. Leave it to the elves to let the dragon get a hold of it when it had raided their village.
He took a deep breath. It wasn’t their fault. What could they have done against a dragon? More importantly, what was he supposed to do against a dragon? He needed that ring. It was the only chance he had to prove he hadn’t killed his sister. Why couldn’t it have been stolen by ogres or imps? He could have handled that! But no, it had to have been a dragon.
He flapped his wings harder. The sooner he got there, the sooner this would be done.
Chapter One
“Katelynn! Supper is ready!”
Kate looked up from her book. “Coming, Mom!” She leaned her head back against the tree she was sitting against and sighed. “I guess I won’t get to finish this chapter after all.”
The sky rumbled though it was still beautiful out.
“We’d better get in before the storm gets here.” Her older brother, Nathan, grinned as he walked past her on the way back to the house from the barn. “Come on, Kitty.”
She rolled her eyes. It didn’t matter that he was two years older than her; she’d always be the more mature. “It’s Kate. How would you like it if I called you Nitty?”
He laughed. “Nitty. I kind of like it. Do you think it suits me?”
“I know I’ve asked you this before, but do you think you could start acting seventeen?”
His only answer was to stick his tongue out at her.
She sighed as he ran away, still chuckling to himself. The wind blew over the field and through her long blond hair. Nathan was right. It was time to get back to the house.
“How’s your book?” asked her mom as she sat down at the dinner table.
“Good! I’m just at the part where the dragon tries to eat the faerie prince!”
“Oh, my!” Her mother smiled and put a plate of food in front of her. “Do you think he’ll manage?”
Kate shook her head. “Prince Quallen’s fast. The dragon doesn’t stand a chance.” She put the book down beside her plate and took a bite of homemade pizza.
“It’s just a book, Kitty,” bugged Nathan. “It doesn’t matter if your little book boyfriend lives or dies.”
She blushed. “He’s not my book boyfriend and of course it matters! It wouldn’t be much of a story if the main character died halfway through the book.” She ignored his next three comments and kept her eyes on the cover of her novel. The faerie prince was flying through the trees, his dark hair in his eyes, his wings glowing in the moonlight.
“Did you get all of your chores done,” questioned their Mom. The siblings nodded. “Good. I have to run over to the neighbor’s for a few hours. Mrs. Barten asked me to come over and help her with her new curtains. I imagine I’ll stay for a cup of tea afterward. Your father will be home around eight.” She gave them both a kiss on the forehead before grabbing her sweater off the back of her chair and leaving with a final wave.
“I call the TV!” Nathan ran to the living room, jumped over the couch, and grabbed the remote.
“I don’t want the TV. I’m going up to my room to read.” Kate put her plate in the sink and headed upstairs.
Her room always made her smile. A few months ago, her parents had let her redecorate it. She’d picked greens, blues, and browns. It had taken a couple of weeks, but she’d finally been able to find a dark green bed set with faeries on it. Apparently, the marketing world didn’t think fifteen year olds with beds bigger than toddler size should want anything to do with faeries. Quallen’s Quest, the series she was reading at the moment, was her favorite. She was only on the third book and yet she felt as though she was a part of that world.
She’d give anything to be there. A world filled with magic and adventure. She couldn’t believe how boring life was here at home. Nothing exciting ever happened. Oh, to live in another world, another land…
She took her backpack off of the bed and dropped it onto the floor. She would make sure to put her things away tomorrow. With school letting out a week ago, she’d taken advantage of her free time and spent most of it reading and riding her horse, Moon.
Kate put on her pajamas and snuggled into her pillow. Her book mark fell onto her chest as she opened the book and started to read.
Prince Quallen pulled his sword from his scabbard and flew at the dragon, his clear wings pushing him through the air. He let out a war cry which echoed through the woods…
Chapter Two
Kate heard the rain tapping outside her window. Ugh. She’d fallen asleep reading again. She felt for her bookmark in the dark then realized she couldn’t find her book. Why was it so dark? Even if the sky was filled with clouds, the streetlight usually let some light into her room. The sound of rain changed slightly and she paused her search. Maybe it wasn’t rain. What was that?
She reached to the side to turn on the lamp and stopped short. Those were leaves she was feeling. That’s what she was hearing. Dry leaves crunching as she moved about. Where her lamp should have been, she felt nothing, or at least, nothing familiar. She sat up and tried to swing her legs over the edge of her bed only to realize that she was no longer in a bed. Her heart started to pound in her chest. What was going on?
Kate blinked, trying to get used to the darkness. She was in a cave! A thin beam of moonlight broke through the cloud cover and made its way through the entrance and barely illuminated the leaf covered ground she sat on. She looked down at her legs. She was still in pajama pants. The lavender cotton was stained with dirt where she had moved around. Her hand reached back and brushed the dead leaves off of her black t-shirt.
She was dreaming, right? There really was no other explanation for it. She took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves. Of course it was a dream. She stood cautiously.
This had to be one of the strangest dreams she’d ever had. She could smell the leaves and feel the moisture in the air. Holy man, it was humid here. She took the hair elastic off of her wrist and pulled her blond hair into a ponytail.
“Hello.”
Kate screamed jumped back against the wall of the cave, her e
yes scanning the area quickly for the owner of the voice.
“It’s alright. I won’t hurt you.” Wherever the boy was, she still couldn’t see him. There was a long pause. “What are you?”
“What?” Her eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness and a shadowed form sitting hidden in the by the entrance appeared.
“What are you?”
She frowned. “I’m… I’m Kate.”
“I’ve never met a Kate before. Where do Kates come from?”
“Umm, I’m from… wait. Who are you?”
The shadow shook his head. “That’s not important right now. What I’d like to know is how you got here. One moment I’m having a fantastic sleep and the next I wake up with a girl on my floor.”
Kate took a deep breath. It was a dream, right? She could pretty much do whatever she wanted with this. “I flew here. On the back of a winged unicorn.”
“You’re lying.” The boy’s anger surprised her. “The last winged unicorn vanished years ago.”
A light bulb went off in her head. She was dreaming about Quallen’s Quest! “I’m in Kallaryn, aren’t I?” she exclaimed.
“You are.” The boy stood and stepped out of the shadows. Kate gawked as Prince Quallen himself appeared in the moonlight. His black hair stuck out in all directions and even though there was barely any light, his purple eyes seemed to glow. He moved closer until he stood directly in front of her.
She couldn’t help her surprise as she looked up at him. He had to be a head taller than she was. He frowned.
“You seem shocked.”
She blushed. “I just always thought you’d be small.”
His frown deepened. “What do you mean?”
“You’re a faerie. I thought you’d be small.” Her eyes moved to his wings. Though they seemed clear in the dark, she knew they had a green tint when the light reflected off of them.
He raised an eyebrow at her. “Are all Faeries small in your world?”
She laughed. She was starting to enjoy this dream. Magical world, hot (man, he was hot) Faerie Prince… “There are no Faeries in my world. There are no unicorns, no dragons, no orcs, no elves, no, well, nothing exciting like here. No magic, either.”
He blinked. “No magic?”
She shook her head.
“Then, how did you get here?”
She smiled. “Obviously, I’m dreaming. I was reading a book and fell asleep. You’d just gotten to the town of Grount after killing the dragon, Dearat.”
He paled. “You’re a witch!”
“No, no. I’m human.”
“I thought you were a Kate.” Quallen looked so confused, she started to feel bad.
“Alright. Let’s start over. Hello, my name is Kate.” She stuck her hand out. “Nice to meet you, Prince Quallen.”
He looked at her hand blankly.
“You’re supposed to shake it.” She shrugged and put her hand away. “Alright, so what’s this dream going to be about?” She could go along with this. Gorgeous faerie prince, magical world..
He ignored her question. “I think we need to go find Luthan. He’ll know what’s happening.”
Kate smiled. “I know what’s happening. I’m dreaming.”
His purple eyes met her blue ones. “No. You’re not.”
“Of course, it’s a dream!”
Quallen took her hands in his. “Kate.” His expression softened. “I am Prince Quallen. You are in Kallaryn.” He paused, letting it all sink in. “If you believe one thing I say and one thing only, let it be this. You are not dreaming.”
Kate’s heart pounded in her chest. “This doesn’t make sense. Of course, I am.” She pulled her hands out of his and pinched herself hard under the arm. Tears welled in her eyes. “Just cause that hurt doesn’t mean this isn’t a dream.”
Quallen took a deep breath. “Let’s suppose this is a dream. Why don’t you simply humor me and keep me company for whatever time you have left here.”
Kate wiped her arms across her face to dry her tears. “I don’t like this dream.”
“Oh, come, now. I’m not that horrible to be around.” He smiled for the first time since she’d woken up.
Her stomach growled and she realized the sun was starting to come up and the cave was no longer completely dark. A small flying bug of some sort landed on Quallen’s wing and he flicked them once rapidly. Seeing the green shimmer through them made her calmer somehow.
Of course this was a dream, she thought to herself. Quallen, Prince of the Faeries was standing in front of her. He was tall and, well, hot. Oh, man. Cheekbones. Any other time she’d dreamt of him he’d been a small faerie and his looks had never been this defined.
“Ok.” She looked up at him grinned. “Let’s go with this. It’s a dream, but I’m here. I’d like to make the most of it while I can. You know. Before I wake up.”
He cocked his head to the side and shrugged. “Alright. Let’s go with that, then.” He gestured regally to the mouth of the cave and put a hand on the small of her back to give her a small nudge toward it. “In that case, Kate of…” He paused.
“Paddockwood.”
He smiled. “Kate of Paddockwood, I’d like to welcome you to Kallaryn.”
She’d read of this world before and knew that as she stepped out of Quallen’s cave they would be on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Whistling Forrest. What she quickly realized was that her imagination hadn’t done justice to the world she’d fallen in love with on paper. The tree tops below them were a wonderful mix of yellows, pinks, and purples. She stared, unable to look away from the beauty before her.
“Not what you expected?” Quallen hopped off the edge of the cliff and gave a few slow beats of his wings. “Oh. Sorry.” He came back to stand beside her. “I’m used to flying everywhere.”
She laughed. “Wow. This is amazing!” She took a step closer to the edge to look further down. “Ow!”
Quallen rushed to her side and helped her sit.
“I’m okay. I just stepped on something.” Kate took a hold of her foot and turned it to make sure nothing had gotten under the skin.
“Hang on.” Quallen jogged back into his cave then reappeared a few minutes later holding a pair of calf high dark brown leather books. “These might fit. They were my sister’s.” His eyes saddened, the purple morphing into a deep mauve.
“I’m sorry about your sister.”
He frowned. “What do you know about my sister?”
“The very first book of Quallen’s Quest is called Losing Quasny. It’s the story of how your Uncle Thraip goes into your room, doesn’t realize your sister was in your bed because she’d had a nightmare and you were on the floor where he couldn’t see you… and then…”
The pair was quiet as they relived the scene though their minds. Thraip had rushed to the bed, his dagger ready. Quallen had woken to his sister’s cry of pain. Disoriented and panicked, he’d managed to knock his uncle off of his sister. He hadn’t been able to save her.
Clothed in only his sleeping attire and weaponless, he’d faced off with the man he’d once trusted. Thraip, intent on finishing the job he’d come to do, had cut Quallen’s arm, but had been overeager and had left himself open to attack. Quallen had dodged the next rush at him and used his momentum to push his uncle into the bed post. Scared he wouldn’t survive the next attack, he’d escaped through the window. He’d rushed to the Guardroom only to find his uncle already there, telling the captain in charge how he’d heard Quasny screaming and that when he’d gotten to Quallen’s room, he’d been too late. Prince Quallen had murdered his sister.
Quallen hadn’t stayed around long enough to get caught. To kill the Faerie Princess was the most horrendous crime one could commit. Even the Prince himself would be sentenced to death.
Quallen sat on the grass beside Kate. She reached over and took his hand.
“He took
my mother as well that night.”
“What? How?”
“They say she was heartbroken. That the grief killed her.”
“You don’t believe that?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“I know I only read about her, but she really did seem like a great person. I know you loved her very much; loved them very much.”
Quallen managed a small smile. “They were. I did.” He took a deep breath. “That’s why I have to find a way to prove to the rest of the Faeries just how evil of a man my uncle is. Without me there now that my mother and sister are gone, he’s taken over the faeries.”
Kate’s heart was trying to pound out of her chest. She’d fallen in love with these book characters and now that they were real, she was reliving the loss.
He gave her hand a squeeze. “Come on. Put the boots on and we’ll go see Luthan. He might not be able to help me with my dilemma, but let’s see if he can give us a hand with yours.” He stood and pulled her up. “Actually, why don’t you come back into the cave and we’ll see if you fit some of Quasny’s clothes. She always kept a few extra items here. You’ll stick out like an elf at an ogre party walking around dressed like that.”
They headed back into the cave the siblings had used as a hideaway from the world and Kate took a better look around. Two cots were sitting on opposite ends of the room. The rock walls were decorated with vines and drawings the siblings had drawn together.
Quallen opened a wooden chest that sat at the foot of the farthest bed. He picked through it and set a change of clothes on the sheets before shutting the lid with a sad sigh.
“I… I can just wear these, really.” Kate tried to imagine how hard it would be for him to see his sister’s things again.
He shook his head. “It’s fine. It’s not like I’m going to wear them.” He handed her the clothes and went to stand outside while she changed.
Kate stepped out of her pajama pants and pulled on the soft, worn leather pants the color of pine needles. The white hooded tunic was long sleeved and was baggy enough to wear over her T-shirt. She put on the boots and did up the belt.
Faerie Dreams: Book One Page 1